"Heroic, Epic, Inspiring, Historic" - Sir Richard Branson
Roz Savage proved that anything is possible when she became the first woman to row solo across the three oceans. An inspirational ocean rower, adventurer and environmentalist, Roz transformed her ordinary life into an epic journey through hard work and perseverance, leading her to become one of the most powerful inspirational speakers on the circuit. Acting as a role model to everyone she encounters, Roz’s voyages make for a fascinating keynote speech and her life lessons aboard the boats serve as an inspiration and motivation to audiences.
Over the course of seven years, Roz crossed fifteen thousand miles of open ocean on a twenty three foot row boat, completely alone. Embarking on her first challenge in 2006, Roz became the only solo female competitor to finish the Atlantic Rowing Race, battling failed equipment, four broken oars and her own mental resilience. Not content with one unprecedented ocean row, Roz continued to complete the ‘Big Three’ oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans all completely solo, in a bid to prove the only limits humans have are the ones we set for ourselves.
Deadly sea creatures, twenty foot waves and the prospect of failure did not deter Roz, who believed wholeheartedly in herself, a key message she shares with audiences as a speaker. Since making the mainstream media headline for her history defining feat, people around the world have become invested in Roz’s incredible adventure. With her achievements featured on every major news channel and publication, it's no surprise that her epic life story was shown in a documentary ‘Rowing the Atlantic’ and her three books have reached critical acclaim. In 2022, Roz published another bestselling book titled The Ocean In A Drop: Navigating From Crisis To Consciousness.
In addition to her personal goals, Roz aimed to raise awareness of environmental issues with her challenges, and has since become an advocate for change as a United Nations Climate Hero and a BLUE Project ambassador. Evidently a hugely inspirational woman, Roz now dedicates her time to her speaking engagements. Able to offer, not only her own incredible story, but an insight into how to achieve profound resilience, courage and motivation, all qualities audiences can achieve themselves. She has given talks across six continents and a wide range of sectors, previous clients include: Google, Disney and National Geographic as well as giving an influential TED talk.
Books
Stop Drifting, Start Rowing: One Woman's Search For Happiness And Meaning Alone In The Pacific
The Gifts Of Solitude: A Short Guide To Surviving And Thriving In Isolation
Rowing The Atlantic: Lessons Learned On The Open Ocean
The Ocean In A Drop: Navigating From Crisis To Consciousness
How to hire Roz Savage
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Roz Savage 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.
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Roz Savage's official speaking topics are listed below.
- Mindset & Motivation - Taking on a big challenge - be it organisational change, project implementation, a complex negotiation, or an ocean - can be daunting. Motivation, courage and resilience are essential but don’t always show up on demand, especially when external factors throw the best-laid plans into disarray. When Roz was making her maiden voyage as an ocean rower, across the Atlantic, she experienced a steep learning curve as she faced storms, setbacks, equipment failures, loss of communication, and her inner demons of self-doubt and self-criticism. In this inspiring presentation, she shares the very practical tips she discovered on how to strengthen mindset and find motivation in even the most challenging of circumstances, ultimately enabling her to row solo across 3,000 miles of hostile ocean.
- Motivation > Fear = Courage - Drawing on materials from a course she taught at Yale on Courage in Theory and Practice, Roz shows why the world needs courage now more than ever, as we face an increasingly uncertain future. She offers practical techniques for overcoming fear to serve our highest purpose. Her central premise is that courage is not the absence of fear - in fact, there are times when fear is a perfectly rational response to circumstances - but when our motivation is great enough, we are able to move past our fear to courageously do what is right. Roz often felt fear on the ocean, but was able to overcome her fears by reconnecting to her greater purposes - her environmental mission, and the desire to live her life as fully as possible. This presentation will inspire audiences to step up into their highest potential as forces for good in the world.
- VUCA: Leadership from the Inside Out - VUCA is a military acronym, meaning situations that are Volatile, Unpredictable, Complex, and Ambiguous - much like many business environments. How can we thrive in such uncertain times? By learning to lead ourselves with strength, courage and calmness, no matter what is going on around us. Roz presents an alternative VUCA - Vision and Values, Ultimate Flexibility, Courage, and Awareness - to help business leaders keep themselves and their organisations on an even keel throughout the storms of change.
- Re-Thinking Reality: The Stories We Tell Ourselves - As individuals and organisations, even as families, communities, and countries, we hold an underlying story about who we are. Consciously or subconsciously, for better or worse, we make true in our external world whatever we beliefs we hold in our internal world. Sometimes these narratives only become apparent when we produce a surprising - even shocking - result. The good news is that, once we become aware of these narratives, we can change them in order to craft the outcomes that we want. In her mid-thirties, Roz went through a major personal transformation. She shares how she changed her operational narrative in order to create a life of achievement, meaning and purpose, and invites us all to reconsider the reality that we are creating for ourselves - and to take control of it.
- The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create It - Creating a sustainable future for humanity has been a driving force in Roz’s ocean rowing career. She advocates a “deep ecology” approach, likening these environmental threats to a many-headed sea monster; we can keep cutting off the heads representing plastic pollution, deforestation, ocean acidification, and so on, but the monster will simply grow new ones. What we need to do is get to the heart of the monster - the disconnect between humans and nature. Roz draws on her firsthand experiences of the awesome power and beauty of nature, coupled with her perception that our planet is surprisingly small. She also reminds us that, just like the 5 million oarstrokes it took her to cross three oceans, one oar stroke may not get us very far, but millions of tiny actions add up to huge transformation.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
"Heroic, epic, inspiring, historic." - Sir Richard Branson
"Roz was energetic, passionate, engaging and real. Her connection with both our employees and our clients, and the dialogue it sparked both within the room and beyond was tremendous. Everyone left with a little optimistic spring in their step, inspired to make changes and live their lives a little differently. It was an amazing experience to share her world for that hour." - Credit Suisse
"Our time together was very special for us. You are a natural presenter and so quick on your feet. You adapt to the audience and your delivery is so natural. You make it appear effortless which is the mark of a true professional. I was taking presentation notes the entire time you were with the WPO chapter." - World Presidents Organisation
“Roz recently spoke to Gannett employees about ways to face stormy seas on the path to transforming our business. Her lessons in grit and perseverance will help anyone navigating today’s rapidly evolving business landscape.” - Gannett Co. Inc.
- 2020 - Evangelist for SEEDS: Regenerate Money
- 2017 - Lecturer at Yale University
- 2016 - Opening speaker at Secretary of State John Kerry's Our Oceans Conference
- 2013 - Author of Stop Drifting, Start Rowing
- 2013 - Inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame
- 2013 - Awarded an MBE
- 2012 - Selected as a Yale Fellow (15 were chosen out of 3,000 candidates)
- 2011- Rowed across the Indian Ocean becoming the first woman to solo row across three oceans.
- 2011 - Recipient of the Ocean Inspiration Through Adventure Award
- 2011 - Elected as a Fellow of the Explorers Club of New York
- 2010 - Became the First Woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean
- 2010 - Conducted a TED talk
- 2010 - Named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year
- 2009 - Author of Rowing The Atlantic: Lessons Learned on the Open Ocean
- 2009 - Named a United Nations Climate Hero
- 2006 - Became the only female solo competitor to complete the Atlantic Rowing Race
- 1989 - Graduated from the University of Oxford with a law degree
- Member of the Plastic Pollution Coalition
- Patron of Plastic Oceans
