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Clara Hughes

Six-Time Olympic Medalist | Mental Health Advocate

Clara Hughes Headshot April 2023
It's About Connecting People with the Struggle
Clara Hughes
Speakers' Spotlight Showcase 2013
Clara Hughes
Interview - George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight
Clara
Clara Hughes
Clara Hughes
Clara Hughes Headshot April 2023
It's About Connecting People with the Struggle
Clara Hughes
Speakers' Spotlight Showcase 2013
Clara Hughes
Interview - George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight

After spending half her life striving to be the fastest person in the world, six-time Olympic medalist Clara Hughes decided to switch gears and “slow down to the pace of a human being.” This led her to hike over 16,000 kilometres, where she discovered the healing power of movement. In her candid, personal talks, Hughes explores how movement can change lives, and draws from her experience living with depression to inspire audiences to face their fears, find their voice, and become the champions they’re meant to be.

Hughes is the only athlete in Olympic history to win multiple medals in both summer and winter Games, representing Canada in both speed skating and cycling. In addition, she served as Team Canada’s flag-bearer at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

As the founding spokesperson for Bell Let’s Talk, a campaign designed to end the stigma attached to mental illness, Hughes helped jumpstart the conversation on mental wellness. In 2014, she completed a 110-day national bicycle tour through every province and territory in Canada called “Clara’s Big Ride”. She covered more than 11,000 kilometres, visited 105 communities, and hosted over 235 events to raise awareness for mental health. She is also the author of the bestselling memoir, Open Heart, Open Mind.

Over the course of her distinguished career, Hughes has won countless awards and accolades. She was awarded the International Olympic Committee’s Sport and Community Trophy, honoured with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, and named a member of the Order of Manitoba and an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2022, she was named an Olympian for Life in recognition of her making the world a better place by promoting the Olympic Values at every stage of her life.

In her effort to lead a life in motion, Hughes has completed the “Triple Crown” of long-distance hiking — the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail — and continues to this day, to find deep meaning in outdoor adventure pursuits.

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

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Client reviews

  • Clara was nothing short of a joy to work with. Every single person I talked to loved her keynote speech, and despite the crazy heat in our gymnasium, she carried it off so professionally. As a person, I cannot say enough wonderful things about Clara, and how personable she is. She was so nice, cheerful, hard-working, and not to mention stylish! Over the course of the day, I garnered even more respect for her than I could have had before, because I truly saw what a tremendous inspiration she is.

  • The ride was a big success,  everyone got a chance to ride with Clara, which was just great. She stayed afterwards and took pictures with everyone and didn’t leave even though we went a bit overtime. I don’t think people were necessarily expecting the speech she delivered, but it touched everyone. She stayed and danced, socialized, and took photos – made a great and lasting impression all round. I would recommend her to anyone.

  • Clara is a fabulous speaker (one of the best I’ve heard!) and an even more amazing human being. She has an incredible energy and is so full of warmth. It was such a pleasure to hear her speak and to spend time talking with her.

  • Clara Hughes was fantastic!  She had a great relevant message that our top advisors really enjoyed.  Such a super woman.

  • Fantastic speaker! Really resonated with our clients. We hit the homerun and she is a very genuine person.

  • The conference was amazing. We had a lot of positive feedback from both students and employees. Clara was so engaging and energetic, we almost forgot we lived in a virtual world! Everything went very smoothly, thank you again.

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