Adam Kreek

A self-described "positive realist," Adam Kreek has spoken to over 100,000 people across North America on topics of leadership, team development and change management. Adam is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, and his upcoming book explores key techniques to maximize personal potential, thrive in team settings and constructively deal with uncertainty.

Adam has studied human performance, achievement, and wellbeing for over a dozen years. After a disappointing loss at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, he powered his way to a gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. During his 13-year rowing career, Adam won over 60 medals: 27 in international competitions, with 43 of these being gold medal or first place performances. Adam was named Athlete Leader of the year at the 2010 Canadian Sports Awards, a lifetime achievement award presented to an individual who has provided outstanding contributions to sport as a leader advocate, change agent and builder.

Adam is co-owner and serves on the Board of Directors of Grease Cycle, a Vancouver Island based organization that collects and processes waste vegetable oil, to produce sustainable Biodiesel for local consumption.

Adam is immensely involved in his community. He is an elected member of the Canadian Olympic Committee Board of Directors and Athletes Commission, where he promotes the benefits of sport across a broader Canadian society. He is an Ambassador for Right to Play, an international non-profit organization that uses play to rehabilitate youth in disadvantaged regions of the world. Adam is a Board Member of Clean Air Champions and speaks to groups across Canada about the benefits of taking care of human and environmental health. Adam also serves on the Board of Directors of the Island Biodiesel Coop and is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the BC Biofuels Network. He is a Big Brother, with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, a Team Power Smart Leader with BC Hydro and a representative of Act Now BC. Adam is also a spokesperson for Whitehall Spirit rowing boats and clubs. He is an ambassador for the Robert Bateman Get to Know Program, an organization that connects hundreds of thousands of young people with nature through direct, hands-on and cutting-edge educational initiatives. Adam was the Honorary Co-chair of the Elk Lake Boathouse Renewal and helped to raise $1.3 million to renovate the community facility that houses Canada’s Olympic Rowing Team. In addition to his work with organizations, Adam has worked with thousands of youth in schools across Canada, instilling within our next generation the idea that the "secret to happy living is giving."

Always eager to take on new challenges, Adam will row across the Atlantic Ocean in December 2012 to advocate for health and wellness and to raise funds for Right To Play.

Adam holds a degree in Geotechnical Engineering and Hydrology from Stanford University.

He is a loving husband and proud father who lives part-time in both Victoria, BC and Ottawa, ON.

• 1. Shared Leadership: Lessons In Effective Teamwork

  Adam shares his philosophy of Shared Leadership and answers the question: How can we create teams full of leaders to maximize group potential and resilience? Successful teams are filled with leaders. Adam explores ways of fostering impactful leadership in competitive team environments. From 2001 to 2008, Adam's team lost and won publicly on the world stage, learning powerful lessons in the process. Adam shares a spectrum of tools and techniques gained from personal experience and his lifelong study of high performance.
  
  Keynote and Workshop deliverables:
  
  - Participants are inspired by the power and influence of Shared Leadership in high performance team environments
  - Participants learn to apply Shared Leadership tools for increased success in family, work and community settings
  - Participants leave empowered with the strategies and resources necessary to create resilient teams

• 3. Optimum Health and Wellness for Peak Performance

  From a childhood plagued with ADHD, to Stanford University, the Olympic Gold Medal podium, and honored as Canada's 2010 Athlete Leader of the Year, Adam's journey to success required a learned understanding of the integral relationship between nutrition, physical health, mental wellness and peak performance. Adam offers science based, gold medal strategies for sustaining health, wellness and achievement across personal and work endeavors. Audiences gain an intimate understanding of what it takes to reach optimum health and wellness and the advantages once attained.
  
  Keynote Deliverables:
  
  - Participants are inspired to take action to improve physical and emotional wellbeing
  - Participants leave with the tools necessary to implement their goals
  - Participants learn how to embed high performance habits into busy personal and work schedules
  - Participants gain up-to-date knowledge and resources on best practices in wellness

• 2. Managing Change for Success

  Adam empowers individuals and teams to accept, embrace and thrive in times of change. In his hallmark down-to-earth manner, Adam illustrates how to harness the lessons of high performance and apply strategies to transition from current practices to desired states.
  Keynote and Workshop deliverables:
  
  - Participants are empowered to accept and embrace change
  - Participants gain up-to-date knowledge and resources on best practices in change management
  - Participants gain the tools necessary for consistent self-improvement in changing environments
  - Participants experience Adam's ethic and insights on positive realism and learn how to apply this strategy in all areas of life

• 4. Be a Catalyst for Change

  Insights into creating real and lasting positive change in our communities, workplaces and homes...
   
