Transitioning from being an expert speed skater to an expert speaker has been an interesting ride over the last 10 years. Steven has presented at over 750 conferences and events in 15 countries and still loves it. He loves the adrenalin before going onstage and loves that his strategies for success in business and in life are able to inspire and help people.
Previous experience
Steven Bradbury's remarkable and unlikely victory at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics was achieved after a spectacular final-lap spill took out his four rivals. Bradbury threw his arms up in disbelief and smiled as he crossed the finish line.
His gold medal win was not entirely as fortuitous as many would believe. Bradbury knew his limitations and also the unpredictable nature of short track racing. Half the battle is staying on your blades, and Bradbury did just that, right when it really counted. Dubbed 'the luckiest gold medallist', Bradbury won fans the world over for the honesty and humility he showed after the win. He saw his victory as reward not for one race, but for a decade of hard slog that has included more than his share of misfortune.
In Norway, 1994, a race accident led to him being impaled on a skate and creating a cut so extensive he lost four litres of blood and required 111 stitches. He was extremely lucky to survive. A training mishap in 2000 broke his neck and forced him to spend six weeks in a halo brace. Steven Bradbury again fought his way back, and two years later that neck was in the headlines again - only this time it was supporting an Olympic Gold Medal.
In addition to his motivational and inspirational ability as a corporate speaker, Steven Bradbury also brings sound business principles learnt through running his own company RBC Revolutionary Boot Company, which makes specialised skates and cycling shoes.
Just as in sport, Steven believes there are two factors to his success. First, you need the determination and resilience to put in the hard work required and ensure your preparation is complete. Second, you have to take a risk. At RBC, and in Steven's speed skating career, he took many chances. Some worked, some didn't. However, he stuck at them and today he has an Olympic gold medal and RBC export custom speed skates and cycling shoes to 19 countries around the world.
For key topics including: motivation, inspiration, success, strategy, positive mindset, leadership, entertainer, comedy, celebrity, athlete, MC and facilitator, Olympic Gold medallist Steven Bradbury is a great addition to any event.
Talking Points
Last Man Standing
Session Highlights:Last Man Standing
A fully interactive show including videos, music, comedy and audience participation.
You will actually hold, and have your photo taken wearing my Olympic Gold Medal.
How I broke my neck, lost 4 litres of blood on the ice and trained 5hrs a day, 6 days a week for 12 years to become an overnight success.
Outcomes:
The saying 'Doing A Bradbury' is now in the Australian slang dictionary. Learn how to put yourself in position to be the next to 'Do A Bradbury'.
Business success and strategy learned through my custom speed skate and cycling shoe company. Now exporting to 22 countries. A tailored solution for a target market.
Sustaining a culture of success and positive mindset.
Leadership: A successful leader, leads by example not just be telling others what to do.
Setting goals and having a plan written down is not optional.
I have been dubbed the 'Luckiest' Olympic Gold Medallist. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
Career Highlights:
4 time Olympian
Southern Hemisphere's 1st Winter Olympic Gold Medalist - Gold mens 1000m - Salt Lake City
Australia's 1st Winter Olympic Medalist - Bronze 5000m Relay - Lillehammer
As well as being entertained and inspired you will leave with the knowledge the much of the prize is in the journey and success takes Passion, Persistence and Teamwork.
Collaboration & Teamwork
Steven presents on teamwork being a key ingredient of success. Whether in business or sport, in order to succeed you need a team of people around you for help and support. Steven’s team (coach, parents, physio, equipment manager and teammates) were not on the ice with him when he won his Gold Medal but without them, he could not have won Australia’s 1st Winter Olympic Gold Medal.Collaboration & Teamwork
Steven teamed up with his friend and former skater Clint Jensen. They were finding it difficult and expensive to get the speed skating boots they needed, so they began making their own carbon fibre, custom-moulded speed skates. A year later Clint and Steven started skating on their own boots, straight away other skaters approached them and asked: can I buy a pair of your boots? Steven and Clint said: Ok, and formed the Revolutionary Boot Company (RBC). Many years later RBC was sold, by this point RBC exported custom cycling shoes and speed skating boots to over 25 countries and athletes wearing RBC won more than 50 Olympic and World Championship medals. Steven’s success in business adds impact and credibility to his presentations by having lived it!
At the Lillehammer Winter Olympics, Steven was the pre-race favourite to win the 1000 Metre event. Unfortunately, he was intentionally knocked down by another skater in the 1st round of the competition. The enormous disappointment he felt, had to be overcome quickly in order to pull himself together for the 5000 Metres team relay. Steven and his teammates went on to win Australia’s 1st ever Winter Olympic Medal by claiming bronze.
