Debra Searle 

Debra Searle was heralded "…Britain's latest sporting heroine." (The Times) when the media worldwide went crazy for the story of the 5ft 5" young lady who carried on rowing alone when her then husband, a 6 ft 5" top-level club oarsman, left the boat after developing an uncontrollable fear of the ocean. Debra, who was loving life at sea in a 23 foot plywood boat, saw no reason to stop and rowed on to become unofficially the fourth women in the world to have rowed an ocean solo.

The 3000 mile journey that was initially supposed to take 6 weeks took Debra a staggering 3 ½ months and saw her battling with 30 foot waves, force 8 squalls and sharks, while having to dodge tankers that came too close for comfort on more than a few occasions. Worse than all of this, however, was dealing with the loneliness and solitude but focusing on one motto kept Debra going: "Choose Your Attitude" and she certainly did. Debra has achieved more than most people would dream of achieving in a lifetime, including a first class honours degree, launched two companies, won World Championship medals, presented on the BBC,  has had books published and has successfully rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean.  In 2002 HM The Queen awarded Debra an MBE for her achievements. 

Not just a woman with an interesting story, Debra Searle walks the talk in the business world having started her first company aged 24 and her second aged 27.  She is a managing director, the only female and youngest Trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, is a published author and has a successful TV presenting career with the BBC. Debra's overwhelming positivity and 'go for it' attitude are contagious, while her modesty is endearing. Often very emotive, she shares her highs and lows, personal battles and victories, to help illustrate in a very human way what we are all capable of. She is not a motivational speaker reliant on buzz words, hype and jargon. Every speech is written to help enforce the conference themes and will provide real world ideas and tools to help your people.

SPEAKING TOPICS – Attitude, Success, Positivity, Achieving Goals, Teamwork, Leadership, Motivation & Inspiration

Testimonials

“I have never heard a better speech, anywhere, in any context.  It was such a thrill to have you, and you simply ‘nailed it’ in terms of what I wanted for the closing, in delivery and content.  People are still talking about it.” Alan Farnsworth, President, Bausch & Lomb EMEA

"We provided feedback forms to all participants and asked for a rating between 1 (poor) and 5 (excellent). We received 170 completed forms and Debra scored a '5' from every single respondent. This is unheard of! The comments were all super, for example - ' Best speaker I've heard at an IBM event - outstanding!' Deborah Evans, Client Director, IBM UK Ltd.