BATH RUGBY
I took a number of things but the most profound, was that his purpose originally grew from a seed sewn from another person sharing their own personal journey of overcoming challenge and resilience. They co-created a future without even knowing it. Our connections, our conversations, our words, they are important. Our personal myth, our personal story is what brings meaning to our sacred journey of personal discovery. By sharing our stories we discover our shared humanity. We must look inward and find meaning in order to heal from our traumas, we must find connection to find our humanity. Storytelling helps us discover who we are and with that, it carries seeds that grow in ways we could never foresee. Beautiful. Powerful. Stories.


The importance of breaking down a long-term goal, which may seem enormous and daunting initially, into small steps. It becomes much more manageable (and potentially achievable).


 

The expectations that he kept defying, not just to participate but to be competitive, and even successful.

Players and Management

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PRIMARK
Hi Talan
Thank you so much for your talk today at Primark. Wow, it’s amazing how much determination you have even when times get tough.
When I was younger I was in a car crash which ended my dream of becoming an Olympic figure skater. This year I finally committed to building up my strength again in my legs and foot to get back into skating. Your talk has given me even more determination to get stronger!
Thank you for sharing your story and inspiring many people to be better everyday.
Many thanks
Nicole
Head of Learning and Careers

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CATS CHARITY
Talan was the after-dinner speaker for our organisation's staff conference with an audience of over 150 people. He was both inspirational and motivational, captivating everyone with the story of his journey. He was able to put across this story in such a way that as listeners, we were able to relate the key themes to ourselves and our lives, both professionally and personally. His speech left us feeling inspired by his energy, determination and resilience. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to others looking for a truly motivational speaker.
Joanna Burgess, CATS Charity.

ADNAMS PLC
Talan recently joined our Employee Forum Team to share his experiences and insights, not only as a wheelchair user and paralympian but also around setting goals, over coming set backs and celebrating success. The most common response at the end of Talan’s inspiring talk was simply ‘wow’ as people digested all they’d heard. We could almost hear their brains whirring as they made links with their own everyday challenges, obstacles and aspirations. Since the meeting, Talan’s name is often brought into the conversation when looking at personal and business challenges. The icing on the cake for us was the Mystery Guest review Talan carried out for us and the 5 star review he gave our hotel and our team!
Sadie Lofthouse Director of Culture & Performance Adnams PLC

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TWO CIRCLES SPORT (Virtual Talk on Zoom)

Talan is an excellent speaker who brought a great sense of energy to our Leadership Team meeting. His personal story and moved and inspired everyone, and his delivery was personable and engaging. We found that Talan’s approach to life has many applications in business, in leadership, and beyond. Thank you, Talan.

Clare Vigers

Strategy Lead, Two Circles Sport.

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ROSTHCHILDS

Inspirational and thought-provoking. A lesson that the mind can be stronger than the body if you take real care of it.

Roger

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OXIDENT
Talan was guest speaker at our Annual Dinner. He had been highly recommended and certainly did not disappoint. He is an absolutely amazing human being and made us all feel very humble. We have had many speakers over the years but Talan was up there with the best! He tells a real story of unbelievable setbacks and his “his little person inside” enabling him to fight back. If you get the opportunity, this is someone not to miss.

Russell Evans

Oxident Dental Study Group

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QUEENS COUNSEL

Talan came to speak at a recruitment event we organised for prospective barristers.  The audience ranged from senior barristers and Queen’s Counsel to law students who had just graduated.  His talk was hugely entertaining and inspirational.  The feedback received from all was unanimously glowing and I would highly recommend him.
Paul Downes QC, 2 Temple Gardens Barristers’ Chambers

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ABE (The Association of Business Executives)
Talan’s story of resilience and determination is truly inspiring. He is a warm and genuine speaker who has the ability to connect with an audience on a deeply emotional level, in order to fully explore the importance of risk-taking, learning from failure, self-belief and challenging preconceptions. He’s a fantastic motivational speaker whose story you will never forget.

