Olympian and award-winning entrepreneur delivering the science of psychological flexibility
Toby Jenkins OLY competed at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games in water polo — an experience that shaped his understanding of performance under pressure and the mental disciplines that separate good from great. Since his sporting career, he has built a reputation as one of Australia's most thoughtful and evidence-based voices on leadership resilience, earning recognition as both an award-winning entrepreneur and a respected author.
Toby draws on four decades of research into psychological flexibility — a science-backed framework with three core pillars: Open Up, Be Present and Do What Matters — to help leaders, teams and organisations build the inner architecture for sustained high performance. His clients span Google, Rio Tinto, Ernst & Young, the Australian Institute of Sport and many more, and his work is consistently described as both intellectually rigorous and immediately actionable.
His approach is story-driven, experiential and deeply human — combining his own Olympic journey with the most compelling evidence from psychology and neuroscience. Audiences leave with personalised toolkits they can deploy the next day in situations of stress, pressure and change.
Toby Jenkins OLY is a keynote speaker based in Queensland who speaks on leadership, mental health & wellbeing and sport. Book through Executive Speakers Australia.
Mastering The Science Of Psychological Flexibility To Transform Resilience, Leadership And Performance
As an Olympian, I used to think performance mindset was about harder, tougher, stronger. I used to think it was about eliminating stress and pressure and about setting goals and chasing them.
The science shows I was way off.
At best, those strategies are only a third of what's needed for resilience, leadership and performance in times of pressure and change.
From four decades of research, the science of psychological flexibility provides an evidence-based mindset toolkit to unlock the three foundational pillars: Open Up, Be Present and Do What Matters.
Join me as I unpack the science, laying out strategies to elevate resilience, leadership and performance.
You'll:
? Understand the science of psychological flexibility
? Enhance self-awareness through reflection
? Build a personalised, evidence-based toolkit
? Foster alignment, support, and connection through group activities
It's worked for executives, professionals, elite military, doctors, pro-athletes, investors, founders and more.
Ultimately, it's to bring out your best.
What we'll cover
1. The core mindset shift
2. The impact of mental models
3. My toughest Olympic moment
4. Why psychological flexibility matters
5. The unexpected path to personal commitment
6. Proven methods to manage stress
7. How to unlock intrinsic motivation and grit
8. High performance decision making
This workshop is story-driven, experiential and extremely interactive.
Depending on duration, there will be a variety of activities including self-reflection, workbooks, small group sharing, Q&A and much more.
This presentation is filled with practical suggestions on how to develop psychological flexibility to transform resilience, leadership and performance in situations of stress and pressure.
Having Toby speak to my QLD Leadership Team on decision-making and mindset was an inspiring experience. His ability to break down complex ideas and challenges into relatable, actionable steps was empowering. Toby challenged the team to rethink our approach to decisions, focusing on mindfulness, clarity, and confidence. He was engaging with contagious enthusiasm, leaving my team equipped with practical tools to make better choices. Highly recommend!State GM QLD, Westpac & St George
Thanks again for your contribution to ADAPTOVATE Australia’s offsite. Your session was very well received and the anecdotal feedback from our team was extremely positive, with several of our team committing to trying your techniques & frameworks, both personally and professionally.MD Adaptovate, Australia/NZ
I engaged Toby to run the Momentum program with a group of leaders as part of our leadership series. Toby is an engaging presenter who can connect with a varied audience. His humility and willingness to openly share his own journey of reflection, learning and growth resonated with many of our leaders. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and I would highly recommend Toby for future leadership events.HR Executive, Health Services
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