 Neal Petersen is an entrepreneur, award-winning author, solo
around the world racing yachtsman and international professional speaker. Only a
few people have realized their dreams of reaching the stars, but even fewer have
sailed alone around the world and in a home built boat!
Seemingly the most unlikely of men to compete in the elite sport of world-class
yachting, Neal Petersen has lived a modern-day adventure that affirms that
people can overcome adversity with determination and hard work. Of mixed race,
Neal Petersen was born physically disabled and impoverished in apartheid-era
South Africa, where he found healing and equality in the turbulent waters
surrounding Cape Town. Neal Petersen dreamed of building his own boat and of
sailing in the great solo races of the world.
“When you overcome obstacles, you become strong,” Neal says. Although many
people said that Neal Petersen would never achieve his dream, he persevered,
overcoming his handicap, working hard and saving the money that would give him
the means to eventually design and build his yacht, No Barriers. At age 31, Neal
Petersen raced 27,000 miles alone around the world via the Southern Ocean and
Cape Horn to become one of less than 300 people in history to achieve this feat.
Neal Petersen believes his disadvantages were really advantages to learn from
and to overcome.
Neal Petersen is the founder and executive director of the No Barriers Education
Foundation, which helps children turn dreams into reality. The Foundation’s
community outreach program worked with schools in Charleston, N.C., a two-year
commitment to demonstrate Neal Petersen’s philosophy that “in life there are no
barriers.”
Neal Petersen speaks to audiences about realizing goals using conquest over
adversity. Book Neal Petersen www.grabow.biz
Over the last ten years, Neal Petersen has helped individuals, corporations,
associations, and educational institutions learn his process to turn goals into
reality. His inspirational keynote presentations are fun and interactive, have
great audience participation, and are filled with valuable messages that make a
difference in people’s lives. Neal Petersen was recently rated “the best speaker
ever” at IBM’s Global Conference of 13,000 sales people. Neal opened the IBM
America’s/Asia/Pacific conference and addressed 8,000 attendees. He was then
requested by IBM top executives to be in Barcelona that weekend to do the IBM
European conference with 5,000 attendees, which too was rated a tremendous
success. Additionally, Neal has been honored to be one of the key speakers at
the 10th World Trade Summit of Young Entrepreneurs in Sao Paulo, Brazil, held in
spring 2006.
The subject of scores of press and TV stories, in 2000 Neal Petersen wrote and
produced a television documentary on his sailing life that is still airing on
PBS in America. Neal Petersen’s book, Journey of a Hope Merchant was published
October 2004. Journey of a Hope Merchant won the 2005 National Outdoor Book
Award (NOBA) and the Silver Medal at ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year
competition. His account of approaching Cape Horn and surviving a vicious night
of 150-foot waves and multiple knockdowns is a wonderful story of the sea, and
one man’s hope, determination, and joy for life. The story of Neal Petersen’s
compelling journey is proof that the harshest lessons learned at sea apply to
all aspects of life and that even the wildest dreams are attainable.
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