Are you looking for someone to help motivate and encourage your team? I have 20 years of executive level experience in Fortune 50 companies. Using mountaineering as a metaphor, I will help get your teams excited about the challenges ahead.
Vanessa O’Brien addressing attendees at SHU’s Discovery Museum and Planetarium on October 28, 2022.
It was imperative that we start the year off right – with a new management team focused on the customer. Vanessa’s presentation demonstrated how different people can come together to make the impossible happen, as long as they stay focused on the goal and avoid behavioural traits that undermine team dynamics. As we seek to reach our own summit (or marketing vision), focusing on what one can control vs what one cannot was a poignant message for the team, especially in light of rapidly changing internal and external environments.
– Tyrrell Schmidt, Chief Marketing Officer, TD Bank, US
April 5, 2022
Thank you so much for presenting at our virtual fiscal year meeting to our 1,500+ colleagues from around the world. Your presentation was very motivational and contained great examples of how a crisis, just like an expedition, does not happen in normal times. However, through leadership, truthfulness and decision making, an organization can ensure success rather than failure.
Konica Minolta
April 1, 2022
“Vanessa’s keynote speech at the ‘Heroes Amongst Us’ charity dinner in Krakow was a huge success. Vanessa threaded the traits of an explorer from the 19th century mass migration of Polish immigrants to America to today’s Wimbledon Women’s Championship. Using examples from her journeys, Vanessa illustrated how important our morals and values are in making decisions, along with the impact these decisions can have on those around us. She left us with an important metaphor, to think of ourselves as having two walking sticks, faith and hope. Together, she suggested these virtues, which are critical to contemporary leadership, were something we could all lean on when making decisions and inspiring others.”
— Adam Zając, Executive Director and Authorized Representative of the Foundation’s Management Board
“Explorer and 6X Guinness World Record holder, Vanessa O’Brien, gave us a fascinating, motivational, and inspirational talk about her experiences climbing the highest peaks, descending to the deepest depths of the ocean, and back up over the Kármán line, 100 km above the earth. She spoke fluently and powerfully of her achievements, describing herself as a Type A personality. She gets the last words this week from her book To the Greatest Heights: ‘Life is a messy, sprawling landscape that results from the tectonic collision of obstacle and opportunity, epic fails and occasional redemptions. You stumble. You suffer. You get up and go on.’
So, however down your golf is making you feel – get up and go on!”— Alison Towndrow, Women’s Captain
Bush Hill Park Golf Club
March 20, 2025
Links: Social Media | Source
“Sharing her experiences, Vanessa gave us her recipe of success which included self-confidence, decision-making, and having a sense of purpose. She challenged us to re-define failure by viewing failure not as a singular incident, but as a continuum, such that one wouldn’t fail until one gave up or stopped trying. Through examples of mentorship, unconditional support and self-belief, student’s left energised and encouraged about the impact they could make on the future.”
— Arif Anis MBE, Minister Counsellor to the Andean Parliament & Central American Parliament, Permanent Cooperation Mission of the House of Feigenblatt.
“Vanessa was able to show our audience of top producing agricultural CEO’s and multi-generational farmers how they shared similar traits to explorers. These traits include courage, endurance, resilience and dedication. Because explorers and farmers both have grit, they are able to persevere, despite failure and setbacks… especially bad weather!”
— Margy Eckelkamp, Brand Leader, Top Producer & The Scoop
“Vanessa’s talk demonstrated the determination and resilience required to achieve greatness, even in the face of setbacks. Her orientation and experience as an explorer and business leader make her an exceptional speaker on topics at the intersection of leadership, strategy, and execution. Her genuine authenticity, humble nature, and highly insightful visuals captivated our audience, allowing them to grasp the thrill and risks of these extreme environments.”
— Rosalind Benjamin, CEO and Guest Attendee
“Rosie Stancer’s questions for Vanessa O’Brien showcased the courage, resilience, and endurance that it took for her to become a world class explorer. Vanessa’s authenticity, humility, and down-to-earth commentary, together with stunning visuals, captivated our audience, allowing them to experience both the excitement and danger of these extreme environments. An extraordinary fireside chat!”
