Last week I delivered 4 keynotes in a 24-hour period that included over 2,000 attendees, four different client industries, across three states.
That kind of sprint could leave most people feeling flat, fractured, and f*cking broken (which is exactly what my accountant Michaela said she would feel like when I mentioned this to her!) At Performance Intelligence and with the elite athletes and sporting teams I work with, we upskill people to perform in key moments, when it matters most – and last week was my turn to put these science-based tools (and a few decades of experience) into practice and illustrate that they really do work.
Here’s how the 24 hours played out:
📍 Tuesday, 13th May – Sydney
3:15pm Delivered a keynote on Stress, Recovery and Velocity (50 mins) at CBA Home Buying International Conference at Royal Randwick for 750 in-person and 350 virtual attendees dialling in from Bangalore, India. Dr Michael Baumann Robert Knight
4:45pm With a green screen studio set-up in an adjoining meeting room at Royal Randwick (thank you Wizard), I presented a punchy, virtual keynote (30 mins) to 150 employees in Perth, WA, launching Stockland’s Employee Roadshow with my High- Performance RESET keynote.
Then: Off to Sydney airport for a 7:00pm flight to Brisbane.
📍 Wednesday, 14 May – Brisbane → Sydney
8:30am Presented my Inside Job keynote (90 mins) at Rydges Southbank, as part of Dyno Nobel’s emerging female leaders forum explosives industry leadership program with 50 people in attendance. Daniel Ryan
11:25am Flew back to Sydney.
3:00pm Wrapped up the 24-hour sprint with a keynote on Leadership Capacity (60 mins) at the Abundium Emerging Leaders of Multinationals Summit at Allianz Stadium, with around 300 corporate leaders in the room. Rich Hirst Dani Matthews Bre Betlem
5 Performance Levers That Helped Me Pull This Off
1. Physiological Base
I still train my energy system like I did when I was an athlete – building VO₂ max, tracking heart rate and HRV, and having strategic recovery protocols ready so I can push hard when needed. Having a strong physiological base enables you to push really hard a few times a year, without hitting the wall. You create a lot more energy when you train it and know how to sustain it. As an example on the Tuesday morning, I did a weights session and sauna, and early on Wednesday morning a 5km run along the Brisbane River to kickstart the day.
2. A Great Support Team
With every world-class team I have worked with over the years, there is a world-class support team behind the scenes. And behind every keynote sprint like this is a logistics marathon – and I’m backed by an exceptional team:
- Laura – sales, proposals, briefings, and sorting all logistics.
- Angelynne – handouts, PQ Index reports, and resources ready to roll.
- Angela – creative collaborator on content and positioning.
- Wizard – technology and digital resources, making virtual setups seamless.
- Toni – my partner, keeping the family running so I can focus on the stage.
3. Presentation Experience & Muscle Memory
After 2,500+ presentations, I’ve built up some serious ‘presentation muscle memory’ that I can draw upon (for the scientists reading this, it is nervous system memory – that’s another post down the track). This reservoir of experience enables me to shift gears quickly between topics, formats and industries without draining decision fatigue.
4. Strategic Recovery
This sprint was only possible because I leveraged strategic recovery throughout the 24 hours, and another little tip – go into periods like this feeling fresh, not fatigued. Recovery strategies include both psychological detachment (calming the mind) and parasympathetic activation (relaxing the body). Strategies I used include Morning Wake Up, breathwork, hydration, relaxing bath (Tues night), mindfulness, power nap (Wed flight), music and strategic movement. performance is as much about what you don’t do as what you do.
5. Tapping Into a Bigger Purpose
Yes, it was a chance to deliver value to a diverse range of organisations and connect with great people. But at its core, working hard for me is about two things – making a difference by doing work that genuinely matters AND building a future for my family. That kind of alignment fuels performance and helps push through periods where you do feel tired, or that negative inner voice starts to chirp. And the research is loud and clear – people with a clearly articulated purpose are more resilient, live longer and make more money. Investing time to understand your personal purpose is a game-changer.
Whether you’re presenting, leading, or just trying to stay upright in a high-pressure role – your ability to recover, refocus and perform on demand provides a competitive edge.
We don’t rise to the occasion. We fall to our level of preparation.
If you’re curious how Performance Intelligence can help your team boost energy, leadership and sustainable output, let’s connect.
#performanceintelligence #keynotespeaker #humanperformance #leadership #recovery #resilience #burnoutprevention #andrewmay