  2010 Canadian Athlete Leader of the Year, and 2009 Recipient of the Athletes CAN social responsibility Award, Adam empowers his listeners to create better communities, stronger relationships and authentic personal well-being. From a modest and average background, Adam makes a big difference because he believes that the secret to living is giving. In a heart-warming and inspiring keynote, Adam answers the question often asked of him: "Community and volunteer work require time I don't have. But I know this work gives me an elevated feeling of well-being. You're extremely busy and do it. How can I?"  The answer is surprisingly simple, almost serendipitous and applicable to all walks of life.
   
  Keynote Deliverables:
  
  - Audiences are inspired to take small steps, or short bursts of focus towards, a cause they believe in
  - Audiences learn about their own internal energy balance and are encouraged to focus on activities that give them energy
  - Audiences will be emotionally awakened by stories from Adam's volunteer experiences with Big Brothers & Sisters, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Right to Play, Clean Air Champions and others
  - Audiences leave with a strengthened ethic of volunteerism and social responsibility
  - Audiences learn to become catalysts for change in their own organizations, teams, communities and families.

• 5. Celebrity Appearances

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• Our delegates look forward to and appreciate the opportunity to be inspired. Adam Kreek certainly provided that! From his tales of defeat to the incredible successes he experienced, Adam took us on his personal journey evoking tears of empathy, the sound of laughter and applause for a job well done. The sponsor for the keynote said that he was proud to be a Canadian and to have his company be affiliated with someone like Adam. We will be recommending Adam to all our provincial and territorial partners for their conferences.
  Manager, Parks and Recreation Ontario
• Adam was able to give context to the challenges of achieving personal best performances by putting the teams' goals first, in support of a mission. He is credible, clear and articulate and he connects with his audience. Adam is a high functioning individual; his intelligence and passion are balanced with an unfailing sense of humour that is not lost on his listeners. Anyone who dares to dream will be moved by Adam's perspectives on making something a reality.
  Lieutenant Colonel Director of Cadets, Royal Military College
• Adam was nothing short of spectacular. I've talked with dozens of people about his presentation, through whom I've gotten feedback from just about all the employees and guests that attended. Words I hear from them: "very motivational," "inspiring," "funny," "smart"… They were thrilled that he shared his medals and the torch with everyone, too. It was a treat to have him join us for the entire evening – he was very generous with his time and attention to all who met him. I'm regularly hearing key words and ideas from Adam's presentation in normal conversation here at Island Savings – "own it!" – and we all found his closing of the event with singing like Kreek an inspiration. It wasn’t just belting out our anthem, it was putting our arms around our colleagues and singing it TOGETHER that brought us the vibrations we’re still feeling today.
  Senior Manager, HR, Island Savings Credit Union
• Thank you for a great Opening Address at our Annual General Meeting. Everyone is still talking about it! Your presentation was timely and on target to help our team deal with the changes and challenges our organization is currently facing. The practical concepts and tools that you shared have provided each of us with relative inspiration and motivation. It is really great to see how the team responded to your presentation. I was not prepared for your enthusiasm and energy, and thoroughly enjoyed your style of presentation. You were able to put across a powerful message in a captivating way. You had our team laughing, nodding and participating all the way through. You have a unique ability to craft your message to be easily understood, while making it fun, interesting and memorable. It was a pleasure meeting you and I appreciate and value the contribution you made in making our Annual General Meeting a success.
  Chief Executive Officer, Seymour Pacific Developments Ltd.
• From the moment we hired Adam on to deliver the keynote address at our employee conference, we knew we had someone special. Our conference theme of Power with Purpose was strengthened with Adam's complimentary and relevant presentation. Utilizing company specific examples, Adam had our 200 attendees captivated and engaged from the moment his multi-media presentation began. Illustrating relevant examples of how our day-to-day personal and professional lives can parallel the challenge and rewards of training and competing within a team, Adam's alluring and inspiring tales of his own experiences not only held the audience to the edge of their seats, but provided inspiration and motivation to use the tools to reflect, learn, grow, and let it go in all areas of our lives. By tailoring and customizing his presentation, Adam ensured our corporate messaging remained on target. Truly a man of his word, Adam spent time with our team both before and following his keynote, intent on learning as much about our company as he could. Adam's charismatic personality shines through as someone who is warm with passion and excited by life. This translated into several staff members speaking about him for days following the event; true evidence of a gold medal performance! Best wishes for continued success.
  President & CEO, Concentra Financial