Video
Biography
When the challenges are steep, and the competition fierce, Robyn Benincasa gives individuals and organizations the tools they need to inspire themselves and one another to their greatest heights and across their most challenging finish lines.
For the last 20 years, she and her teammates have been competing at the front of the pack in the most unique and compelling classrooms on earth--The jungles of Borneo, the Himalayan peaks of Tibet, the rivers of Fiji, the rainforests of Ecuador and the desert of Namibia, studying the good, the bad, and the not-so-pretty in Extreme Teamwork . It is through these harrowing, life affirming and often hilarious experiences in the world's most grueling challenges that she has emerged with her truly unique perspective on what it takes to build the kind of world class teams that succeed against all odds, that triumph in the face of adversity and that win as one in times of great challenge and change. Robyn accepts full blame for inspiring people to do insane things like climb Mount Kilimanjaro, run their first triathlon, start their own adventure racing teams, hike across the Grand Canyon with a group of Survivors, or start their own businesses. This is, after all, who she is and what she does: Robyn Benincasa inspires people to grab life with one hand, grab their teammates with the other, and to create that special magic that makes all of us better TOGETHER than we ever would have been alone!
Robyn has made an art form of extreme performance by competing and winning at the highest levels of sport and business; her keynotes are powerful, impactful, and packed with practical, real-world takeaways that inspire peak performance and exceptional leadership. As a 20+ year veteran San Diego firefighter, a World Champion Adventure Racer, a 2014 CNN Hero, a 3X Guinness World Record Endurance Kayaker, a best-selling author, and founder of The Project Athena Foundation, Robyn Benincasa *definitely* knows a thing or two about creating Human Synergy---or as Robyn puts it, "that magic that allows groups of ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things together". Known as an inspirational force for leadership, teambuilding, and extreme performance, her award winning & game-changing keynotes have earned Robyn accolades as one of the 2020 Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World, the #1 Female Speaker for Meetings.net, and one of the Top 10 Speakers featured by Harvard Business Review. For the past 15 years, Robyn’s keynotes have motivated countless teams and received rave reviews from user groups, associations, and Fortune 500 companies, including Starbucks, Walmart, Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, Yahoo, Intel, and more.
Robyn’s multi-faceted experience inspires people to grab life with one hand, grab their teammates with the other, and to achieve audacious goals that they could never accomplish alone. She is the expert that companies call on to build world class teams, inspire peak performance and create a culture of champions. Robyn has successfully translated the lessons learned from extreme team sports to the corporate world, with compelling keynotes that show how groups of ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things together!
Grab hold of your seats, Robyn’s incredible stories and breathtaking footage of extreme teams in action is an invigorating thrill ride that will leave you energized.
Topics
T.E.A.M.W.O.R.K.
The 8 Essential Elements of a World Class Team Culture
Keynote Themes
- Team building
- Leading change
- Motivation and commitment
- Inspiring innovation
- Continuous improvement
- Resilience
Based on her New York Times bestseller, Robyn’s flagship keynote takes leaders and teams on an immersive journey from being individual team members to becoming great teammates with the tools and inspiration to build their own world class teams in every aspect of their lives.
Attendees will discover that achieving consistent peak performance doesn’t result from reaching up and simply trying harder as an individual. Just as in mountaineering, reaching the summit successfully involves reaching OUT—figuratively “roping up” to other people; sharing your strengths, and equally importantly, your challenges. Accepting help from a teammate isn’t a permanent state or sign of weakness, it’s a gift to the team. And it’s how you win. When everyone on the team leaves their ego at the start line in pursuit of your organization’s highest purpose, there’s no finish line you can’t cross together.
Takeaways
- Fuels deep and lasting care, empathy and respect between colleagues at all levels.
- Inspires leaders to prioritize team building in their quest for world class results.
- Helps team members grow into teammates who capitalize on each other’s strengths and see themselves as leaders in their areas of expertise, regardless of title or tenure.
