Rachel Maia

About Rachel

Rachel Māia is a Para-climber and advocate for resilience and belonging. After a life-changing climbing accident, she made the courageous decision to have her leg amputated — and went on to make history as New Zealand's first international Para-climber and the nation's first World Cup medallist in the sport. Living with chronic pain and disability, she now speaks to corporate, health and education audiences about resilience, belonging and mental wellbeing.

Rachel's story carries weight well beyond sport. A single parent and survivor of domestic violence, she shares her experience with authenticity and heart, helping audiences reimagine strength, leadership and purpose. Her message is deliberately sharper than the usual language of inclusion: belonging matters more than inclusion, resilience is built in community, and courage is an everyday practice — not a personality trait reserved for athletes.

Audiences leave equipped to turn inspiration into action — to reclaim self-worth, set boundaries, navigate change and create workplaces and communities built on courage and belonging. For diversity and inclusion programs, wellbeing conferences and leadership events, Rachel Māia offers a perspective earned the hard way: a speaker who has rebuilt her life from the ground up and can show others, with lived credibility, how environments are created where people can genuinely thrive.