A great business can be like a great team. Both need to practice, support each other, and follow a good leader. And if they do this work to the best of their ability, they can beat the competition and reach their goals.

If you want to achieve success like a top athlete, BigSpeak Speakers Bureau works with the Top Athlete Keynote Speakers. These athletes have won competitions, coached championship teams, and overcome personal and physical setbacks to rise again. They can teach you skills like good habits, work ethic, leadership, teamwork, mental health, resilience, and mindset.

Good Habits

How do top athletes consistently achieve their goals? They build systems for success, doing little things every day, so they can see the big results down the road. When James Clear was a high school baseball player, a brain injury took him out of the game. So he developed small habits to get himself back on track. His system eventually led him to be named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Squad. Since then, James Clear has become a thought leader on habits, writing the worldwide bestselling book Atomic Habits, and now teaches those skills to organizations.

Work Ethic

Magic Johnson didn’t become an NBA champion on talent alone. He developed a good work ethic, which was instilled in him by his father. Magic didn’t do things halfway. He would arrive at practice early and stay late. Now he puts his work ethic into building a successful business as an entrepreneur and owner of several sports teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, Los Angeles Football Club, and the eSports franchise Team Liquid. Magic teaches audiences how to think like a champion.

Leadership

A top business leader can be like a good coach. They know how to inspire, teach, and mentor their teams so they can perform at their best. One of the best coaches in college basketball today is Coach Kara Lawson. After winning a WNBA championship, Kara went on to coach in the NBA and the Olympics, winning a gold medal. Her talks and videos on teamwork and leadership, like “Handle Hard Better,” have inspired audiences everywhere. 

Teamwork

Teamwork is an essential element for any organization’s success. Teamwork involves skills like communication, collaboration, and mutual respect. Robyn Benincasa knows about teamwork. She was an Adventure Racing athlete who had to use all her teamwork skills to survive the most demanding races in the most extreme parts of the world. Her book How Winning Works shows how she and her teammates became a world-class team.

Mental Health

They say if you have your health, then you have everything. That includes your mental health. You can’t perform at your best if you’re not mentally focused. No one knows this better than Metta World Peace. He was troubled by anger issues that hindered him from enjoying life and performing at an elite level. Then with the help of his therapist, he was able to work on his mental health and ended up winning the 2010 NBA championship with the LA Lakers. He now helps others as a mental health advocate.

Resilience

How do you come back from defeat, injuries, or personal setbacks? Successful athletes know how because they have had to come back from defeat many times. Two athletes that exemplify resilience are Chaunte Lowe and Bethany Hamilton. 

Over her career, Chaunte Lowe was a successful 4-time Olympian, 3-Time World Championship medalist, and 12 times US National Champion. But her biggest challenge was overcoming breast cancer. She teaches audiences how to overcome adversity with a champion mindset.

Bethany Hamilton was a teen surfer who lost her arm to a tiger shark. She learned to surf without her arm and was able to enter and win competitions. Her story was turned into the movie Soul Surfer. Now she teaches people how to overcome obstacles with determination.

Mindset

One of the most important elements for success in business and sports is a good mindset. Sometimes you don’t have to be the smartest, strongest, or fastest to achieve your goal. You just have to have the most control over your mind. Two athletes who understand mindset are James Lawrence and Lance Armstrong.

James Lawrence was just an out-of-shape athlete who had trouble finishing a 5K before he learned to master his mind to reach his goals. Since then, he has increased his mental limits, completing 50 full-distance triathlons, in 50 states, in 50 consecutive days. Believing he could do more, James later completed a full-distance triathlon for 100 straight days. He’ll show you how to develop your mindset.

Everyone knows Lance Armstrong as the athlete who overcame Stage 3 testicular cancer to win seven consecutive Tour de France championships. His “comeback king” mindset not only helped him overcome cancer but also personal setbacks when he was stripped of his titles. Lance never gives up and is now a founder of the WEDU organization and a popular podcast host. Learn how he did it.

If you would like to book a Top Athlete Speaker for your next event, contact BigSpeak Speakers Bureau today.

For More On Successful Athletes

James Clear: Three Habits to Help You Stay Motivated

8 Essential Leadership Lessons from the Toughest Teams on Earth

From the Court to the Board: Magic Johnson’s Three-Point Play for Business Success

Well Known Sports Keynote Speakers