Pro skateboarder, TED speaker at 14, and designer-entrepreneur competing against athletes a decade older
Poppy Starr is a professional skateboarder competing on the international pro circuit in a field traditionally dominated by men twice her age. Named one of the Top 12 Most Influential Girl Skaters in the World in 2012 at the age of 13, she was competing internationally in the open division by 15 — consistently outperforming competitors, male and female, nearly a decade older. She delivered her first TED talk at 14, becoming one of Australia's youngest speakers on the professional circuit.
Her story is not only about sport. Starr is also a jewellery and card designer who used sales of her artwork to fund her early competition career at Bondi Skate Park. She now runs a successful business selling her designs online and through stores across Australia. That entrepreneurial thread — finding a way to fund your own ambitions when no established pathway exists — runs through everything she speaks about and gives her message a grounding that pure sport stories often lack.
Poppy Starr speaks most effectively to younger audiences and to organisations seeking to engage youth, schools, and emerging talent programs. Her themes — self-belief, resilience, creativity, entrepreneurship, and breaking into spaces where you are not expected — translate well to school conferences, youth leadership events, and corporate sessions focused on diversity, innovation, and backing people who back themselves.
Poppy Starr is a keynote speaker based in New South Wales who speaks on inspiration, motivation and resilience. Book through Executive Speakers Australia.
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