Emma Sheardown

Emma Sheardown is a motivational speaker, TEDx presenter and disability inclusion trainer who specialises in building confidence, resilience and creating accessible workplaces. A former World and European Para Dressage champion with seven Paralympic medals, she defied medical predictions after being born with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy to compete at elite level before transitioning to speaking and advocacy work. Author of the acclaimed book 'There's No Such Word As Can't', Emma equips audiences with practical strategies to overcome adversity and empowers organisations to transform their approach to disability awareness, inclusion and accessibility through training that challenges assumptions and builds genuine understanding.

At 14 months old, Emma Sheardown received a devastating prognosis from doctors who told her parents she would never walk or talk due to Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. By the age of six, with intensive physiotherapy and unwavering family support, she defied that prediction entirely and began walking unaided. This early victory over seemingly impossible odds set the foundation for a remarkable journey that would see her rise to the pinnacle of Paralympic sport, winning three gold, three silver and one bronze medal as World and European Para Dressage champion. When her competitive riding career ended in 2017, Emma faced the profound challenge of reinventing herself, channelling the grief of losing her athletic identity into a powerful new mission: helping others overcome adversity and transforming how organisations understand and embrace disability inclusion.

Emma's credibility as a speaker stems from lived experience that few can match. Her journey from childhood disability to elite athletic performance required not only physical resilience but the mental fortitude of a champion competitor. Since transitioning from sport, she has built a thriving speaking and training practice rooted in authentic insight. Her widely viewed TEDx talk has reached audiences across the globe, whilst her book 'There's No Such Word As Can't', released in December 2021 to critical acclaim, has become a rallying cry for those facing their own obstacles. Beyond motivational speaking, Emma delivers practical disability awareness training to businesses and public-facing organisations, drawing on personal experiences that include being hung up on by customer service staff who couldn't understand her speech. These real-world encounters fuel her determination to equip teams with the confidence and skills needed to serve diverse customers with dignity and understanding.

Emma's work delivers tangible outcomes for audiences and organisations alike. Her motivational talks on overcoming adversity, resilience and the power of determination leave attendees with renewed self-belief and practical strategies for turning setbacks into comebacks. For corporate clients, her disability inclusion training challenges deep-seated assumptions, as she reminds participants that physical disability bears no relation to intellectual capability or professional potential. She addresses critical issues from accessibility and employability to customer service excellence, helping businesses create genuinely inclusive environments where disabled employees and customers feel valued. Whether inspiring individuals to push beyond their perceived limitations or guiding organisations towards meaningful cultural change, Emma combines warmth, authenticity and hard-won wisdom to create lasting impact that extends far beyond the event itself.