Devon Harris
- 3X Olympian with the Original Jamaican Bobsled Team; Retired Jamaican Defense Force Captain
- Subject of the Disney Blockbuster “Cool Running”
- The Keep On Pushing Speaker - Hot Lessons From Cool Runnings
Three-Time Olympian with the Original Jamaican Bobsled Team and Retired Jamaican Defence Force Captain; Leading Audiences to Visualize Success with an Olympic Mindset You may not know his name or recognize his picture. Yet his grit and fortitude helped inspire a movie you likely have viewed more than once. The 1990s feel-good blockbuster Cool Runnings...
read the restThree-Time Olympian with the Original Jamaican Bobsled Team and Retired Jamaican Defence Force Captain; Leading Audiences to Visualize Success with an Olympic Mindset You may not know his name or recognize his picture. Yet his grit and fortitude helped inspire a movie you likely have viewed more than once. The 1990s feel-good blockbuster Cool Runnings sugarcoats the real story behind the original Jamaican bobsleigh team. It introduces four Caribbean islanders recruited to participate in the Winter Olympics. They had not ridden on a bobsled nor even walked on snow, never mind experienced the breathtaking cold of a Canadian mountaintop. The entire world watched, waiting to mock and ridicule them. Instead, the world came to embrace their determination and resilience. Now, nearly 30 years later, Devon Harris – the “Yul Brenner” character in the film – is a widely acclaimed international speaker and mindset-resilient coach.
read less"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose."
Devon Harris in Media
Speaker Programs
A highly customizable, entertaining program where we better learn to navigate the ever changing process through which we transform ourselves and the people and teams/ organizations around us. Devon effectively shows how the process of ...more
A highly customizable, entertaining program where we better learn to navigate the ever changing process through which we transform ourselves and the people and teams/ organizations around us. Devon effectively shows how the process
of pushing a bobsled is analogous to the success journey of life; how the process demands that
in order for a team or organization to grow and change, EVERYONE on the team must embrace
growth and change. Devon illustrates his points by sharing the improbable journey that propelled him out of the violent ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica; to Sandhurst; to the Olympics; to international recognition (with the Disney blockbuster Cool Runnings). By enriching his inspiring story with humor, compassion, personal charisma, and real-life how-to guidance, Devon engages audiences from the moment he greets them to his final, distinctive Olympic bobsledder call for them to "keep on pushing!" The man and his message are very well suited for opening or closing keynote presentations.
Learn to:
Enlarging your vision of what is possible
Taking consistent action
Developing a success mindset
Being persistent ...less
A highly engaging, high energy, high impact program in which Devon Harris demonstrates how to develop a resilient mindset and improve performance in a fast-paced world, swirling in a sea of uncertainty. The presentation provides ...more
A highly engaging, high energy, high impact program in which Devon Harris demonstrates how
to develop a resilient mindset and improve performance in a fast-paced world, swirling in a sea
of uncertainty.
The presentation provides a POWER BOOST for the audience as Devon shares lessons learned
during his personal journey, going from ghetto struggle to graduate of the most prestigious
military training school in the world.
He also shares the tools that he has seen at work with athletes in the Olympics — the same
ones he used with his soldiers as an army captain to help them become mentally tough so that
they no longer felt deflated or even defeated but confident and determined.
Devon shares the tools that he and other Olympic athletes and military leaders employ to stay
confident and focused in the face of adversity, temporary setbacks, or defeat. ...less
Leadership isn’t defined by the job title, expertise, or years of experience. It’s about developing the perspective, skills and personal style to get results that matter. Even "born leaders" don't know or portray all the ...more
Leadership isn’t defined by the job title, expertise, or years of experience. It’s about developing
the perspective, skills and personal style to get results that matter. Even "born leaders" don't
know or portray all the right traits or decisions at the starting line. We are all works in progress
who can transform ourselves into effective leaders and more vital and valuable resources to our
organizations. ...less
In this program Devon Harris skillfully weaves the real life improbable inspirational story of the Jamaica bobsled team with the entertaining portrayal of the Disney blockbuster Cool Runnings. He highlights some of the powerful life ...more
In this program Devon Harris skillfully weaves the real life improbable inspirational story of the
Jamaica bobsled team with the entertaining portrayal of the Disney blockbuster Cool Runnings.
He highlights some of the powerful life lessons he and his teammates learned along the way –
lessons the audience can immediately apply to both their personal and professional lives.
Suitable as an opening or closing keynote. ...less
This inspiring message sees Devon drawing on his personal experiences as the Captain of the Jamaican Bobsled Team and a former Sandhurst-trained Captain in the Jamaica Defence Force, to show how working collaboratively facilitates group/team, ...more
This inspiring message sees Devon drawing on his personal experiences as the Captain of the
Jamaican Bobsled Team and a former Sandhurst-trained Captain in the Jamaica Defence Force,
to show how working collaboratively facilitates group/team, individual professional, and
personal non-work related success. Using humor, engaging stories and powerful insights, Devon translates the challenges and
triumphs of being in the military and competing in the Olympics into lessons and insights that
will inspire them to reach peak levels as a team. Suitable as an opening
or closing keynote. ...less
Devon Haris brings a fresh look at how diversity in the workplace is not just a legal mandate or corporate ethic. It is fundamentally practical to building the best team for international, national or local ...more
Devon Haris brings a fresh look at how diversity in the workplace is not just a legal mandate or
corporate ethic. It is fundamentally practical to building the best team for international,
national or local competition. With many cross-cultural experiences and understanding the
authenticity that comes from living what he believes, the 3-time Olympian delivers a compelling
global message to groups of all sizes on how embracing diversity can lead to greater bottom-
line success.
Suitable as an opening or closing keynote. ...less
