Biography

Book Tez Steinberg through The Keynote Curators. 

Tez Steinberg is an ultra-endurance athlete and keynote speaker who’s spent over six months alone on the Pacific Ocean and set multiple world-firsts. Tez Steinberg is the only person in history to solo row from California to Hawaii with no prior rowing experience. He’s the only person to row solo and nonstop from Hawaii to Australia. And most likely, he’s the only person to solo row across any ocean after a heart attack, which Tez suffered and recovered from at age 34. 

Named “One of the 50 best young minds in the world” by the World Economic Forum, Tez Steinberg is an expert in teaching mindsetperformance, and resilience to leaders of all disciplines. He brings over
 10 years of keynote speaking experience and is known for sharing unforgettable lessons from his journey overcoming depression to become a world record athlete, and for empowering audiences with powerful tools and techniques to steady their minds against stress and transcend their limitations.
Tez Steinberg earned his MBA from London Business School and his BA in Economics from Macalester College and the University of Oxford. He’s founded four nonprofits and has six years experience in top-tier management consulting with a focus on learning and development for big tech clients. Tez Steinberg’s leadership has been recognized by some of the world’s foremost organizations, including the Explorers Club of New York, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, NEXUS Global, Summit Series, Walking Softer Foundation, and the World Economic Forum.

Contact us for Tez Steinberg’s fees and availability. 

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THE COURAGE TO LOSE SIGHT OF SHORE: Leadership

My world record row was not a solo feat. I was alone in my boat for 71 days, and I relied on a talented, highly curated team who supported me remotely and helped complete our mission to inspire the world and raise valuable funds for charity.

In this session you’ll learn how to lead, motivate and grow those around you. I’ll share my experience and lessons learned from leading 4 nonprofits across the US and Latin America – experiences which led the World Economic Forum to name me “one of the 50 best young minds in the world.”

I’ll walk you through the secrets of effective self-talk – in other words, how to lead yourself – and then how to guide, mentor and develop others to excel in their roles and achieve your common vision.

You have the power to achieve audacious goals and rally your team, even while you navigate uncertainty and risk.

But first, you need to learn how to focus your mind, to turn stress into success, and to lead others through turbulent waters.

THE GROWTH EQUATION: Inspiration

In spring 2016, while I was earning my MBA in London, I got a call that changed my life forever. My father suddenly died. And he had taken his own life.

In the grief that followed I had a clear choice: I could recoil and withdraw, OR to choose to relate to this harrowing experience as an opportunity to grow into the leader I aimed to become.

I chose the latter. And to accelerate that growth, I decided to row across an ocean alone. And to dedicate the journey to inspiring others to believe in themselves and to create a positive legacy with my life.

There was just one catch: I wasn’t a rower or a sailor. I’d never even been to sea!

When I boarded my 23-foot rowboat in July 2020, the next 10 weeks became a crash course in transcending my mental blocks as I pushed farther out to sea, and further inside my mind and heart.

This journey taught me SO much about grit, resilience, and using setbacks as springboards for success. And, in addition to my 15-year journey growing from depressed college student into world-class athlete, it taught me to see every event – whether seeming “positive” or “negative” – as an opportunity to choose growth.

And it turns out, these are the same keys to success whether you’re building a business, leading a team, or simply aiming to become the best version of yourself.

How would your business, conference or community benefit from learning powerful techniques to steady your mind against stress and transcend your limitations?

The upside is enormous. When inspiration strikes, anything is possible. I’m living proof. And through my Tez Talk, that inspiration and action can come to you.

OPTIMIZE YOUR MIND FOR MAXIMUM RESULTS: Performance

People often assume athletes are built in the gym. But to master your craft – whether in sports or business – you must first find and grow your inner athlete.

This is especially true for solo ocean rowing, the hardest endurance feat on the planet. Fitness is secondary; performance is driven by mindset.

My story shows this lesson in action. Due to lockdowns in spring 2020, I had just 3 days to train in my boat before pushing out to sea.

To survive and thrive amidst the expedition’s obstacles – like week-long counter currents that pushed me backwards every time I rested – I had to change how I related to each setback, measured my progress, and focused my mind.

I came to realize that these setbacks weren’t preventing my success – they would become the very foundation of it. And when you make this connection with your own obstacles, you will discover powerful new ways to adapt, pivot, and accelerate towards your most audacious goals.

In this talk, you’ll learn how to blast past what “should” be possible by cultivating your inner belief in achieving the impossible. And then bring vision into reality with the skills to persevere with purpose and poise against the greatest odds.

Custom Tez Talk

A custom talk to achieve your goals for leadership, resilience, teamwork, and growth.

Testimonials

You truly have a gift for sharing your stories and bringing us all along on your adventures. You’re natural and engaging. Really, really well done. Just incredible.
– Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group
You are exceptional in your thinking, analysis, and delivery. Wrapping up our program with your story was simply perfect. This was a sentiment shared by our leaders as well.
– Natalie Melamed - Principal, Palo Alto Networks
Tez is one of the most inspiring people and speakers I've ever heard. He's riveting, and leaves you feeling like you want to play a bigger game in your life.
– James Hodges - CEO, Amphibian Capital
Over the last 20 years we’ve had the opportunity to hear a lot of great speakers at our events. Tez ranked right up at the top of the list. His story is the perfect mix of inspiration, personal reflection and motivation to do more.
– Chris Hadley - VP Franchising, Byrider
It is a rare gift to have lived a story worth telling and be as gifted a storyteller as Tez. How he turned his epic adventure into a moment of action for the entire audience was masterful.
– Andy Ellwood - Serial Entrepreneur, Executive Coach
You literally made me cry. This is how we need to tell stories.
– Deloitte Partner responsible for 15,000-person P&L
You were the highlight of the Summit.
– Participant, @ Human Performance Summit
Best Talk
– Voted by audience of 3,000 business leaders at Deloitte Innovation Festival
Your talk was incredible... Beyond inspiring.
– Participant, Tez Talk at New York University
Thank you for your words of inspiration. I cannot express how helpful your story was for me.
– Participant, Tez Talk
Very engaging and some awesome takeaways on mental toughness that really resonated with me.
– Participant, Tez Talk

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Blog Posts

 

5 Event Trends You’ll Want to Know for 2025

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