Laura Kennington got her first taste of adventure in her childhood, which she spent as the only girl on a farm in Suffolk.

Moving from the countryside to London, she gained an insight into sports science and how the human body copes under immense physical stress whilst working in the fitness industry. This lead her to explore the limits of her own body – and explore what the world had to offer – and she hasn’t looked back since.

Laura Kennington – Challenges

Laura Kennington has taken part in a number of physically and mentally tough challenges over the years, taking in countries as far and wide as the UK, Ireland, Germany, Channel Islands, Russia and The Netherlands, amongst many more.

“I’ve come to realise that adventure and sport are hugely powerful tools for developing our mindset. Through my adventures, I’m on a mission to help others unlock their own potential and I hope to encourage everyone to think a little bigger. Like any good mission, this endeavour has a code name: Project Kairos. Kairos means the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment); the perfect, delicate, crucial moment; the fleeting rightness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for action, words, or movement.”

August 2014: Sailing Home From Sweden: Laura spent 10 days crewing on board Pangaea Exploration’s 72ft yacht Sea Dragonf rom Sweden back to the UK, across the Baltic, the English Channel, the Kiel Canal, and the North Sea.

August 2015: The Wild Atlantic Ride: The Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland had been on her radar for a while; it is 2,600km long and is the world’s longest uninterrupted coastal route. She arrived on August 19^th, rode 70 miles to Derry, before cycling along the dramatic coastline, before reaching Cork on September 16^th.

December 2015: Paddling Home For Christmas: In the spirit of exploring her own backyard more, Laura decided she would end the year with a local adventure, settling on kayaking 236 miles of the River Thames with a friend across eight days.

June 2016: The Channel Islands Triathlon: Laura has also loved water and is interested in finding ways to test her limits, so she began to research a swimming challenge. But it was when she looked at the Channel Islands, and how close they were to each other, she thought, why just do one island, when you can do three, and thus the Channel Islands Triathlon was born.

May 2017: Fuerteventura Run: Surprisingly, given her love for endurance, Laura hated running and avoided it at all costs. But in 2016, she attended the Running School in London, and cracked it, learning how to improve her technique and build a love for the sport. Deciding she wanted a week-long challenge, so she ran the length of Fuerteventura – 100 miles – in just four days.

May 2017: Pedalling For Patisserie: Cycling to Paris had always been on Laura’s to-do list, and eventually there would be 11 people up to the task. Aiming to complete the challenge within 24 hours, they opted for the 200 mile route of London to Newhaven to Dieppe and to Paris. They set off on the first day at 4pm, and arrived in Paris at 5pm, just missing the 24-hour goal.

August 2017: Pedalling For Pancakes: Laura set out from London on a Monday afternoon, caught an overnight ferry from Harwick to Hook of Holland the following morning, where she then cycled to Rotterdam, returning on the ferry on the Wednesday night, before pedalling home in time for lunch on the Thursday.

April 2018: Riding the North Coast 500: Laura first attempted Scotland’s North Coast 500 in 2017 but an injury meant she had to pull out half way through, but the idea of it never left her. And just seven months after her injury, she was back ready to tackle it again, and she managed to complete the entire ride in just seven days.

May 2018: Great North Ride: Through her challenges, it came to Laura’s attention that she hadn’t explored enough of the UK, and also that she had never been to Norway, so she decided to combine them. Cycling the North Sea Cycle Route (known as the world’s longest signposted  cycle route), she started in Scotland, cycled down the UK, over to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, reaching Norway 70 days after setting off.

August 2020: Pier 2 Pier | Bridge 2 Bridge: After taking a year out from big challenges in 2019, she had some huge projects planned for 2020, but sadly Covid-19 wiped all of them out. However, the four months of lockdown taught her to re-appreciate the simple things, and she began to explore routes closer to home, and this challenge was born out of that mindset  – making the most of what you can do. Starting from her front door – with no public transport used – she cycled to Brighton, Clevedon, Clifton Suspension Bridge, and Tower Bridge.

