Sally Kettle
Sally is the first woman to row the Atlantic Ocean twice from East to West, and once with her mother! Her speeches are honest, hilarious and informative.
Why you should book Sally Kettle for your next event
- In 2005 Sally founded Rowgirls - an all-female rowing team striving to break the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing.
- Sally writes and presents pieces for BBC Radio 4, including "Does Hope Help?" for FourThought and "Jonathan the Tortoise - Operation Go Slow" - for From our Own Correspondent.
- Sally is the first woman to have rowed across the Atlantic east-west, twice.
With over a decade of experience Sally is able to take her audience on an exhilarating, and often emotional journey. Her stories of rough seas, wild storms, harsh living and encounters with sharks is delivered in stupendous style; although very funny her storytelling is tempered with humility and candid accounts of her battles with mental health. Sally will share some of the pragmatic ways in which she’s learnt to cope and ultimately thrive, becoming the resilient and successful woman she is today.
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Keynotes
Keynote by Sally Kettle: Ocean Rowing, Resilience & the Power of Pragmatism During Uncertain Times
Sally explores some of the pragmatic approaches to understanding and coping in situations of imposed change and uncertainty.
This is a heart-warming tale of Sally’s first attempt to row the Atlantic Ocean. The up and downs of making it to the start of Ocean Rowing Regatta 2004, and the exceptional circumstances that led to her spending four months rowing with her mother.
This is a heart-warming tale of Sally’s first attempt to row the Atlantic Ocean. The up and downs of making it to the start of Ocean Rowing Regatta 2004, and the exceptional circumstances that led to her spending four months rowing with her mother.
Keynote by Sally Kettle: Making It Across Alive
When the Rowgirls faced the worst weather in the Atlantic for two hundred years it’s perhaps a miracle that the team made it across alive. Fighting for survival against the odds, Sally will take you into the middle of the ocean, facing forty-foot waves and a shark attack.
Keynote by Sally Kettle: Does Hope Help?
As featured on Radio 4’s FourThought, Sally worries that hope can lead to a passive state of mind. She will argue that ultimately hope is not helpful, and suggests some alternative strategies. There is nothing, she believes, like taking concrete steps to make things happen.
Sally Kettle
Inspirational Speaker, Adventurer & Mental Health Advocate
Sally is the first woman to have rowed across the Atlantic east-west, twice. She first took to the oars in 2003. Following an initial set back to her first Atlantic attempt, she was joined by an unlikely rowing partner - her mother Sarah Kettle. 106 days later they made it into the record books as the world’s first mother and daughter to row an ocean.
In 2005 Sally founded Rowgirls - an all-female rowing team striving to break the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing. The team of four were struck by disaster when a crewmate left the boat mid-Atlantic. Subsequently the boat lost its rudder in the worst recorded conditions in 200 years and a shark attacked the boat - no lives were lost. Unwilling to give up, Sally and her crew completed the challenge. They arrived in Antigua 77 days later, and became the first three-handed boat ever to complete the trip.
Sally’s Odd at Sea (Orana, 2007) – is the autobiography detailing the ocean journeys and the motivations behind them. It's an honest account of her struggles to bring the teams together, and of the difficulties faced when living in a boat smaller than the average bathroom.
Sally has had varied further adventures, and now takes her story on the road as a professional speaker, addressing national and international audiences. She has spoken to as many as half a million people, gaining profile through national press and television.
Sally writes and presents pieces for BBC Radio 4, including “Does Hope Help?” for
FourThought
and “Jonathan the Tortoise - Operation Go Slow” - for
From our Own Correspondent
. She also spent six-weeks filming in the British Dependencies in the South Atlantic for the television documentary “The Last Horizon” - currently in post-production.
All of Sally's adventures have included the opportunity to raise money for charitable causes. She has pulled together more than £500,000. In 2010 she sailed across the North Atlantic aboard a 68ft racing yacht for The Children’s Trust. She also trekked across the Pyrenees with British gymnast Suzanne Dando and a team of women representing the Armed Forces. They raised money for The Royal British Legion. Sally delivered international humanitarian aid on behalf of the NGO, Shelterbox, and is a Trustee for The London Sports Trust. She is also an Ambassador for GirlGuilding.
Sally qualified as a Personal Trainer in 2009, and was selected to work with athletes at the London 2012 Olympics. She brings these skills to her current post as co-founder and CEO of The Active Pregnancy Foundation. The charity aims to support women to stay active during pregnancy and beyond – a passion project born out of her experiences with IVF and the birth of her daughter, Florence.
In 2005 Sally founded Rowgirls - an all-female rowing team striving to break the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing. The team of four were struck by disaster when a crewmate left the boat mid-Atlantic. Subsequently the boat lost its rudder in the worst recorded conditions in 200 years and a shark attacked the boat - no lives were lost. Unwilling to give up, Sally and her crew completed the challenge. They arrived in Antigua 77 days later, and became the first three-handed boat ever to complete the trip.
Sally’s Odd at Sea (Orana, 2007) – is the autobiography detailing the ocean journeys and the motivations behind them. It's an honest account of her struggles to bring the teams together, and of the difficulties faced when living in a boat smaller than the average bathroom.
Sally has had varied further adventures, and now takes her story on the road as a professional speaker, addressing national and international audiences. She has spoken to as many as half a million people, gaining profile through national press and television.
Sally writes and presents pieces for BBC Radio 4, including “Does Hope Help?” for
FourThought
and “Jonathan the Tortoise - Operation Go Slow” - for
From our Own Correspondent
. She also spent six-weeks filming in the British Dependencies in the South Atlantic for the television documentary “The Last Horizon” - currently in post-production.
All of Sally's adventures have included the opportunity to raise money for charitable causes. She has pulled together more than £500,000. In 2010 she sailed across the North Atlantic aboard a 68ft racing yacht for The Children’s Trust. She also trekked across the Pyrenees with British gymnast Suzanne Dando and a team of women representing the Armed Forces. They raised money for The Royal British Legion. Sally delivered international humanitarian aid on behalf of the NGO, Shelterbox, and is a Trustee for The London Sports Trust. She is also an Ambassador for GirlGuilding.
Sally qualified as a Personal Trainer in 2009, and was selected to work with athletes at the London 2012 Olympics. She brings these skills to her current post as co-founder and CEO of The Active Pregnancy Foundation. The charity aims to support women to stay active during pregnancy and beyond – a passion project born out of her experiences with IVF and the birth of her daughter, Florence.
Blog posts by Sally Kettle
Under Current - Exploring the why’s, the how's & the deeper motivations of a professional adventurer
HelloThat seemingly harmless conversation starter, “So, what do you do?” is one I use socially but I’m always wary about answering myself. The onward journey can take us into many territories depending on the first step. From my portfolio of activities over the past 20 years I could pluck out ocean
Sally Kettle speaks about these topics
TEDxBrighton -- Sally Kettle -- A Drop In the Ocean
Watch Sally Kettle in action