Rob May

CEO, The Association of Business Executives

 

MARKS & SPENCERS

I've known Talan for a few years now having originally been part of the Sainsburys Leadership development group in 2013 whereby I was privileged enough to hear Talan talk as part of the year long development journey with other aspiring leaders from the Sainsburys talent pool. I was so personally inspired by Talan's experience and relentless mental capacity and strength in what can only be described as sheer adversity to life's tapestry, I chose to link in professionally to keep abreast of what I imagined would be further courageous & inspiring channels of Talan's life and his ability to give back to others selflessly. And I wasn't wrong! Since then I have moved to a new business with a UK retailer and having recently formed a new team utilised Talan's Leadership to help encourage, inspire and support my team appreciate that within each and every one of us we all have the capacity to achieve the extraordinary if we believe in ourselves and set clear, tangible goals with a clear vision to the end objective. With time scales a challenge, we used audible link for Talan to talk collectively to my new team. The room was silent for 30 minutes, you could have heard a pin drop. The team were blown away by Talan's engagement and normally extrovert members of my team were silent after, reflective of what can be achieved if mentally you believe. Even now my team when we have challenging objectives to meet will reference Talan and be clear that they have more mental capacity to discover in order to help them achieve their goals. Thank you Talan for not only inspiring myself to reach my personal aspirations but helping in the very infancy of a newly formed  team, their mental capacity to stretch and believe. 

R Newby

Regional Manager 

Marks and Spencers

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ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND

I hope this e-mail finds you well and you had a good journey home last night. A short note to say thank you so much for speaking at the Emerging Leaders Talent Programme last night. Everyone commented how well your talk had gone, and it generated a lot of discussion after you left. On a personal note, from what I saw of your presentation and through speaking to you, you truly are an inspiration. I felt moved when you were speaking to me about your recovery and how far you have come since your accident. Good luck with your racing and in the future and with any new adventures you undertake. Thank you again and my very best wishes to you. 

Sharon Camley
RBS Senior Business Support Analyst
Finance, Business & Executive Support 

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MGA ENTERTAINMENT
I wish to express my thanks for visiting me and the team – the positive influence you conveyed to us was absolutely amazing!

Very powerfully delivered and from the heart reminded us all to be empowered, make that choice and be successful in whatever we choose. We were all overwhelmed from our time with Talan and immediately everyone felt they could make a difference – we also had some life changing decisions made by individuals the very next day!

You touched everyone’s heart and delivered so much more than we expected.   Accomplishments whether personal, business, groups or in education can be achieved and your motivational speaking is clearly evident of this Talan! Thank you!

So I encourage groups, employers, schools to welcome Talan to their doors – you won’t regret it! Thank you Talan – enjoy your continued achievements and above all have fun!
Sarah Walker – HR Professional, MGA Entertainment Ltd.

 

ROSEBERRY SCHOOL

Talan delivered a truly inspirational talk to our Yr13 students at the perfect point in the year; days before final Mocks and just weeks before the real A Level exams begin. Talan's life story, and the motivational anecdotes that he so eloquently shared, engaged our Sixth Form students from start to finish. The talk covered elements such as personal resilience, pushing limits and boundaries and 'seizing the moment' - all delivered in a positive and upbeat style, that left our senior students in no doubt that they have the character to face the forthcoming challenges and succeed.

Guy Carter

Director of Sixth Form

 

ABINGDON SCHOOL

Last night went very well and Talan was amazing! I received the message below from one of the parents who attended this morning and, since it is so lovely, hoped that you could pass it on to Talan:

 

"Your absolutely outstanding speaker really made the evening - I have sat through my share of motivational speeches in the past, as I suspect many who were there will have done, but Talan was on another level entirely. His ability to communicate with both the boys and the adults, and to answer those questions - both searching and trivial -  with such honesty, humour and incredible thoughtfulness was a privilege to witness.  I only wish the word "inspirational" was not so over used these days, as he is one of those rare people who genuinely deserves the accolade. Please do pass on our thanks and admiration, and I know I speak for many other parents."

 

Below are some quotes from the boys:

 

"It was the most inspiring thing I have ever heard and I now realise that it doesn't matter who you are or what circumstances you find yourself in, you can still be the best you can be."

 

"Talan was one of the most inspirational speakers I have ever heard - he taught me life lessons that will stick with me for ever."

