Alex Staniforth is no stranger to overcoming adversity. In his early life, he suffered from a stammer, an eating disorder, epilepsy, anxiety, and bullying, but this didn’t stop him putting his mind into action to achieve some truly impressive goals. He never allowed this to become his identity – only his experience. Reframing adversity as an opportunity for growth has given him a unique drive to inspire others to overcome their own ‘Everest’ and achieve against the odds.
After single-handedly raising over £35,000 in corporate sponsorship whilst still at school, Alex’s first attempt to climb Mount Everest in 2014 was abandoned following a tragic avalanche that took sixteen lives. In 2015 he was trapped at Camp 1 for two days following the Nepal earthquake and an avalanche which took the lives of three team-mates at Base Camp.
Alex has continued to push his limits and re-define success, publishing two books, Icefall and Another Peak. In 2017 he became the fastest person ever to climb all 100 UK county tops by bicycle, foot and kayak, covering over 5,000 miles in 72 days, and winning a Pride of Britain award. In 2020 he completed the National Three Peaks on foot, running 452 miles in just 9 days 12 hours, and founded Mind Over Mountains, a charity to restore mental well-being through nature, working in partnership with the NHS.
This is not your typical success story of reaching the summit. Alex takes his audiences on an emotional journey of resilience, courage, failure, teamwork and triumph over adversity. Drawing insights from adventure and ultra-endurance, he brings a unique perspective on resilience and success with practical ideas that anyone can relate to their own challenges at work and home.
With humility and vulnerability, Alex openly shares his own mental health journey to encourage conversations and challenge stigma, with a focus on how maintaining well-being is fundamental to achieving high performance. Resilience is more than simply ‘bouncing back’: it’s how we recharge and move forwards through the challenges ahead.
Clients include Augere, the Bank of America, Bristol Myers-Squibb, British Cycling, FedEx, Heineken, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, the NHS, Personal Finance Society, Rolls Royce Submarines, Samsung, Smurfit Kappa, and TED.
Why Book Alex?
With an unassuming, frank and relatable style, Alex delivers his expertise through inspirational keynote presentations and workshops in person, virtually and hybrid – ideal for conferences, awareness days, internal meetings, graduate programmes and awards events.
Presentations are typically 30-60 minutes with Q&A, but Alex will work meticulously with your brief to understand your challenges and what a successful experience would look like for your audience.
Beyond the keynote, delegates can also take away Alex’s ‘Resilience Rucksack’ model as part of their own resilience toolkit.
Alex Staniforth speaking topics include:
– Resilience Through Adversity
– Re-defining Success and Goal Setting
– Building Positive Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace
– Dealing with Change and Uncertainty
– Mental Health and Wellbeing
– Dealing With Failure
Alex Staniforth Example keynote titles include:
Achieving our Everest: Why Staying at Base Camp Kills our Potential
Is the fear of failure keeping your team stuck at base camp? Alex explores his journey of fundraising, commitment and innovation in order to reach his goal. He teaches delegates how to take ownership of any obstacles and fear of failure, why commitment is key to success in the professional world and personal life and will help define why having a purpose will drive you forward.
Resilience through Adversity – how to embrace the unexpected
Challenges are inevitable; being defeated is optional. However, resilience isn’t simply about bouncing back or pushing to breaking point: it’s how we recharge, prepare and move forward through the challenges ahead. Drawing lessons and insight from his adventures and ultra-endurance, Alex will share the tools in his ‘Resilience Rucksack’ for anyone to thrive and achieve when faced by setbacks, failure, change and pressure – when the whole team depends on it.
Mountains in the Mind – climbing the peaks of mental health
High performance isn’t sustainable without maintaining our well-being too. With a refreshing vulnerability, Alex openly shares his own mental health journey as a young man to encourage open conversations about mental health in the workplace, whilst challenging the myths and stigma that takes thousands of lives each year. As leaders, we can empower others by putting our hand up first. Drawing from his ultra-endurance challenges, Alex shares resilience tools to proactively manage our well-being, manage stress and avoid burnout. By learning the warning signs and how to support our team, we can create a positive multiplier effect and open the conversation – one small step at a time.
Alex Staniforth – Millennial Speaker
Alex Staniforth particularly relates to millennial audiences and what motivates them in the workplace. He brings insights from extreme adventures and ultra-endurance challenges down to earth, helping businesses uncover the tools to take advantage of adversity, protect their well-being and climb back up.
Looking for something unique? Alex takes the time to ensure each talk is tailored to suit your event and reinforce your message with maximum impact. These sessions are always tailored to your objectives but are typically 30-60 minutes long with exclusive media and Q&A discussion.
A podcast with mental health speaker Alex Staniforth
As part of our ‘Chat with…’ series at Great British Speakers, our director Jane Farnham, sat down with Alex Staniforth to discuss his adventurous career, fundraising and what makes Alex such an engaging and motivational Mental Health speaker. You can watch the full interview on our blog HERE.
