Mark Visser is a highly sought-after mindset coach working for world champion athletes, head coaches of professional sporting teams and billion-dollar tech companies. He specialises in emotional intelligence, helping individuals connect to their ultimate selves and how to integrate these skills into a team environment.
Mark works with some of the world's most successful individuals including; 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, elite athletes and business professionals, many of whom credit him as instrumental to their success. He has also worked with the Australian SAS, US Navy Seals, two AFL premiership teams and many global banking and finance groups. Mark has transformed how his clients approach fear, stress and the ability to live a balanced life with sustained success.
Mark is a Big Wave paddle-in champion, winning the 2014/15 Big Wave awards. After years of training, he made history by surfing the notoriously dangerous 40-50 foot waves at Jaws (Pe'ahi), Maui, in total darkness. This is a world-first achievement, known globally as Night Rider. In his presentations, Mark shares the framework he and his team developed and implemented to accomplish this inconceivable goal and prove that the 'impossible is possible.' He shares jaw-dropping imagery and video content, inspiring audiences to believe any task can be achieved with the right strategy.
Mark speaks from the heart with passion and humility about breathtaking events and realising his dreams. He is a down-to-earth, natural speaker who is infectiously energetic and engaging.
Mark can be engaged as a keynote speaker for individuals, teams and organisations, giving them the drive to innovate, achieve and challenge their limits. Presentations can also be tailored to draw out company ethos and key messages to assist in focusing on brand or club-specific goals. Mark also provides additional live workshops with the audience at keynote events.
Talking Points
Keynote Presentations
With passion and humility, Mark uses his own experiences and challenges alongside breathtaking imagery to showcase how he and his team accomplished an inconceivable goal and proved that the ‘impossible IS possible’. Mark inspires his audiences to understand that any task can be achieved with the right strategy.Keynote Presentations
Presentation Overview.
- A brief history & Mark's vision
- How he got there- self-belief
- The dream - redirecting goals to align with strengths and passion
- Mapping out the path, identifying obstacles and establishing a clear plan
- Eliminating limiting beliefs
- The team - how everyone's role is crucial to success - united culture
-Training and technology - preparing for the worst and planning for the best to ensure confidence and focus
- Group interaction - Mark takes the audience into his world by letting them feel what it's like to prepare for 'big wave Surfing'. This is a fun 20-second activity that is done at their table.
- Do the work - nothing is gifted or guaranteed. You need to put in the effort
-Teamwork - the importance of members staying true to their role, if things go wrong and how to follow through
- The success - achieving a world-first and realising that 'impossible' goals are possible
- The next big thing, redirecting your focus to go again.
The Prepared Mind: Safety is the Ultimate Performance Tool
Mark Visser, a globally recognized expert in mental well-being, author, motivational speaker, and professional big-wave surfing champion, understands that true success in high-risk environments rests on a foundation of rigorous safety practices.The Prepared Mind: Safety is the Ultimate Performance Tool
In this tailored keynote for frontline professionals, Mark draws powerful parallels between his world of big wave surfing and the essential safety measures that workers in industries such as mining, construction, and heavy industry rely on every day.
After years of training and achieving a surfing world-first known as "Night Rider", Mark’s practises were used for the US Navy SEALs, Australian SAS, Olympic athletes, two AFL premiership clubs, and serves as a trusted brand ambassador and partner to leading corporate groups.
In this presentation, Mark shares how he prepares to face some of the world’s most dangerous waves, not with fearlessness, but with careful planning, teamwork, and a mindset that prioritizes safety above all else.
This talk is structured around the same principles that keep frontline professionals safe: methodical preparation, hazard recognition, trust in the team, and readiness to adapt when the unexpected occurs.
Mark’s keynote encourages employees to see safety not as a limitation but as the ultimate enabler of excellence. Through his engaging story and striking visuals, he connects deeply with audiences, inspiring them to protect themselves and each other while reaching new heights in their work. This positions safety not just as a requirement but as a source of pride and professional excellence.
Following the keynote, an optional workshop package is available to boost individual selfworth, foster team-building, and reinforce alignment with company culture.
Masterclass: The Backpack Procedure
Identifying emotional storage that no longerMasterclass: The Backpack Procedure
serves us. We learn new techniques on how to
create space and become highly efficient in both our professional and personal life.