 

"Talan gave an emotional and inspiring speech."

 

"The answers that Talan gave to our questions gave a really good insight in to what he had gone through to be the best he can be."

 

"He is an inspiration to people everywhere and he really inspired me to try more."

 

"He is a really good teacher in that he shows people how to be resilient and strong and taught us that you should never give up."

 

Thanks so much for another great year and hope you have a lovely summer.

Adam Jenkins 

Head of Abingdon Lower School 

 

OCKLYNGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

I have to say that Talan was truly inspirational! The children were all completely engaged during his presentation, as were the staff. All the staff I spoke to said how much they enjoyed his talk and how inspiring they thought he was. Some classes subsequently watched a youtube clip about him and his new challenge of motorcycle riding. We are going to put a short report on his visit on our school newsletter so that parents can chat to the children about it too.

I would recommend him without hesitation.

Have a good day

Sandra Taylor

Head of Ocklynge School

 

 

BIRCHWOOD PRICE TOOLS

Talans story truly resonated with my team - it was frank , courageous , uplifting and  totally breathtaking in parts ,and told with a wry sense of humour... Talans messages will help my team to think about being the best they can be and will put the "small stuff" into perspective .Thank you and I would like to wish you every success in your future endeavours . 

Kind Regards, 

Fiona     

Fiona Hornsby, Chief Operating Officer, Birchwood Price Tools 

 

BIRCHWOOD PRICE TOOLS

Hi, I work at Birchwood price tools in Nottingham and today you were our guest speaker. I just wanted to tell you how much you touched me. Over the last few years I have had lots of problems with my personal life. Now in the past I have always believed my problems are far worse than anybody else's because there my problems (if that makes sense), but the way you delivered the talk today just really made me think, that I'm not beaten or I am going to succeed. You Sir are a Credit and I just wanted to thank you for shearing your story with me/us. THANKS AGAIN.

Julian

 

 

CARAT MEDIA

The feedback on Talan has been brilliant – from all the speakers we had over the entire week, he came out as a clear favourite. Even after hearing his story a second time, I was so touched by it.

 

Talan’s talk was amazing to hear and incredibly well received.   He was an outstanding speaker.   We have certainly seen a seismic shift in behaviour which we need to continue!   Everyone had a great time.

 

 

MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE

Talan was a joy to welcome to Marlborough College and he managed to hold a large group of our senior pupils in the palm of his hands for the duration of his talk which ranged from the moment of his first accident to his many subsequent accomplishments. His is a challenging tale of extraordinary, some might say super-human, determination to succeed against all the odds and it left no one in the audience in any doubt as to the deep reflection which ought to have been provoked by it.

With very best wishes, and my thanks

David 

The Revd Dr David Campbell

Senior Chaplain

Marlborough College

HOMEBASE

Talan provided a talk to my colleagues and I at a launch of our company change leadership programme. He has a completely engaging and natural ability when speaking that allows the listener to be immersed in his story and feel compelled to hear more. To add, he has a fantastic sense of humour and incorporates this into his talk as well as being utterly motivational and inspirational. Talan is an extraordinary individual who has an admirable determination - and brave! - approach to life. I would have no hesitation in recommending him as a speaker at any kind of event or function for any audience.

Kathryn Gilpin, HR Business Partner, Homebase.

 

 

CITY AND GUILDS

Hi Talan, I just wanted to pass on our thanks for your inspirational and challenging speech last week in Leeds on Friday. All week I have had people coming up to me to say how well you engaged them and have changed perspectives, with it being the highlight of the two days for everyone. We even utilised your ‘Talan steps’ in the afternoon of the 5th to help us break down our big goals into more manageable chunks. I wish you all the very best of luck in your exciting adventures and will be strongly recommending you in and out City & Guilds. Thanks again.

Chris Kirk, Head of Customer Strategy & Sales Planning | UK Commercial, City & Guilds – Believe you can

 

 

WESTBOURNE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Wowzers!  Do you do motivational talks on weight loss?!  Two of my sons heard you talk at Westbourne Primary School.  My youngest has been struggling for the last two years with his swimming as he kept clinging on to the sides and even pretending to swim when really he was just waving his arms around and walking and when made to jump in would aim to land on the teacher in the pool.  Today, much to everyone's delight he finally swam his lengths without stopping, he did it so well they are telling him he will be moved to the deep end.  Congratulating him afterwards he declared 'I just believed in myself like Talan said'.

