Formerly the Youngest British Woman to Summit Everest, First British Woman to Summit Mt. Lhotse & Author of ‘The Girl Who Climbed Everest’
Bonita Norris’ Biography:
Bonita Norris is one of Britain’s most accomplished adventurers turned motivational speakers, best known for transforming extreme mountaineering achievements into powerful lessons on resilience, courage and mindset. After becoming the youngest British woman to summit Mount Everest, Bonita built a reputation not only for record-breaking expeditions but for her exceptional ability to translate high-risk decision-making into practical strategies for performance. Her storytelling, paired with striking expedition imagery, makes her a sought-after keynote speaker for organisations wanting to inspire bold thinking and sustained perseverance.
Bonita’s path into adventure was far from conventional. She began climbing as a complete novice in her early twenties and, within a remarkably short timeframe, progressed to the world’s highest and most dangerous peaks. Her rapid development from amateur to elite mountaineer culminated in summiting Everest in 2010, followed by becoming the first British woman to reach the summit of Mount Lhotse in 2012. Alongside these Himalayan successes, she has climbed Manaslu and Ama Dablam and mounted an expedition on K2, continually pushing her physical and mental limits while developing the mindset she now teaches on stage.
Her experiences have been captured in her bestselling memoir The Girl Who Climbed Everest, which chronicles the psychological realities of high-altitude climbing and the discipline required to keep moving forward in life-threatening environments. In recognition of her impact as a communicator, Bonita was awarded Best Speaker Storyteller at The Speaker Awards 2024 and has also been nominated for Cosmopolitan’s Woman of the Year Award, reflecting her influence beyond the mountaineering world.
Today, Bonita delivers hundreds of talks for global brands and public sector organisations, helping audiences reframe fear, embrace uncertainty and pursue ambitious goals with clarity and commitment. Her presentations combine humour, vulnerability and hard-won insight, ensuring every audience leaves with both emotional impact and practical tools for personal and professional growth.
Why Hire Bonita Norris?
Bonita Norris delivers high-impact keynote speeches that blend elite expedition experience with relatable, actionable mindset strategies. Her talks are visually immersive, emotionally engaging and tailored to themes such as resilience, leadership under pressure and embracing change. She connects equally well with executives, graduates and frontline teams, using authentic storytelling rather than theory to drive behaviour change. Event organisers value her professionalism, adaptability across industries and ability to leave audiences energised, reflective and ready to take meaningful action long after the event ends.
Bonita Norris’ Career Highlights:
Here are some of the key milestones that define Bonita Norris’s extraordinary career:
- 2025 – Won ‘Best Speaker Showreel’ at The Speaker Awards
- 2024 – Appeared on HSBC’s Power Up Your Goals podcast
- 2024 – Winner of the Best Speaker Storyteller award at The Speaker Awards
- 2023 – Starred on The Screw It Just Do It Podcast “The Power of Visualisation: Achieving Your Wildest Dreams”
- 2022 – Starred on “BBC Ideas”
- 2017 – Author of “The Girl Who Climbed Everest: Lessons Learned Facing Up to the World’s Toughest Mountains”
- 2012 – First British woman to reach the summit of Mt. Lhotse
- 2010 – The youngest British Woman to climb Everest
Videos
Bonita Norris’ Official Keynote Speaking Videos & Showreel
Testimonials
“I wanted to send a huge thank you for your help in organising an amazing speaker for our event… everyone thoroughly enjoyed the talk, I have had lots of great feedback about how motivational and inspiring it was – in the end we managed to get 384 people on the live stream who watched the entirety of the 45 minutes – so they were clearly hooked!” – Alice, Dyson
“The Greencajt Festival was a success! We are very happy that Bonita and Goran were our speakers at the Festival. They were really inspiring with their performances and visitors were really under the impression of their lectures. I welcomed and met them in person, really an honour to meet them – I believe they enjoyed it! Lovely weekend and festival indeed!” – Ivana, Project Manager, Greenhr
“Bonita did a great job as expected. Thanks for all your efforts in helping to organise this” – Armaan, Senior Consultant, Ernst & Young
“It went very well. She was brilliant and an inspiration to us all. Gave us so much to think about” – Dave, Vanquis
“One of the most inspirational speakers I have met. Totally applicable experience for a leadership programme. Eloquent and modest she totally drew the listeners in. Some of us forgot where we were, we were so enthralled. Absolutely fantastic.” – Rachel, Thales Learning & Development
Topics
Bonita Norris’s Official Keynote Topics:
- Mountains of the Mind – Inspiring Your Team to Reach New Heights
- In The Death Zone – Utilising Failure For Greater Success
- Data over Dogma – How Data Made the First Ascent of Everset Possible
- Marginal Gains – Success by Smallness & Focus Not Fret
- Mindset – It’s Not the Mountain We Conquer, But Ourselves
- Failure – Mistakes are Inevitable, It’s How We Harness Them That Matters
- Resilience – Resilience Comes from Rest, and Resting Well
- Teamship – Be Great, Make Others Great
How Much Does Bonita Norris Cost to Hire?
How Much Does it Cost to Hire Bonita Norris?
The cost of hiring Bonita Norris depends on factors such as your event requirements, whether it’s in-person or virtual, and any travel or accommodation needs. To receive an accurate quote, contact a London Keynote Speakers Agency booking agent for expert guidance.