Speaking
Anything
is possible
Five world records built on one idea: take something nobody has done, break it into steps small enough to start, and then take the first one. Ash has told that story to audiences in more than thirty countries.
30+
Countries presented in
3
TEDx talks
2
UK theatre tours
1.5bn
Reached on one expedition
The talk
Adventure is the story. The takeaway is the point.
Every talk is built around the event it is given at - a sales conference, a school hall and a parliamentary reception need different things from the same expedition. These are the threads it is usually built from.
Resilience that is built, not born
What actually happens when a plan meets a river that has risen four metres overnight - and how the people who keep going differ from the people who stop. Audiences consistently take away the mental side rather than the physical one.
Breaking the impossible into steps
Four thousand miles is not a distance anybody can hold in their head. A day is. The method that got Ash from the source of the Yangtze to the sea is the same one that gets a team through a year nobody thinks is survivable.
Discipline, and picturing the finish
Visualisation is not a poster slogan here - it is a working technique Ash used every day for 352 consecutive days, and he explains exactly how, including the days it failed.
A world worth protecting
Every expedition has carried conservation partners, because a record nobody hears about changes nothing. For events with a sustainability agenda this becomes the spine of the talk rather than a closing slide.
Formats
Whatever shape your event takes
Keynote
45-60 minutes
The full expedition story built to your theme, with Q&A. The most booked format.
After dinner
25-40 minutes
Looser, funnier, and built for an audience that has eaten. Awards evenings and client dinners.
Schools and universities
40-60 minutes
Pitched to the age group, heavy on the planning and the setbacks. Assemblies and lecture theatres.
Hosting and panels
As required
Chairing, moderating, fireside conversations and awards presenting.
What audiences said
Eight years on stage, in their own words
Ash Dykes kept the audience engaged and gave us some truly unique perspectives on how resilient humans can be, how to improve mental fortitude and the importance of discipline and visualization in reaching your goals.
Ash Dykes truly inspired our Future Forum audience with his remarkable journey of overcoming challenges and achieving the impossible. His talk was both motivating and empowering, leaving a lasting impact on everyone in the room. Ash’s ability to connect with the audience and share actionable insights on personal growth and resilience made his presentation one of the most memorable of the event.
We were delighted to host Ash at our customer event in Athens this winter. His talk on walking the Yangtze brought a real dose of adventure to proceedings and our audience were thrilled to hear about his remarkable accomplishments. I can highly recommend him as an inspiration to all, especially to young people who are looking to push the boundaries of what they can do, be the best and never quit.
Ash's talk was really interesting and engaging - I learnt a lot from how he went about dealing with the challenges he faced on many of his trips. He was a great story teller and key note speaker to end our conference - thank you!
Ash captivated the students, recalling exciting tales of his adventures while explaining the many valuable lessons he learned along the way. The students learned about the importance of planning and organisation and how to break down seemingly impossible tasks into smaller, achievable ones.
Ash delivered a very inspirational and insightful speech at TEDxHangzhouSalon 2019, which is not only about his personal journey but also about his efforts to protect the environment. He shared with us, how he reached his ultimate goal and in doing so, pushed the limits of what a human can accomplish. I see a young man with courage, belief and unimaginable potential. Indeed, there is no shortcut in our lives. It is only by focusing on the little steps that can help us approach our dreams, and it is only by facing our fears that we can bring out the greatest courage inside us. Ash is one of the best examples that we should all hear from!
Ash delivered a powerful speech at an event in the UK Parliament to help explain the devastation of malaria, and how the UK is playing a huge role in the astonishing progress we’ve made over the last 15 years, saving more than 6 million lives. His personal story helped put a spotlight on the impact of malaria for an audience of MPs, the private sector and scientific community.
At one of the busiest evening events hosted by London’s Science Museum – a special Science Lates in conjunction with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Ash spoke to a full house about his travels, adventures and own experience of getting malaria. With standing room only, Ash’s talk was a chance for a new audience to hear about malaria, a disease that still kills a child every two minutes.
Book Ash
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- Keynote, after dinner, schools or hosting
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