So thank you, and I don't suppose you can weave your magic on a stroppy 14 year old can you?

A grateful mum x

Mother of a pupil from Westbourne Primary School.

 

 

WORCESTER PRIMARY SCHOOL

Talan spoke about his accident and what he has achieved since then and the obstacles that he has overcome. He spoke about the smaller steps that he had to make before he could reach his long term goals. For example, when he first had his accident he spoke about first having to concentrate on surviving, then learning to live independently, before he could think about learning to ski. He adapted his explanations very well to his audience, simplifying the way he spoke for the younger years in the school. His talk was VERY engaging. He was very expressive in his delivery and explained things in a way that the children could understand. He was definitely the best speaker that we have had and children and staff all spoke about how inspiring he was. The school even received a call from a child's mum asking for his name so that she could look up more information about him as her child had not stopped speaking about him when they got home from school. His key messages were ones of determination and inspiration, encouraging children to believe in themselves and to work hard for their goals.

 

Please let me know if you have any other questions regarding Talan's visit.

Best wishes,

Sophie Wells

Programme Leader for Be The Best You Can Be

Worcester Primary School 

 

 

SAINT THOMAS MORE LANGUAGE SCHOOL

Dear Talan

Your visit has left a very important impression on staff and students alike and I am using your story and the contents of your speech every time I teach the Year 7s in our Learning to Learn lessons.  I really want to embed the language of ‘being the best you can be’  and your story and lessons learnt.  Especially the ‘breaking down of achieving goals into steps slide’ you had.

 On a more personal note – I found your visit truly aspirational and I was so happy that the students found you and your story so engaging and inspiring, which it clearly is.  The link to the video will also help to reinforce your key messages.

Many thanks again.

Dr T Papworth Headteacher

 

 

WESTBOURNE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Anyway we are well under way with our 'Be the Best you can Be' journey and Talan definitely inspired us on our way. The children and staff are still talking about him so he really did make a very positive impact on us all!

 

In response to your questions: -

 

Talan gave a very engaging speech to our junior pupils about his journey from just before his motorbike accident to his Paralympics skiing to his latest craze on his ski and motorbike using appropriate photos and video clips in a PowerPoint presentation. He had all 240 eating out of his hand for over an hour and they would have sat for longer! He was both serious and funny using his chair as a friend and an enemy...the kids were completely hooked.

 

Talan had this talk pitched perfectly for his audience. He talked about the wee man inside you who can help you to achieve your goals. This man/voice helps you to believe in yourself, which is very important...this wee man is inside many of my pupils now and making a difference! He also talked about the steps that he took on the way to achieving his goal, explaining that it wasn't all easy all glamorous, and there were often many set backs that he had to face. He engaged children in the challenges they faced in life and how they could overcome them to do what they really wanted to do. He ensured everyone was engaged by talking about things on a personal level and then on their level...pop star...hairdresser, footballer...achieving something they were interested in was what was important.

 

As I pop into regular lessons now and talk to the kids they often quote Talan...be the best you can be...achieve your goal...you can do it if you don't give up...have confidence in yourself...don't be afraid to ask for help... so he certainly has had an impact! I also had a mum catch me to say thank you as her son the night before had swum a full length for the first time. He had been going to lessons for months but hadn't had the confidence to take his feet off the bottom. The night after Talan's speech he swam unaided! His response to his mother's question of why...because Talan says if you believe in yourself you can do things so I did! I think that sums it up quite nicely!

 

Staff were inspired by Talan and some were even moved to tears. His honesty, especially in the smaller class sessions had a particular impact on them. As a result staff have used the teachers session pack to deliver lessons that are being monitored for performance management.

 

We are all very much looking forward to seeing Talan again in the summer term...he really did impact on every member of Westbourne PS.

 

A huge thanks to Talan and you for organizing such a great speaker and inspirational morning for my staff and children.

 

Kay
Westbourne Primary School