"It is what is below the iceberg that matters.  I am not a 'fire-and-forget' type of person."

Paul's talks are packed with tales of exploration, adventure and danger. He walks his audiences through real-life scenarios from hazards on the battlefield to being at the mercy of extreme environments with only yourself and a few teammates to rely on.  

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WORKSHOPS

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Duration: 1/2 day

Timings: 0845 - 1215 / 1300 - 1630

Aims:

1. To encourage resiliency, enhanced performance, and self-belief, covering:

   • Working in adversity

   • Teamwork

   • Managing your mental health- in particular, a focus on stress and anxiety

   • Working to deadlines

Available workshops

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1. In the Face of Adversity; Building your Armour

You are on the battlefield with full kit and body armour. Faced with a real-life situation and in the middle of chaos, you must dig deep to cope and combat the stress you are under.  Now it is time to build your psychological armour.

Takeaways:

1. How do you know when you are under stress and how can you combat it?

2. How do you identify your own stress levels?

3. How do you build resiliency?

4. What coping strategies can you put in place?

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2. The White Treadmill; Reaching your Goals

You are on a South Pole expedition, and following in the footsteps of Captain Scott. You are heading into -22 degrees windchill with the danger of large crevasses opening up in front of you and other obstacles that seem sure to damage progress; you are hungry, tired and ready to give up.

Takeaways:

1. Why is preparation so important?

2. What makes you a good teammember?

3. How do you choose your coping strategy?

4. Why are deadlines so important?

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3. Plan D: No Plan Survives Contact; Controlling the Controllable

You are on a North Pole expedition. The plan you spent months perfecting has fallen apart. Because of problems outside your control you are in the hands of others and in limbo. Morale is sinking as you and your team try to meet your deadlines based on your mission statement.  

Takeaways:

1. How do you identify your anxiety levels and understand the effect it is having on you and others around you?

2. How do you keep your eye on your mission statement?

3. How do you meet deadlines when under pressure?

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4. Keep Happy

A tried and tested concept and specifically designed acronym that was introduced during lockdown to help those struggling and dealing with tough times. 

You will be asked to put yourself in real life examples and given the tools tools to break through.

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MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKING

Each talk last approximately 1 hour but can be tailored to your event and audience.

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1. In Scott's footsteps

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In 2011/12 Paul was part of 'Team Scott' that trekked to the South Pole.  Pitted against 'Team Amundsen', this was recreating the centenary race of Captain Scott and Roald Amundsen in 1911/12.  With gloves off, both teams hauled loads of 160kg to reach the Geographic South Pole before the other.  This was a true, modern day polar exploration, and a story of huge historical importance. It was arguably Paul’s toughest expedition, testing his physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual willpower.

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This talk focusses on the difficulties of spending over 3 months on ice and sleeping in a small tent with two other guys.  The extreme conditions they faced tested their endurance, relationship and physical limits.

Paul's diary entries along the way bring Scott's ill-fated expedition to life as he highlights the similarities of a remarkable journey undertaken 100 years before.

 

Paul recounts the importance of being permitted to take the Polar Medal posthumously awarded to Captain Lawrence Oates, one of Scott's team, on this expedition. Paul explains why being able to carry Lawrence's medal to the South Pole was hugely significant for him and his team. In a poignant moment of the talk, Paul recounts the story of Lawrence courageously leaving his tent in the midst of a blizzard, famously saying 'I may be some time'. 

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2. Plan D; The Race against Time

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In 2016, Paul was part of an expedition to the Geographic North Pole.  The expedition did not go to plan. Faced with numerous obstacles out of their control and dangers they had not planned for, Paul and his team moved from Plan A through to Plan D which resulted in frustrations and unexpected emotions before they event managed to get onto the frozen Arctic Ocean.

 

From the very beginning they were dogged with problems. The Russians did not seem to be playing ball; the ice runway at Barneo was cracking, and tensions between Norway and Russia were growing.

However the team stuck to their mission statement to 'document what they saw on the ice'.  Their expedition was to focus on and document the effects of climate change.  Would they be one of the last humans to walk on the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole?  This really is a story of a Race against Time in many senses: making it to the North Pole on foot before the ice melted and The Race against Time that our planet is facing in the fight against climate change.

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This focuses on controlling the controllable, and keeping true to your mission statement. It will bring home to everyone in the audience the levels of stress and anxiety created when coping in extreme environments and how to deal with this, but will cleverly relate this to trigger points in everyday modern life.

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