Create an experience with Kate Naess (nee Doughty) PLY

Paralympian | Organisational Psychologist | High-Performance Speaker

Kate Naess is a Paralympian and organisational psychologist who knows what it takes to thrive under pressure. With a career spanning elite sport and global corporate environments, Kate brings a rare blend of lived experience and evidence-based expertise to the stage.

Born with a hand difference, Kate competed on the world stage as a professional athlete before dedicating her career to unlocking sustainable performance in organisations. She has worked across Australia’s high-performance sporting system and the corporate sector, including Big 4 firms and AFL clubs, helping leaders and teams elevate their mindset, resilience, and impact.

Kate’s speaking style is dynamic and deeply human. Through her keynotes and programs, she translates the lessons of high-performance arenas into practical, relatable strategies for leaders navigating complexity, change, and the relentless pace of modern business.

Her signature HYPE (Heighten Your Performance Excellence) Framework empowers audiences to fuel their energy, sharpen their focus, flourish under pressure, and unlock flow.

Kate’s story of grit, perspective, and achievement is as inspiring as it is practical—leaving audiences not just motivated, but equipped with tools to perform and lead at their best, sustainably.

Speaking Topics:

• Sustainable High Performance in Business and Life
• Leading with Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence
• Resilience, Mindset and Perspective Under Pressure
• The HYPE Framework: Fuel. Focus. Flourish. Flow.

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.