Keynote SpeakersStef Reid MBE PLY is a British Paralympic long jumper.
She is a World Champion (2017), a four-time Paralympian, a triple Paralympic medallist (2008, 2012, 2016) and a five-time World Record Holder.
Stef Reid has an honours degree in biochemistry, and away from the track, Stef works as a keynote speaker, broadcaster, executive coach, actor, and fashion model.
Stef was the first amputee to walk the London Fashion Week catwalk!
She competed in the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics and took part in the British reality show ‘Dancing on Ice‘ in 2022, making it to the quarter-finals and showing the world you can learn to skate with an artificial foot!
Stef was born in New Zealand to a Scottish father and English mother, grew up in Toronto, and moved to Dallas, Texas, with her Canadian husband before settling back in the UK in 2010.
Stef’s talent and passion for sport were spotted early, and at 12, she was already dreaming of playing rugby on the world stage. But at 15, Stef was involved in a boating accident and suffered severe propeller lacerations. Her life was saved, but her right foot was damaged beyond repair and amputated.
As a result, Stef’s focus shifted from her sports to her studies, and she graduated as valedictorian, earning a full academic scholarship to Queen’s University in Canada to study biochemistry.
While at Queen’s, Stef joined the university athletics team to see how fast she could run.
Upon graduation, Stef put her plans for medical school on hold and decided to give her childhood dream of being a professional athlete one last chance!
After a glittering 18-year Paralympic career, Stef Reid announced her retirement from professsional sport in June 2022 and is enjoying her new adventure.
“Stef Reid is phenomenal! Such powerful stories, so much energy, and so engaging. People are hanging off her every word!”
Barclays
Stef Reid MBE – Motivational Speaker
As a professional motivational speaker, Stef has vast experience presenting in various contexts, from the big stage at Wembley Arena to intimate boardroom sessions.
Every presentation Stef delivers is uniquely crafted for the event, and she works hard with clients to understand the needs of the audience.
Stef’s High Performance speaking topics include:
Harnessing the Power of Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity has never been about ticking a box. High-performance systems and businesses know that the key to success lies in the quality and originality of their ideas. They also know that the best ideas come from a room full of diverse thinkers with diverse experiences. People with disabilities are naturally good at this. The world wasn’t made for us, so we learned to see and think differently because we had to.
But you don’t need a disability to be good at this. We can all learn to move beyond our biases and assumptions. We can all learn to unleash the power of our unique perspective and develop a culture that encourages challenging questions and original thinking.
The Adaptive Mindset
If you are content with your current circumstances, then this is not the talk for you! But if you want to keep improving, you must keep adapting. The world never stops changing, so neither can you. It takes courage to experiment, and it takes courage to try something new.
Failure is not the opposite of success. The opposite of success is doing the same thing over and over. Failure teaches us how to succeed in the moments when failure is not an option. Adapting can be exhausting and frustrating…or it can be the adventure of a lifetime!
How to be Resilient
This is a practical talk about what it takes to find your inner grit. Life is hard. We have all experienced challenges in the workplace and our personal lives. Becoming an amputee after a freak boating accident showed Stef that life does not always go to plan. We can’t always choose our circumstances, but we can always choose our response.
Eighteen years in the world of elite sport has taught Stef that motivation and resilience are key to high performance in all areas of your life. Especially if you want sustained high performance, anyone can get lucky once. This is a talk about consistently maximizing the potential.
Mental Health and Well Being
High-performing bodies are not just for athletes. High-performing bodies are necessary for anyone with an idea or a goal. Our bodies matter because they are how we bring our ideas to life. Our mental health matters because big goals take time, and we need to protect our capacity to ride out the bumps.
Our bodies are amazing, but they come with parameters, and we need to understand those parameters to maximize our potential. Several user manuals already exist. It’s not a lack of knowledge we struggle with but the consistency of habit. This talk inspires you to action because you believe your potential is worth the investment.
