Darryl Edwards | Keynote Speaker on Active Play, Exercise Medicine and Behaviour Change

Darryl Edwards is an international keynote speaker, author and founder of the Primal Play Method®. He speaks on active play, physical activity adherence, exercise medicine, exercise oncology, healthy ageing and behaviour change.

His keynotes translate exercise science, cognitive neuroscience, evolutionary biology and play psychology into practical ideas for healthcare, education, public health, workplaces and organisations.

Darryl also speaks on grief, mental health, resilience and major life transitions, drawing on lived experience of bereavement, personal loss and surviving the 7 July 2005 London bombings.

Darryl is a Chartered Fellow Physical Activity and Health Practitioner, Diplomate of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (UK), Fellow of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine and ACSM Cancer Exercise Specialist®.

Who Darryl Speaks For

Healthcare, oncology and lifestyle medicine
Exercise medicine, exercise oncology, prevention, obesity, healthy ageing and physical activity adherence. Previous audiences and events include European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Breast Cancer, Leaders in Oncology Care at HCA Healthcare, ObesityWeek®, European Congress on Obesity, Obesity Medicine Association, American Academy of Family Physicians and NHS trusts.

Education, play and early years
Active play, child development, physical literacy, wellbeing, learning and the science of play. Keynotes include Playtopia 2026, US Play Coalition 2026, Senior Mental Health Lead Conference, Early Lives Conference and Playposium 2025.

Academic and professional organisations
Evidence-informed talks on movement, health, behaviour and play for professional and academic audiences, including Harvard Medical School, UCLA, Imperial College London, King’s College London, Boston University and Indiana University.

Workplaces and commercial organisations
Behaviour change, movement, wellbeing, cognitive performance and sustainable behaviour. Previous organisations include Microsoft, Merrill Lynch, Starbucks and Virgin Atlantic.

Public health, policy and professional bodies
Physical activity, prevention, obesity, long-term conditions, population health and behaviour change. Previous audiences include MOVE Congress, International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA), Global Cities Changing Diabetes Summit and the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine (BSLM). Upcoming: CIMSPA Annual Conference 2027.

Watch Darryl Edwards’ TED Talk

Why Working Out Isn’t Working Out explores why traditional exercise approaches often fail to produce lasting physical activity behaviour.

Darryl speaking at Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA.

Available for in-person and online engagements in the UK and internationally.

Book Darryl Edwards for Your Event

Darryl delivers keynotes, conference presentations, panels, workshops and professional education for medical, educational, play, public health and commercial organisations.

Tell us about your event, audience and objectives.

KEYNOTE SPEAKING
For conferences, leadership events, healthcare, education, play and commercial organisations.
Panels and Professional Sessions
For medical meetings, education conferences, policy events and expert discussions.
Workshops and Training
For teams, educators, clinicians and organisations that want practical application.
Fireside Conversations and Q&A
For leadership events, conferences and smaller audiences seeking a more conversational format.

Tailored to Your Audience

Every audience is different. Darryl works with organisers before each engagement to understand who is in the room, what matters to them and what the event needs to achieve.

Keynotes are adapted with relevant evidence, examples and practical takeaways shaped around the audience and event objectives.

Signature Keynotes and Speaking Topics

The Active Play Prescription
How active play can support enjoyment, engagement, movement confidence and physical activity across the lifespan.

Audience takeaway: A practical framework for using play to make movement more engaging, adaptable and meaningful.

Why Working Out Isn’t Working Out
Why knowing exercise is beneficial often fails to produce sustained participation, and what helps people keep moving.

Audience takeaway: A clearer understanding of the adherence gap and the factors that influence continued participation.

Movement Is Medicine
How physical activity affects health, function and disease risk, and why adherence determines whether people receive enough movement to benefit.

Audience takeaway: A practical way to connect movement dose, health outcomes and sustained participation.

