Conn Bertish

Conn Bertish is a South African adventurer, resilience trainer, and brain cancer survivor who uses lived experience and behavioural science to help people and organisations adapt under pressure. A former Chief Creative Officer and Red Bull big wave surfer, Conn survived a brain cancer diagnosis in his 30s. He gamified his own recovery, earning the support of leading oncologists and science professors, and launched the award-winning Cancer Dojo resilience app, now used by patients worldwide.

He later became the first person with hemiplegia to paddle unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean. During the 93-day expedition, he endured severe storms, isolation, equipment failures, and physical limitations that tested both preparation and mental endurance. Drawing on survival psychology and neuroscience research, Conn shows audiences how to reframe adversity, build cognitive agility and develop resilience that holds up in real-world conditions.

He has delivered keynotes and workshops to more than two million people across twenty countries, with clients including Google, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and Standard Chartered Bank. Audiences leave with a concrete framework for managing stress and anxiety using creative reframing techniques, a practical understanding of how to shift fixed thinking toward an explorer mindset, and tools drawn from Conn's medically supported methodology that have already been validated across thousands of corporate and clinical settings. For teams navigating change, Conn delivers the kind of shift in perspective that sticks long after the room clears.