On your television screen, it was Steven alone who took Gold in Salt Lake City. In today’s competitive world success cannot be achieved if you take it on by yourself. Steven resonates in the minds of his audience that an efficient behind-the-scenes team is not optional.
Steven believes that often Aussies are not very good at sharing with each other what we are good at - Just in case someone calls us a show off - you know that dreaded tall poppy syndrome.
Then there are those who won’t help others because they want to win the employee of the year award and get the accolades for themselves. Every organisation will succeed or fail on how its people, systems and processes work together. A team is only as good as its weakest link. Steven believes sharing your skills and helping your colleagues because you are better at something than them is not showing off, that is karma, and it will come back to you.
Starting in 2019 Steven co-founded a brewery and beer company. Last Man Standing Lager is growing quickly the long-term goal is for Last Man Standing to be the beer sponsor of the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane. Big goal, big dream!
Persistence & Resilience
Steven competed for Australia at 4, count them, 4 Winter Olympic Games. He trained 5 hours a day, 6 days a week for 12 years and then, suddenly he became an overnight success. Your audience will be left with a lasting impression that much of the prize is in the journey and if you show up every day and give it your best then it’s only a matter of time until you create your own version of ‘doing a Bradbury’ and like Steven become, the Last Man Standing.
Persistence & Resilience
Entertainer
After dinner speaker and entertainer is Steven’s specialty. Your audience will be entertained and motivated by stories from Steven’s:Entertainer
- Childhood.
- Olympic experiences.
- Recent marriage and becoming a father.
- Meeting Russell Crowe and Richard Branson.
- Riding in a Formula 1 racing car.
- You will actually touch Steven’s Olympic Gold Medal.
- Relive the famous race through Steven’s eyes whilst watching it on DVD.
Steven enjoys the inspiration he gives his audience through his amazing life story and has brilliantly combined this with a natural, unpolished, very Australian speaking style.
Passion
One of Steven’s strengths is speaking from the heart. His passion for his sport and business pursuits is known to many Australians. Steven motivates his audience with this same passion. His amazing journey touches a chord with people from all walks of life. We all have our own personal goals and in order to achieve them there will always be some difficult times on the journey. Without passion for your pursuits, you will give up during difficult times. Steven’s story is a prime example to all, that if you have passion for what you do and you ‘stick it out’ then you too can be the Last Man Standing.
Passion
Overcoming Adversity
The Bradbury story is one of the true Aussie battler who overcomes all kinds of adversity to achieve the ultimate goal. Some people have described Steven’s victory as lucky. Winning Olympic gold took a lot more than just luck. Four Olympic campaigns and 12 years of hard training including an Olympic Bronze in 1994, 111 stitches in his leg and in the year 2000 a broken neck are testimony to that hard work and persistence. 18 months after breaking it that same neck was supporting an Olympic Gold Medal.
Overcoming Adversity
Motivation & Inspiration
Steven’s story is motivation on steroids! If you are looking for a motivational speaker you don’t need to look any further, Steven is a ‘must see’.Motivation & Inspiration
Just another speaker, Steven most certainly is not. He very much enjoys the inspiration that his story brings an audience, through his natural, unpolished and down-to-earth account of the realisation of his Olympic dream, he brings messages of passion, persistence and teamwork which undoubtedly equals success. His story really resonates with any audience.
Business & Leadership
Steven Bradbury has mastered the business of Motivational Speaking | MC | After dinner speaker, however, his other business experience and success are not as widely known.Business & Leadership
Through his own business making custom-made speed skating boots Steven is able to talk from experience. Initially, he identified a personal need to fulfil his own requirements and soon thereafter identified and tailored a solution for a target market of speed skaters around the world. After experiencing difficulty getting skating boots from overseas, Steven and a fellow skater Clint Jensen decided to try making their own. Five years after kicking off the Revolutionary Boot Company (RBC) www.rbcsport.com skaters wearing RBC boots won 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City, Winter Olympic Games. This was sweetened by one of those gold medals being won by Steven himself.
RBC was bought by a Chinese manufacturer in 2012. By this time RBC was exporting custom Long Track, Short Track and Inline boots as well as custom cycling shoes for Road, Track, BMX and Triathlon to 30+ countries.
In 2019 Steven launched Last Man Standing Australian Lager - www.lmsbrewing.com.au Now for sale in around 130 bottle shops between Cairns and Coffs Harbour and on tap in 35 venues in Sth East Qld including the Caxton Hotel, The Pineapple Hotel and The Southport Yacht Club. Soon to launch in WA, NSW and Victoria. The dream is for the Last Man Standing Lager to be the official Olympic beer for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics!
