Adversity Speakers

Abbott, Jim - Motivational Speaker & One-handed famed professional baseball pitcher
Jim Abbott was a famed one handed major league baseball player, who overcame a birth defect of only one hand became an amazing pro pitcher and ball player. Through stories, anecdotes, jokes, some self...

Adams, Jeff - Two-time Olympian, Four-time Paralympian
Jeff Adams is a two-time Olympian, four-time Paralympian, six-time World Champion and prior World Record holder in the 1500m men's wheelchair event. For the past eight years, Jeff Adams has spoken ...

Adamson, Kate - Paralyzed but not Powerless, stroke survivor
Kate Adamson is a mesmerizing, inspirational, keynote speaker whose presentation will enhance the theme of your conference. Kate Adamson will bring focus and power to your corporate and health care co...

Ben, David - Corporate Entertainer & Innovation Speaker
David Ben is unlike any magician you have seen before. He has a BA from the University of Toronto, a law degree from The London School of Economics, and as a former tax lawyer, he cannot help but thin...

Brock, Joan - Inspirational Speaker on Courage, Perseverance & Acceptance
Joan Brock is an extraordinary woman, author and speaker! She has transformed adversity into challenge, and frustration into opportunity. When Joan Brock spoke at the Million Dollar Round Table, he...

Brown, Shelly-Ann - Silver Medal Olympian 2010 - Canadian Olympian Speaker
Shelley-Ann Brown is a native of Pickering, Ontario Canada. She has been a high level competitor in Track and Field for many years. As passionate about education as she is about sports, Shelley-Ann co...

Burrows, Scott - Equipping Leaders to Standup to their Challenges & Opportunities!
Early in Scott’s life he played wide receiver at Florida State University under coach Bobby Bowden and was a top-ranked kick-boxing champion having his last fight broadcast by ESPN. But on Novem...

Connor, Earle - 2000 and 2008 Paralympic Champion
Earle had his left leg amputated above the knee at just three months old. But he never shied away from sports, even when it might draw attention to his disability. When a neighbourhood friend signe...

Craig, Jim - Inspiration Driven Leaders & Sales Development
Jim Craig guides, motivates, and inspires his audiences through a customized presentation that meets your organizations needs and objectives. Your business is faced with a unique set of challenges ...

Crooks, Charmaine - Five Time Olympian
Five Time Olympian and Olympic Silver Medalist Charmaine Crooks represented Canada for close to 20 years in Athletics. As the first Canadian woman to run under two minutes over 800 meters, she won g...

Ershler, Susan - Business Executive Reaching New Heights
Business Executive, Mt. Everest Climber, International Speaker and co-author of: TOGETHER ON TOP OF THE WORLD: The remarkable story of the first couple to climb the fabled Seven Summits. Susan Er...

Gardner, Rulon - Olympic Wrestler - Never Stop Pushing
A modern-day Paul Bunyan, Rulon Gardner grew up on his Mormon family's dairy farm, where unceasing chores helped him develop tremendous strength and stamina at an early age. He struggled in school d...

Godefroy, Rene - From Childhood Poverty to Motivational Speaker
Rene Godefroy has a passion for empowering others to excel and succeed. His personal story of struggle, grit and perseverance epitomize triumph and the American dream. Born in a tiny, isolated v...

Haley, Andrew - Paralympic Swimmer and Cancer Survivor
Andrew Haley has had a passion for swimming and a fire within himself to push the limits of personal achievement since a young age. He began training for competitive swimming at age 15, when his aunt ...

Hill, Matt - Motivational Speaker, Runner and Co-Founder of Run for One Planet
Matt Hill Matt Hill is the kind of ball of insatiable energy that reminds us all why we love life. Born and bred in British Columbia, Canada, Matt, like his idol Terry Fox, was always running. His...

Hobson, Alan - Mt. Everest Climber, Summiteer & Cancer Survivor
The Best Adventure Speaker in the World At the age of 29, international bestselling author and worldwide adventurer Alan Hobson set out to realize his greatest childhood dream. It took him 10 gruel...

Horvath, Greg - Ordinary person achieving extraordinary results against incredible odds.
It’s not who they are that make individuals or organizations great, it is what they have overcome! One of the most effective ways to have people understand and believe this is to expose them to ...

Jenner, Bruce - Olympic Gold Medalist
Bruce Jenner captivated the world when he broke the world record by scoring 8,634 points in the decathlon at the 1976 Olympic games in Montreal and earned the title, “World’s Greatest Athl...

Law, Alvin - Remarkable Motivational Speaker, Born Without Arms
Over 13,000 babies around the world were deformed in the early 1960's because of a morning sickness drug, Thalidomide. Alvin Law was born without arms after his birth mother, thinking it was completel...

MacDonald, Warren - Finding Opportunity in Adversity
Warren Macdonald’s life’s boundaries were redefined in April 1997 with his accident on North Queensland’s (Australia) Hinchinbrook Island. Climbing to the Island’s tallest peak...

Marek, Denise - Worry Management Expert
Denise Marek is a television personality and professional speaker. Known as the Worry Management Expert, she has helped thousands of individuals across North America — from Vancouver, British C...