May 2021: Park 2 Park UK: This adventure was designed to be Laura’s love letter to the UK, and she was excited to explore more of the island she called home. The UK has 15 National Parks, and combined they cover over 36% of the land area – and she passed through every one of them, including Dartmoor, Exmoor, New Forest, South Downs, Norfolk Broads, Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire Coast, Snowdon, Peak District, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, Northumberland, Loch Lomond, and Cairngorms.

April 2022: Makalu Basecamp: Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world. In 2022, she co-hosted a group of 20 other people to trek way off of the beaten track, through some of the most unspoiled parts of the Himalayas to get to Makalu Basecamp. Together, they hiked through jungles, over snowy mountain ridges, across valleys, through alpine meadows and gravelly wilderness, and stayed in far-flung houses with mind blowing views. The group covered a total of 170 km and accumulated an impressive 8,450 metres of elevation.

June 2023: 4 Nations: Laura cycled between the four nations of England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, purposely structuring her ride with carbon emissions in mind, and no flights, just her and her trusty bike. Over the trip, she accumulated the equivalent elevation of Mount  Everest over one and a half times.

In 2015, she also attempted the Caspian Challenge, which was to paddle all 2,300 miles of the River Volga in Russia (which is just over double the length of Britain), but sadly due to unforeseen security issues, they had to abandon the trip after six weeks.

Laura Kennington – Motivational Speaker

Laura’s energetic and charismatic talks are about the importance of mindset when it comes to challenges of any kind. From the planning and logistics that go on behind the scenes to the endurance capability of the human body and how to deal with the unexpected.

In a field where the mindset is everything, Laura has spent years forging the mental discipline needed to succeed and is driven by helping others to unleash their own incredible potential.

Laura Kennington has been inspiring audiences of all ages for years and is able to tailor her talks to your requirements.

Her talks tackle three key things:

1. How challenges are the most powerful tool to growth
2. How your body is capable of more than you ever thought possible
3. How to blaze your own trail

Laura Kennington – Speaking Topics

– Motivation: How to build, maintain, and reignite motivation, even when things get tough

– Resilience: Proven tools to handle strength, bounce back from setbacks, and avoid burnout

– Endurance and Performance: Insights from training to enhance performance and stay the course

– Goal Setting: How to break down big, bold goals into achievable steps, and see them through

– Mindset Mastery: From fear to courage, overcoming limiting beliefs, and daring to begin

– Healthy Habits: Everyday strategies to boost mental wellbeing, focus, and energy

– Adventure and Growth: Self-propelled journeys of all sizes; lessons from thousands of miles that resonate in everyday life; and motivation meets meaning as a stepping stone to success

Laura Kennington offers public talks and group workshops; here she explores her tales of endurance, overcoming obstacles and how to follow your passion. Workshops focus on personal development with the aim of unleashing excellence. She also combined her knowledge and her fitness to provide community sessions into fun and welcoming fitness areas.

Laura has spoken at the Women’s Adventure Expo about her mindset, hosted the 2018 Yestival and has appeared on a number of podcasts including Holmlands Adventure Podcast and Tough Girl, on endurance and mental resilience.

In 2019, Laura Kennington published the book Kairos, a compelling account of her journey, from finding out what she is capable of to redefining her limits. She explores the amazing adventures she has been on and how the lesson she has learnt can be implemented elsewhere.

Laura Kennington – Clients

Adventure Travel Show, Cardiff University, Chobham Academy, CoStar Group, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports, Funzing, Globetrotters Club, Graphene Flagship, Guernsey Literary Festival, Holmlands, KEEN, Kendal Mountain Festival, Keswick Mountain Festival, London Business School, Much Better Adventures, National Trust, Ocean Film Festival World Tour, Royal Geographical Society, Running Adventures, Scouts, Selecta, South West Outdoor Festival, Tales of Adventure.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book adventurer and motivational speaker Laura Kennington for your corporate event.

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