We can achieve so much more together than we can on our own.
James Castrission is an Australian thought leader in building leadership capabilities for leading high-performance teams and fostering an explorer's mindset for achieving the extraordinary. Cas is renowned as a World-Record-Breaking Aussie Explorer constantly pushing the boundaries of human endurance. He also spent five years as a management consultant at Deloitte.
Current Work
Cas is highly regarded as one of Australia’s premier public speakers, captivating global audiences with his insights on leadership, teamwork, risk management, and resilience. He is the author of two bestselling books: 'Crossing the Ditch' and 'Extreme South. His engaging and motivational presentations have reached over 920,000 people across 40 countries.
James Castrission’s unique approach to conferences involves immersive simulation-based learning, allowing participants to collaboratively navigate scenarios, make decisions, and learn from the consequences firsthand.
Previous Experience
Crossing the Ditch: In late 2007, Cas and his best mate, Jonesy, made history by completing the longest unsupported transoceanic double kayak expedition-a Guinness World Record. Over 62 days, they kayaked 3318km across treacherous seas, facing dwindling supplies, technical issues, 14 days trapped in a whirlpool, and two close encounters with sharks. After this endeavour, Cas spent a lot of time reflecting on his learnings, reinforcing his belief that every lesson can be applied to any difficult situation and to anyone striving to achieve something extraordinary.
Polar Expedition: Building on their Tasman Conquest success, they set out for another extraordinary journey. On the 26th of January 2012, they became the first to walk from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back unassisted and unsupported. In 100 years of polar exploration, no one had ever successfully achieved this feat. This historic expedition showcased their growth mindset, teamwork, and determination to turn audacious goals into reality.
Talking Points
Collaborating to Win
Effective collaboration and teamwork have been integral to James’ record-breaking expeditions. In his engaging keynote, Cas reveals how he built and led a high-performance team to secure two Guinness World Records. Your delegates learn the critical steps to developing teams that prioritize collective success over individual ambition, emphasizing alignment and collaboration. This session offers insights into cultivating a culture geared towards team success and collaboration.Collaborating to Win
Learning Outcomes:
- Effective Collaboration
- Team Alignment
- Strategic Thinking
Unchartered Waters Immersive Learning Experience
With more than two thousand kilometres of treacherous seas and unpredictable weather and currents, no one had ever successfully crossed the Tasman Sea by kayak. Does your team have the resilience and determination to not only reach the starting line but to survive a world-first adventure?Unchartered Waters Immersive Learning Experience
The parallels between achieving daring world records and running a successful business are evident-both demand alignment, leadership, and teamwork. In this immersive learning experience, teams engage in a high-performance team (HPT) setup, making decisions on real-world scenarios from groundbreaking expeditions, where each choice affects their success. Designed to develop essential leadership and team skills, participants learn to make better decisions under pressure, work together as one, and effectively manage risk.
Learning Outcomes:
- Decision-Making in VUCA Environment
- Effective Teamwork and Collaboration
- Foundations of a Cohesive Team
The Explorer's Mindset
Achieving two world-first expeditions was no accident. In his highly motivating story-based presentation, your audience learns the importance of embodying a growth mindset, resilience and effective collaboration in navigating uncharted waters, turning change into opportunities, and leveraging systems to achieve goals. Whether through a keynote or immersive simulation-based learning, Cas highlights the risks of assumption, cognitive bias in decision-making, and the balance of conflicting priorities encompassing economic, social, and environmental factors.The Explorer's Mindset
Learning Outcomes:
- Inspiration & Motivation
- Growth Mindset & Resilience
- Effective Collaboration and Teamwork
- Dealing with failure, fear and uncertainty
Grit
Fueled by the understanding that "grit" - perseverance and passion for long-term goals - is a key driver of success, James' workshop equips participants to assess their team's current "grit level" through a 10-question survey. Following this self-awareness step, the session delves into four actionable drivers that individuals and teams can leverage to cultivate and strengthen their grit, ultimately setting them on the path to achieving long-term goals.Grit
Key Takeaways:
- Inspiration to action
- Understanding why GRIT is a key driver of success.
- Deal with failure, fear and uncertainty successfully
Team Building - Indoor Antarctic Survival Exercise
Based on a workplace collaboration survey by Atlassian, 86% of employees and executives cite the lack of effective collaboration and communication as the main cause of workplace failures. This team-building activity aims to address this issue by fostering team cohesion and getting individuals to work together as one. Participants are tasked with setting up a tent while wearing polar mitts and without verbal communication, simulating challenges faced during world-first expeditions. This team-building activity not only strengthens teams amidst adversity but also promotes camaraderie and boosts teamwork.
