10 Female Adventurers to Invigorate Your Audience

With everything from sailing around the world, climbing up the highest mountains and tackling the cold in Antarctica, these adventurers had a vision and tackled challenges they faced with integrity.

It doesn’t take much imagination to see how inspired and motivated any audience will feel after hearing their stories.

With incredible abilities to solve problems on the fly, try to stay on board as these 10 Female Adventurers to Invigorate Your Audience take to the stage to share their journeys with us all!

Alexandra Panayotou

An extreme endurance runner who has run more kilometres than most people have driven, Alexandra Panayotou convinces senior executive teams and individuals why we need to change to bring out the best in all of us. Alex draws on her exceptional athletic achievements to enrich her professional capability and programs as well as her fight with breast cancer. Convincing audiences that if we approach life with a positive attitude, are willing to change and adapt our behaviour, lifestyle, and habits, we can deal with our obstacles and live life to the fullest!

Felicity Aston

In January 2012 Felicity Aston skied 1744km in 59 days across Antarctica with no help from machines, making her the first person in the world to do so purely by muscle power. She has led several other equally challenging expeditions including the first British women’s crossing of Greenland; a trip to Iceland for young people with brain injuries and an all-female team in the 500km Polar Challenge to the magnetic north pole. Sharing her incredible stories of polar adventure with stunning film and photographs, Felicity’s motivational stories are truly inspiration.

Debra Searle

Successfully rowing solo across the Atlantic Ocean, Debra Searle inspires all who meet her. Debra's story begins when her partner left her alone at sea. The sceptics gave her two days tops, but 111 days later she rowed into Port St Charles, Barbados. Debra uses her journey of discovery during the race to powerfully, but subtly, draw out key business and personal lessons as she speaks from the heart with great humour and illustrates, in a very human way, what we are all capable of if we have the right attitude. CWatch our Virtual Masterclass: Building Resilience and Achieving Success in a Time of Crisis for a sneak peek of her incredible story.

Bonita Norris

Reaching the top of Mt Everest as an experienced mountaineer is a tough challenge, but conquering this without ever been climbing, well that’s something else. Bonita Norris delights audiences with her rivetingly rocky journey from novice climber to standing on top of the world. An icon for British adventurers , and a youth ambassador, Bonita is a beacon of what it is possible to achieve with enough determination.

Dee Caffari

On May 18th 2006, Dee Caffari sailed into the record books with an extraordinary feat, becoming the first female to circumnavigate the world ‘the wrong way' without stopping for the entirety of the 29,100miles. In 2004 she was picked to lead a team of amateurs in the challenging Global Challenge Yacht Race, powering through adversity as the only female skipper. With a contagious self-belief paired with an inspiring positive attitude, Dee is an expert on leadership, motivation, teamwork and overcoming self-limitations.

Cathy O’Dowd

Motivational speaker, author and climber Cathy O'Dowd was the world’s first woman to climb Mount Everest from both the North and South sides. Now I don’t know about you, but I feel like climbing up one side would almost be enough! Using her expedition as a case study for the corporate world, she encourages others to think like an explorer and can aid the instigation of change. A natural storyteller with an incredible tale, Cathy is consummate and charismatic motivational speaker.

Karen Darke

Paralympic cycling champion Karen Darke is an adventurers, author and motivational speaker, who at the age of 21 became paralysed from the chest down after a climbing fall. Finding fortune in misfortune, Karen adopted a strength of mind that would lead her into seemingly unachievable situations and to persevering until she found success. Challenging physical and mental barriers, Karen has achieved the unthinkable. Sit-skiing; hand-cycling; triathlons, marathons and kayaking in some of the most inhospitable places on earth, are just a small example of Karen’s incredible achievements. She shares her motivational story and extraordinary life, delivering business lessons and educate audiences on how to overcome life’s adversities.

Ellen MacArthur

Dame Ellen MacArthur made yachting history in 2005 when she became the fastest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe. She remains the UK’s most successful offshore racer ever but became acutely aware of the finite nature of the resources on which our linear economy relies and retired from professional sailing to launch the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2010. Adept at turning lessons learnt at sea into invaluable business messages, Ellen engages with business leaders, policy makers and education stakeholders to accelerate the transition to a regenerative circular economy.

Ann Daniels

Polar Explorer Ann Daniels is a world record holder and one of Britain’s leading female explorers. After conquering the South Pole, in 2002 Ann became the first woman in history to ski to the North and South Poles as part of all women teams. Experiencing temperatures as low as -50C and dealing with various encounters with Polar bears, she has sledge-hauled over 2000 miles, in the most inhospitable environments in the world. Understanding the importance of good planning, hard work and a positive attitude in the most difficult circumstances, one's she illustrated in our Virtual Masterclass Highlights: Celebrating International Women’s Day. Ann is living proof that good leader-ship, teamwork and believing in yourself does make a difference.

Sarah Outen

Sarah Outen rowed across the Indian Ocean alone, a journey of commitment to life and survival against the incredible strength that is mother nature. It took 124 days during which she scooped a few Guinness World Records including being the first woman and youngest person to solo the Indian and the youngest woman to solo any ocean. Sarah endured some of the most extreme conditions in vast and remote environments, which included the feat of rowing through a hurricane in the Atlantic sea, but she never gave up no matter what was thrown at her. Sarah shares her motivational journey about overcoming unimaginable adversities and the importance of having a strong team behind you.

Do you feel inspired? Because we sure do. These women have faced very different, but equally as challenging encounters. Problem-solving on the go, it sometimes takes these extreme conditions to understand the fundamental importance of goal setting, motivation and endurance. And what a better way to learn then hear from the experts who have experienced this in the flesh, and who have some of the most incredible stories to share!

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