Gary Smart
Ex-nerd, wanna-be rock star, turned relationship expert.
Melbourne, Australia
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Gary Smart is a career software/electrical engineer and developer who has been punching out code since the mid-1980s. A best-selling technical author and award-winning speaker, he has coded, engineered, and architected his way through every major technical wave — and bubble — up to today, collecting countless lessons along the way. Surprisingly, his most impactful discoveries weren’t technical at all, but in the realms of soft skills, interpersonal growth, and relationship development.
These days, alongside wielding a soldering iron and occasionally slinging code, Gary is a certified NLP practitioner and life coach. He focus is on helping engineers and developers with logical, analytical minds navigate the often-overlooked world of relationships and human connection. His message is simple yet powerful: even as engineers and developers, your greatest asset - in life and career - is your human edge.
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The Human Edge: Why Your Greatest Asset Isn’t Technical
In today’s fast-moving tech world, it’s easy to believe your next framework or coding skill is the key to success. But the truth is, your most valuable asset isn’t your code — it’s you.
In this talk, Gary Smart — a career software engineer, best-selling author, and award-winning speaker — shares the hard-won lesson he wishes he had known 25 years ago: that human skills, not technical expertise, ultimately shape your career growth, influence, and impact.
With over three decades of experience coding, engineering, and leading through every major tech wave, Gary shows how his biggest breakthroughs weren’t found in a compiler, but in investing in himself, learning to lead rooms with confidence, and building courage in everyday interactions.
You’ll discover why soft skills are the real “hard edge” that separate those who stall in their careers from those who thrive as leaders and innovators. With practical tools, engaging stories, and challenges you can apply right away, this session will help you see that your future — and your success — depends less on your technical stack and more on your human edge.
Perfect for developers and engineers from early career to senior level, this talk will challenge assumptions, open new doors, and leave you with the conviction that your humanness is your greatest advantage.
Permission to Stop: Building Sustainable Success in Work and Life
In today’s fast-paced professional world, success is often measured by how much you can juggle and how long you can keep going. But the hidden cost of being “unstoppable” is real — careers stall, health declines, and relationships quietly suffer. What if the bravest step forward is to give yourself permission to stop?
In this talk, Gary Smart — a career engineer, best-selling author, and award-winning speaker — shares his journey from high performance and constant motion into burnout and recovery. Along the way, he discovered that strength isn’t found in pushing without pause, but in knowing when to reset, reflect, and re-balance.
Drawing on three decades of experience in technical and corporate environments, Gary reveals the early warning signs of burnout and the unseen toll it takes not only on careers but also on families and personal well-being. More importantly, he offers practical strategies to create sustainable performance: how to recognize tipping points, reframe what success means, and build a rhythm that supports both professional achievement and meaningful relationships.
This session is designed for professionals in demanding roles who want to excel without sacrificing health, family, or happiness. It will inspire you to rethink what true success looks like — and leave you with the conviction that sometimes the most powerful way forward begins with permission to stop.
Better Lovers Make Better Leaders: Unlocking the Human Edge of Leadership
Leadership isn’t just about strategy or execution — it’s about influence, trust, and the ability to inspire. And the surprising truth is this: the same skills that strengthen your most personal relationships are the ones that make you an extraordinary leader.
In this session, Gary Smart — career engineer, best-selling author, and award-winning speaker — shares the lesson he wishes he had known earlier: that empathy, presence, and courage in relationships translate into influence, clarity, and impact at work. With more than 30 years in technical and corporate environments, and two decades of lived experience in marriage and family, Gary reveals how human connection is the missing link in sustainable leadership.
As you discover why better lovers make better leaders, you’ll begin to notice how the way you listen, the way you communicate, and the way you show up in relationships mirrors the way you lead. You’ll leave with practical tools and fresh conviction that building stronger relationships — both at home and at work — is the most powerful career advantage you can create.
Beyond Code: The Skills That Really Drive Your Career & Success
In today’s fast-moving tech world, it’s easy to believe your next framework or coding skill is the key to success. But the truth is, it’s not just your code that matters — it’s you.
The reality is, many brilliant developers stall for reasons that have nothing to do with technology. Imagine instead being the developer whose ideas land first, whose presence fills the room, and whose career moves forward with momentum.
In this talk, Gary Smart — a career software engineer, best-selling author, and award-winning speaker — shares the hard-won lesson he wishes he had known 25 years ago: that human skills, combined with technical expertise, are the hidden drivers of influence, recognition, and long-term success.
With over three decades of experience coding, engineering, and leading through every major tech wave, Gary shows how his biggest breakthroughs weren’t found in a compiler, but in learning to unlock his own human edge.
You’ll discover three developer-friendly skills you can apply immediately to maximise your influence and impact:
1. How to read and lead a room so your ideas land with clarity, confidence, and authority.
2. Storytelling for developers — framing technical challenges, updates, and ideas with persuasion and impact.
3. Building self-courage and confidence to speak up, influence decisions, and ask for what you want both at work and in life.
These are the skills that separate those who quietly plateau from those who thrive as leaders and innovators. With practical tools, engaging stories, and challenges you can apply right away, this session will unlock your confidence, elevate your career, and prove that in a technical world obsessed with code, AI and automation, your humanness is your greatest advantage.
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