Kerri Pottharst
Kerri Pottharst, Australia's most decorated Indoor and Beach Volleyball player, has represented her country for an impressive 20 years.
Known for her fierce competitiveness, she has also established herself as a successful inspirational speaker, presenter, coach, commentator, and published author.
Drawing from her extensive experience in leadership, teamwork, and communication, Kerri delivers unforgettable presentations to corporate audiences in Australia. She combines motivational messages with enjoyable anecdotes, providing the rare opportunity for one-on-one networking with an Olympic hero.
Kerri's journey in volleyball began at the age of 15, without dreams of becoming an Olympic champion. Despite a devastating knee injury at 27 that could have ended her career, she made a remarkable recovery, redirected her goals to Beach Volleyball, and went on to compete in three Olympic Games, winning two Olympic medals: Bronze in Atlanta and Gold in the Sydney 2000 Games. Since 1994, Kerri has consistently ranked in the top 10 and rarely placed outside the top six in International Beach Volleyball events.
After retiring from international competition, Kerri continued her Golden journey by sharing her strategies for excellence with corporate audiences, inspiring them on their own paths to success. Through interactive presentations and the option to engage in beach volleyball activities, she imparts important messages about mindset, teamwork, resilience, trust, relationship building, leadership, and communication, delivering tangible results.
Utilizing entertaining anecdotes from her experiences as a competitor and commentator at the Olympic Games and other sporting events, Kerri motivates and inspires audiences to overcome their fears and self-doubts, set goals, and push through barriers to achieve success. As an expert in reinvention, she understands the need to adapt to a changing world to maintain success and achieve greater goals.
Kerri's unique message resonates with both high-level executives and junior teams, demonstrated by her ability to coach staff at all levels, fostering cohesion and effectiveness. Through thorough research and preparation, she tailors her content to each audience, showcasing her professionalism and quick thinking.
Among Kerri's many skills is her innate ability to connect with the audience in a warm, authentic, and relatable manner. The strategies that propelled her to Olympic Gold can be easily adapted by audiences to achieve their own corporate and personal goals.
A notable highlight of Kerri's presentations is the "Walk of Courage," a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for audiences to challenge their personal boundaries by walking on broken glass. This unique experience reinforces Kerri's inspiration for individuals to become champions in their own right.
Testimonials
“I booked Kerri to speak at an event we held at the Sydney Opera House. She definitely stands out as one of the best speakers I’ve booked in the last 15 years. Kerri has such a great natural energy; her presentation style is flawless, and she is completely engaging.
She tells her inspiring story with such passion and enthusiasm and conveys her message of strength and perseverance in such a way that you naturally apply it to your own life. It was by far the most interactive Q&A session we’ve ever had. Our delegates were very keen to chat to her more and ask her questions. We had fantastic feedback from them all and Kerri was clearly the highlight speaker of the event.”
Caroline R. - National Events & Training Manager | PRD Real Estate