Miller, Shannon - Internationally Renowned Coach
Shannon Miller, the 2003 AHCA Coach of the Year, is internationally renowned coach, who led the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team to three consecutive NCAA Championship titles (2001, ...

Mitchell-Halter, LuAn - One of the 40 Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World
From America to Australia and Madrid to Mexico, inspired audiences are leaping to their feet after hearing international motivational speaker LuAn Mitchell-Halter's message of genuine hope, unwavering...

Morris, Jim - Never Give Up On A Dream - The Inspiration for the Movie, “The Rookie.”
Jim “The Rookie” Morris’ inspirational and transformational message about following your dreams and having a game plan for success connects with audiences, young and old, male and fe...

Muenzer, Lori-Ann - Olympic Gold Medalist in Cycling at the age of 38
A race or journey to success is made up of a series of defining moments. Every moment and how Lori-Ann chose to use them allowed her vision of success to become her reality. How she handled the challe...

Mullen, Cary - Achieve Your Goals in Extreme Times
Today’s world economic climate has shifted from conditions that might be described as a gentle tail breeze on the bunny hill to what is now a head wind in an extreme sport that we didn’t s...

O'Dea, Frank - Founder of Second Cup
Frank O’Dea is a wonderful speaker who inspires and motivates his audiences wherever he speaks. His presentation is a highlight of any event. Whether it is his Hope Vision Action motivational ta...

Petitclerc, Chantal - Paralympic World Record Holder
Chantal was born on December 15, 1969 in Saint-Marc-des-Carrières in Quebec. At the age of thirteen, she lost the use of both legs in an accident. Gaston Jacques, a high school physical educati...

Plumb, Charlie - Former Navy Fighter Pilot - P.O.W.
Captain Charlie Plumb graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis and went on to fly the F-4 Phantom jet on 74 successful combat missions over North Vietnam. On his 75th mission, with only five days...

Ricker, Maelle - 2010 Olympic Champion
This is a Canadian sport story with a truly happy ending. Growing up among the mountains of West Vancouver and Whistler, Maëlle Ricker’s love of the outdoors developed at a young age. C...

Rosen, Paul - Paralympic Gold Medalist
Paul Rosen has a lightning-fast glove, cat-quick reflexes and a calm presence in the crease. He has everything an NHL goaltender has… except… his right leg. Paul Rosen was a promising...

Ruettiger, Rudy - It Starts With A Dream
Against all odds on a gridiron in South Bend, Indiana, Daniel Rudy Ruettiger in twenty seven seconds, carved his name into history books as perhaps the most famous graduate of the University of Notr...

Sauvageau, Daniele - Head coach of The First Canadian Women's Hockey Team to Win Olympic Gold in 50 Years
In sports and as in business, the instinct to win is crucial. To lead a team to victory, you have to accept the challenges and work together under adverse conditions. Danièle Sauvageau knows a ...

Shewfelt, Kyle - 2004 Olympic Champion
During a training session at the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, Kyle suffered a devastating injury, breaking both of his legs just below the knees. Determined to contribute to his ...

Skreslet, Laurie - First Canadian To Summit Mt. Everest
Laurie joined the Canadian Everest Expedition in the spring of 1981. Separate from his role as climber was his responsibility for the selection, development and testing of equipment to be used. With t...

Sostorics, Colleen - 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist – Hockey
Colleen grew up on a farm near the small community of Kennedy in SE Saskatchewan where she played on boys teams until graduating high school. She then moved to Calgary to pursue her hockey career whi...

Taylor, Randy - Motivational & Business Leadership Speaker
Randy Taylor is an inspiration in the world of personal growth and leadership. Having escaped poverty, parent alcoholism and life on the streets, he was able to reach the very top in Canadian broadcas...

Trottier, Bryan - Hockey Hall of Fame
Bryan Trottier was a modern-day player with old-fashioned attributes. At a time when specialists were beginning to take over from the all-round player, Trottier was a throwback. He was a defensively s...

Waddell, Chris - First Paraplegic to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro - USA Paralympian
Chris Waddell was a promising young skier at Middlebury College in 1988 when a skiing accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Determined to get back on the slopes, he began skiing on a mon...

Wickenheiser, Hayley - Best Female Hockey Player in the World - Four-time Olympic medalist
Four-time Olympic medalist, Hayley Wickenheiser is regarded as one of the best female hockey players in the world with an uncompromised determination and dedication to her sport. However, it’s n...

Wilkins, Doon - Stumbling Toward Enlightenment
Doon’s personal mission is to uplift the spirits of those who serve others. He is a motivational speaker who has been presenting at educational conferences, professional days and workshops since...

Williams, Henry Gizmo - From Poverty to Success on and off the Field. Surviving Life's Many Challenges
The football comes down out of the sky to the little man who waits, alone and vulnerable while a tidal wave of angry humanity flows toward him. In the world of games men play for pay, there may be no...

Wood, Sharon - First North American woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest
Sharon Wood became the first North American woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1986. She has acquired over twenty years of experience as a professional and elite climber. In addition to c...