Alan Chambers
Expedition Leader
Ed Coats
Dr Ed Coats
Obstetrician & Adventurer
Ed was chosen to join Cracknell and Fogle in a race to the South Pole. They skied for 16 hours each day and came in second - without any polar experience. In his workshop the hospital doctor uses storytelling and mindfulness techniques to give participants the tools to embrace challenge and live for the moment. Ed shows how exploring our feelings, opening up to change, managing criticism and agreeing short-term goals helps us withstand extreme pressure.
Speaking Topics
- Peak Performance
- Science
Biography
Ed Coats was chosen to join James Cracknell and Ben Fogle on their race to the South Pole, the first attempt of its kind since Captain Scott was beaten by Amundsen in 1912. Both the selection process and the race itself were captured in the BBC documentary On Thin Ice.
Six teams took part from around the world, skiing over 470 miles across Antarctica. The trio, who had little cross-country and no polar experience between them, skied for 16 hours a day in temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius. They eventually finished in second place, an achievement due in no small part to Ed’s clear-headed support and mediation between his two more experienced team mates.
Away from his day job as a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Ed has represented Britain as a decathlete and swum the English Channel with two different teams. The ‘30 at 30’ project saw him tackle thirty challenges, including the small matter of a Thames swim, a coast to coast race across Scotland and an endurance marathon on Dartmoor.
In presentations Ed weighs up individual and collective responsibility, and how to form efficient and effective bonds in both new and established groups. He also compares the pressure, determination and teamwork found in the medical world with that required to tackle the toughest environments on Earth.
Inspirational, amusing and heartfelt. The South Pole experience he shared is one that will stay with all of us for a very long time. The lessons learnt along the way, and the way he portrayed them was nothing short of brilliant, leaving us all with plenty of food for thought and smiles. All 60 guests were captivated throughout with the Q&A showing just how engaged they were! The warmth and open approach he showed from the moment he arrived to leaving was extremely humbling. His words; “Challenges are what make life interesting, overcoming them makes like meaningful’ – could not have been more accurate – he certainly proved that.
Without exception the audience response was overwhelmingly positive. Humour when appropriate, serious when needed and clear on message. Spot on.
His talk was really interesting, entertaining and inspirational, with some really useful messages taken from his experiences as an explorer and adventurer. Ed is also a really impressive and genuinely lovely guy, very understated and down to earth despite his impressive list of achievements in the world of medicine and adventure. We would thoroughly recommend him to other groups, large or small.
Ed's performance was more than excellent linking the passion, adventure and freedom into the context of the event. Everyone enjoyed it thoroughly with remarkable feedback and his story of emotional endeavour was a super way to end the Jeep 75th Anniversary Event de-stressing all of us. Laughter is still the best medicine. Ed even received a hearty Thank You and a handshake from top management as an expression of the enjoyable time they had. We will definitely consider Ed for future events, and I will highly recommend him to other organisations and event management companies.”
Ed was fantastic. There was a real buzz in the room afterwards and his session fitted perfectly into the day.
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