Neal Petersen
- World-class, history-making solo around-the-world racing sailor
Travels From
South Carolina
Neal Petersen Speaker Biography
How do you navigate forward, deal with constant wind shifts, sudden storms, conquer fear, isolation, while dealing with an ever-present changing world? Neal Petersen takes audiences on a captivating journey around the world, using his remarkable life-story and shows, by example, that you can achieve your goals by turning setbacks and barriers into opportunities ~ with the right attitude and ability to foster innovation, build stronger teams, adapt under pressure, and cultivate a mindset that focuses on solutions!
World-class, history-making extreme adventurer, Neal Petersen completed two amazing journeys in his life: a single-handed yacht race around the world, 27,000 miles, 9 months at sea, alone, around Cape Horn, and in the smallest, least funded, boat he designed and built himself. And an even more arduous and eventful trip of overcoming racial prejudice during the harsh Apartheid era in South Africa, poverty, and a childhood physical disability, just to make it to the start line!
Petersen brilliantly connects his remarkable story to audience’s unique challenges, a theme or vision with dramatic stories of adversity, sheer determination, and triumph. His presentations redefine courage and human potential.
With high energy and fully engaging presentation style, Neal’s presentation captures audience’s attention leaving them spellbound from the moment he walks onstage until he departs – empowering them with a fresh perspective on turning disadvantages into advantages.
Neal carries a treasure chest on stage, and in it, symbols of how he reached his dream by always turning barriers into opportunities - then into solutions. These examples are compelling and highly entertaining. Neal demonstrates how success is realized—through innovation, creativity, balancing risk against return and being flexible enough to adapt to constant shifting winds. In these challenging times of uncertainty, fear and insecurity, many feel like solo sailors, adrift, grasping for survival. Neal lays out the importance of a clearly communicated vision, followed by detailed planning, preparation, passion and then execution.
He has challenged global audiences to prevail against their own formidable barriers and setbacks while igniting passion and a mindset to never give up!
This story of hope, resilience, and accomplishment is truly inspiring and reflects a powerful message that “in life, there are no barriers, only solutions!”
Neal projects stunning images during his keynote and a 1 ½ minute intro and a 4-minute powerful self-filmed video of Neal rounding Cape Horn solo – his dream!
He has thunder built into his presentation – lightning and fog are easy options for larger productions, dramatically bringing his story to life.
Faced with huge challenges and rapid changes in today’s world, it’s easy to get bogged down in the negativity and uncharted waters. Striving for goals and success helps us to remain positive and to remember what’s really important.
“Neal is so unique, he is so much more than a keynote, he is the ‘best of the best’. Neal not only delivers a unique, captivating and memorable life-story, filled with valuable content, but he masterfully weaves in his audiences challenges and he does it seamlessly because he is PREPARED! He digs deeper and goes out of his way – to gain an in-depth understanding of where they are as a group, where they want to be and what it will take to get them there. Neal is truly a leader and teaches genuine leadership, by example in all aspects of what he represents. He is so much more than just a keynote speaker.” Axis Capital Holding
Quote; “Neal is one of the most inspiring, dynamic and thought-provoking speakers you ever witness – he is mesmerizing.”
“It is rare that I am asked by my senior management at IBM to immediately hire a keynote speaker when he is barely off the stage to give another the following week. And I want to thank for the extraordinary presentation you gave in San Diego to 8,000, but for the follow-up presentation, you gave in Barcelona to another 5,000 with virtually no prep time as well. I truly was in awe of the spirit you drove into the audience and how you made your own journey so very relevant to every person in both locations. You were nothing short of a genius! You generated some of the highest ratings and most positive feedback I have seen in many years of running WW events in this division.” -IBM
To book Neal Petersen call Executive Speakers Bureau at 901-754-9404.
Keynote title- "There are No Barriers ~ Only Solutions!"
In these challenging times of uncertainty, fear and insecurity rise, many feel like solo sailors, adrift, grasping for survival. Neal lays out the importance of a clearly communicated vision and direction, followed by detailed planning, preparation, passion, and execution using his remarkable personal story.
Neal's life-story addresses adversity, diversity, leadership, teamwork, motivation, crisis, innovation, change and execution, and the courage to embrace fears.
Take away values:
- Neal carries a treasure chest on-stage and in it are examples of how he turned barriers into opportunities to achieve his dream and empowers others to turn their baggage into treasures.
- Innovate - how to capitalize on ever-changing winds storms by being prepared.
- Change - adapt to wind shifts and stormy seas by knowing when to alter course.
- Leverage economic challenges to your advantage - keep pumping, choose a winning course and navigate to your advantage.
- Attitude adjustment - refresh your vision and sense of purpose.
- Elements of success include passion, determination, perseverance and hard work.
- With focus and planning, a dream can become a reality – anything is possible.
- Life is about choice and with choice are consequences ~ choose your course wisely.
Description of topics
The Power of Positive Attitude & How It Affects Performance - Neal has always defined himself by what he can imagine – rather than how others would define him and how he sustained his dream in the face of numerous barriers is compelling.
The Importance of Realizing Goals: Perseverance & Determination - Overcoming fear and facing danger and the unknown has been central to how Neal approaches his goals and his life. Audiences will walk away understanding the validity for direct correlations between perseverance, determination, passion, and dedication to achieve any goal.
With Choice There Is Consequence - Neal’s impact transcends age, gender, and race to promote the creation of leaders, life-long learners, and individuals who are mindful of the consequences their choices will have on personal, familial, community, and generational levels.
Change Is Constant: It’s How You Play the Cards – Audiences will understand that you have to address the possibility of failure if one wants to achieve great things. His message will connect with audience members’ experience facing challenges – sales quotas for instance – that may seem formidable at first – until imagination, innovation, and passion are applied.
Why Neal Petersen?
Neal’s keynote is a powerful multi-sensory experience using a treasure chest with symbols of turning barriers into solutions and for larger productions thunder, lightning and fog.
Neal’s impact continues off stage, he remains is engaged with audience members attending social activities, book-signing, one-on-one conversations, group activities adding value for the investment.
Having visited over 100 countries and lived in 5, Neal appeals to diverse audiences.
Neal is sure to give your event the WOW it needs. His passion and uniquely delivered life-story are the perfect open or close. Audiences are quickly spellbound and remain so until he exits.
Neal can drive home any message seamlessly and will leave your audience refocused and reenergized.
