Keynote speaker Debra Searle is a professional adventurer and a prolific British female keynote speaker on themes, such as how to stay motivated, being flexible to change, and overcoming challenges. Using her own experiences she illustrates what we are all capable of.
Debra first hit the headlines when she set out to row across the Atlantic with her husband. Unfortunately, he had to be rescued so Debra, a novice rower, continued alone without a support boat and rowed 3000 miles from Tenerife to Barbados. It should have taken them six weeks, but Debra ended up spending 3 ½ months at sea alone, encountering waves, sharks, and force 8 squalls in her 23-foot plywood boat. Since returning from this adventure, Debra has undertaken solo & team expeditions across the globe. She has also represented Great Britain at the European and World Championship level in Dragon Boat Racing winning bronze, silver, and gold medals.
Yet Debra is more than your usual sports speaker. Debra has founded 5 companies including MIX Diversity Developers, a D& I consultancy and training company. She has presented 40 programs for the BBC and had 3 books published, most recently The Choose Your Attitude Journal. Her spirit of adventure gained her an MBE from Her Majesty The Queen and she was delighted to be appointed a Trustee of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, spending a decade working alongside His Royal Highness Prince Philip and His Royal Highness Prince Edward. Debra has been appointed a Member of the Victorian Order (MVO) for her services to the Royal Family.
In 2020 Debra was ranked in the Top 30 Motivational Speakers in the world, alongside the likes of Jack Canfield, Simon Sinek, and Tony Robbins and the World’s #1 Female Motivational Speaker outside the US. The movie of Debra’s solo Atlantic row is currently in development in Hollywood.
See keynotes with Debra Searle MVO, MBE