Team Building - Indoor Antarctic Survival Exercise
Growth Mindset
Individuals with a growth mindset believe their intelligence, aptitude and behaviour are malleable - through hard work and dedication. This trait of success is a learned behaviour. In this workshop, participants identify the differences between a Fixed and a Growth Mindset and learn how to develop a growth mindset. Through the process, they become more confident that they can acquire the skills needed to take on daunting goals and career progressions.Growth Mindset
Key Takeaways:
- Define & identify beliefs and behaviours of having a growth mindset
- Distinguish differences between optimism and growth mindset
- Use the “Prism of Growth” to move from Fixed to a growth mindset
Mastering Change and Uncertainty
Your organisation's growth relies on the capabilities of your people. In this engaging keynote, Cas shares practical insights drawn from his extraordinary adventures and corporate experience at Deloitte. Audiences discover the art of resilience, innovative problem-solving, and effective leadership in the face of uncertainty. Equip your delegates with actionable insights and tangible tools to thrive amid change.Mastering Change and Uncertainty
Learning Outcomes:
- Leadership
- Collaboration
- Resilience
- Problem-Solving and Decision-Making
- Change Management
Developing & Leading High Performance Teams Workshop
High-performing teams are SMART (think systems, processes, and strategy) and HEALTHY (cultivating a positive culture, trust, and collaboration). In this workshop, the participants explore the building blocks of a healthy organisation and team. It starts with building a cohesive leadership team, creating clarity on what they are trying to achieve, and then effectively communicating that clarity to the wider team and stakeholders.Developing & Leading High Performance Teams Workshop
Learning Outcomes:
- Leadership Development
- Team Building & Goal Alignment
- Conflict Resolution
- Organizational Health
Energy for High Performance Workshop
This workshop addresses the challenges of sustaining high performance over time, especially when managing demanding projects and navigating change. Leaders, executives, and ambitious individuals often face burnout risks. This interactive session with Cas equips participants with a practical toolkit to understand and manage their mental, physical, emotional, and relational energy sources. By recognizing and nurturing these key areas, participants will gain valuable strategies to become more "burnout-proof" and achieve sustained high performance.Energy for High Performance Workshop
Learning Outcomes:
- Burnout Prevention
- Energy Management
- Maintaining High Performance
- Resilience
Guiding Principles for Success
In this workshop, participants gain a deeper understanding of driving performance through action-oriented, targeted behaviours. Through interactive exercises, they re-evaluate both individual and organizational values, shaping them into guiding principles for effective decision-making in a constantly changing environment.Guiding Principles for Success
Key Takeaways:
- Understanding where guiding principles fit into HPTs (High-Performance Teams)
- Define team success
- Reshape values to form guiding principles.
Uncharted Ice Immersive Learning Experience
In 100 years of polar exploration, no one had ever succeeded in the perilous unsupported return journey from the coast of Antarctica. Does your team have what it takes to thrive in such a challenging environment? Uncharted Ice Immersive Learning Experience
In this engaging simulation-based learning experience, participants are placed in the driver's seat of attempting this world-first adventure (without leaving the room). Facing real-world scenarios, teams must adapt, make rapid decisions, and navigate uncertainty to not only survive but also achieve a Guinness World First Adventure. This immersive experience teaches teams to make aligned decisions in a constantly changing environment, fostering collaboration and strategic thinking to succeed as one.
Learning Outcomes:
- Adaptability
- Decision-Making in VUCA Environment
- Foundations of a Cohesive Team
- Leadership
Video
James Castrission: My Adventure Group
MyAdventure Group is known for its fully-tailored corporate team building. The premier adventure-based corporate development and incentive programs allow leaders and teams to step into the unknown and harness uniquely powerful lessons that can only be accessed outside of the office. Each program is designed to develop teams and give them a competitive advantage in one of the most confronting environments anyone will find; the business world. This is team building like no other. Your team will leave with actionable techniques and tools to help them work smarter together, feel 100% committed to what they are trying to achieve and emerge as the next generation of leaders.James Castrission | Speaker Reel | Saxton Speakers
Cas is highly regarded as one of Australia’s premier public speakers. He has written 2 bestselling books: Crossing the Ditch and Extreme South. Cas has now shared his incredible story with over 320,000 people around the world. Insights into leadership, teamwork, risk management, and overcoming adversity have captivated global audiences.James Castrission | Immersive Conference | Uncharted Ice Reel
A choose your own adventure experience for corporate groups! Taking lessons and footage from some of the most hostile environments on the planet, Unchartered Ice is an immersive session that emotionally engages audiences and creates an unforgettable shared experience that will bring individuals together to act like a team. During this workshop, delegates are emotionally engaged and inspired to strengthen their communication and decision-making skills. They have the opportunity for healthy debate and shared problem-solving, which improves their connection as a team. The interactive nature of Unchartered Ice is highly memorable and allows teams to retain key insights and behaviours for longer. Rediscover the excitement of collaborating in person with a one-of-a-kind workshop hosted by record-breaking explorer James Castrission.Cas was absolutely awesome. He fulfilled his speaker brief perfectly and was inspiring and engaging. He had an audience of over 300 staff members spellbound. ... keep reading Foxtel
I was on the edge of my seat for the entire presentation. one moment in tears of laughter, the next tears of despair.
... the peak teams program was a great way to reinforce our team’s commitment to short and long term goals and ultimately the success of the company
I’ve worked in the events industry for over 10 years and can honestly say this is one of the most unique and rewarding programs I have worked on, I would highly recommended my adventure group for anyone looking for something outside the norm! Congratulations and thank you to James and his team for all of their hard work
James was amazing, his experiences combined with his ability to involve you in the expedition was something we have not experienced with a keynote speaker before, our objective was to increase teamwork and his teachings achieved that perfectly 10/10 he was energetic, enthusiastic and engaging.
We’ve just completed an extraordinary leadership retreat with James as our facilitator, as someone who has participated in a number of leadership events and leadership training sessions, I can honestly say that I’ve never experienced anything like this before.
Cas’ Keynote was amazing. It actually left me speechless for some time. Most importantly it was a very active, engaging, and deeply motivating keynote that I’ll still draw from for a while.
His ability to package these adventures into a thoroughly unique and thought-provoking, engaging and raw presentation sets him apart from almost every other “motivational” presenter I’ve seen.
James is entertaining, deeply engaging, vulnerable, and insightful, his educational methods have you deeply invested and engaged… And leave you with some great knowledge and learning experience that you can apply throughout your leadership journey.
