5.00 of 5
Top rated!As South Africa’s first female mountain guide, Rachel Colenso empowers organizations to tackle challenges with courage and innovation.
5 of 5
Rachel, your message was exactly what we all needed to hear as we embark on a new year of challenges. And your story was brilliantly told. Thank you from all of us!
Judy van Dam, Managing Director
JWT Johannesburg
Inspire your team with UK-based Rachel’s gripping survival story and elite SAS experience, gaining proven strategies for resilience, leadership, and peak performance. Her dramatic keynotes leave audiences motivated to overcome challenges. Discover actionable insights to thrive under pressure and drive success.
Keynote Speaker Rachel Colenso is a globally renowned adventurer, elite survivalist, and leadership expert who inspires organizations to achieve greatness through resilience and teamwork. Known for her dramatic survival story—stranded on a 3000m cliff during an extreme Swiss Alps blizzard—Rachel translates life-threatening challenges into actionable strategies for thriving in high-pressure business environments.
Rachel is one of the few women to endure the British SAS Special Forces selection process and South Africa’s first female mountain guide, offering a unique perspective on overcoming adversity and achieving impossible goals. Her keynotes captivate audiences with gripping storytelling and provide practical tools for navigating uncertainty, building cohesive teams, and driving peak performance.
Book Rachel Colenso for your event to empower your team with her unparalleled insights into leadership and adaptability. With her dynamic delivery and real-world experience, Rachel inspires individuals to push boundaries and turn obstacles into opportunities. Elevate your next event with a keynote that motivates lasting change and drives tangible results.
5 of 5
Rachel, your message was exactly what we all needed to hear as we embark on a new year of challenges. And your story was brilliantly told. Thank you from all of us!
Judy van Dam, Managing Director JWT Johannesburg
5 of 5
What first strikes you about Rachel are her sincerity and humility, qualities that are usually not so forthcoming in a person that has experienced and accomplished as much as she has. Her incredible story and her natural charisma in delivering it truly moved our audience. This was confirmed by the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received after the event. She came across as truly authentic and natural while taking absolute command of the stage. Rachel managed to raise the impact of the central message of our conference with a highly-effective performance. I would not hesitate to recommend her for any kind of event of this nature.
Josefine Corsten, Senior Vice President Corporate Communications and Marketing LSG Sky Chefs
5 of 5
Rachel’s tales of survival in the most hostile environments, and her relentless pursuit of new heights to climb, literally and figuratively, have a lot of resonance in the business world. Whether the goal is to reach the peak of a mountain or the pinnacle of entrepreneurial accomplishment, the lessons Rachel puts forth apply just the same. The path to success in virtually any field comes down to a basic set of requirements: Determination, discipline, mental and physical fortitude and accepting nothing less than excellence. Rachel drives those points home from a very unique perspective. She is a powerful motivational speaker.
Walter Gehl, CEO LSG Lufthansa Service Holding AG
5 of 5
Thanks to Rachel Colenso’s talent for storytelling, participants relived her climb to the top of the mountain. The anxiety, the wait, the fear and finally, the triumph of majestic nature. A palette of emotions that she beautifully transmitted to her audience.
Jessica Pallie Lombard Odier Asset Management
5 of 5
Rachel was excellent and definitely “hit the mark” on the day. She was very engaging and captured the audience entirely with her story and managed to link it in very effectively with the messages we were trying to get across as part of the overall conference. I would have no hesitation in recommending her as a guest speaker and she was also very good at networking with the audience at the dinner after the presentation. Very enjoyable company and an extremely interesting person.
Pam Mayne Taylor Wimpey plc
Keynote by Rachel Colenso:
Keynote speaker Rachel Colenso provides actionable strategies for overcoming adversity, pushing boundaries, and achieving high-performance results. Drawing from her own extreme mountain climbing experiences, Rachel teaches organizations how to lead with resilience, empower teams, and build an environment where risks are embraced and goals are surpassed. Her keynotes focus on leadership, teamwork, mental wellbeing, and high-performance, offering a powerful roadmap for success. By booking Rachel Colenso for your event, you’ll equip your team with the tools to tackle challenges, enhance collaboration, and perform at their highest level.
Keynote Takeaways:
Strategies for overcoming adversity and pushing beyond limits.
Building high-performance teams through effective leadership and teamwork.
Empowering individuals and fostering resilience in the workplace.
Watch Rachel Colenso in action
Watch Rachel Colenso in action