- Simple skills anyone can apply to cultivate consistent peak performance through real connection with colleagues, clients, etc.
- Builds an organizational culture of “we thinkers” so teams can think creatively and take calculated risks to reach higher peaks.
- Leaves the audience buzzing with ideas about how to raise their game and their team’s to the next level, personally and professionally.
Win as One!
Achieving Breakthrough Performance Through Collaboration, Creativity and a Culture of One!
Keynote Themes
- Team culture
- Growth mindset
- Embracing challenge as a springboard to future success vs fearing challenge
- Individual and team resilience
- Creativity, innovation and agility
- Adversity management skills
In this unique, authentic and fast-paced multimedia keynote, Robyn shares the essential elements of world class performance that allowed her adventure racing team to overcome known and unexpected challenges to become the sport’s most prolific and consistent world champions. They weren’t the fastest team. Yet they discovered smarter, better and more efficient ways through the course through fierce teamwork and innovation, using their resources in game-changing ways, and sharing challenges and strengths from start to finish.
This winning strategy applies seamlessly to the epic adventure your business is on—no mud, blood or sweaty gear required. :)
Takeaways
- Gives everyone an immersive experience that builds the excitement needed to achieve your next huge goal together.
- Creates a team culture that continuously embraces challenges as opportunities for innovation, visionary creativity and breakthrough performance.
- Empowers individuals to lead with their strengths and leverage their teammates’ talents to unlock greater collective potential.
- Shows teams how taking calculated risks pays off as a strategy for exponential growth.
- Inspires audiences with a success mindset tested by ordinary people (not superhuman Olympians).
Why Winners Win
The Game-changing Mindset for Next-level Success
Keynote Themes
- Success mindset
- Personal leadership
- Team building
- Peak performance
- Resilience
- Innovation
The best of the best experience uncertainty and obstacles like everyone else. Yet they reach great heights through characteristic courage, adversity management, a keen ability to create synergy with their colleagues, and the ability to continuously inspire themselves and others. And yes, luck (opportunity + preparation): their level of preparation allows winners to discover and capitalize on opportunities.
Takeaways
- Leveraging a game-changing strategy that shifts one’s mindset from “not losing” to winning.
- Finding the opportunity in challenges to innovate and create future success.
- Empowering continuous improvement to spur change and reinvent the game.
- Capitalizing on resources and pooling individual strengths to achieve even bigger goals.
- Demonstrating the value of G.U.T.S. (Going the distance, Unwavering in your patience and faith, Taking calculated risks, and Shattering the norm).
- Solidifying how luck is a proven formula of opportunity + preparation that drives consistent peak performance.
Inspiring Greatness Through G.R.I.T.
Igniting the Passion and Perseverance to Pursue the Impossible
Key Themes
- Resilience
- Adversity management skills
- Culture of champions
- Leadership
- Team building
- Inspiration through challenges
GUTS
RESPECT for our teammates and the mission
INNOVATION
TEAMWORK that makes us “sticky” to our goals and dreams.
In this keynote, Robyn shares real secrets to her teams’ success over 20 years of leading the pack in adventure racing and as a firefighter. Much of our drive comes from our connection to something greater than ourselves: the passion we have for an inspired mission, the respect for a team whose success is inextricably tied to ours, and the clients whose lives we will touch.
Audiences leave Robyn’s keynote with a deep understanding of how to create GRIT in yourself and your team. Most importantly, you’ll be on a mission to inspire GRIT in everyone who is lucky enough to know you—-the kind of leader that helps others climb their tallest peaks, fight their biggest fires, and cross their most challenging finish lines.
Key Takeaways
- Demonstrates a find-a-way-or-make-one attitude.
- Inspires teammates to commit to deep respect for one another and the higher purpose of the mission.
- Supports the best outcomes through anticipating and preparing for all conditions and contingencies.
- Shows how white space thinking allows for ingenious solutions and mission-driven innovation.
- Helps leaders and teams navigate difficult challenges by envisioning what kind of story we’d like to tell.
