I wanted to prove that we can do hard things, even when the world tells us we can't.

Profile

Natalie Dau is a 2 x Guinness World Record Holder, global Keynote Speaker, author, and is an adidas sponsored athlete and ambassador for multiple brands.

As an internationally recognised endurance athlete and high-performance expert who uniquely connects elite sports with corporate leadership, Natalie offers a rare perspective on the evolving relationship between sport, lifestyle, and community. A highly-rated global keynote speaker, she challenges audiences to unlock their full potential through raw, real-life stories that reframe what high performance truly means, while weaving together the science of resilience, the demands of elite sport, and the rapidly shifting world of AI to explore what it means to remain deeply, powerfully human.

She has accomplished extraordinary endurance feats most recently undertaking "Project 1000 - Breaking 8" setting a new World Record running the length of Peninsula Malaysia in 6 days, 16 hours (748km - 115km per day). In 2025 she did a 1,000km solo run thorough the Philippines running 2 x marathons a day for 12 days. Prior to that in 2024 she ran another 1,000kms from Thailand to Singapore also earning her a place in the Guinness World Records. The story of her Project 1000 run resonated with so many that she produced a documentary “Project 1000 Believe”, which has won International Film Festival awards, and was showcased on Singapore Airlines flights across the world.

Her message has reached tens of millions worldwide, including through her Facebook lifestyle program Keeping It Real, which she produced and hosted to an audience of over 30 million, and Zero to Hero, a 12-part reality series she also produced and hosted. She has shared her voice as the co-author of Run Like a Woman (2023). Her "Project 1000" runs have raised over $200,000 for charities focused on empowering underserved women and girls through sport.

She uses her 900k-strong social media following to push boundaries and inspire people, with her "Project 1000" runs having raised over $200,000 for charities focused on empowering underserved women and girls through sport.

Expertise

Talking Points

From Impossible to Impact: Lessons from Project 1000

What does it take to achieve the impossible? Natalie shares the lessons behind her two record-breaking 1,000km runs completed at ages 52 and 53. This keynote explores resilience, adaptability and purpose-driven leadership, showing how bold goals can inspire transformation in business and life.

Key Takeaways:
- How to define and pursue your own “Project 1000” for personal and professional growth
- Overcoming self-imposed barriers to unlock potential
- Connecting power, passion and purpose to drive performance and impact

The New Rules of High Performance

High performance is not about perfection. It is about vulnerability, adaptability and continuous improvement. Natalie challenges traditional views of success and shares strategies to help leaders and teams perform at their best in fast-changing environments.

Key Takeaways:
- A modern framework for high performance in business and leadership
- Why vulnerability and trust accelerate innovation and results
- How to set goals that inspire and sustain peak performance

Risk as a Catalyst: Unlocking Growth and Innovation

Risk is the catalyst for growth. Natalie’s story demonstrates how embracing uncertainty and letting go of perfection can unlock new levels of performance. This keynote equips leaders and teams to take calculated risks that foster collaboration and resilience.

Key Takeaways:
- Why risk-taking is essential for innovation and progress
- Building trust and psychological safety to enable bold decisions
- Turning fear of failure into a driver for collective success

What It Means to Be Human in an Age of AI

The most urgent question facing organisations right now is not which jobs AI will take. It is what humans bring that AI cannot replicate. Natalie Dau has run across entire countries on foot and broken world records, and none of it came down to better data. It came down to presence: the capacity to choose, to adapt, and to stay fully in hard moments long after the rational case for stopping had been made. This Keynote reframes what high performance looks like in an AI era, and makes a clear, grounded case for why the qualities machines cannot reproduce are not soft skills.

Key Takeaways

- A clear, grounded answer to the question most attendees carry into the room: where do I fit in a world shaped by AI?
- A concrete mental model for high performance in an AI era, built on lived experience rather than theory
- Renewed confidence that presence, adaptability, and emotional courage are competitive advantages right now, not relics of a slower world
- A transferable framing leaders can carry directly into team conversations after the event
- Practical clarity on what investing in the human side of transformation actually looks like, beyond the technical

Teamwork for success

What does the perfect team look like, and how does vulnerability help us to connect

MC, Host and Facilitator

Natalie Dau brings energy, professionalism and global experience to every stage. As a seasoned presenter and award-winning content creator, she has hosted programs reaching millions worldwide, including Keeping It Real and Zero to Hero. Natalie combines confidence and warmth with meticulous preparation, ensuring seamless event flow and audience engagement. She has interviewed global sporting icons, including both McLaren Formula 1 drivers at the Singapore Grand Prix, showcasing her ability to handle high-profile conversations with ease. Her skill in connecting with diverse audiences makes her an outstanding choice for conferences, awards nights and corporate events.

Topics

Lifestyle & Wellbeing

Mindset & Peak Performance Speakers

Motivational

Sport

Running

Why Natalie Could Be the Perfect Fit for Your Next Event in Southeast Asia

Natalie Dau is a professional speaker based in Singapore who delivers keynotes and workshops at conferences, corporate events and leadership summits across the region. With extensive experience working across Southeast Asia, Natalie brings a deep understanding of the region's fast-paced, relationship-driven and performance-focused business environment.

Her keynotes resonate strongly with organisations navigating growth, transformation and talent pressure across markets such as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Natalie tailors her sessions to reflect local cultural dynamics, leadership expectations and real-world challenges, ensuring her insights translate into meaningful action for Southeast Asian audiences.

Media