MY TALKS

Delivering talks has become a passion of mine and I can't think of anything better than sharing my story with people and showing them that we can do anything we put our minds to.

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From Primary School assemblies to Annual Corporate Conferences, from 4 to 104 years old, my talks cover subjects such as mental health, anti-bullying, overcoming adversity, mindset, planning and goal setting, change management and diversity and inclusion, plus much more.

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Get an idea and feel for my talks by checking out my showreel below, read some of the testimonials from organisations I've spoke to over the years, or even watching some of my short one minute Q&A videos at the bottom of this page.

If you would like to get in touch and ask questions or discuss booking one of our bespoke talk packages then we are here when you need us

Your audience, whoever they are, will be able to relate to some if not all aspects of my story. My Showreel has a few highlights from talks I have delivered over the years along with a little summary of my adventures so far.

I split my talks into five different categories and each can be tailored to a particular event, budget, age group and topic.

Packages start from £200

Packages start from £200

Packages start from £200

*We do not charge VAT

Q&A

Over the years I have been asked hundreds if not thousands of questions from the most obscure to some really hard hitting ones. Here are my 1 minute answers to some of the most frequent ones I get asked.

WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY ABOUT MY TALKS?

Primary School Talks

“What a totally fabulous assembly that was this morning! Ben was a truly inspirational speaker who had the whole school mesmerised by his humour, achievements, relatability and enthusiasm. I think everyone walked out of the hall a little taller today.”

Badgerbrook Primary School

"Some people can stand in front of an audience and grab their attention, he was one of those people, almost hypnotic.  Ben was talking to children as young as four and a half, but you could see on their faces how excited they were.  He was able to put things into the kids’ language.  When he talked about bullying, which is obviously a serious subject, Ben pitched it just right."

St Michael’s Easthampstead Primary School

"The children found the talk fascinating and it made them think of some very thoughtful and interesting questions. I thought that as well as discussing the highs/ lows of the experience, then need for never giving up / resilience that the link to the charities and why he was doing the run was really important and a good way of addressing such issues. The children were glued to his every word from start to finish."

Chew Stoke Church School

"I felt the contact we had with Ben was great from start to finish. A very likeable, genuine and passionate guy who gave a reflection to the children that was very engaging, age appropriate with an underlying message.”

Godalming Junior School

"It was really lovely to meet you in person yesterday and wow what a morning for the school! The buzz and energy Ben's visit created at the school was exactly what I thought could happen for the children. The children were still talking about it at the end of the day at school pick up, a new running talk for our next generation! Please pass on our thank you to Ben for giving such a fun, energetic and meaningful talk to the children something they will remember for a long time."

Bishop Sutton School

"Pure inspiration. Superb talker with all ages of children and staff alike."

Park Junior School

Secondary School and College Talks

“It was amazing to have Ben in school, such an inspiration for young people. Nothing was too much trouble, he gave talks and ran with the students. Definitely a day we will all remember, he’s an amazing role model for young people.”

Croton School

“Ben gave an extremely inspirational talk to a group of teachers, many of whom were visibly moved by his experiences”

Accrington Academy

“It was such a privilege to have Ben come into our school. He delivered a powerful message that stuck with our students. They took so much from such a short time with Ben and I would love for him to come back and do it again with other year groups in the future.”

Claremont High School

“Ben spoke at our school's annual prize day in 2018. He was honest, open and inspiring. He is our first and only speaker to have received a standing ovation. His story resonated with our audience of boys, parents and staff on so many levels.”

Newcastle School for Boys

"Ben’s talk was so inspirational and really gave me the chance to further my perspective on a topic that isn’t deemed acceptable to talk about in public…such a moving story."

Cheltenham Ladies College

"Ben connected brilliantly with his audiences, inspiring them to take action in their own ways.  He speaks with empathy, humour and compassion and an honesty that delivers the message that he is just an ordinary guy who happens to have done some truly extraordinary things!"

International School of Geneva

"The talk was fantastic, I can’t speak highly enough about Ben and how well the event went. We were privileged to have him at the college and the feedback from the staff and students has been outstanding. It was great for me and the team to meet Ben on the day too, we all think he is the nicest guy ever!"