- Sustains a drive to succeed in tough times when it’s tempting to quit.
Testimonials
"Robyn's message for our company was perfect. The presentation felt custom-made for us and left everyone ready to help each other win! Everyone loved her energy level and her thought-provoking stories connected with our employees. I have witnessed many members of our team referencing quotes from her talk, and I expect we will incorporate many of them into our company culture. Having high-performing teams is critical to our success, and Robyn's inspirational message has undoubtedly made our teams stronger."
COO, Cogentrix Energy Power Management
"I thought yours was one of the best, if not the best, keynote session I've seen in over two decades at my company. ... you did your homework on us and our event; intensive homework, way beyond just Googling us. You spoke as an insider! You didn't just bring us into your world, you integrated both our worlds, your examples were specific, but your message and lessons were universal, and I found myself more and more impressed as the talk went on."
Vice President, Global Patient Outcomes and Real World Evidence (Pharmaceutical)
"It was very well customized, it felt like she knew us & what we needed to hear, and all our regions felt represented! It's so impactful to hear how “we” all contribute, and are equally critical to adapting, overcoming & winning as one regardless of level/ title. Robyn’s presentation was the favorite event!"
Senior Manager, Transformation Management Office, Boston Scientific Global Business Services (GBS)
"We wanted to have a powerful, engaging, and inspirational opening keynote speaker to kick off the Technical Leadership Summit for our global design and engineering leaders, and WOW, did she ever deliver. Thanks Robyn, you're awesome!"
Director, Global Design Leadership & Academic Programs, IBM
"I just listened to your session at our Annual Meeting.......I have been in the corporate business space for DECADES and this was hands down the best session on this topic, ever. Thank you!!!"
Reg Director of Business Development, IBM Watson Health
"Robyn was a HUGE hit as our virtual keynote speaker. The comments that came through in the chat were AMAZING. Our industry is hurting so badly and everyone was so inspired by Robyn. My president just sent me an email saying Robyn was one of the best if not the best keynote we have ever had!"
Vice President of Conference and Events, Travel Client
"Robyn was a home-run for our leadership conference of 1,500 attendees. She is high-energy, engaging, inspiring, and does a great job connecting the story of adventure racing and teamwork to leadership in the business world. We received great feedback from our participants, and are very happy to have found Robyn. I would highly recommend her for any size event!"
CEO, Momentum
"Your presentation style and message really energized the attendees. We heard nothing but great comments and feedback from many of the attendees throughout the week!"
Hewlett Packard
"Listening to speakers like you who can share your experience through adversity is especially important; thank you for spending time with Allstate’s leadership team earlier this month. Your message of total team work – synergy, commitment, empathy and mutual respect – is powerful. Allstate leaders might not be climbing mountains or bicycling through a rain forest but we are competing every day to take care of our customers and strengthen communities so that we deliver the Good Hands promise far into the future. Your stories remind us that no matter what challenge we face, we can overcome it by working together. "
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Allstate
"I would like to thank you for your exceptional keynote speech; you executed an experience that was beyond compare. Thank you for making this day a memorable one. "
V.P. of Sales, Four Season Hotels
"You have hundreds of raving fans from German American! A few things I noticed: you listened to our pre-meeting conversation, read the pre-meeting notes, and paid attention to our meeting today which enabled you to represent our brand without one single hitch. You were authentic, energetic, inspirational and so darn real!!"
Senior VP of Marketing, German American Bank
Robyn’s Powerful & Inspiring Keynotes are:
- Performed over 100 times a year for Fortune 1000s, Associations, User Groups and Incentive Events across multiple industries
- Designed with customized content and themes, adaptive to different business models, challenges, motivations, and emerging opportunities
- Authentic, relevant, and practical with tangible applications in Leadership, Innovation, Change, Sales, Teamwork, and Overall Business Inspiration
- Perfect for opening meetings with energy and immersive motivation to help teams tackle audacious goals together!