Julia Acena
The Wave Doesn’t Care About Your Change Plan
Julia is a Change Manager based in Sydney with experience delivering transformation initiatives across a range of industries, including workforce management, HR systems and operational change. She has supported complex programs across Australia and New Zealand, where she is known for bringing structure, clarity and momentum during key delivery phases. With a background in psychology and learning and development, Julia focuses on the human side of change helping individuals and teams build understanding, confidence and capability throughout the transition.
Outside of her professional work, Julia has a strong interest in creativity and continuous learning. Having recently taken up surfing, she has become increasingly curious about how people learn, adapt and build confidence in unfamiliar and unpredictable environments. She brings this perspective into her work, exploring how real world experiences of learning and uncertainty can offer fresh insights into how change is experienced within organisations.
Join her workshop –
What happens when your change plan no longer reflects reality?
In many organisations, change is approached as something that can be planned, controlled and delivered in a structured way but in practice, change often feels unpredictable, messy and deeply human, especially for those experiencing it.
This session draws on the lived experience of learning to surf as an adult to explore how individuals and organisations navigate change in uncharted environments. When you first enter the water, you quickly realise you can’t control the waves. Your timing is off, you wipe out more than you succeed, and progress feels non-linear. Over time, you begin to read patterns, adapt and respond with greater awareness.
Through this lens, participants will explore how change is actually experienced particularly by those who are still building confidence, capability and trust in the process.
Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the human experience of change, and practical ways to support themselves and others when navigating uncertainty.