Barnsley College

“Ben, I have an inbox full of emails from parents telling me how inspired their children were by you.”

Clifton College

“Ben Smith is such a great motivational speaker I think every pupil in the UK should hear his life story. It has been a wonderful opportunity to work with the 401 Challenge Team and it was easy to set up whilst in lockdown. Our pupils, even whilst at home were inspired to ask really thoughtful questions and they all enjoyed the way that Ben talks through every aspect of his life from his personal life challenges to his amazing charity fund raising and Marathon Challenges. The rollercoaster of emotions whilst listening to Ben is amazing and I know our pupils will benefit from this and maybe help understanding some of the issues that face our young people on their life journeys. We are looking forward to our school becoming a part of the new platform for school challenges later in the year. What a Great day!”

Ribblesdale High School

“Ben came to visit our school and spoke to the year 7s at the start of a PSHE day on healthy lifestyles. He had the students hooked from the very beginning and kept them engaged for the whole talk. Many students were referring to the talk many months after the event and the talk itself set the students up for a fantastic day- linking mental and physical health as well as emphasising resilience and challenge. Highly recommend.”

Chew Valley School

University Talks

Ben is a truly inspirational person, but personally what I like about him most is he is not a "brand", he will be completely honest about his experiences and will talk to you both in a group or 121 setting as if you were just chatting to a mate. Because of this I feel his talks are even more powerful. I've actually felt the buzz in a room where you can tell that because of what he has said how he has said it, loads of people in the room are thinking "I want to start running" and that is magical.”

University of South Wales

“Ben was a great speaker. He was truly inspirational. I am course leader of a PE and School Sports degree so the endurance/physical activity side of his 401 challenge was interesting for all. However what was more interesting was his mental battles he has had with life and how he has come out of the other side - this was the important message that I wanted students to listen and learn from.”

Sheffield Hallam University

“It was great having Ben come and deliver a talk to our students during their committee training. The students kept discussing what Ben spoke about for weeks following the day, and even gave them some inspiration to run their own challenges throughout the academic year. Thanks again for coming Ben!”

Gloucester University of Sport

Charity, Club and Society Talks

“Thanks to Ben we had our best fundraising event ever. He was so calm, and embraced the chaos we were in when he arrived. The feedback we had from people who came was very positive and they were really moved by hearing his story.”

Worth Unlimited

"Ben is a fantastic speaker, you can see the passion for his causes from the past experiences he has had. He is also very inspirational and I would thoroughly recommend anyone to invite him to be a keynote speaker."

Bristol Junior Chamber

Corporate Talks

"Ben's delivery of his personal story and journey was done in an authentic way. The audience could really relate to Ben and found his talk very moving. It really did start a conversation within the Company to talk more openly about mental health."

Gilead

"Ben told his story in such a humble way that captivated the audience and I am sure every single one of us took something away that we can use on a practical level in our lives moving forward. Thank you Ben for an awe inspiring presentation, we can't thank you enough and wish you all the best for your future endeavours."

The Insurance Institute of Ipswich Suffolk & North Essex

"Ben was an amazing person, really friendly and really approachable. He talked to the delegates on numerous occasions as he walked around the hotel, at the airport etc. His presentation was so inspirational. Throughout his presentation you could have heard a pin drop. His delivery was so good and his story was just so interesting. We had delegates sobbing because they had family members who could relate to his story and many delegates admitted to a tear in their eye, including me!  After his presentation people were certainly talking about it and I heard only excellent comments about how interesting his story was, how inspirational he was etc. I have to say it is one of the best I have seen and we wish him luck in the USA in 2022.”

Elite Travel

My heartfelt thanks to Ben for his storytelling this morning - frank, open and painfully honest, but done with humility, emotion and some humour. You certainly helped get me across that 26.2 mile line in 2018!  This inspirational story is different I think because everyone can actually relate to it. And this is the power and magic in Ben’s story.

Pure Storage UK

“The whole experience dealing with Helen and Ben was an absolute pleasure, good luck with the USA Challenge!”

DeLonghi

“Thanks again for such a great talk. The way Ben tells his story really connects with people on such a personal level. I've had such positive feedback from the team and even a few inspired to get out running the next day! We'll all be watching and supporting the US Challenge and can't wait to see how it goes!”

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