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From broken bones and shredded muscle to Olympic glory… Silken's story is one of courage, perseverance and the triumph of the human spirit.

In May 1992, just 10 weeks before the Olympic Games, Silken Laumann was injured in a brutal rowing accident that left her right leg shattered and useless. Reigning world champion in Single Sculls rowing, Silken was told by doctors she might never row again.

Twenty-seven days, five operations, and countless hours of grueling rehabilitation later, Silken was back in her shell, ready to pursue her Olympic dream. When the starter's pistol rang out on August 2, 1992, Silken made the greatest comeback in Canadian sports history, winning the bronze medal for Canada, and capturing the hearts of a nation.

Silken retired from rowing in 1999 with three Olympic medals, and since then has continued to inspire, encouraging people to dream, live in the moment and embrace failure as a stepping stone to success.

Silken is a sought-after speaker who connects with audiences on a personal level, whether giving the keynote address to a thousand executives, or chatting informally to a classroom full of elementary school students. She has spoken to hundreds of organizations in government, education, health, sales, human resources, and private business.

Silken takes her listeners on the journey of a lifetime, as she shares her courageous story, from broken bones and shredded muscles to Olympic glory. She reaches out and connects with people’s struggles, their doubt and their pain. Silken provides strategies that help listeners tap into their own well of personal courage and leave with a strong feeling of empowerment and possibility.

Silken's speeches are tailored to her audiences, however her most frequently requested topic is 'The Courage to Shine: Releasing Your Inner Excellence".

Presentations Include:

The Courage to Shine

Building on her own remarkable experiences and those of other champions in art, music, and business, Silken shares with her audiences key strategies that lead to great performance. What is revealed is as surprising as it is sensible. From the company executive with a jar full of pennies representing the days of his life to the Olympic athlete in tears of doubt just days before winning gold medals. Silken shows us that leaders are not fearless, nor eternally confident. Rather they have mastered the mental skills that harness and unleash human potential. Understanding the power of our thoughts and intentions, staying connected to our passions and creating the positive environment from which creativity and excellence flows are keys to releasing inner excellence. The balance between controlling our own destiny while still being receptive to the unexpected and magical are lessons shared by this very open, sharing and caring speaker.

From Agony to Ecstasy:  The Olympic Story

Silken Laumann captivated a nation when she moved From Broken Bones and Shredded Muscles to an Olympic Medal in ten weeks’ time. World Champion Silken Laumann was just weeks away from realizing her dream of Olympic Gold when a men’s pair smashed into her, shredding muscles, breaking bones and shattering her chances of Olympic glory. Her story of defying the doctors’ prognosis that she would never row competitively again is one of courage, persistence, and belief.

Silken shares her Olympic story with the depth and experience of someone who has had many challenges and victories in addition to her Olympic successes. She takes her audience on a journey to uncover their own dreams and motivations, she challenges them to discover what limits their success and what beliefs they hold that inhibits their potential. Silken is breathtakingly honest, and in her honesty she gives her audiences permission to go deep, to shift their thinking and open up to the possibility in their careers and life. Her own battle for self-confidence and self-belief help her understand how profoundly challenging it is for any of us to “believe in ourselves” and yet how essential that is to realizing our true potential.

“Vision and belief are needed to overcome the challenges we face in our ever changing work environments. Silken helped us find both.” --Dave Schneider, Wellington West Financial

Silken stretches her boundaries, advocates for children and keeps pushing to be the best she can be. She is educated in the field of excellence; most importantly through the way she lives her life in sport and after sport.

• Competition

• Excellence

• Vision

• Change

• Overcoming Obstacles