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Kate Naess (nee Doughty) PLY

Create an experience with Kate Naess (nee Doughty) PLY

Leadership, Wellbeing, Sport

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About me

  • Sport
  • Sporting Events
  • Paralympics
  • Endurance Sports
  • Paratriathlon
  • Professional
  • Psychologist

Kate Naess, formerly Kate Doughty, is an accomplished keynote speaker, organisational psychologist, and Paralympian who inspires audiences around the world with her resilience and leadership insights. With a background in elite sports, including representing Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, Kate brings a unique perspective on overcoming adversity, high-performance mindset, and personal growth.


Her talks blend practical strategies with her personal journey, empowering teams and individuals to build resilience, embrace challenges, and unlock their full potential. Passionate, engaging, and authentic, Kate Naess delivers messages that resonate deeply, leaving audiences inspired to take action in their personal and professional lives.

‘We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.’

learn more at www.katenaess.com




TESTIMONIALS

“Kate was recently engaged by Optus Business to speak at a recent staff forum for staff based in Melbourne. The event was a huge success and we have had an abundance of positive feedback post her appearance. Kate is an incredibly warm, motivating, and authentic person, with a strong sense of self, that comes across incredibly well when she is speaking and engaging with others. We found our people really connected with her, and it allowed for a very interactive session, which was great to see, and exactly what we had hoped for. Kate’s honesty and willingness to be open about sharing her story in a very authentic and articulate way resonates well with others and allows her to form connections with audience members easily, and well. The trials and tribulations Kate has faced along the way and her resilience and ability to rise above and continue to achieve her goals and succeed is quite extraordinary and incredibly motivating to hear about. A very engaging and motivating speaker, with a sharp wit and real sense of humour, I would thoroughly recommend engaging Kate for any speaking engagements or appearances with an audience of any size.” OPTUS, Senior Management

“Kate’s speech was not only motivational but very inspiring. Everyone in attendance at the US College Expo was wowed by her story and her ability to overcome hardships. The student athletes in the audience were taught a valuable lesson in commitment and determination. Without a doubt the highlight of the US College Expo”. Marco Maisano, CEO – NSR Australia

“Listening to Kate’s presentation was not only inspiring but helped our team understand how they can put what they learnt into practice every day.  Her story really showed that determination and resilience can help you achieve your goals, no matter what they are, and this really resonated with our team”. – HR, Lifebroker

“We had the pleasure of having Kate attend a team dinner to motivate and prepare our Toyota Men’s and Women’s running teams just prior to the teams travelling to Japan and competing against other Toyota affiliates Worldwide. Kate spoke from the heart and had the audience engaged and captivated for the whole duration of her presentation. Kate spoke about her highlights and low lights both in her personal and professional career, and how she overcomes any obstacles that were put in front of her. Such a talented and amazing person, it was an absolute pleasure to meet her and have her motivate our Toyota running teams”. – Toyota – Safety Human Resources

“Kate was the highlight of the Roseville College 2016 End of Year Ceremony for the kids and the parents alike.  Kate’s story is inspiring and very aligned with the messaging provided to the children throughout the year both in the classroom and in the events and discussions in the lead up to Rio.  It was a wonderful talk, focused at precisely the right level for their age.” – Helen Nott, parent of student at Roseville College Junior School and APC non-exec director.



Based in

Victoria