"BRUCE WAS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR"

-GOOGLE

TRANSFORMATIONAL

GROWTH

DOING NEW THINGS,
IN NEW WAYS

FOR INDIVIDUALS, TEAMS AND LEADERS

CHANGE IS HARD
TRANSFORMATION IS HARDER

BUT THE MODERN WORLD DEMANDS

TRANSFORMATION

Teams and organizations are constantly being asked to develop new skills, work in unfamiliar ways, and achieve results that once felt beyond them. The familiar model for growth—set an ambitious target and then push towards it—works well for getting better at what we already do. But it falters when the change demands a leap.

For more than three decades, Bruce Kirkby has tackled expeditions that felt beyond him—then worked to become capable of them. In this keynote, he shares a durable path towards transformational growth. Instead of asking, “How do we get there?” he invites audiences to consider a different question: “Who gets there?”

Who is the type of person or team capable of creating the result we seek? What would they believe, expect, and repeatedly do?

And most importantly: How do we become that person or team?

Drawing on stories spanning Everest, Arabia and the Canadian Arctic, Kirkby offers a visually stunning and deeply human framework for meeting difficult challenges by growing into the people and teams capable of handling them.

"

One of the most talented, respectful and genuinely honest speakers I've ever heard.

"

Absolutely Sensational! 100 out of 100.

Bruce Kirkby Keynote Speaker | Thriving Grit Resilience

Energizing.

Impactful.

WATCH BRUCE IN ACTION

Actionable.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Distinguishing incremental improvements (getting better at what we already do) from transformational growth (doing new things in new ways), which requires a fundamentally different approach.
Reframing ambitious goals by asking “Who gets there?”, and then aiming to become the person or team capable of producing the result.
Building a genuine commitment to what matters and why this fuels teams through the discomfort of change.
Creating a “To Be” List that defines the standards, expectations and daily behaviours of the person they are becoming.
Using three guiding questions to set direction, and then asking “What would that person do today?” to build the compounding actions that make growth stick.

UNBELIEVABLE CUSTOMIZATION!

"

bruce

REASONS
TO BOOK

EXPERIENCE

More than 20 years as
top requested speaker

CUSTOM CRAFTED

Bruce takes the time to learn about your organization and audience, ensuring his messaging supports all key objectives and priorities

ENGAGING

A gifted storyteller who incorporates frequent interaction and reflection, Bruce's presentations are like TED meets NATGEO, with a side of rock concert, featuring stunning video, motion graphics and photography

EXTENDED
APPLICATION

Bruce provides a personalized after-care package that includes a downloadable digital summary with frameworks, reflection questions, and implementation guides.

EASY

Zero Drama. Easy going. Totally flexible. Whatever hiccups occur, Bruce is there to make your event memorable, impactful and successful.

HARNESSING THE POWER OF
TRANSFORMATIONAL GROWTH

FOR LEADERS

Change is Hard. Transformation is Harder.
LEADING OTHERS THROUGH IT IS HARDER STILL

Today’s leaders are being asked to help teams develop new skills, work in unfamiliar ways, and achieve results that once felt beyond reach. The familiar model for growth—set an ambitious target, build a plan, and push towards it—works well when the goal is simply to get better at what we already do. But it often breaks down when the challenge requires people to think, behave and perform in fundamentally new ways.

For more than three decades, Bruce Kirkby has pursued expeditions that initially felt beyond his capabilities—then learned how to grow into the person capable of meeting them. In this keynote, he translates those lessons into a practical pathway for leaders seeking transformational growth in themselves and their teams.

Instead of beginning with the question, “How do we get there?”, Kirkby invites leaders to ask something more powerful: “Who gets there?” Who is the kind of leader capable of creating that future? Who must the team become? What would they believe, expect, prioritize and repeatedly do?

This shift changes the leader’s role. Rather than simply pushing harder toward an outcome, leaders learn how to define the people and team they need to become, build commitment to a meaningful direction, stretch capability deliberately, and turn new behaviours into consistent standards.

YOU ABSOLUTELY NAILED IT.

"

OUR ENTIRE LEADERSHIP TEAM IS THINKING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT CHANGE

Distinguishing incremental improvement—getting better at what we already do—from transformational growth—doing new things in new ways—and understanding why each requires a different leadership approach.
Reframing ambitious goals by asking “Who gets there?”, then defining the qualities, standards and behaviours required of both the leader and the team.
Building genuine commitment to a compelling future, so people have a reason to move through the uncertainty and discomfort that meaningful change requires.
Creating a practical “To Be” List that translates aspiration into clear expectations, behaviours and standards.
Using three guiding questions to create direction, then asking “What would that leader or team do today?” to turn transformation into consistent, compounding action.

KEY LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS INCLUDE:

With over thirty years expedition leadership experience, Bruce also offers a unique perspective on

RISK MANAGEMENT &

WORKPLACE SAFETY

PROTECTING GOOD PEOPLE
FROM BAD DECISIONS

Simple, actionable strategies for preventing human-factor failures

Relentless demands, constant distraction, and familiar routines can erode even the strongest site protocols. In safety-critical environments, most incidents occur not because people don’t care but because well-intentioned, experienced workers fall into predictable mental traps: misreading danger, slipping into “autopilot,” and staying silent when something feels off.

Drawing on three decades of leading teams through volatile wilderness environments — avalanches, grizzly encounters, Himalayan mountaineering, and remote river expeditions — Bruce Kirkby delivers a powerful framework for understanding and mitigating the invisible mental shortcuts that can trip up even the most experienced crews. He breaks risk management into a simple two-part model: the physical threat and our human response, revealing the three universal traps that drive real-world errors on site: Risk Radar Malfunction, Cruise Control, and Radio Silence.

The result is a highly entertaining, story-rich keynote packed with practical, easy-to-apply strategies, helping to strengthen situational awareness, reduce complacency, and develop a culture where people speak up long before near-misses become serious incidents.

Key takeaways include:

A simple two-part risk model that crews can immediately apply.
Three memorable “human-factor traps” that can be spotted in real time.
How to calibrate “Risk Radar” to the actual dangers and hazards on site.
How to prevent complacency (and normalization of deviation) before it leads to an incident.
Practical tools to break “Radio Silence” and strengthen speaking-up culture.
A shared vocabulary for supervisors and crews, enabling safer choices without blame or friction.

"

Perfect Tone, Perfect Message

"

The feedback from our employees has been nothing short of amazing. They were all inspired, and you did a great job of delivering critical safety messages.

BRUCE
is represented
exclusively by