Katy Parrott

Described as ‘Tinkerbell crossed with the Terminator’, Katy Parrott was a finalist in the BBC series Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week (2017). This experience inspired her to join the Army Reserves, where she trained as a Combat Medic. Since then she has been deployed to Afghanistan, Armenia, Georgia, Norway, and Pakistan.

Her time on the show also sparked a desire to test her physical and mental limits, leading her into the world of ultrarunning. In 2018, she competed in her first 100km race, finishing as the third female. She is now a mountain athlete, supported in endurance events and mountain expeditions around the world, and an ambassador for Montane Ltd.

She is passionate about breaking stereotypes, self-leadership, and having a growth mindset. By sharing her personal stories of endurance, tackling challenges, and overcoming setbacks, she hopes to inspire others to approach their own goals with self-belief and positivity.

Contact Great British Speakers today to book Katy Parrott to host your next event.

Type Of Speaker

Exploration & Military Female Speakers High Performance Nature & Wildlife Personal Development Resilience Speaker

More About Katy Parrott

Katy Parrott has always been interested in the natural world, and holds a degree from the University of Bath in biology, with topics including conservation biology, systems biology, animal behaviour and ecology, evolution, and plant physiology and pathology. After graduating, she joined the University of the West of England and gained a Masters in wildlife filmmaking.

She has been a coach, and leadership and development associate for Fieri, and a development researcher for Seadog television and film productions.

In 2016, she joined the British Army Reserves as a combat medical technician. Her army qualifications include Mountain Leader Foundation (Alpine, Summer, and Winter respectively), Ski Foundation (ski-touring, snow-holing, avalanche-training), and First Aid.

In 2020, she faced a major challenge when an accident required her to undergo a major knee reconstructive surgery. Despite a year of rehab, she made a remarkable recovery, competing in the Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra (185km) just 15 months post-surgery, finishing as the second female and the fourth overall.

Since then she has:

– Hiked 400km along the length of the Rhodopes Mountains, Bulgaria (2016)

– First Ultramarathon in Dartmoor of 50kg (2017)

– Ironman Triathlon (2020): second female finisher, third overall

– Climbed the Toubkal Summit (2023)

– Fastpacked the GR20 across Corsica (2023)

– Ironman Tallinn (2023)

Katy Parrot hire mountain athlete speaker book at agent Great British Speakers

Her adventurous side stemmed from being able to travel as a child, having gone to Australia when she was just six years old, and visiting the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. “I climbed on every rock and hiked on ahead of my parents; they said they could barely keep up.” She was also a scout as a child, learning how to skin rabbits, build natural shelters, and make fire.

At 14 she went on a safari in Kenya, which confirmed her love for nature and the outdoors. This love for nature, as well as her creativity, sparked the idea that wildlife and adventure filmmaking would be the perfect career for her.

When she was 17, she went on an expedition to Nepal, which involved trekking the Annapurna trail as well as providing some community work in remote mountain villages. During the year between finishing her undergraduate degree and starting her master’s, she travelled the world, covering 64,620 miles, visiting 17 countries, including Argentina and India.

KATY PARROTT | SPEAKING TOPICS

– Mindset

– Resilience

– Adventure

– Endurance

– Self-Belief

– Dealing With Setbacks

– Self-Development

PAST EVENTS

– Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Presenter at Buckingham Palace

– Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Presenter at St James Palace

– Meta HQ

– Bear Grylls Gone Wild Festival

– Police Scotland, Women in Policing Conference

– Army Foundation College, Harrogate

– Ellis Brighton Explore Weekend

– Centre For Army Leadership Annual Conference

– Kendal Mountain Festival

Katy Parrot hire mountain athlete speaker book at agent Great British Speakers

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book extreme athlete and speaker Katy Parrott to speak at or host your next live event worldwide.

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Testimonials

There are people that do things that I don’t feel driven to do. Some people go on journeys that I never intend to take. Some people place themselves in unnecessary situations that will never seem necessary to me.

Then there is Katy Parrott. Katy helps make it make sense. I don’t often ‘find myself’ in the words of others, but it took an exemplary human, who has done some ‘ultra’ things to remind me that an open and optimistic mindset, enjoyment in the journey, seeing setbacks as opportunities for growth, and choosing to respond full of possibility rather than with defeat is entirely who I am and it’s just all relative.

Katy might inspire you to do ultra things or she might inspire you to just keep being the best version of yourself, either way, everyone needs a little bit of Katy in their life.
Susie Ross (Veteran, Police Officer, Learning and Development Professional)

Katy’s talk embodied the essence of adventure, challenge, and resilience, sparking the imagination of both the young soldiers and their Staff. She has a delightful blend of fun and charm which, combined with her phenomenal feats of endurance, make for a captivating listen. Her humility and tales of recovery when things go wrong ensure she is always relatable to us mere mortals. Katy Parrott is not just a speaker; she’s a catalyst for personal growth and unwavering resilience.
Colonel Simon Farebrother, MC