Dr Jessica Gallagher

Travels from: Victoria

Feel motivated and inspired to achieve

Categories: Adventure & Challenge, Inspirational, Motivational Speakers

Speaker Topics

• Are You Ready?
• It is not what you see, but how you choose see it
• Making the time to live better
• The Agile Mind

Full Presenter Profile & Bio

Having to put all her trust into the hands of another person, Jess Gallagher’s story is sure to motivate any audience. Her story about losing her eyesight slowly enabled her to put her life into perspective and she encourages audiences to do the same,

Beginning to lose her sight at the age of 17 due to a degenerative and rare eye disease, Jess had to let go of her dreams of becoming a professional netballer. She had to trust those around her to lead her through her life.

At the age of 21, she discovered, by pure chance, the world of Paralympic sports. In 2008 Gallagher was banned from competing at the Beijing Paralympics, due to her eyesight being better than her competitors.

Two years later, as her eyesight continued to deteriorate, Jess participated in the 2010 Paralympics in Canada. It was there were she became Australia’s first female winter Paralympic medallist.

Since then, in both athletics and skiing, Jess has become a dual summer and winter Paralympian. She won her second bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Paralympics and has most recently transitioned to track cycling for the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

She is a certified osteopath currently working with an elite professional sporting team, and is a global ambassador and board director for Vision 2020 Australia, as well as an ambassador for Disabled WinterSport Australia and Vision Australia.

Jess uses her deteriorating eyesight to teach companies and business the true meaning of trust, how to take opportunity as soon as it arises and how to improve performance by having the foresight to predict the results.

Jess Gallagher is an inspirational woman who never let her eyesight get in the way of achieving whatever she desired. Audiences leave her presentations feeling motivated and prepared to better their own lives.

Her speaking topics include:

Are. You. Ready?

Main topics covered - Trust and change

Hurtling down a mountain at over 100km/hour there is no greater skill required than trust. It’s a critical element to Jessica’s success as a summer and winter Paralympic medallist, Osteopath and Board Director and yet trust in business and society globally is at an all-time low. In this keynote Jessica will share how she develops, builds and sustains trust whilst adapting to the ever changing dynamics around her. 

It’s not what you see but how you choose to see it.

Main topics covered - Leadership & Team Work

As an elite performer Jessica’s success is underpinned by the guides that support her to compete, not unlike a manager working with a team. The ever changing dynamic of leadership and team work in the most extreme of environment of high speed and risk is real and profound. It’s critical they get it right. In this keynote Jessica shares the lessons she has learnt in developing her ability to lead others, being led, the impact of when it goes wrong and how to stop it from going wrong. 

The Agile Mind.

Main topics covered - Safety, Risk & Overcoming Fear

How do you remain agile at the time of fear when you need it the most? As a high performance athlete in the dangerous world of Alpine Skiing Jessica shares the practical ways she shaped her risk appetite and turned fear into a must have component of her mindset, skill and performances. It’s easier than you might think!

TESTIMONIALS

Jess was really well received and did a great job for us. It was a really good conference and she was an important part of that.

Fonterra

Jess was our closing speaker for our 2 day conference, she was such an inspiration and motivated everyone in the room. She was the perfect end to the conference and an amazing person.

Fernwood Fitness

Jessica was a fantastic asset to our night. She was readily available for photo opportunities and was great mingling with the crowd before the awards started. Jessica was also well received during the Q&A and was both inspiring and interesting when she spoke. Would highly recommend Jessica!

Leader Newspaper