Speakers
International motivational speaker, Dame Kelly Holmes is a Double Olympic Gold champion.
Despite early indications of her athletic success, Kelly gave up the sport to join the army at the age of 18. She went on to become British army judo champion. In 1992 she returned to competitive athletics.
Dame Kelly Holmes achieved Olympic Games double gold at Athens making history in 2004. Prior to this incredible achievement, Dame Kelly had to overcome various injuries and set backs. However her courage and determination led to the fulfilment of her ultimate ambition. She was awarded the MBE for services to the British Army and was honoured by the Queen with a Damehood. Kelly came out as gay in 2022, having spent years living in silence – now feeling comfortable using her platform to help others who are struggling with their identity.
In addition to her other achievements, Dame Kelly has published a motivational handbook entitled, Six Simple Steps to Achieve Success. She also written her autobiography, Black, White & Gold. Kelly published ‘Kelly Holmes: Unique – A Memoir’ in 2023, allowing her to speak openly and inspirationally about her personal and career journey. She has covered the Bejing Olympic Games for the BBC and been appointed president of Commonwealth Games England. Kelly has also appeared in the Celebrity TV Series, Dancing on Ice; and been appointed by the government as the first National School Sport Champion. She is renowned for the work she undertakes with school and youth sport.
Kelly is also a level 3 diploma qualified fitness instructor. Consequently she is passionate about motivating people to get fitter and more active for both their physical and mental health. She has built a concept ‘Military in Motion’, which aims to get people to believe they can be better than they think they can.
Mental health and wellness
Kelly is passionate about raising awareness of mental health. Her own experience led her to learn more and to help others. A trained Mental Health First Aider, she assists corporates and individuals through her commercial work and her charitable activities, in raising awareness on this subject. After chairing for 8 years, she continues to be President of the charity she founded in 2018, the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, for which she won a Beacon award for philanthropy.
Kelly started her own café which she switched to a community hub in 2018. She launched her podcast, What Do I Do? Mental Health and Me in 2019.
Motivational speaker
Dame Kelly draws on her experiences as a Physical Training Instructor in the British Army, her Athletics Career and her role as The National School Sport Champion. She is an inspirational speaker delivering presentations with humour and charm around the themes of overcoming adversity, goal setting, team building and change management. In her talks, she encourages the same philosophy – nothing is impossible. Dame Kelly’s speech at the Businesswoman of the Year Awards was awarded a standing ovation.
“Thank you Kelly. You really inspired and motivated the delegates to achieve their life goals, through an interactive and fun session. Your style made for a stunning presentation which engaged the audience 100%. We really appreciated your honesty and openness.” Shell
“An outstanding motivational speech by Kelly. All of the Panasonic team were inspired by Kelly’s experiences, words or wisdom and encouragement for the fiscal year ahead.” Panasonic UK
