Helen Butters

Helen Butters is a record-breaking ocean rower, motivational speaker, and performance life coach who inspires audiences to rethink what they believe is possible.

A highly engaging storyteller with warmth, humour, and candour, Helen has spent more than a decade inspiring audiences around the world from corporate leadership teams to explorers, creatives, and changemakers. She is the co-author of the Sunday Times bestseller Four Mums In a Boat, a story so compelling it became an award-winning National Geographic documentary celebrated on the international film festival stage in New York.

Alongside her speaking, Helen is a qualified performance life coach with NLP, working with individuals and leaders to turn ambition into action. Whether speaking on global stages, appearing on national television, or cycling 1,200 miles across Europe to raise funds as an ambassador for Maggie’s Yorkshire, Helen lives the message she shares:

Resilience is built. Limits are learned. And with the right mindset, they can be rewritten.

Booking is easy with Great British Talent. To find out availability and fees for Helen Butters or any other talent for your corporate event or project, contact our Great British Talent agents via [email protected], or call us on +44 1753 439289.

Alternatively, fill out our talent enquiry form here – we’ll aim to respond within the hour. Our knowledgeable team of experts can handle all aspects of your booking to ensure it runs flawlessly.

Type Of Speaker

Business & Finance Exploration & Military Female Speakers High Performance Leadership & Teamwork Personal Development Resilience Speaker

More About Helen Butters

In 2026, Helen Butters sat in a small rowing boat on the open ocean as part of Yorkshire Rows, and all-female team that would go on to make history. Together they became the first woman to row across the North Sea to Holland and then across the Atlantic in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, widely regarded as the world’s toughest rowing race.

Battling sleep deprivation, towering waves, and relentless physical and mental pressure, Helen helped secure a Guinness World Record and prove that extraordinary results are often achieved by ordinary people willing to believe differently.

Helen Butters hire motivational speaker book at agent Great British Speakers

Helen Butters | Speaker

Helen’s talks are energising, honest, and powerful. Drawing on the lessons of rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic in a 29-foot boat, she shares practical insights on resilience, mindset, teamwork, and navigating uncertainty. Audiences leave not only inspired, but equipped with a new perspective on challenge, change, and what they can achieve together.

Helen Butters | Speaking Topics

– Teamwork

– Leadership

– Resilience

– Personal Growth

– Preparation

– Mindset

– Shared Values

– Communication

– Embracing Setbacks

Helen Butters | Keynotes

Building Trust Through Communication: Successful teamwork in extreme environments relies on honest and open communication, which fosters creativity, social interaction, and productive conversations. Deliberative thinking techniques helped maintain harmony and achieve objectives, turning the team into friends by the journey’s end.

Leadership: Although the team was knowledgeable, the presence of a skipper was essential. Leadership involves understanding personal values, challenges, and styles.

Planning and Preparation: Thorough planning and preparation were crucial to reach the start line and ultimately row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. This involved understanding team dynamics, leveraging strengths, fostering resilience, and maintaining a positive mindset to handle difficult situations.

Embracing Failure: Failures and setbacks were viewed as valuable learning opportunities that strengthened the team. The experience inspired creative projects such as a book, and the team cultivated mental resilience by not being discouraged when things went wrong, instead seeking alternative solutions.

Courage to Face the Unknown: Trust and mutual respect enabled the team to venture beyond their comfort zones into the unknown. Commitment to a shared goal of reaching Antigua as friends unified the team, with everyone contributing according to their strengths and maintaining a positive attitude.

Resilience and Persistence: Progress was made through small, consistent steps despite challenges. The team maintained motivation by viewing problems as adventures, which helped sustain their perseverance and resilience.

Team Development and Flow: The team evolved into a cohesive unit by learning from mistakes and identifying collective strengths. They experienced moments of flow where full engagement led to achievements beyond their initial expectations.

Core Values Under Pressure: Stressful situations occasionally brought out difficult moments, but adherence to personal and professional values such as selflessness and empathy helped keep the team on track. Walking in others’ shoes and striving to do one’s best were central principles.

Celebrating Success and Reintegration: Accomplishing a demanding goal together created a lasting sense of pride and empowerment. Returning from such an intense adventure required accepting emotional fluctuations to reengage with everyday life and prepare for future challenges.

Helen Butters | Why Book Helen?

Helen delivers more than an inspiring adventure story; she delivers a powerful shift in perspective that audiences remember long after the event.

