PROFILE
Paul Watkins is probably best described as a cross between Harry Potter and Bear Grylls.
Starting out as a local pharmacist in Warrnambool, he has spent time as a builder, property developer, entrepreneur, public speaker and trail runner. Over the last two decades he has built a considerable resume of mountain climbing and adventure racing – covering high altitude mountains and expeditions on all seven continents, completing the Kokoda Track twice as well as some of the most gruelling ultra-marathons on the planet, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle.
Paul blends decades of extreme adventure and a successful business career with a scientific and philosophical approach to optimising performance. From high schools to c-suites he speaks to the power of building discipline and antifragility – on the power of doing hard things.
SPEAKING TOPICS
The Story We Tell Ourselves
Time to think differently about what you are capable of. Set against the backdrop of multiple epic winter ultra-marathons across the Arctic, we dive into the story we tell ourselves, about who we are, what we are capable of and what the future holds. Dig into building confidence through evidence, the power of action and curiosity and why discipline is the tool you bring to every job.
Specific Takeaways:
- How to build a powerful internal narrative.
- Building a Mental and Behavioural toolkit built on curiosity and action.
- Develop true confidence built on a cookie jar of evidence.
How to breathe like a boss, not a mouth breathing buffoon
The Stress Test that Never Lies:
Learn how your carbon dioxide tolerance is linked to both stress and performance. Why it matters, how to measure it, how to improve it. No tools, apps or tricks required.
Breathwork for Busy People:
Learn simple, quick and effective exercises to upregulate or downregulate, increase focus, or turn the dial down. Whether it’s sleep time or go time, how to leverage the most powerful and readily available tool in your arsenal.
The Nose Knows:
A primer on why you need to breath through your nose, why most people don’t and why it matters. You will never breath the same way again. And that’s a good thing. Includes resources for deeper dives into the peer reviewed science of all we cover.
The Hero’s Journey. Writing the next great chapter of your life
Based on the seminal work of Joseph Campbell, we delve into the framework of the Hero’s Journey. Resistance, roadblocks, boons and blinders, and how it’s mirrored in our own lives.
A Chapter Written
Small group work to use that framework retrospectively, a chapter that has happened in your life, what were the roadblocks, the resistance, the revelations and the knowledge gained
The Next Chapter
A prospective exercise the applies the framework into the future around a chapter of your life you are yet to, but want to, write. A powerful and thought provoking process that will stay with you long after we are done.
From Failure to First
A ROLLICKING TALE OF A TWO YEAR BATTLE WITH ONE OF THE WORLDS TOUGHEST, COLDEST AND WINDIEST ULTRA MARATHONS.
Sometimes we all need an epic tale of adventure – to transport us from our day to day and deposit us right in the middle of the action. What better tale than a unsupported race over 600km deep into the Arctic Circle.
Paul delivers an honest, insightful and humorous account of how one of the worlds toughest races sent him packing, frozen, broken and hallucinating. Discover how he used mindset, self awareness and resilience to not only get back on his feet but to return two years later.
Going from a public and painful failure in 2017 to standing on the top of the podium in 2019, replete with all the drama, excitement and raw power that you would expect from an environment such as the very ends of the Earth.
Specific Takeaways:
- Motivation ≠ Discipline, motivation sells posters but discipline puts you on the podium.
- Creating Space – how to create physical, mental and emotional space, anywhere, anytime and why you need to.
- Power of Story Telling – the power, and danger, of the stories we tell ourselves, and how to write a better script.
- Work in Progress – the power (in business and life) of being unconventional, undefined and a work in progress
The Antifragile Advantage
How to move beyond Resilience towards Antifragility. From Survive to Thrive.
Motivation is a feeling but Discipline is a skill. And skills can be taught.
Expect to learn how develop a bias for action, the power of curiosity, why you shouldn’t avoid regret and how to use failure to grow.
Delve into why luck is something you can influence and how to build both discipline and confidence across the spectrum of your entire life.
Set against the backdrop of an epic 2023 500km winter ultra across the Laplandian Arctic, this keynote will get you off the motivational merry go round and help you become a generator of powerful and consistent performance.
Specific Takeaways:
- 9 Rules of the Antifragile – an OS for hard and easy times
- Building a Mental and Behavioural Toolkit- how to reframe our approach to work
- Discipline as a Skill – motivation is a feeling, discipline is a skill, deal in skills
- Where Confidence comes from – how to build your mountain of self belief and character.
- Antifragility – Performance beyond resilience. The power of healthy hardship.
