Polar Explorer & Motivational Speaker

World record breaking Polar Explorer Ann Daniels is an inspiration to those who hear her speak. Her warmth and honesty make her presentations compelling and her positivity, grit and determination illustrate what can be achieved by the many and not the few.  Ann is one of Britain’s leading female Polar Explorers.  She was part of the first British all women’s team to walk to the South Pole and put together and led the three woman team who walked from Canada to the North Pole to become the first all women’s team in the world to walk to both poles.  As a leader of both men and women she now guides mixed teams to the poles and understands first hand the importance teamwork and overcoming the challenges that face us all daily. 

In the year 2000 Ann and four other women became the first all British women’s team to reach the South Pole on foot.  Without the aid of professional guides they planned, trained and put together the M&G South Pole 2000 expedition.  Pulling sledges weighing over 140 lbs and navigating by the sun the team of women travelled 700 miles across Antarctica, the most inhospitable continent in the world.  The team battled against the constantly driving wind, fought their way through severe storms, crossed huge crevasse fields, and after 60 gruelling days travel successfully reached the South Pole to complete their mission.

In 2002 Ann put together the first British all women’s team to reach the North Pole and the first all female team in the world to ski to both Poles.  Temperatures as low as -50º for the first 26 days severely hampered progress and success looked doubtful from the start.  The girls were hit by three storms so severe that they were unable to erect their tent and huddled together for 3 days, surviving  with little food and water.  They suffered frostbite, back problems and carbon monoxide poisoning and after 47 hazard filled days one member of the team was evacuated with severe frostbite and wet gangrene.  Despite these setback and with over 300 miles left to the pole, Ann and her fellow team mate Caroline Hamilton battled onwards, hauling their heavy sledges over huge pressure ridges, travelling over treacherously thin ice, swimming across open stretches of ice filled water and against all odds finally reached the pole exhausted but ecstatic to have successfully completed their mission and become the first all female team to walk from Canada to the North Pole.

Earlier this year Ann was on target to become the first woman in the world to ski solo to the North Pole from the Russian pack ice, at 81º 20´N, some 520 nautical miles from the pole.  Despite cripplingly low temperatures, encounters with five polar bears, one storm and very difficult ice conditions she battled through and completed over 124 nautical miles of the journey.  However, due to Russian Political intervention her expedition was unexpectedly removed from the ice, along with two others.  Although this was a bitter blow it has made her more determined than ever to make the world record hers and is planning another attempt from Canada to avoid similar problems.

Ann is an ordinary woman who has achieved the extraordinary.  She tells her story with passion and humour and her illustrated presentations show what can be achieved with belief, determination and keeping focused on the goal.  She has motivated teams in both the private and corporate world and tailors every speech to her audience.