Hell For Leather

Anna Hext is the only person in the world to have won both the Mongol Derby and the Gaucho Derby – two of the toughest endurance horse races on Earth. These ten-day events push riders to their limit as they carve out a path across hundreds of kilometres of inhospitable terrain on headstrong, semi-wild horses.

To prepare for this gruelling physical ordeal Anna created a rigorous training programme to optimise her stamina and endurance. But once the race got underway she realised that winning would also require a highly disciplined mindset.

As unexpected challenges piled up, Anna was forced to learn crucial lessons about psychological resilience, emotional regulation, and decision-making – quite literally on the hoof.

She now puts this learning to work in her role as a coach, mentor and public speaker. Anna’s powerful storytelling will not only keep you on the edge of your seat, but provide you with practical strategies that you can apply in business, sport and everyday life.

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Hear Anna Speak

As she navigated some of the world's harshest terrain Anna was presented with dozens of unwanted, apparently urgent problems. Her resilience and ability to stay calm and grounded – instead of entering a fight-or-flight state – helped her succeed on the Mongolian steppe and the wind-scoured plains of Patagonia.

Anna is a natural communicator with a professional background in education. She is able to translate her character-building experiences into a series of life-lessons that will resonate at every level of your organisation.

Resilient people understand that shit happens. They focus on the new facts before them - rather than their disappointment - and tune into what they can control by asking: '“What is the next best step I can take right now?”

Audience Takeaways:
1. Shrinking your goal: When things go wrong your original goal may feel out of reach. Discover how to set a new bite-size objective that feels achievable.
2. Cognitive reframing: Our brains are wired to notice threats. Discover a simple, proven habit for spotting what’s still going well, even in a setback.
3. Resisting self-sabotage: Discover how to resist the temptation to sulk when things go horribly wrong by sharing your feelings rather than suffering in silence.
When it comes to team performance, ambiguity is the enemy of execution. Winners promote a culture where everyone has a stake in a shared outcome and leaders can make decisions in the interests of collective success rather than individual glory.

Audience Takeaways
1. Setting clear boundaries: Ambiguity can lead to the collapse of even the most cohesive team. Discover how to ensure each person knows where they stand.
2. Ego-free collaboration: Shift from "I" to "We” so that you can position successes and losses as a collective responsibility rather than individual glory or blame. Two brains are better than one.
3. Having the courage to be disliked: As leader your job is not to negotiate or to win other people’s approval. Learn how to get your team across the finish line, whatever it takes.
Bold decisions require the bravery to go against the crowd and the ability to discern instinct from panic in the heat of the moment. When urgent problems pile up, effective decision-makers focus on what really matters and prioritise.
Audience Takeaways
1. Intuition: Gut instinct is quiet and specific; panic is loud and rushed. Learn how to recognise your gut instinct, and how to spot when panic is taking over.
2. Forge your own path: Discover how to resist the pull of the crowd and why accepting the risk of failure gives you the courage to find a better route, even when the pressure to decide is intense.
3. Fight Tunnel Vision: When everything feels urgent, discover how to strip away the noise, prioritise, and do the one thing that matters most first.

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Testimonials

"She is a visionary. She is a powerhouse. She is independent, she is fiercely unique."

-Beyoncé

"Though she be but little, she is fierce."

- William Shakespeare, Playwright & Poet

“I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Anna speak - impactful, interesting and truly motivating. She gave lots of tips on how to apply important principles such as resilience, clear communication and teamwork to every day life. Loved it!”