Debra Searle

Debra Searle first hit the headlines when she set out to row across the Atlantic with her husband. Unfortunately, he had to be rescued so Debra, a novice rower, continued alone without a support boat and rowed 3000 miles from Tenerife to Barbados. It
should have taken them six weeks, but Debra ended up spending 3 ½ months at sea alone, encountering 30' waves, sharks, and force 8 squalls in her 23-foot plywood boat.

Since returning from this adventure, Debra has undertaken solo and team expeditions across the globe. She has also represented Great Britain at European and World Championship level in Dragon Boat Racing winning bronze, silver and
gold medals.

Yet Debra Searle is more than your usual sports speaker. Debra has founded 5 companies including MIX Diversity Developers, a D&I consultancy and training company. She has presented 40 programmes for the BBC and had 3 books published, most
recently The Choose Your Attitude Journal. Her spirit of adventure gained her an MBE from Her Majesty The Queen and she was delighted to be appointed a Trustee of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, spending a decade working alongside His Royal
Highness Prince Philip and His Royal Highness Prince Edward.

Debra Searle has been appointed a Member of the Victorian Order (MVO) for her services to the Royal Family. In 2022 Debra was ranked no.3 in the World’s Top 30 Motivational Speakers, after Simon Sinek at no.1 and Tony Robbins at no.2, making her the highest ranking female motivational speaker in the world. The movie of Debra’s solo Atlantic row is currently in development in Hollywood.