— Catherine Brumwell, Membership and Club Events Secretary, The Cavalry & Guards Club
“It was imperative that we start the year off right – with a new management team focused on the customer. Vanessa’s presentation demonstrated how different people can come together to make the impossible happen, as long as they stay focused on the goal and avoid behavioural traits that undermine team dynamics. As we seek to reach our own summit (or marketing vision), focusing on what one can control vs what one cannot was a poignant message for the team, especially in light of rapidly changing internal and external environments.”
— Tyrrell Schmidt, Chief Marketing Officer, TD Bank, US
April 5, 2022
“Thank you so much for presenting at our virtual fiscal year meeting to our 1,500+ colleagues from around the world. Your presentation was very motivational and contained great examples of how a crisis, just like an expedition, does not happen in normal times. However, through leadership, truthfulness and decision making, an organization can ensure success rather than failure.”
— Silke Ehmann-Cotichini, Team Manager Brand Positioning, International Marketing Division
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH
April 1, 2022
Links: Website
“Women in Sport: A conversation with Vanessa O’Brien” took place at the United Nations HQ. Vanessa shared her fascinating story of courage, tenacity and leadership and left the audience with a tool kit for success. We were also reminded that mountaineers and explorers have a responsibility towards the planet to become activists for The Climate Agenda.”
— Zarina Varukatty-Gafoor, Women’s International Forum
— Andrea Mlynarova, UN Delegation Women’s Club
Women’s International Forum
September 12, 2019
Links: Social Media | Press
“Thank you for such an inspiring presentation. I have received many comments already — how motivating your story and accomplishments are for folks to hear. I thought it was very effective and powerful how you dovetailed our strategic imperatives to high camps and used misaligned behaviors as proverbial avalanches to be aware of.”
— Nicholas G. Quil, Chief Executive Officer
Chicago
February 11, 2019
Links: Website
“The girl on stage quite suddenly metamorphoses into a formidably able planner, climber and leader. In both cases, lecture hall and iced mountain crag, it is her wit and tough ability to conjure up and deal with the moment that wins hearts. Vanessa is just as forceful and effective during Q&A as her ability to take decisive decisions on those bleak iced rocks. Her terrifying and pioneering achievements are made all the more extraordinary by contrast with her years of a business life, which we can so easily relate to.”
— Sir Humphry Wakefield, FRGS
“Vanessa has twice given members of the Scientific Exploration Society a compelling account of her extraordinary journey to the summit of K2. She has educated, enthralled and entertained her audiences on both occasions. She is a true modern day explorer who inspires others to take action.”
— Neil Laughton, Chairman of the Scientific Exploration Society
“Vanessa O’Brien has been a guest lecturer and a presenter for us at the Boston College’s MBA program at the Carroll School of Management on two occasions. Her orientation and experience as both an adventurer and business leader make her an exceptional speaker on topics at the intersection of leadership, strategy, and execution. Vanessa effectively wove together the elements of leadership, teamwork, motivation, and had incredible commitment to tell the story of each of these expeditions.”
— Scott F. McDermott, Director of Boston College MBA Consulting Service
“It was a pleasure interviewing Vanessa O’Brien at The Explorers Club as part of my “Exploring Legends” series. She follows in a line of other great guests including Sen. John Glenn, Jim Whittaker, Buzz Aldrin and James Cameron. Vanessa really had to think on her feet as this series is just one-on-one Q&A between myself and the guest (no visual props) in front of some of the world’s more hard-core adventurers. She was dynamic, and both funny and dead serious when discussing her challenges at the Poles and on the Seven Summits. The audience clearly was engaged as she graciously answered several more questions afterward, publicly and privately. I highly recommend her as a speaker at any kind of event.”
— Jim Clash, The Explorers Club Director and “Exploring Legends” Moderator
“Vanessa O’Brien’s mountaineering achievements are astonishing. The combination of her down-to-earth commentary and stunning visuals captivated our audience, allowing them to experience both the excitement and danger of these rarefied peaks. An extraordinary presentation!”
— Chair, The Union Club of Boston
French Consulate NY
January 11, 2018
Source
Lahore Gymkhana Club
December 14, 2017
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CEO Club Pakistan’s 16th CEO Summit
December 11, 2017
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Pakistan Embassy, D.C.
October 10, 2017
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Nepali Student Association
April 9, 2017
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Pakistani Student Association
February 18, 2017
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The Cavalry & Guards Club
Royal Geographical Society
The Scientific Exploration Society
Boston College Carroll School of Management
The Explorers Club
Union Club of Boston