The ‘Bradbury’ movie is in production, a script written and it's currently in the budgeting phase. This project has been on again, off again for many years so Steven is very excited about it finally coming to life and getting into cinemas across the globe in early 2023. The movie will be a positive experience that parents can take their children along to watch and say: ‘If you are prepared to work hard every day, something like that can happen to you too’.
At 45 years of age, Steven’s experiences as a 4-time Olympian, businessman and life experience bring a fresh and uniquely Australian feel to the corporate world that can dovetail nicely into your ---
- Graduate programs - Leadership programs
- Senior Executive programs - Staff Motivation
Conforming with what you already know works, and learning to do it better are the building blocks that thrust the ‘Last Man Standing’ onto your television screen. That historic moment coined the saying that now appears in the Macquarie Dictionary, ‘Doing a Bradbury’.
Now there is an opportunity for Steven to help your team members do their own version of ‘A Bradbury’ and realise their full potential. A successful leader leads by example, not by simply telling the team what needs to be done.
Comedy
Steven now works with comedian Fred Lang. He weaves motivation into some very funny material. He does not atest to being a Stand Up Comedian, but when it comes to standing up……. he is arguably the most famous person on the planet for doing that ! His timing and pausing is outstanding and his childhood, pending fatherhood and post Olympic stories are hilarious. Please keep Steven in mind for clients who might be after some comedy, funny Olympic yarns and a celebrity edge.
Comedy
Goal Setting & Being your Best
After competing for Australia at 3 Winter Olympic Games, including being the pre-race favourite at the 1994 Winter Olympics Steven had not realized his goal of Olympic Gold. In September of the year 2000, he went head first into the barrier during a training crash and broke his neck. He spent 6 weeks in a halo brace. During this time he realized that everything had always been about winning and whilst he had been World Champion and won an Olympic Bronze he had competed at the Olympics (the biggest stage in the world) 3 times and had never skated his best during the Olympics. Realising his chances of winning Olympic Gold had passed Steven decided that he had worked too hard for too long to finish his career without at least racing his best at the Olympics. After his neck had healed Steven had a new goal and a new motivation. Winning Gold or in fact, any medal was no longer of interest to Steven. He simply wanted to get off the ice after 1 race, at the Olympics and be able to say to himself - I have done my best-. Goal Setting & Being your Best
In 2002, in Salt Lake City he achieved his goal when in the 1000 metre quarter-finals he beat, Marc Gagnon, a 4-time world champion from Canada and qualified for the semi-finals. Steven with luck on his side went on to win that elusive Gold Medal and it was the ultimate way to finish his skating career. The race Steven dreams about at night is the little publicized quarter-final when he was finally able to put his demons to rest and skate his best at the Olympics.
In Business or Sport, if at the end of the day, you can say honestly to yourself, ‘I did my best’, then you are the winner.
Video
Steven Bradbury - Last Man Standing - Road to Gold
Transitioning from being an expert speed skater to an expert speaker has been an interesting ride over the last 10 years. Steven has presented at over 750 conferences and events in 15 countries and still loves it. He loves the adrenalin before going onstage and loves that his strategies for success in business and in life are able to inspire and help people. Steven Bradbury's remarkable and unlikely victory at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics was achieved after a spectacular final-lap spill took out his four rivals. Bradbury threw his arms up in disbelief and smiled as he crossed the finish line.Steven Bradbury's attendance to our 41st annual conference was indeed the highlight of the three days. Steve captivated our delegates and left them with a clear message that if you worked ha ... keep reading Retravision Australia
Steve was genuinely entertaining. He provided an extremely amusing, yet relevant piece in his summation that left the audience both on the edge of their seat and in throes of laughter. He fully deserved the thunderous applause.
Steven was really lovely and very nice to work with. He was professional and very keen to get involved in all of the activities during the day. The public loved him.
Steven Bradbury is a very likeable, approachable, funny guy. He delivered a very interesting presentation and has a history that few knew about.
We thought Steven Bradbury was fantastic... thank you so much.
Steve was a big hit. The use of the DVD really created the atmosphere and he was very obliging in doing a lot of the technical work himself. The customers loved it.
Captivating and relevant material for our conference. Steven was friendly and a joy to work with.
