Available to book
Chris Norton
Purpose
Resilience
Workplace Culture
Foster ownership, positive leadership, and resilient teams with Chris Norton, motivational speaker and disability advocate. Chris helps organizations align with purpose and redefine success, focus of the 7 Yards documentary and named among ITA Group's Hottest Keynote Speakers.
Mindset
Humanitarian
Motivational
Athlete
Inspirational
Author
Personal Development
Faith
Chris Norton is a motivational speaker, author, and former college athlete whose journey from paralysis to walking at his graduation and wedding has inspired millions worldwide.
As founder of the Chris Norton Foundation, Chris supports people with spinal cord and neuromuscular disabilities and runs a free wheelchair camp. His remarkable story has been featured in the documentary 7 Yards, earned him recognition among ITA Group's Hottest Keynote Speakers, and formed the basis of his books The Seven Longest Yards and The Power of Faith.
Chris's experiences offer organizations concrete strategies for overcoming adversity and building resilience. He helps leadership teams reframe setbacks into opportunities, develop sustainable perseverance practices, and create inclusive environments where all team members can contribute meaningfully despite facing personal or professional challenges. His approach combines inspirational elements with practical applications for today's complex workplace.
Audiences leave Chris's presentations with actionable frameworks for confronting obstacles, renewed clarity about their purpose and potential, and effective methods for supporting colleagues through difficult circumstances. His insights provide immediate tools for fostering workplace cultures characterized by both empathy and determination.
Book Chris Norton to give your team the rare combination of emotional inspiration and practical resilience strategies that drive measurable results.
Topics, sessions and talks
Change is inevitable. Challenges are certain. Growth is a choice. Drawing on his own experience defying a 3% prognosis to walk at his college graduation and wedding, Chris Norton shares the strategies that helped him transform life-altering adversity into forward momentum. This session gives teams a practical framework for reframing challenges, fostering radical responsibility, and asking for help without hesitation. Turn perceived threats into competitive advantages and build the resilience to grow through anything.
When doctors told Chris Norton he had a 3% chance of ever moving below the neck, he chose to focus on the 3%. This session explores how adopting a possibility mindset, even in the face of overwhelming odds, reshapes what teams believe is achievable. Chris shares the mental habits and daily practices that sustained him through years of rehabilitation, and shows leaders and teams how to apply that same orientation to organizational challenges, change initiatives, and the moments that test whether a culture truly holds.
Chris Norton founded the Chris Norton Foundation to support people with spinal cord and neuromuscular disabilities, and has seen firsthand how organizations that meaningfully include people with disabilities outperform those that treat inclusion as a checkbox. In this session, he makes the business case for genuine accessibility and gives leaders a framework for building environments where people with disabilities can contribute fully. Chris draws on his own story and his foundation’s work to challenge assumptions about ability and reframe disability as a lens for better design, better culture, and better performance.
Chris Norton transforms his extraordinary journey from paralysis to walking again into powerful strategies that help teams overcome obstacles, build resilience, and create inclusive environments where everyone contributes meaningfully. Book Chris today to give your organization the rare combination of emotional inspiration and practical resilience frameworks that drive measurable results.
Testimonials
Featured Projects
often considered together
Blake Leeper
Adversity
Diversity and Inclusion
High Performance
Robert Paylor
Adversity
Resilience
Growth Mindset
Aaron Golub
Company Culture
Disability Awareness
Accountability
frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Chris Norton structures his sessions around a personal narrative arc — from a 3% prognosis for movement below the neck to walking at his graduation and wedding — and uses that arc as a scaffold for practical frameworks covering resilience, possibility mindset, and inclusive leadership.
Chris Norton speaks on resilience and adversity, possibility mindset, and disability inclusion and belonging. His headline credential is defying a 3% prognosis to walk at his college graduation and wedding, a journey documented in the film 7 Yards and detailed in his books The Seven Longest Yards and The Power of Faith.
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Speaker fees vary by profile, format, and location. In the UK and Europe, virtual keynotes typically start around GBP 2,000, with top in-person speakers reaching GBP 25,000+; in the US, fees run from about USD 5,000 to USD 100,000+. Share your budget at getapeptalk.com and we'll shortlist to fit.
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You'll receive a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours of sharing your brief. Each suggestion comes with profiles, fees, and PepTalk's recommendation on the strongest fit. If you need options sooner for an urgent event, say so and the team will move faster. Start at getapeptalk.com.
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Speaker fees vary based on factors like event location, format, and availability. The 'typical fee range' figure gives you a baseline of someone's local, in-person rate sits, and we'll confirm the exact fee when you get in touch.
Before your speakers arrive, confirm AV is tested, a green room is ready, and printed schedules are on hand. Prepare warm introductions for each speaker and brief your team on timings. PepTalk speakers come fully briefed, making event-day logistics smoother and stress-free from the start.
A keynote speaker delivers an inspiring or informative talk. An MC hosts and guides the event, keeping things on track. Entertainment — like a band or comedian — creates atmosphere and fun. Each serves a different purpose, and PepTalk can help you book the right talent for all three.
Not necessarily. While the speakers listed on our website may not have worked with PepTalk in the past, they are recognized professionals in the industry and known to engage in similar events and engagements. Alongside direct talent, we work with a wide variety of speaker agents and talent agencies, to ensure we have the best selection of speakers, hosts, comedians and entertainers available.
When booking a comedian, share your event format, audience size and demographics, any sensitive topics to avoid, and the tone you're after. PepTalk makes this easy — their booking process guides you through a simple checklist so nothing gets missed and your comedian is perfectly matched to your crowd.
When booking a speaker, you'll need your event date, audience details, format, key objectives, and budget. Having these ready makes the process smooth and straightforward. PepTalk's team uses this information to match you with the perfect speaker quickly and efficiently.
Yes! At PepTalk, you can absolutely bundle entertainment and speakers into one seamless package. It's a great way to create a fuller event experience while enjoying simplified booking and better value. Our team handles everything together, making the process effortless for you.
Book a motivational speaker at least 3–6 months in advance, especially for popular speakers or large events. Top speakers get booked quickly, so earlier is always better. For major conferences or peak seasons, booking 12 months ahead ensures you secure your first choice.
Yes. Most PepTalk speakers deliver virtual and hybrid sessions with live Q&A, and virtual keynotes usually cost less than in-person because there is no travel. Tell us your platform and format and we'll match speakers experienced in online delivery. Start at getapeptalk.com.
Share your organisation's top 3 strategic priorities, current challenges, and the audience's role in delivering them. A simple one-page brief works perfectly. PepTalk speakers use this context to tailor insights that feel genuinely relevant — making your event far more impactful.
Yes! Most event entertainers are happy to tailor their act to your brand, industry, or theme. From weaving in company jokes to incorporating your branding into their performance, personalisation makes all the difference. PepTalk's entertainers specialise in bespoke experiences that feel made just for your audience.
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