Adventure as a classroom
Known as Pip, Phillippa Stewart has turned some of the world’s most challenging environments into an unusual classroom for understanding people, pressure and the unexpected.
Her 10,000-mile cycle journey from Malaysia to London demanded resilience, adaptability and a willingness to keep moving when the route ahead was unclear. She later completed a world-first expedition paddling Guyana’s Essequibo River from source to sea, experiencing firsthand how quickly circumstances can change and how important trust, teamwork and perspective become when they do.
Rather than presenting adventure as something distant from everyday working life, Phillippa connects these extraordinary experiences to challenges that audiences recognise: making decisions without having all the answers, adapting when expectations collide with reality and working effectively with others under pressure.
Journalism & storytelling
Before building a career around adventure, Phillippa trained as a journalist. A graduate of Oxford University and the University of Hong Kong, she went on to become Red Bull’s Adventure Editor, combining her journalistic background with a fascination for exploration and the people who push beyond familiar boundaries. Her work has also appeared across the BBC, CNN and other global media.
This background shapes the way she communicates on stage. Phillippa knows how to find the human story within an experience and bring audiences into environments far removed from the conference room. Her presentations are highly visual and engaging, combining remarkable stories with insights that translate naturally into professional and personal life.
When the plan changes
One of the most unexpected chapters in Phillippa’s story began after an expedition when she contracted leishmaniasis, a flesh-eating parasitic disease. The experience ultimately led her into global-health advocacy and reinforced an idea central to her work: we cannot always control what happens next, but we can influence how we respond.
Phillippa approaches uncertainty without offering simplistic formulas. Through vulnerability, perspective and humour, she explores how people can remain curious and open when circumstances take an unexpected turn.
For organisations navigating change, complexity or unfamiliar challenges, her experiences provide a powerful way to examine adaptability and the choices people make when there is no perfect roadmap.
Courage, curiosity & connection
Book speaker Phillippa Stewart for an event when you want audiences to think differently about courage, uncertainty and the way people respond when plans change.
Key themes in Phillippa Stewart’s talks include:
- Courage and taking action when the outcome is uncertain
- Curiosity as a way to approach unfamiliar situations and challenges
- Teamwork and connection under pressure
- Navigating change and unexpected circumstances
- Maintaining perspective and a sense of humour
- Turning setbacks and experiences into useful lessons
Her approach is grounded in lived experience rather than abstract theory, giving audiences memorable examples of what these ideas look like when decisions, relationships and adaptability have real consequences.
Book Phillippa Stewart for your event
Phillippa is the author of Life Lessons from the Amazon and is currently working on her first novel, continuing a career shaped by storytelling, exploration and curiosity about the world.
As a speaker, she brings together the eye of a journalist, the experiences of an adventurer and the perspective of an author. Her talks are energetic, honest and highly visual, balancing humour and vulnerability with meaningful takeaways.
Book Phillippa Stewart for your event to give audiences an engaging journey through extraordinary experiences that illuminate familiar human challenges. She encourages people to approach uncertainty with greater courage, curiosity, connection and perspective and to keep their sense of humour when things inevitably go sideways.
