Description
Karni Liddell is a motivational speaker and one of Australia’s most successful and highly awarded Paralympic swimmers. She represented Australia at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. She then captained the team at the Sydney 2000 Games. She returned from both Games with medals. She also served as Ambassador for the Australian Paralympic team and worked as a commentator at the Athens Games. Learn more about her career on Wikipedia.
Karni Liddell Motivational Speaker: Career and Background
Doctors diagnosed Karni with spinal muscular atrophy at 12 months old. They told her parents she would likely never walk, crawl or reach her teenage years. Swimming became more than therapy for Karni. In fact, it became the reason she is alive, walking and active today. She broke her first world record at 14. She then went into the Sydney Paralympic Games as the fastest woman in the world across her events.
Karni has raised more than $1 million throughout her career for disability charities. She helped Westpac raise $1 million to send the full Australian team to the Athens Paralympic Games. Today, she works as the Engagement Manager for Disability Connect QLD. There, she helps increase employment of people with disability across the public sector and community. She has also served as NDIS QLD Ambassador, sat on the Queensland Premier’s Domestic and Family Violence Implementation Council, and held the role of Patron for the International Day of People with a Disability.
Karni holds a Clinical Masters in Social Work from QUT. She also holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Bond University. In 2015, she won Queensland Teacher and Trainer of the Year. QUT later recognised her with the Alumni of the Year award for the Faculty of Health. She also received the Pride of Australia medal.
Keynote Topics
Karni is one of few TED speakers to receive a standing ovation. AMP has named her one of the top ten speakers. Her keynotes cover tough times, sporting success, health obstacles, family support and perseverance. She speaks on how people cannot control what life throws at them, only how they handle it. She also covers goal setting, adversity, diversity and inclusion.
What Clients Say
Capricorn Tourism and Economic Development said Karni’s message to their business community proved inspirational on corporate, personal and family levels. Attendees called her the best speaker they had ever experienced. Westpac said Karni captured the hearts and minds of their top-performing employees at their annual conference. Few walked away uninspired when she later joined their leadership development roadshow across Australia.
Karni Liddell motivational speaker is based in Brisbane. See her full profile on the Corporate Speakers Australia motivational speakers page.
