Stef Reid is a leading British Paralympic long jumper who has inspired the world with her tenacity, resilience and mindset. A five-time world record holder, she was also the World Champion in 2017 and a triple Paralympic medallist in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Announcing her retirement from the elite sport in 2022, Stef is now a highly-demanded speaker on high performance, motivation, resilience and the adaptive mindset. Boasting prestigious clients, such as Google, McLaren, Virgin Media, Visa, Sky and Nissan, Stef has also delivered an impactful presentation on the TEDx stage.
At 12 years old, Stef was preparing for a career in rugby with the goal of appearing on the world stage. A naturally gifted athlete, her dreams were shattered when she was in a tragic boating accident, which resulted in her right foot being amputated at 15. Despite this setback, Stef’s ambition to succeed was unshakable, and she went on to graduate as a valedictorian in high school, earning a full academic scholarship to Queen’s University, Canada.
During her time at university, she joined the athletics team to test her skills, which resulted in her putting her plans of attending medical school on hold after graduating with a degree in Biochemistry. Pursuing her childhood dream of becoming a professional athlete, Stef would spend the next 18 years competing as a track and field Paralympian, achieving global recognition as a four-time Paralympian. Her last elite competition came in the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics; however, Stef continues to inspire all with a recent appearance on Dancing on Ice in 2022.
The accomplished athlete is also a successful broadcaster, executive coach, actor and fashion model. Stef made headlines when she became the first amputee to walk the London Fashion Week Catwalk and continues to enjoy national coverage as a broadcast journalist, recently covering the Tokyo Paralympics for Channel 4 and the Invictus Games for the BBC. Demonstrating the power of resilience and a growth mindset throughout her illustrious career, Stef translates the lessons learned from elite sports into the business world, helping people to overcome failure and reach peak performance.
