Marc Woods had his left leg amputated because of cancer when he was seventeen. He swam much faster with one leg than when he had two.

He then went onto win multiple Paralympic medals and tells his story of how he overcame his adversity as a leading international motivational speaker.

The day after he had his leg amputated he had his stitches out he went swimming and within a year he was swimming quicker with one leg then he did when he had two.

Having overcome the trauma of losing his left leg Marc Woods made a definitive choice to simply be the best that he could and make the most of his life. He taught himself to walk again and also to swim fast.

18 months later Mark was a world class paralympic swimmer. He would represent Great Britain at four Paralympic Games and win 12 paralympic medals.

His story is truly remarkable and he complements his achievements with the brilliance of his public speaking. He often appears on the BBC commenting on sport and delivers his speech ‘Path to Gold’ to organisations all over the world.

Speaking

Marc's speech focuses on encouraging individuals to commit to being exceptional at what they do, no matter where their starting point is. He offers simple and practical guidance and ideas on how people can motivate themselves and others around them on a day to day basis. He shows audiences how to work within a team and he also gives advice on improving communication skills which are required to understand others and ultimately to achieve success.

Some business issues that Marc covers within his speech:

• Motivation
• Inspiration
• Leadership
• Re-evaluating your goals
• Coaching and the role of feedback
• Facing adversity in a team environment
• Positive attitude
• Aligning individual & team objectives

Book

'Pe rsonal Best' is a truly inspirational book, written with great honesty, compassion and humility.

Client Testimonials

"Marc's ability to overcome adversity and triumph in so many diverse areas is an example to us all. His immense sporting achievements and his work on behalf of the Teenage Cancer Trust is unequalled and his indomitable spirit shines through."

Sarah, the Duchess of York

”I want to thank you so very much for coming along to speak us. All that were there hung on every word, cheered you down the straight and were with you on the Path to Gold.”

Emma Turner - Charitable Services Europe, Goldman Sachs

”Many thanks for your inspirational contribution to our staff event last week. I tried to catch you for a word after the event, but you were surrounded by people each time I looked!”

Frances Done - Chief Executive of Manchester 2002 (Commonwealth Games)

”My special thanks to you is for sharing a part of your life straight from the heart - it was inspirational. I was also really pleased that you chose to stay with us on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning as it demonstrated your commitment to, and interest in, us.”

Russell Powter - Team Leader, Pfizer

”Marc's story is itself remarkable, but the way he draws out so many personal and professional parallels in such an entertaining way means that the audience's attention is 100% all the way through. I think every one of the 400 of our staff who attended gained something personally and I can see our company growing stronger as a result.”

Doug Sawers - Managing Director, Ceridian UK

Marc has spoken to clients that include:

• Adidas
• Barclays
• Bayer
• BBC
• BMW
• BP
• Ceridian
• Department for Work & Pensions
• Exxon Mobil
• Goldman Sachs
• GSK
• Home Office
• HR.com
• IBM
• John Lewis Partnership
• Johnson & Johnson
• Lloyds TSB
• Manchester 2002
• Merrill Lynch
• Pfizer
• Roche
• Royal Mail
• SAB Millar
• The British Olympic Association
• UnumProvident
• Visa International