Adventure Racer, Firefighter & Founder of Project Athena Foundation
Robyn Benincasa accepts full blame for inspiring people to do insane things like climb Mount Kilimanjaro, run their first triathlon, start their own adventure racing teams, or start their own businesses. This is, after all, who she is and what she does: Robyn Benincasa inspires people to do amazing things.
Benincasa has made an art form of extreme performance by competing and winning at the highest levels of sport and business. Revered as one of "California`s Fittest Women", she spent her youth competing at the state and national level in gymnastics, diving, cross country, and judo in which she became a national champion. Soon after earning a Marketing degree from Arizona State University, Robyn -- started at the top -- Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company where she earned the prestigious "Rookie of the Year" award.
While consistently achieving top sales in her day job, Robyn completed six Ironman races, with two podium finishes. Then the adventure race bug bit.
In her 15-year career as a professional adventure racer, Robyn Benincasa has competed in close to 40 expedition length events - gnarly, multiday, multisport killers such as Primal Quest and Eco-Challenge. She has biked through jungles in Borneo, climbed Himalayan giants in Nepal, trekked across lava fields in Fiji, rafted rapids in Chile - and racked up multiple world championship titles along the way. In her spare time, Robyn, is a full-time firefighter in San Diego, on the nation`s first all-female crew.
NBC, ABC, CNN, ESPN, USA Network, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Life Network, PBS and FOX have all featured Robyn and her amazing accomplishments. Add to those network credits editorials in Fast Company, Sport Illustrated, Vogue, Corporate & Incentive Travel, The New York Times, Outside, and Harper`s Bazaar.
Robyn recently set a new Guinness World Record for paddling.
Benincasa launched World Class Teams and its sister company Flashover Seminars to bring her unique and inspiring perspective on teamwork to the corporate world via keynotes, seminars and teambuilding programs. Starbucks, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Aramark, Honda/Acura, Tony Robbins, Allianz, Wal-Mart, Timberland, Napster, AT&T and Earthlink rely on Robyn`s "Extreme Performance: Why Winners Win", "High Performance Leadership" and her signature program "The 8 Essential Elements of Human Synergy". Her unforgettable presentations have taught countless high-performance leaders all over the world about "Building World Class Teams" and the `followership` skills necessary for dynamic role shifting and true teamwork.
Robyn Benincasa founded the Project Athena Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping women who`ve endured medical setbacks achieve their athletic dreams, whether it means climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or running a local 10K. The goal? To encourage survivors not just to survive - but to thrive in the wake of their diagnoses.
"The biggest, strongest, and fastest competitors are not guaranteed a successful finish. It`s the teams that truly understand interdependence, have empathy for one another, share common ideals, manage adversity well, and check their egos at the start line that win these races. In my experience, the same is true in the corporate world."
Demo Video 1
Talk Titles:
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results:
The 8 Essential Elements of Human Synergy
What do the world`s most successful teams have in common? -- The ability to upgrade their "teamwork" to Human Synergy!
Through her Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results keynote, Eco-Challenge Adventure Racing World Champion and San Diego Firefighter Robyn Benincasa imparts the attitude and mindset that allows groups of ordinary people to accomplish truly extraordinary things together.
Attendees will not only walk away completely thrilled with this unique visually and viscerally entertaining look into the world`s most amazing extreme teams, they will also leave with some simple and easily applied skills that will allow them to create Human Synergy with all of the teammates in their lives, from colleagues to spouses and family.
Extreme Change: Adapt, Overcome and Win As One
Change is the only thing that stays the same. It is our response to that change that dictates our success. How do the world`s most consistently high performing teams ALWAYS find a way to get to the finish line or achieve their goals against all odds? Are they lucky, blessed, immune to setbacks? Nope. The best of the best experience times of great turbulence and upheaval just like everyone else. Its their attitude and mind set that makes or breaks the team. Is your team ruled by the hope of success or the fear of failure? Winning and `not losing` are two completely different mind sets that lead to vastly different outcomes. In Robyn`s Extreme Change keynote, she shares incredible stories of triumph through adversity and outlines the simple and concrete methods that world class teams utilize to shatter the norm, see challenges versus roadblocks and embrace setbacks as a chance to learn and excel.
Extreme Performance: Why Winners Win
What are the 5 most common attributes of people who make a lifelong habit of winning? In the "Extreme Performance: Why Winners Win" keynote, Robyn Benincasa uses the model of Adventure Racing to highlight the attitudes and mind set of world class athletes, teammates and leaders in their quest for victory - and provides some real world guidelines and principles for reaching the "top of the podium" in any endeavor.
Project Athena Keynote
Who is A-T-H-E-N-A?
A -- Attitude of Athena
Seeing challenges vs roadblocks
Focusing on what you ARE and what you can do, vs who you were or what you can no longer do
Personal leadership: being ruled by the hope of success versus the fear of failure
T -- Teacher/Mentor
The willingness to offer help AND receive it
By helping others we also help ourselves
One teaches, two learn
H – Heroine
No matter our setbacks, no matter our age, no matter our circumstances, we can always be a heroine to someone by helping them inspire and amaze themSELVES. Being a hero doesn`t mean getting out in front and showing someone the way ... it means putting someone on our shoulders so they can see how amazing THEY are.
E -- Evolving
Change is the only thing that stays the same, its our response to that change that dictates our success.
N -- Never Never, Give Up
This is the favorite saying of one of our Athenas and stage 4 Cancer Survivor, Sam Naudin. It`s very easy to say, less easy to do. She doesn`t have the option of giving up. But we do. So many of us have given up on our goals, our dreams. It`s time to get them back. (And we will do a drill to get them down on paper with an action plan!)
A -- Ageless
The Spirit of Athena is ageless and timeless. I can`t count the number if times I hear people say things like "well, I don`t want to run my first marathon at 50!" Or "I don`t want to be 55 when I graduate from college in 4 years!". How old are you going to be in 4 years if you DON`T do those things?
The Project Athena keynote is inspirational, motivational on a personal level, and very uplifting and fun. Plus, there will be many opportunities for adventures that attendees can take part in as well to support our survivors and the cause while they get their own "groove" back!
Other Titles:
Lead Like Gumby: Flexible Leadership That Gets Results
According to research from the Harvard Business Review, a company`s profitability increases by up to 1/3 when managers create a more positive corporate climate through Flexible Leadership!
In Robyn`s Lead like Gumby: Flexible Leadership that Gets Results keynote, she combines well-respected academic research with amazing Adventure Racing and firefighting footage that illustrates great (and not so great) leaders in action in the most extreme challenges on earth.
The result is an in depth and powerful look into six distinct leadership styles that, when utilized interchangeably and judiciously, are proven to have a positive effect on the corporate climate the simplest way to increase the bottom-line. Your leaders will emerge with a deep understanding of the most effective way to engage and motivate their team.
Building World Class Teams 1/2 Day Seminar
The World Class Teams 1/2 Day Seminar expands the Eight Essential Elements of Human Synergy Keynote into a half day indoor event that includes interactive teambuilding exercises and group discussion about how to bring the Eight Essential Elements to life within your organization.
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Speaking Topics:
Adventure, Athletes, Attitude, Author, Balance, Decision Making, Empowerment, Inspiration, Leadership, Life Balance, Lifestyle, Management, Media, Motivation, Peak Performance, Sports, Stress Management, Success, Team Building, Women
