Polly Williamson is a renowned former European Riding Champion who successfully recovered from a life-altering accident. Having built a respected reputation throughout the equestrian industry after personally winning 6 European gold medals and setting up her own equestrian business, Polly’s life took a drastic turn after sustaining a traumatic brain injury. Tasked with completing a decade-long journey back from a coma into her new life, Polly is admired for her mental and physical resilience. An inspiration to audiences of all ages and backgrounds, she has devoted her ‘second life’ to recognising change, finding a new identity, and working with her altered brain, accepting her ‘neuro diverse’ state. When looking to hire an empowering female speaker for your upcoming events, look no further than Polly today.
A driven individual, Polly’s first life allowed her to win 6 European gold medals at numerous Equestrian Championships. With a deep understanding of how to identify and manage risk, she developed an incredibly successful career and focused on competing against some of the top sportspeople in her field. In her late teens, Polly decided to set up and lead a sustainable equestrian business to mark her place within the competitive community. Having developed an admirable career, Polly’s life was forever changed after experiencing a life-changing brain injury and was forced to relearn every aspect of her life again. Determined to push past this difficult time in her life, Polly has become a must-see speaker when looking to empower her audience to increase their mental and physical resilience.
Beginning her journey back from a coma into her ‘second life’, Polly embraced the changes she was facing and started by relearning how to walk, talk, and think. Gaining a newfound respect for the simple things in life, she developed a new identity and accepted her ‘neuro diverse’ state. Passionate to share her remarkable experiences with audiences globally, Polly has become the proud author of ‘Where Did I Go?’, a publication that provides an in-depth, personal account of what she experienced to the reader. An empowering female figure, Polly has overcome adversity in all areas of her life since the accident and has learnt to work with her differences, rather than against them.
Admired by audiences globally, Polly Williamson is now highly sought-after to attend speaking engagements at events of all kinds. Esteemed for bringing a fresh perspective to the definition of success, her specialist knowledge and experiences are treasured for being truly one-of-a-kind. Her presentations are delivered with warmth and humour, reaching out to those who seek to lead, manage, and join a workforce where life has not always been straightforward. When looking to hire a captivating speaker to educate and inspire audiences at your next event, do not hesitate to hire Polly Williamson.
Books
Where did I go?: Rediscovering My Identity, Lost After a Traumatic Brain Injury (Crumps Barn Studio Personal Memoir)
How to hire Polly Williamson
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Polly Williamson for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Polly Williamson's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Neuro Diverse
- Mental Health
- Identity
- Eventing
- Overcoming brain trauma
- Determination
- Resilience
- Overcoming obstacles
- Fighting back from injury
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"The event yesterday with Polly was fantastic. Polly's story touched all those who attended and was truly inspiring. I loved how she made the event personal to JDE too. Big thanks from me" - JDE Coffee
"Thank you so much for attending our International Women’s Day here at NatWest today. Like many others in the room, I found your talk inspiring, highlighting to all what you can achieve with a determined and resilient mindset. I wish you all the very best with your next challenge. Best wishes." - Malcolm
"Everyone felt it was a safe space to discuss their own as well and open up so freely to discuss things - that is something you made so special and I know we will want to more of these and not just for women! I am so glad you found the experience as useful, and you did so well with the on the spot questions as well - great job. I know we will be in touch and I am sure there will now be a que wanting to use your talents! Thank you again." - Janine, NatWest
"Polly, thank you for joining us. Your determination, resilience and courage were truly inspirational for myself and the team. We all left with a quiet thoughtfulness and conversations have continued beyond our event." - Melanie, NatWest
Polly’s engaging account of her story told with great conviction, plenty of humour and, at times, disarming honesty, made a very positive impact on our students. She did not hide the difficulties and challenges that she had encountered and continues to encounter but the resilience that Polly has shown, and the obstacles that she has overcome, cannot fail but to inspire those who hear her. She makes all things seem possible with the right mindset and determination and her lack of any self-pity sharpens the listeners’ focus on what is possible rather than what is hard to achieve. I highly recommend Polly as a speaker. - Emma, Downe School
"Polly’s talk on overcoming trauma and the path to rebuilding a full, if different life, is nothing short of inspirational! Her honest and very open description of her life before her accident, her injuries and then her battle towards recovery is delivered in a simple, clear and accessible way that anyone could understand and relate to. At no point does she ever let self-pity cloud her story and one is left with a very clear message that life will throw problems at you and if you want to survive you need to be grateful for what you have, build on that belief and then set incremental goals that you can succeed at. In a world where we, as a society, seem very keen to look for sympathy in adversity I was greatly impressed by the lack of this in Polly’s talk and found genuine motivation in it’s focus on courage, “gritting your teeth to meet the next challenge” and never giving up. Having taken my family to see Polly’s talk I’m very glad I did as it’s not just a “light” for those recovering from an injury but it’s a “handbook” for us all in dealing with and overcoming hardship, holding on to hope and showing courage on the path to success." - Mark, Boeing
"We invited Polly Williamson to speak at our ‘Business Brain’ event in London in April 2024. The audience was a wide range of executives from the Financial World. Polly used her personal experiences to talk about Resilience and building confidence. She took questions both during and after her excellent slide-supported presentation. The session lasted about 45 minutes. Polly fully engaged the audience throughout and received rave reviews. This was primarily because of her ability to relate to real business issues and challenges that people face every day, drawing from her personal journey having suffered a life-changing accident. Her advice was clear, practical and hard hitting. I would recommend her wholeheartedly as a speaker at any event." - James, Director, Templar
