UK
Renowned adventurer and entrepreneur, rowed solo across the Atlantic, faced 30' waves and sharks. Inspires resilience, leadership, and success in the face of challenges.
Request fees and availability5 out of 5 stars
I have been told by numerous colleagues that Debra was the best keynote speaker they have EVER seen. She was mesmerizing, inspirational and had the audience on their feet. I would definitely recommend Debra for any event.
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About Debra
Keynote
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Research shows that 75% of a top performer’s success can be attributed to positive attitude traits, with only 25% of their success attributed to their skillset. Debra helps people tap into that 75% by sharing her amazing personal story of rowing the Atlantic solo after her husband was rescued from their small boat.
In her speech, Debra shares the attitude enhancing tools she relied on during those 111 days alone at sea and how she now uses them in her business life.
More than just an inspiring storyteller, Debra leaves her audiences with practical and actionable golden nuggets for work and life success, and ideas around how to stay connected as a team. Her ‘Choose Your Attitude Toolkit’ helps leaders and individuals to support themselves, rather than sabotaging themselves mentally when the pressure is on, so they can show up well for their colleagues and clients.
There aren’t many people in the world who have spent more than 100 days totally alone at sea, and there are probably even fewer who could say that they thrived during those 100 days. Debra Searle MBE spent 3.5 months unexpectedly rowing the Atlantic solo after her husband and rowing partner developed a crippling phobia of open ocean and had to be rescued from their tiny plywood boat. You don’t survive an experience like that without clear strategies for remaining resilient and carefully guarding your mental and physical wellbeing.
In these challenging times of high inflation, hybrid working and geopolitical unrest, Debra presents the mindset and wellbeing strategies she has adapted from her time at sea and that she has successfully brought into daily life. This session is about hearing an inspirational story of resilience and the practical ways to stay positive and productive during times of adversity. The audience will leave re-energized and ready to go again.
Debra took on her first board position at 27 years old, working with members of the British Royal Family. As the youngest and only woman on the Board, it challenged her confidence and courage to speak up and be heard. But Debra is no stranger to challenging herself! Debra has founded five businesses, one of which is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultancy, has completed expeditions all around the world, and co-founded The Businesswomen’s Network Forum based out of Buckingham Palace.
In this inspiring talk for women and male allies, Debra uses storytelling to demonstrate how to choose to challenge yourself, how to challenge unconscious bias and how to challenge imposter syndrome to push yourself outside your comfort zone to make major step changes in your career and confidence. This talk is a rare combination of high adventure, while communicating important messages around the value of inclusion and how we can all play our part to overcome bias.
I have been told by numerous colleagues that Debra was the best keynote speaker they have EVER seen. She was mesmerizing, inspirational and had the audience on their feet. I would definitely recommend Debra for any event.
Hayley Winterbottom
Debra was so great and I love her enthusiasm. She's an amazing virtual speaker - her camera framing and way of articulating and using her non-verbal were some of the best I have seen.
You did an amazing job!!! Thank you for the effort to tailor your story to fit with our team.
Debra clearly had a massive impact as people are still talking about it! ‘The best thing about the event? Two words: Debra Searle.’ We’ve never had feedback like it for a speaker!
You were authentic, genuine, real, and approachable. I felt like we were in a conversation vs being presented to. Perhaps the best I have ever experienced in an external speaker.
We provided feedback forms to all participants and asked for a rating between 1 (poor) and 5 (excellent). Debra scored a ‘5’ from every single respondent. This is unheard of.
I work with a very multi-cultural group (26 nationalities), this story resonates whatever your background. Debra was an inspirational story and a great role model particularly for women in our team.
We had really excellent feedback on your life, story, anecdotes and real-life application of all that you’ve learnt. You clearly put a lot of preparation into making it a special session and tailoring it to our event.
Send a simple request. You’ll get a quick reply with fees and availability