Debra Veal has achieved more than most people would dream of achieving in a lifetime.  To add to her first class honours degree, medals at World Championship level with the Great Britain Dragon Boat Team, entrepreneurial success with the launch of her online art consultancy ‘The Well Hung Art Company’, to name but a few, is now the enormous achievement of having successfully rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Debra was recently heralded “… Britain ’s latest sporting heroine.” (The Times) when the media worldwide went crazy for the story of the 5ft 5” young lady who carried on rowing alone when her husband, a 6 ft 5” international oarsman, left the boat after developing an uncontrollable fear of the ocean.  Debra, who was loving every minute of life at sea in a 23 foot plywood boat, saw no reason to stop and rowed on to become the youngest and only the third women in the world to have rowed an ocean solo. 

The 3000 mile journey that was initially supposed to take 6 weeks took Debra a staggering 3 ½ months and saw her battling with 30 foot waves, force 8 squalls and sharks, while having to dodge tankers that came too close for comfort on more than a few occasions.  Worse than all of this, however, was dealing with the loneliness and solitude but focusing on one motto kept Debra going: “Choose your attitude” and she certainly did.  Now even Meg Ryan wants to buy her story and possibly turn it into a film. 

Debra’s overwhelming positivity and ‘go for it’ attitude is contagious, while her modesty is endearing.  She gives inspirational and entertaining presentations picking out themes from her on story such as the power of preparation, visualisation and how to stick with it, however high the odds are stacked against you.  Debra powerfully illustrates with slides and video footage and leaves her audience in no doubt of their own ability to achieve the extraordinary.