What makes Helen a standout speaker for organisations is her reliability. She is not a professional athlete, polar explorer, or elite adventurer. She was an ordinary working um who chose to step far outside her comfort zone and discovered what human potential really looks like. That authenticity makes her message deeply accessible to corporate audiences because her story reflects the same doubts, fears, and challenges people face in their own lives and careers.

Audiences leave her talks with:

– A renewed belief in what is possible

– Practical insights into resilience and mindset

– A deeper understanding of teamwork and trust

– The confidence to face uncertainty an challenge with courage

In a world where organisations are navigating constant change and pressure, Helen’s message is simple and powerful: extraordinary results often come from ordinary people who choose to believe differently.

Helen Butters hire motivational speaker book at agent Great British Speakers

Helen Butters | Clients

Aviva, Barclays, Bradford Teaching Hospital Trust, Ernest and Young, GKN Aerospace, McCain, Mercedes Formula 1, NHS, O2, Penguin Random House, Yorkshire Water

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers today to book Helen Butters for your corporate event.

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Testimonials

I wanted to say a heartfelt thank you on behalf of our Women & Money Team for your wonderful presentations on Friday as our guest speakers. The takeaways about not being able to learn resilience only experience it, taking note of the smaller pleasures in life (pineapples) and the importance of teamwork and many more nuggets, you shared with us when exposed to extreme challenges. Your story, “Four Mums in a Boat,” is not only incredibly inspiring but was also the perfect narrative to share on such a significant day. Your experiences, challenges, and triumphs resonated deeply with all who attended, sparking conversations and reflections that went far beyond the event itself. Everyone left the room feeling they could do something more than they are doing! The feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing how motivated and inspired they felt after hearing from you. Your story was exactly what we needed to commemorate International Women’s Day, and for that, we are incredibly grateful. You hit the spot!
Jane Gow, Clear Cut Financial Planning

This week, Helen shared her story of 4 Mums in a Boat at Avantor Sciences, a global partner to customers on the life sciences industry, by way of a Microsoft Teams call. In attendance were over 80 associates from 12 different countries across the globe, many of whom were non-native English speakers. First of all, throughout the organisation of the event Helen was extremely responsive and happy to meet more than once prior, to ensure a smooth run on the day. On the day there were no technical difficulties and Helen was prompt, professional and prepared with slides and Video clips to support the story. When it came to the story and its delivery, our audience was captivated, and any language barriers were broken down by Helen’s down to earth, honest narrative and the visuals she had prepared. We always survey our attendees for these sessions, and the response was 100% positive. The common themes in our feedback were “Motivation, Inspiration, Positivity, Teamwork and Resilience” and of course, a “fantastic event”. For many people this was their favourite Speaker yet and many were inspired to go away, learn more about the adventure and think about what their metaphorical ocean might be. The level of engagement was further emphasised by the number of questions once Helen had finished the presentation and she answered them enthusiastically. Thank you, Helen, for such an inspiring talk, it truly was a great event enjoyed by everyone who attended.
Helen Bleasdale, Project Engineer, Services Solutions

To listen to Helen telling the incredible story was both humbling and inspirational and is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when you have a goal, the determination to achieve it, the resilience to keep chasing it, the willingness to ask for help and the support and trust of those around you. Not only is the story a fantastic inspiration for all women, but it is also a story that will inspire anyone. It showed me that Breaking the Bias is not just about changing people’s perceptions, behaviours and mind sets; it’s also about not allowing people’s perceptions, behaviours and mind sets stop you from achieving your potential, your goals and your ambitions.
James Green, Plant Manager, McCain

On behalf of the entire organisation, I want to offer my sincere thanks for your invaluable contribution to the Thrive Conference, held on 15 May 2025 at Cedar Court in Bradford. Your presence as a keynote speaker brought depth, insight, and inspiration to the day. You brought your unique voice and perspective to our theme of belonging, and in doing so, helped spark meaningful reflection and conversation that continued well beyond your time on stage. Our aim was to create a space where people could connect more deeply to themselves, to each other, and to a shared purpose. Your messages played a central role in achieving that. You challenged, encouraged, and uplifted the audience in ways that only authentic, thoughtful storytelling and experience-sharing can.We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the conference, and your session has been consistently highlighted as a stand-out moment. Thank you for the time, energy, and generosity you brought to the day. Your contribution helped make the Thrive Leadership Conference not just an event, but a powerful experience of learning, connection, and, most importantly, belonging. It was a privilege to welcome you.
Prof Mel Pickup, Chief Executive, Trust Headquarters | BRI