Benjamin Alexander

 Speaker

Reinvention expert and impressive motivational speaker Benjamin Alexander has qualified to become Jamaica's first-ever Olympic Alpine ski racer. Remarkably he is 38 years old.

Astonishingly he took this up at the age of 32 after a very successful ten-year career as an international DJ and stints in both finance and tech in Asia.

Benjamin’s preferred topics include Goalsetting, Motivation, Mindset, and Diversity & Inclusion. Above all he hopes that reaching the Olympics will wave the flag for diversity in winter sports and outdoor pursuits.

Moreover, he wants the fact that he found a love for skiing so late in life to prove determination and perseverance can pay off.  He wants to inspire everyone who might feel like they have "missed the boat" on any activity or aspect of their life.

Expertise

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Read more about Benjamin Alexander

British born, to a Jamaican father, Benjamin Alexander has a massively motivating story.  His story of getting to the 2022 Olympic games as Jamaica's first-ever Olympic Alpine ski racer might just leave the story of Cool Runnings in the dust.

This was a massive change of direction for the man who had spent the majority of the last decade on the road as an esteemed international DJ.  The Resident DJ for the quintessential Burning Man camp; Robot Heart no less. As a consequence he performed in over 30 countries.

How it all came about

Benjamin found skiing in his 30s after being invited to DJ at a heli-ski lodge. What many people don’t know is that skiing comes in third in Benjamin's colourful career trajectory.  Beginning his post-university work life in a finance role in Asia, he soon ditched the office to pursue a creative career as an international DJ.  After retiring from nightlife in late 2018 his mind shifted to what challenge would motivate and drive the next chapter of his life. Obviously, it would be ski racing, right?

A late-comer to skiing, Benjamin went full force on his deep dive into the sport. His first lesson on a mountain was in 2016.  However, it was in 2018 that he got the opportunity to ski a dozen mountains on three continents in both hemispheres.

And his dream to be picked for the 2022 Winer Olympics came about after ...

It was as a spectator at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea when things clicked. Noticing that his father's nation of Jamaica had only three athletes in attendance for the games, and no skiers, a kernel of an idea was formed.

In January of 2019, Benjamin moved to Revelstoke, BC, Canada for six weeks of training. On his departure he had skied over 1200 miles, over 1.7 million vertical feet, and set a mountain record for the most amount of vertical feet skied in a single day (103k).

Furthermore and most importantly the feasibility of his lofty goal of getting to the next winter Olympics in 2022 as the first alpine skier to represent Jamaica, became ever closer.

Benjamin based himself  in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in  October 2019 and he has literally skied every day.  That is 181 days during the 2020 winter.

Covid 19 affect on Benjamin's training

Even after the chairs stopped spinning in mid-March due to Covid 19, Benjamin shifted his passion into the backcountry. This meant he continued skiing with human-powered ascents, climbing the sum total of the world's ten tallest peaks.

In all it equated to over a quarter of a million vertical feet. Extreme levels of fitness and endurance have been the silver lining of his quarantine period.

In the shortened 2019/2020 season Benjamin was only able to get to six races but was still able to  get his points halfway to those required for Olympic qualification. Qualification at thast point was well within the trajectory set by Benjamin's performance and achievements thus far.

Benjamin's background

Educated at Wellingborough School on an academic scholarship, Benjamin enjoys motivating audiences with his back story of how things could have gone so wrong for the boy from Northamptonshire.

He is passionate about the value of education as well as pursuing your dreams whatever they may be.  Similarly he  speaks passionately about diversity and inclusion

Benjamin Alexander is the perfect speaker for companies wanting to encourage their workforce to strive for success both in their work and personal lives.

In addition he is perfect for education establishments wanting their students to aim to be their best. He has an incredible focus, drive, stamina and determination. Plus he is a fun person too.