NSB Logo Nikki Stone Nikki Stone

Nikki Stone

Speaker

Park City, Utah, USA

Olympic Gold Medallist in Aerial Skiing & Bestselling Author

Nikki Stone is a former American Olympic skier. Nikki Stone’s gold medal story is one of perseverance and dedication. After a crippling spinal injury, Nikki displayed true spirit and passion to recover, win multiple world skiing championships and medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Keynote Speeches

When Turtles Fly: Sticking your neck out to reach your goals

How do individuals find the drive for what they do?  How do they conquer their greatest obstacle?  How do they take the appropriate risks to make sure their business skyrockets?  Nikki relates how clients can answer these questions through her incredible Turtle Effect philosophy.  Nikki discovered that she could find the passion to pursue her lifelong dreams, she could find the strength to overcome a spinal injury that 10 doctors told her wasn’t possible, and she could take the risk of soaring 50 feet in the air off a 10 foot all snow jump to win an Olympic Gold medal despite being afraid of heights.  With inspiring tools, people find that Nikki’s inspiration will motivate them long after they have heard her speak.

Only Some Want to Fly: Striving for Excellence by Spreading your Wings to Reach Success

Olympic Gold Medalists have reached a level of success that very few people in the world have achieved.  Nikki has analyzed and researched why she and many other professionals have found this success.  Let Nikki truly motivate your organization through her engaging and moving journey while demonstrating the activities that will help every individual surge an all new level of excellence

Knocking Down Those Walls: Turning your Obstacles into Hurdles

There is a compelling comparison that can be made between the difficulties of overcoming a career-threatening injury in a risky sport and the fears and challenges that most professionals face in their quest to be the best.  Hear how Nikki creatively makes this link and encourages attendees stand up to their obstacles and learn from the experience in order to cut a new path towards the finish line.  Nikki will help change an attitude of discouragement to an experience of encouragement through a story filled with laughter, tears and   lot of fist-pumping.

You Can’t Get to the Top Alone: Using Teamwork to Achieve your Goals

We all want to be the best at what we do.  We want to stand out, be recognized and acknowledged for our achievements.  But whether you are an individual in an organization or an athlete representing your country, we all need to appreciate and utilize the team surrounding us.  There’s no secret to finding a support system, the real secret lies in using it.  Explore the hands-on activities Nikki shares in helping attendees reach new heights and use their support system to make sure they can land on their feet. Watch out World, Here Come the Women: Women in Sports & Business Reaching New Heights Business was once thought of as a man’s world and aerial skiing was once thought of as a man’s sport.  Women have come on with a vengeance to debunk these stereotypes.  Nikki will empower women to dig deeper, push further, fight harder, and stand taller in their pursuit of the top tier of their professions.  Discover the assets that women have working for them and the concepts they can use to beat off the competition.

Watch out World, Here Come the Women: Women in Sports & Business Reaching New Heights

Business was once thought of as a man’s world and aerial skiing was once thought of as a man’s sport.  Women have come on with a vengeance to debunk these stereotypes.  Nikki will empower women to dig deeper, push further, fight harder, and stand taller in their pursuit of the top tier of their professions.  Discover the assets that women have working for them and the concepts they can use to beat off the competition.

Audience reviews:

  • It’s obvious why Nikki Stone has climbed to the top of her game, both in the air and on the stage. Nikki is a dynamic personality with a powerful message. She will challenge you to reach levels you didn’t know were attainable and provide the support you need to stay at those new heights. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from a woman who has personally experienced overcoming incredible odds to reach unbelievable goals.

    - CEO, FIVE STAR Speakers & Trainers
  • I have worked with Nikki for years and our clients and co-workers love her inspiration. She offers profound, easy-to-apply tools for taking life’s scariest risks, overcoming the most challenging obstacles and finding the confidence to make sure that you stand out in a crowd.

    - Sr. Marketing Manager, Meeting Management, John Hancock
  • Nikki was an absolute pro. She related her personal experience to everyday challenges – how they hinder success and how they can be overcome. Not only did she motivate the audience, she also put things in perspective for them.

    - Sr. Vice President National Sales, John Hancock
  • I have to commend you on your ability to connect your personal experience to our group and to tell your story of perseverance in the way that inspired us all. You did a fantastic job detailing your hurdles and relating them to the group in a way that they could apply to their own hurdles.

    - ACT Meeting Planner & Member Services Coordinator

Speaker Biography

At the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, Nikki Stone became America’s first-ever Olympic Champion in the sport of inverted aerial skiing. What made this performance so unbelievable was the fact that less than two years earlier, a chronic injury prevented Nikki from standing, much less walking or skiing off a 12-foot wall of snow that launches aerialists 5 stories into the air.

Ten different doctors told Nikki that , due to the unrecoverable damage to 2 spinal discs, she would have to face the likelihood that she might never strap on a pair of skis again.  Nikki fought back against insurmountable odds to reach the sport’s highest acclaim atop the Olympic podium.  Nikki’s tenacity and refusal to step down from a challenge also helped her earn 35 World Cup podiums, eleven World Cup titles, four national titles and two Overall World Grand Prix titles.

In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Nikki is also a Magna Cum Laude undergraduate of Union College in New York and a Summa Cum Laude Master’s graduate of the University of Utah in the field of Sports Psychology.  With her incredible academic record and her remarkable presentation skills, Nikki was asked to work as a Visiting Professor at the University of Utah.  Nikki now travels around the world working as a sought-after inspirational speaker, ski host, and sports psychology consultant sharing her secrets to success by encouraging and motivating her clients to “Spread their wings.”