I Just wanted to pass on our thanks and appreciation for your presentation at our National Conference. Your story of your journey to the gold medal was very memorable and emotional. There were even a few tears shed as you told of your injuries along the way and of course the elation when you won the race and the gold. As the organizers of a conference one is always worried that the best choices in presenters have been made and we were well pleased with you. Your presentation was also at a very high standard, which one doesn't usually expect from athletes. We would not hesitate in recommending you as a highlight speaker for any conference. Our delegates were also very impressed. Well done and thank you again.
On behalf of the farmers, researchers and regional participants associated with the national Grain & Graze program, I write to thank you for the utterly brilliant presentation you gave last week. Wow! No-one left the dinner without having taken away a totally new perspective on how to give their all in any endeavour they pursue. You had the audience spell-bound not just by your own incredible story, but by the possibilities that they too may one day have an incredible story to tell. For days we talked about one key message or another that you presented and as a result, you not only made the dinner enjoyable and successful, but indeed made our whole event successful. You certainly touched all the right buttons, cleverly tailoring the messages by knowing your brief well. As a speaker, your presentation style and skills are indeed unique, standing you apart from the myriad of after-dinner speakers I have engaged previously. Your professionalism shines through as much as your shear enjoyment of all that life throws your way. I do hope that you never lose your relish for speaking, your humbleness or that larrikin persona so many Australians instantly relate to. Perhaps I shouldn't say this, but you do underprice your services compared to your speaker-circuit competition, particularly given the rapport you establish with your audience. If ever I feel a group’s batteries getting low, I know exactly where to go to get the required recharge. Thank you again for sharing your story and inspiration.
Enthusiastic!
Steve recently presented at a series of Finance And Systems Technologies (FAST) Professional Development Days to great acclaim. He actually received a standing ovation in Sydney after his presentation (unheard of in Australia). FAST CEO Mr Steve Kane said 'Steve's presentation was very entertaining and his messages of passion, persistence and teamwork were spot on'. I could not recommend Steve highly enough and will definitely use his services among other clients in the future.
Steve was excellent to work with and very easy going throughout our dealings with him. His relaxed style and manner were perfect for the event and people enjoyed having him around for the whole night and chatting to him during the evening. The chance to see/hold his medals and have photos taken with him etc. was also greatly appreciated by many of the guests. His story was very inspirational and kept the audience captivated. He was entertaining, funny and thought provoking. Overall an excellent speaker, who was well received and a really good bloke. Definitely added value to the event and was good to meet him.
Steven's presentation was undoubtedly the highlight of our conference. His story, along with his open and honest presentation style, left our audience raving about him well after he walked off stage.
From the tremendously positive feedback we've had, Steven's message about pushing through obstacles to achieve your goals, really struck a chord with everyone. Steven has a real gift in being able to help people see that they too can achieve success and they are greatly encouraged and inspired as a result. I was delighted that not only did Steven have a good message, but he was able to deliver it in a very relatable way - his self-effacing attitude about his gold medal, combined with his Aussie sense of humour was a big hit!
Steven was amazing - the best motivational keynote speaker I have ever seen (and I have seen a few!). I read his book on the weekend and couldn't put it down. What an amazing story - I am so glad he told it.
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful energy and enthusiasm with my team today. Your vibrant and insightful presence was well received. You touched a lot of lives today in very positive ways. Much appreciated!
I recently attended the My Adviser Conference on Hamilton Island as a Plenary speaker and a Gold Sponsor. During the course of the conference I was fortunate enough to hear Steven Bradbury speak. Steve's presentation whilst unique and motivating was also captivating for the audience. The message clearly delivered was never stop striving to reach your full potential. Apart from being Australia's first ever Winter Olympic Gold Medalist, Steve has been and continues to be a sort after speaker, a successful business man in his own right, and a very accomplished motivational speaker. I would not hesitate to recommend Steve to any prospective business to allow him to motivate and challenge their staff or clients in his unique but very effective manner.
On behalf of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia I would like to thank you for your efforts in making our Dine with an Olympian fundraiser a great success. Your services as MC for the evening were much appreciated by the athletes, staff and directors of the OWI. It was fantastic to have such a relaxed and light hearted host; I think it really set the tone of the evening. I was also pleased that we were able to balance the formalities of the evening whilst allowing our guests time to mingle and enjoy the food and wine. Much of this can be attributed to your thorough preparation and understanding of what we were hoping to achieve with the function. You really were a pleasure to work with and I hope we can do so again in the future. Once again thank you for your efforts.
Steven was the MC at our Quest Newspapers annual YoungStar Awards, the event was attended by around 600 people including the Deputy Premier and Minister for sport. Steven's performance was refreshing, humorous and definitely not your traditional stand up presenter. His approach was professional and while working from our script, managed to personalize it with timely ad-libs to suit the moment. Quest run around 20 major award events each year around Brisbane and never before has our MC been in demand to sign autographs at the end of the night, Steven really aided in the success of the evening. If you are looking for different, quirky and memorable, Steven could well be your man.
