Vicki Anstey is a two-time world record-holding adventurer, human performance mentor, and certified stress and resilience coach. She is a leading well-being expert and stirring TEDx speaker. As one of the first women to reach the finals of SAS: Who Dares Wins, Vicki is no stranger to grueling challenges. She is an avid ultrarunner and an ambassador for Inspiring Girls.
Starting her career in the corporate world, Vicki gained experience in advertising at Ikea, Eurostar, and We Are What We Do before founding her own fitness business, The Barre Collective. In 2019, she endured 11 brutal days as one of the first women to compete on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins, reaching the final stages through true grit and mental resilience. Following this, she turned to motivational speaking, sharing her arduous yet rewarding experiences. She co-founded Woodlark and has gone on to achieve two Guinness World Records: rowing unsupported across the Pacific Ocean (with Girls Who Dare) and finishing the World’s Toughest Bike Race, cycling 3,000 miles in just 6 days and 19 hours.
With a fascination in what drives human behaviours, Vicki is part of an elite guest speaker advisory team assisting Professor Andy McCann in Psychology of Human Performance at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is the host of the ‘Pin Drop Podcast’ and the co-creator of an upcoming podcast series, ‘Point of Difference’. Vicki has competed in ultra-distance races in extreme locations like the Arctic and the savannahs of Kenya. Her TEDx talk ‘Why Fear is a Choice’ draws from her journey of pain, vulnerability, discovery, and reinvention, looking to equip audiences with the tools and motivation to confront and move through fear using simple yet purposeful steps.
Her journey to reclaiming her inner brilliance has led Vicki to deliver impactful and empowering keynotes and workshops on redefining comfort, winning ‘well’, and breaking barriers. She provides audiences with practical and actionable strategies for embracing their emotional endurance and unlocking their potential. Her gripping speaking style paints a vivid picture of her extraordinary experiences performing under pressure and the need to turn fear into fuel to continue achieving greatness. In 2026, Vicki is looking to complete The World’s Toughest Row in the Atlantic alongside Dr. Sophie Bostock and is currently writing her first book. ‘Other People are like the Weather’.
Vicki Anstey's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Why Fear is a Choice:
Understand fear as opportunity, harness neuroscience-backed techniques, and transform
anxiety into courageous action. - The Secret 60%: Uncovering Your Hidden Potential:
Discover how much more you’re truly capable of, redefine limits, and unlock untapped
potential to elevate performance. - From Paralysis to Performance: The Power of Emotional Endurance:
Build emotional resilience, navigate uncertainty effectively, and thrive even in challenging
situations. - Redefining Comfort: Thriving Beyond Discomfort:
Embrace discomfort as a growth catalyst, using practical strategies to break boundaries
and achieve peak performance. - Winning Well: Courage, Compassion & True Success:
Align your ambition with authentic purpose, and redefine what meaningful, lasting success
truly means. - Breaking Barriers: How Resilience Transforms Lives and Teams:
Cultivate deliberate resilience, building adaptable, empowered teams ready to excel through
adversity. - Team Behaviours
- Preparing & Training for Adversity
- Performing Under Pressure
- Psychological Safety
- Future Self
Official Feedback from In-person & Virtual Events
'Vicki delivers deeply transformative messages that resonate universally. Her powerful blend of authenticity, vulnerability, and actionable insight ensures audiences leave inspired, equipped, and empowered — no matter the theme, no matter the audience. If you want real impact, Vicki has to be on your short-list' - Tracey, Holo Global
'In the last two years, we’ve worked with Vicki as much as any of the A-list speakers on our roster, and that’s for three simple reasons: 1. She always delivers a powerful and engaging narrative that connects 2. She delivers not only inspirational but tangible insights and tools that our clients can take away 3. She is an absolute delight to work with. I cannot recommend her highly enough' - Ben, The Growth House
'Vicki is a founding figure in the Barre industry in the UK. She transcends the industry to be a figurehead for the modern British Fitness Professional (SAS Who Dares Wins, Strive, Harlequins Foundation) who not only strives to develop herself as an individual but helps others on their own personal journey (The Business of Fitness). She optimises what a “can do” attitude can achieve and inspires anyone lucky enough to spend time with her.' - Dr George, Sports Medicine Consultant
- 2024 - World Record for ‘The World’s Toughest Bike Race’
- 2022 - Founded Woodlark
- 2021 - Became a Motivational Speaker
- 2021 - World Record for Rowing Unsupported Across the Pacific
- 2019 - Competed on SAS: Who Dares Wins
- 2010 - Founded The Barre Collective
- 2006 - Marketing Director, We Are What We Do
- 2005 - Advertising & Media Manager, Eurostar
- 2003 - Advertising Manager, Ikea
- 2001 - Account Manager
How to hire Vicki Anstey
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Vicki Anstey 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.