Attendees will learn specific breath patterns to
get clear, stay focused and access key sections of the brain. This session provides a direct link to minimising brain-wave activity whilst
maintaining a decreased heart rate. This sets up a work/life balance and enables our emotional intelligence to connect a 'winning on all levels' vs 'winning at all costs' process. This is a notebook exercise that includes group interaction and team building exercises. This exercise is important to give each attendee a practical skill they can use throughout a busy week. More importantly, it allows a sense of vulnerability amongst staff members to help each other realise that we all have stresses in one form or another and hanging onto them only limits our true potential.
Masterclass: The Mind Body Process
Using an in-class simulation we explore the power of our minds and how quickly we can be led to conclusions based on the over-thinking mind or ego. We learn how to 'feel' and connect to our true self vs the excess noise our minds can create.Masterclass: The Mind Body Process
Attendees learn how to take control of the exact outcome they want, even when fear or stress is overwhelmingly present. We learn the optimal way to talk to ourselves and the most effective way to communicate to others if they are consumed by excessive pressure or multiple tasks.
Masterclass: Who’s Holding the Mic?
We take a deeper look into how we operate from day to day, what is the key mental structure driving us forward? We learn how to provide support from within and strengthen new patterns for our desired intention.Masterclass: Who’s Holding the Mic?
Attendees gain awareness on what's happening internally, how to provide emotional stability, self-worth and confidence going forward. We learn that ignoring self-limiting problems, tough situations or potential roadblocks can often create bigger ones. A better approach is to pay attention to the internal process and provide support for it. This is what drives a sense of inner stability and confidence. This is a notebook exercise that includes group interaction and team-building exercises.
Masterclass: Map it Out & Tap it Out
We focus in, to get a clear view of where we are and what is needed to go forward. In this process we expose our potential fears of failure to find solutions that will light our desired path. Masterclass: Map it Out & Tap it Out
Attendees learn how to leave no stone unturned when it comes to zeroing in on a desired outcome. Taking responsibility for our actions, we recognize we are in the driver's seat and have the tools needed for sustained success. This is a notebook exercise for each individual.
Masterclass: Clearing The Slate
In this session, participants will identify and release emotional and mental patterns that may hinder productivity and safety. Through targeted techniques, employees will learn how to create mental clarity, increasing efficiency across both professional and personal spheres.Masterclass: Clearing The Slate
Participants will be guided in specific breathing patterns designed to sharpen focus, improve cognitive access, and regulate heart rate, enabling safer, more mindful decision-making on the job. By decreasing unnecessary brain wave activity, individuals can maintain a calm, responsive state essential for high-stakes environments.
This session also promotes a balanced approach to work-life integration, encouraging emotional intelligence that supports a “Winning on all levels" mindset rather than a “win-at-all-costs” attitude. Practical exercises will include group interactions and team-building tasks to reinforce a shared commitment to safety and excellence.
Realigning To Your Ultimate Self
In this session, we will take a critical look at the mental frameworks that shape our daily operations and drive our performance in high-stakes environments. Participants will learn techniques to cultivate inner support systems, reinforcing new mental patterns aligned with their professional goals and commitment to tasks.Realigning To Your Ultimate Self
Attendees will gain insight into their internal responses, building skills for maintaining emotional stability, self-worth, and confidence as they face daily challenges. Rather than ignoring potential issues or self-limiting thoughts, this approach teaches participants to address internal processes head-on, preventing minor obstacles from escalating into larger safety concerns. This proactive focus on mental resilience fosters a stable, confident mindset that enhances personal well-being and strengthens the ideal culture on-site.
Half Day Workshop
The ½ day event includes all four workshops with additional breath and relaxation techniques applied.
Half Day Workshop
Full Day Workshop
This day course includes all of the masterclasses and workshop sessions with additional water-based and/or land-based activities using core mental skills. This process breaks down the science of what we are capable of when we exit the overthinking mind. Training is adjusted and suitable for all skill levels.Full Day Workshop
THE ULTIMATE YOU.
Keynote.
This session starts off with a 45min keynote presentation and 15min Q&A.
Stage 1. A basic understanding of what the human body is capable of and ensuring we are all working well within our limits.
Stage 2. We learn key components required for each task's mental and physiological approach. We also go deep into specific heart rate and brain wave management techniques.
Stage 3. Water submersion section. We document each attendee’s technique in various areas to gauge each person's ability. We use the water as a practical way to disengage from the overthinking mind.
Stage 4. As we build a foundation of skills, we also break down the barriers of fear, the science of how the mind-body connection affects our performance and how to respond to situations vs reacting to them.
Stage 5. We reassess and document each attendee’s progress with a new understanding of being confident and calm in stressful situations.
