Nicole Teeny: Keynote Speaker
Photo by Ti King
After a life-altering epilepsy diagnosis, Nicole Teeny set out to do something outrageous: run 50 miles against a horse. On foot.
What began as an impossible goal became a way to pull her forward: a structure for hope, adaptation, and rebuilding trust in her body. Now, she delivers cinematic keynotes on thriving in uncertainty, endurance, adaptation, and redefining strength — drawn from her acclaimed and award-winning ESPN 30 for 30 podcast GIRL v. HORSE, recognized in TIME magazine’s 100 Best Podcasts of All Time.
An award-winning filmmaker and speaker with work on Netflix, Paramount+, and ESPN, Nicole has appeared on stages ranging from the United Nations to SXSW and has become the second woman to complete a triathlon on the Antarctic continent.
recognition
Nicole turns extraordinary lived experience into cinematic keynotes about endurance, uncertainty, storytelling, and redefining strength.
Speaking Topics:
Storytelling
Health & Wellness
Thriving in Uncertainty
Endurance & Adaptation
Sports & Adventure
Patient Experience
Science & Sports
Recovery & Redefining Strength
Resilience
Women, Identity, & Social Impact
Selected Speaking Appearances:
United Nations
SXSW
Epilepsy Foundation Northeast
New York University
University of Southern California
On Air Fest
Film, health, women’s, LGBTQ+, and social-impact events
Available For:
Keynotes
Fireside Chats
Panels
Healthcare & Pharma Programs
Workshops
Retreats
Summits
Virtual Events
Podcast Interviews
Storytelling Events
Featured Keynotes
When Life Goes Off Course
What Epilepsy and Racing Horses for 50 Miles Taught Me About Hope, Adaptation, and Redefining Strength
A cinematic keynote on health, uncertainty, recovery, rebuilding trust in your body, and how to rewrite the race when life refuses to follow the plan.
going the distance: Winning the Long Game
What Racing Horses Taught Me About Sustainable Endurance, Recovery, and Moving Forward
A keynote for organizations, teams, and leaders navigating uncertainty, burnout, ambition, and the need to keep going without breaking down.
Storytelling as a Survival Tool
How the Stories We Tell Help Us Make Meaning, Build Connection, and Move Through Change
A keynote or workshop for creative, healthcare, advocacy, education, and social-impact audiences.
Also Speaking On
Women’s health, period equity, and feminist design
Religion, gender, and LGBTQ+ identity
Storytelling for social impact
Creative risk and building unconventional work
About Nicole:
Nicole Teeny is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, podcast creator, and keynote speaker who believes in the power of story. Her work spans documentary, audio storytelling, social impact, identity, health, sport, and culture. Her projects have appeared on ESPN 30 for 30, Netflix, Paramount+, and in theaters, with work showcased at SXSW, Slamdance, the Venice Film Festival, and beyond.
She created and stars in GIRL v. HORSE, the acclaimed ESPN 30 for 30 podcast recognized in TIME Magazine’s 100 Best Podcasts of All Time. The series follows Nicole’s own quest to come to terms with epilepsy and uncertainty by training for a 50-mile ultramarathon against horses.
Her endurance pursuits also include becoming the second woman to complete a triathlon on Antarctica.
A Murrow Award, Signal Award, and Slamdance Grand Jury Award winner, Nicole has spoken at the United Nations, SXSW, universities, festivals, Pride events, and health conferences. As a speaker, she brings humor, vulnerability, science, and hard-won insight to conversations about health, endurance, identity, uncertainty, and what it means to move forward when life changes the plan.