As a keynote speaker, one of the main things I speak about is resilience and proving to yourself that you're capable of more than you think.
A big part of that is sharing my story of running 58 marathons in 58 days across all 50 states of America and all eight states and territories of Australia.
So you can imagine how excited I was when I got invited to speak at the Sports Strategy Summit.
I'm an avid sports fan, and this was one of those events where I genuinely wanted to be in the room all day.
The conversations blew my mind.
There were discussions around how businesses and communities can grow and support sport, but also how sport can be used as a way to grow communities, create connection and bring people together.
I was buzzing.
But as the day went on, I also started thinking, "I've got a tough job here."
I was closing the event after some beautiful and incredible panels, and I wanted to finish the day on a high.
Thankfully for me, this was my audience.
They loved sport. They loved stories. And they understood resilience.
A different version of my keynote
Jason, the founder of the Sports Strategy Summit, had seen my documentary, *States of Mind*.
He asked if I could do something a little different.
He wanted me to share my usual story of the 58 marathons, but also go deeper into what Amy and I were going through with IVF at the same time.
This isn't something I'd normally included in this keynote, but it was literally part of the journey.
Just before starting the 58 marathons, Amy and I made the decision to go through IVF.
While I was on the road running a marathon every day, Amy went through an egg collection and transfer.
Then we met up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to do a pregnancy test.
There we were, both chasing these massive things in our own lives while also going through one of the most challenging periods we'd been through as a couple.
For me, it showed something I've come to really value in our relationship.
We want to support each other to be our best selves. We want to be there for each other's journeys, while also knowing that when one of us needs the other, we're there.
That's what we did.
And sharing that part of the story changed the keynote.
Everyone is carrying something
The talk took the room through laughter and sadness.
We spoke about running 58 marathons. We spoke about resilience. We spoke about the choices you make when things get hard. But we also spoke about relationships, IVF and the things people are carrying that many of us know nothing about.
Ultimately, I wanted everyone in that room to walk away believing one thing:
You are capable of more than you think.
Not because life is always going to go your way.
Not because chasing something big is easy.
But because sometimes you don't know what you're capable of until you're in it.
How do you know when a keynote has landed?
Afterwards, people kept coming up to speak with me, thank me and share their own stories.
I had brought 120 copies of my book with me.
We sold every one.
I spent time signing books and talking to people. In the days afterwards, I saw numerous people posting about the keynote on LinkedIn. Jason told me he'd received amazing feedback.
That's when I knew it had landed.
And to be honest, those moments mean a lot to me.
Every time I step on stage, it's a privilege I don't take for granted.
There could be one person sitting in that room who needs to hear what I have to say that day.
That's enough reason for me to show up and give it everything I've got.
Thank you to the Sports Strategy Summit for having me.
This was genuinely one of my favourite talks I've given.
Every time I get up there, I feel like I'm getting more confident. I'm learning to use my voice better. I'm learning to hold the room better.
Most importantly, I'm just enjoying the journey.
Looking for an Australian keynote speaker on resilience?
If you're looking for an Australian keynote speaker to speak to your team or at your next event about resilience, pushing beyond what you think you're capable of, and the choices we make when life gets hard, I'd love to have a conversation.