In this powerful and unique presentation, Mick recounts his remarkable attempt to row solo across the North Pacific Ocean, from Japan to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, one of the world’s last great firsts. Over the course of four incredible months, Mick faced the unforgiving and relentless challenges of one of the world’s most hostile ocean environments. Alone on the Ocean, he endured extreme isolation, extreme weather, and the relentless physical and mental demands of rowing over four thousand miles, culminating in a freak capsize and a desperate battle for survival, with his goal almost within reach.

Mick uses these extraordinary experiences to explore the nature of fear, how it manifests, how to confront it, and ultimately how to overcome it. His journey serves as a blueprint for individuals and organizations alike, offering profound insights into acknowledging and facing fear and using it to help achieve even the most ambitious goals, despite overwhelming odds. Mick’s hard-earned lessons resonate with anyone seeking to push past their limitations, inspiring resilience, determination, and success in the face of adversity and most importantly fear. 

This electrifying and inspiring presentation proves one undeniable truth: extraordinary success is always built on great teamwork. Based on Mick Dawson’s incredible experiences rowing across the vast and unforgiving Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, this talk dives deep into the power of resilience, trust, and collaboration. A veteran of six epic ocean crossings, Mick has shattered limits and achieved two Guinness World Record team firsts. In 2009, he and Chris Martin rowed nearly 7,000 miles from Japan to San Francisco, becoming the first and still the only rowing boat to complete this supposedly impossible voyage.

Then, in 2018, Mick returned to the Pacific, this time with blind veteran Steve Sparkes, who made history as the first visually impaired person to row the Pacific. Both ground-breaking journeys stand as powerful testaments to the unshakable power of determination, trust, and teamwork. Mick’s experiences on these truly extraordinary voyages prove one thing: Great teamwork isn’t just an advantage, it’s the foundation of every achievement, whether at sea or in life. 

True leadership isn’t tested in comfort, it’s forged in the face of relentless challenges, when success depends on resilience, teamwork, and adaptive, decisive, decision making. In this powerful and dynamic presentation, Mick Dawson, former Royal Marine and record-breaking ocean rower, shares extraordinary lessons in leadership from his experiences navigating some of the most unforgiving and hostile environments on the planet, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Mick has twice rowed the Atlantic and skippered the first and only rowing boat to cross the North Pacific, rowing almost 7,000 miles from Japan to San Francisco. In 2018, he returned to the Pacific, with blind veteran Steve Sparkes, who became the first visually impaired person to row the Pacific when the pair successfully rowed from California to Hawaii, It was an achievement built on determination, trust, great teamwork, and positive adaptive leadership. 

This inspiring presentation will challenge your perspective on leadership, demonstrating that great leaders don’t just give orders, they empower and inspire individuals and teams to achieve the seemingly impossible.