Exercise Oncology: Movement Before, During and After Cancer Treatment
What current exercise oncology evidence means for patients, clinicians and health systems.

Audience takeaway: A clearer understanding of where exercise can support function, treatment tolerance, recovery and quality of life across the cancer pathway.

Healthy Ageing: Building Physical Capacity for Life
How strength, fitness, balance, mobility and movement behaviour influence function and independence across ageing.

Audience takeaway: A framework for protecting physical capacity and function across later life.

From Intention to Action: Designing Behaviour People Repeat
How autonomy, competence, feedback, challenge and social connection can shape behaviours and experiences people are more likely to repeat.

Audience takeaway: Practical principles for designing environments and experiences that support sustained action.

The Moving Brain: How Physical Activity Supports Cognitive Performance
How physical activity, sedentary behaviour and movement breaks can influence attention, executive function, memory, mood and cognitive performance at work. The keynote explores how movement, active play, cognitive challenge and social interaction can create more engaging opportunities for physical activity during the working day.

Audience takeaway: Evidence-informed ways to use movement throughout the working day to support cognitive function, wellbeing and performance.

When Life Changes: Movement, Grief and Rebuilding

A personal and evidence-informed keynote exploring bereavement, grief, mental health, identity and recovery after major life disruption, drawing on Darryl’s experiences of family loss and surviving the 7 July London bombings. The talk can also explore experiences of trauma, depression and post-traumatic stress where appropriate to the audience and event.

Audience takeaway: A practical perspective on how movement, connection, meaning and agency can support people navigating loss and change.

Ready to Learn: Why Movement and Play Matter in the Early Years

How active play supports physical development, attention, self-regulation, social connection, confidence and readiness to learn in the early years.

Audience takeaway: A practical framework for creating more movement-rich, playful environments that support development without turning play into another lesson.

Additional keynote themes include career change, purpose, meaningful work and building a career around expertise and passion.

Selected Speaking Engagements

Testimonials

“Darryl delivered the most inspiring and uplifting keynote I have ever heard and was the highlight of the day. He took time to understand our event and aligned his content with our theme of belonging. The audience loved him, the evaluation was highly positive, and many schools left keen to put his ideas into practice.”
Sarah Henry, Senior Mental Health Lead Conference 2026 Keynote, Wakefield, UK.

“Darryl arrived with deep research, clear expertise and an undeniable command of the stage. He is engaging, knowledgeable and utterly compelling. What made Darryl truly exceptional was that he stayed, connected and fully participated alongside the educators in the room. Darryl Edwards set the tone of Playtopia 2026.”
Alina Lopez Thomas, Early Childhood Leader & VP of Programs and Innovation
Playtopia 2026 Keynote, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

“Darryl, that was one of the most amazing presentations I’ve seen in decades of attending conferences as a medical consultant. He speaks from the heart and clearly knows what he is talking about. When you combine passion and commitment with expertise and excellence, you have a winning combination.”
Dr Anna Pallecaros, Consultant Physician
MBBS MRCP DSTS DFSRH DTM&H
Integrative & Personalised Medicine Congress 2025, London, UK

“I had the privilege of watching Darryl Edwards at the US Play Coalition give a magnificent summary of what play is and how we can better use it. His presentation was clear, engaging and deeply participatory.

Darryl did more than define play. He demonstrated it, got the audience moving and enabled them to experience it for themselves. That combination of insight, communication and participation is rare.”

Stuart Brown, MD
Author of Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul⁣

“Darryl Edwards is an entertaining and dynamic keynote who never fails to deliver. Darryl is energetic on stage with effective communication, clear messages, enthralling content and tremendous value.”
Prof Paul Robinson, Imperial College London.

“Darryl is a fantastically engaging speaker who can deliver complex ideas in a simple, easy-to-understand manner. His immense passion underpins his content and leaves you feeling truly motivated. An excellent speaker who I would most certainly take the time to watch again!”
Dr Rangan Chatterjee - BBC One’s Doctor in the House