The audience (including myself and my team) enjoyed his presentation immensely.
I go to a lot of conferences and hear a lot of speakers but never, and I mean NEVER, have I seen a speaker get a standing ovation like our delegates gave Steven. The energy in that room was electric. It was an emotional journey. We had tears in our eyes at one stage, we laughed raucously, we cheered watching the DVD footage, we looked away in shock, we felt and sniffed and oohed and aahed at handling his Olympic medals and when the talk was over, we stood to our feet and clapped. We will be using Steven's services again. I was extremely proud of him and even more so that he was a Brisbanite and such a down to earth kind of guy. We all love a larrikin. In addition, he was easy to work with. He came up with other ideas to raise money for charity. He was completely organised when it came to his MC and AV instructions.
Outstanding! Feedback has been nothing short of incredible. Steven was the last keynote of the conference and was a real coup for us as organisers... left our delegates with great memories of the event.
I would highly recommend him to any group. He was down to earth, natural, and yet extremely professional. He took time t0 talk to everyone afterwards, and stayed well into the night, allowing people the opportunity to talk to him and have their photos taken with him. He was definitely the highlight of our conference, a real inspiration.
Steven Bradbury was our MC for the official launch of the ISEEK Data Centre today. With the Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, other dignitaries and TV cameras in the room, for me it was a little daunting. Not so for Steve. Whilst keeping to schedule Steve's MC style and use of comedy helped make the opening of our new Data Centre a great success. He was also generous with his time and made the extra effort to come in the day before our opening to go over all the details. Steve exceeded our expectations.
Working with Steven at the recent SPLASH! Environmental Awards was a wonderful experience. He exceeded my expectations as both MC and guest speaker. Steven had the (tough) crowd eating out of the palm of his hand, and at some points you could hear a pin drop. Feedback has been 100% positive and I know a number of companies are interested in having him speak or MC at their future events. Our group was male and female and all ages and everyone enjoyed the night - a huge thank you to Steven.
Thank you so much for your excellent job as MC at our national training awards night. Not only did you mange to keep the entertainment flowing, you kept the night humming along at a good pace. This is a rare combination at an awards night.
Steven Bradbury comes highly recommended as a guest speaker as he was both inspirational and hilarious. What a great guy! I really enjoyed his talk and I also enjoyed getting to chat to him throughout the evening! He went above and beyond!
Steven Bradbury has a very inspirational story and delivers a great message. He's the best speaker I've ever seen.
Our guests and staff were wowed by Steven. His presentation was first class and he's a good bloke to boot.
Just a quick note to say thank you for your contribution to our Kick Start conference this year. You were rated extremely highly by the group and I know that everyone I spoke to found your presentation to be inspirational. Thank you also for contributing to our video comments on the day.
Great to meet you and fantastic hearing your talk. You'll be interested to know two people attributed their win at the Bayer Gala awards last night to 'doing a Bradbury'. You made an impression on the conference. Your story and understanding of the brief made an outstanding motivational speech.
Stephen was fantastic! A very funny man and very inspirational! He certainly knows how to paint his life picture and we all were hanging onto every word! I would recommend him as a speaker without hesitation.
Steven was humorous, punctual, and kept the evening flowing well. Everyone who attended was so happy Steven was our MC. It is being called 'the best awards night so far'.
Steve is great value, and I can't say much more other than Steve should be in every conference!
Steven was fantastic! A very inspirational and funny speaker. In my opinion the best speaker I have ever seen.
Your contribution the Davey Bickford conference was invaluable and it was great working with you. As the MC for the 3 days you showed great skill tying in the event discussion themes with your own material and kept us laughing and engaged throughout. Your keynote was simply incredible. I've had nothing but glowing feedback about you from everyone who attended.
Steven was OUTSTANDING at our conference in Singapore and was the highlight of our event. He established a great connection with all of our delegates, had time to talk with everyone after his presentation and was engaging, funny and insightful in his delivery. We will definitely look to engage his services again in future and can highly recommend him.
Steven was very professional and very easy to work with - although, we wouldn't call this work, there was too much fun hehehe - from the moment he arrived, he took control and steered the event into the success it was. He was ever so helpful in those tricky situations that arise. As well he was sooo engaging with the audience, captivating the 200 attendees with his humor and grand stories. Our event just wouldn't have been the successful event is was without him. Thank you Steven!
