Available to book
Stephen Drum
Transform leadership performance with Stephen Drum, speaker and retired Navy SEAL Master Chief. Stephen works with organizations to build resilience, enhance decision-making under pressure, and develop high-performing teams, delivering combat-tested insights from his bestselling book "Life on the X."
Stephen Drum is a retired Navy SEAL Master Chief who brings 27 years of frontline experience to the conversation around leadership, resilience and performance. Having trained and led special operations teams during combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, he understands what it takes to deliver under pressure when the stakes are high.
Stephen’s insights come from a career built in some of the most demanding environments imaginable, where mental strength, calm decision-making and team cohesion are critical. During his service, he helped shape the capabilities of thousands of elite soldiers and SEAL candidates, preparing them for the physical and psychological intensity of military operations.
One of his most enduring contributions to the U.S. Navy was co-developing and delivering the Warrior Toughness training programme. This initiative transformed how the Navy equips sailors and officers to face operational stress, and has had a lasting impact on its culture and approach to readiness.
Since retiring from military service in 2019, Stephen has translated his knowledge into practical frameworks for business leaders and organisations. His work focuses on helping people navigate high-pressure environments with clarity and composure, building resilience and high performance in both personal and professional settings.
He is the author of Life on the X, a guide to confronting challenges with courage and readiness, published in 2023. In it, he explores the mindset and habits needed to perform when it matters most, grounded in his own experiences and the lessons learned from years of elite training.
Stephen’s approach resonates with those seeking to lead with greater intent, build stronger teams and manage stress more effectively, whether in the boardroom, on the front lines, or at home.
Topics, sessions and talks
Stephen Drum draws on his experience as a Navy SEAL Master Chief to explore how we can operate effectively in life’s most high-pressure moments - the X - when everything is on the line. Sharing tools from elite military training, professional sport and high-stakes business, Stephen shows how to cultivate resilience, emotional control and precision under pressure. With a direct, no-nonsense delivery, he reveals a clear and practical process for performing with focus, agility and confidence when it matters most.
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frequently asked questions
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To book Stephen Drum, email stephen.drum@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Stephen's availability and speaking fee. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and about your audience.
Stephen Drum structures his sessions around the concept of “the X” — a military term for the highest-stakes moment in any operation — using this as a central framework to deliver tools drawn from Navy SEAL training, professional sport and high-pressure business environments.
Stephen Drum speaks on performing under pressure, resilience and emotional control, and leadership in high-stakes environments. He is a retired Navy SEAL Master Chief with 27 years of frontline experience, including combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and co-developed the U.S. Navy's Warrior Toughness training programme.
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