Bonita Norris – Keynote Speaker

Bonita Norris was the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest and the North Pole. She has undertaken record-breaking expeditions to the world’s highest mountains, often becoming the youngest Brit to reach the tops of the world’s highest peaks. As a woman, she understands what it feels like to be an outsider in a male-dominated world. Through her journey from beginner climber to high altitude mountaineer Bonita learnt the importance of ‘success by smallness’- that if you want to climb the world’s highest and toughest mountains, you have to focus on the small things, and do the small things well.

Bonita is highly sought-after motivational speaker with more than 650 talks to her name and 12 years experience on stages large and small. Her talks focus on the theme of ‘success by smallness’ and the mindset you need when the challenge ahead feels impossible- which she calls the ‘mountain of the mind’. Bonita speaks internationally for the world’s largest corporations, including Microsoft and Google, and adapts her story for after-dinner, award ceremonies, conferences and team meetings. Bonita has worked time and time again with clients who have seen first-hand the impact of Bonita’s keynote on their workforce.

Bonita’s story, though awe-inspiring and spellbinding, is also relatable- Bonita is the ordinary person who did something extraordinary, who managed to turn a vision into reality not with talent, but with dogged determination. The lessons in Bonita’s talks of ‘success by smallness’, ‘focus not fret’ and ‘mountains of the mind’ are applicable to businesses and individuals struggling with seemingly insurmountable challenges ahead. Audience members leave Bonita’s talks feeling not only inspired and motivated but also with memorable takeaways designed to unlock their potential and become more resilient.

In 2022 her memoir The Girl Who Climbed Everest became a mountaineering bestseller, detailing her journey from beginner climber at the age of 20 to the soaring highs and terrifying lows of pushing her limits on various expeditions in the death zone. Bonita now lives in London with her husband and two children.