Chrissie’s took an unconventional pathway to becoming a professional triathlete. As a child, her driven, determined, hard-working and competitive nature was channelled into academia, with sport being something she did recreationally. Having graduated with first-class honours in her undergraduate degree, she travelled the world for two years before completing her Masters degree. Aligned with her passion for international development, she worked for the UK government as a policy advisor on international sustainable development, taking a sabbatical to manage water, sanitation and health projects in Nepal.
Chrissie became a professional triathlete aged 30, having unearthed a previously untapped talent for endurance sports. In only five years she won the Ironman World Championships four times and broke many world records. She retired in 2012, undefeated at the ironman distance.
Chrissie now works as Global Lead for Health and Wellbeing for parkrun, and is committed to promoting participation in physical activity and reducing health and wellbeing inequalities.
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Chrissie is an acclaimed public speaker whose impassioned, energetic and inspiring delivery encourages and energises audiences to live authentically, fear less, step off the path, embrace the unknown, work with others and view mistakes and failure as a springboard to success. In encouraging people to adopt a growth mindset, she believes that people can be champions professionally and personally, discover new limits and defy what they think might be possible.
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Clients include global companies, educational establishments, voluntary sector organisations, sports clubs and special interest groups. Every talk is tailored to suit the needs of the client and can cover a range of topics and key messages, including a Q&A if required. Of course, Chrissie is more than willing to add a unique dimension to any event, with a run, ride or swim for the more adventurous audiences!
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Possible topics include:
Being a champion/living without limits
This enlightening address is designed to encourage and empower people to live authentically, fear less, step into the unknown, test their limits and defy preconceived limits of what is possible for themselves, and those around them to achieve. In particular, Chrissie focuses on:
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Finding and following a passion and purpose: living authentically
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Committing to excellence
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Focusing on the process
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Fearing less, steeping off the path and embracing the unknown
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The importance of innovation and adaptation
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Leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of success
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The importance of a collective: developing, and working in, a team
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Building on mistakes/failures
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Embracing discomfort & adversity
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Training the mind to endure and overcome
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Living life without limits: defying what is possible
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Using a platform for positive change
Health and physical activity
With inspirational anecdotes about her own pathway to success together with practical tips and advice, Chrissie motivates audiences to make positive lifestyle changes in a practical and easy to understand way.
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Increasing participation
Chrissie is passionate about the power of physical activity to create positive outcomes from the local to the international level. She is actively involved in a variety of efforts to increase participation in sport and physical activity in the UK and around the world and is committed to continuing work with willing partners, in all sectors, to continue to implement change.
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"Chrissie recently provided the closing keynote address at our London conference. Her thoughts where uplifting, insightful and motivational, and exactly as we’d hoped for. Along with a lively Q&A, our audience were delighted to hear Chrissie’s thoughts on peak performance, overcoming adversity and achieving top results, all of which proved to be the perfect way to round off the day."
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– Sophie Salomé, Head of Speaker Liaison Speakers in Partnership, Marketing in Partnership Limited
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"I wanted to thank you most sincerely for the incredibly inspiring talk you gave on Friday. It really resonated with me on so many levels. You gave me a lot of food for thought about how I handle difficult moments. There was much for me to take away that I could apply to me, my team, but also my children as I help them navigate their own journeys. You also made me reflect on mentoring (coaching) and how the volunteering might work better.
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I have been working for 30 years and have attended a lot of talks at conferences over that time. There have been some very inspiring ones and many less so. Yours was my favourite to date. I loved the passion you have for your messages, which so clearly came across. I left the room inspired to do some things and accepting of other things. I am pretty sure I will take another step forward in being a better version of myself."