Stage 6. Using specific techniques, applying the right mindset and correct physiology, you will learn to master these skills in all areas of your life.
Stage 7. Getting clear, we take an in-depth look at the process to achieving a ‘winning on all levels’ approach. Regardless of our environment we acknowledge that we have the ability to take control in any situation.
Video
Mark Visser | Saxton Speakers
With passion and humility, Mark speaks from the heart about breathtaking events and realizing his dreams. Mark is a down to earth, natural speaker who is infectiously energetic and engaging.Mark Visser | Dominating Biggest Waves Ever Seen, Near-Death Surfs + More! | @TheHowieGames Podcast
He has surfed the biggest waves in the world. He has even conquered one of the most dangerous waves in the world, AT NIGHT. It's an open chat on fear, breathing and being ready for the worst possible scenario. Beyond his incredible surfing achievements, Visser is dedicated to mental and physical peak performance, resilience, and overcoming fear, which he shares through his motivational talks and coaching - check him out. He also runs the Ocean Warrior course, helping people master breath control and mindset techniques to handle high-pressure situations.The audience was spell-bound watching some of his video clips. Mark is a driven motivator and engages warmly with guests at all levels. We would highly recommend Mark to any event organiser ... keep reading Bank of Queensland
One of the best keynote speakers we have ever had! Mark captured the audience and delivered a powerful message that we can all relate to in the corporate world.
An unexpected speaker. Mark’s story linked so well to what we aspire to and gives a different perspective on the importance of team work, focus on the challenge, and being your best. We booked Mark for 4 consecutive events.
Thoroughly entertaining, everyone loved it, with plenty of chatter later around the bar and in the office today. Lots of take homes for all of us irrespective of our role in the business which was excellent as so many professional speakers only focus on the sales team, leaving the rest of us bored!
Mark had a wonderful session with the group and interacted with all of them at the level they needed. The presentation was bang on and it really connected for our kids on all levels. I had overheard so many different parents, athletes and coaches chatting about how great it was. An unbelievable opportunity for us all to listen and meet him.
Thanks so much for making our event such a success. The team all loved Mark’s story and the key messages were totally aligned to our overall theme for the day. We loved having Mark at dinner also, was really great of him to make the time.
It is not often that you have the opportunity to test your boundaries at a Conference breakfast. Mark had the ability to capture everyone's attention and keep us on the edge of our seats, the room was so quiet as everyone listened intently. The content was spot on and I have gone back to thinking about his message each day since.
He was a rockstar. So good, I would book him again in a heartbeat. Staff feedback has been off the charts epic.
We had the pleasure of having Mark present at our annual Lexus of Brisbane Group’s Managers’ conference where he delivered his Keynote and ‘Who’s holding the Mic’ workshop. I was amazed by just how much went on behind the scenes to achieve his success and how much of his preparation can be transferred into both our business and personal day to day lives. Not only did our management team benefit from Mark’s presentation, but our wives and partners who joined us also greatly valued the insight into Mark’s vision and knowledge.We now look forward to welcoming Mark back to present to the greater Lexus of Brisbane Group team.
Still buzzing from the leadership training day with Mark Visser. We followed up the keynote with the Ocean Warrior workshop but if all we did was the keynote, I figured we had received great value already for our team. I thought Mark’s keynote and workshop presentation was amazing, challenging and inspiring so not only served as a perfect fit to our team, but the lessons from the Ocean Warrior training dovetailed so well into our leadership development program. This experience and lessons will serve us well in our business. Could not be happier with the experience and the impact on the team. Truly world-class!
Mark was absolutely amazing, and his energy truly made the day, we've received so much positive feedback from our attendees. We would highly recommend him as a speaker for any event.
We had Mark speak yesterday at the CTO offsite and he was so lovely to deal with, nailed every part of the brief and was sensational – definitely a highlight of the day. Following Marks session was afternoon tea, and then a Leadership Team Panel where they were asked a series of rapid fire questions; one of the questions was ‘Which celebrity would you like to be your best friend? Three out of the eight members of the leadership team answered Mark Visser – so he must of resonated well with the leadership team. In the Westpac CTO's wrap up email which he sent to the entire transformation team he stated I don’t know about you, but Mark Visser blew me away with his keynote presentation. The sheer magnitude of what he’s done, and is still doing, on pushing himself beyond limits is awe-inspiring. His message of ‘having a mission, making a plan and having the right people around you to execute’ really struck a chord.
