From Paralympic swimmer and corporate lawyer to sports broadcaster and stunt double for Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road, Annabelle Williams has had no shortage of interesting career experiences. Now an international motivational speaker, sports and business consultant, and diversity advocate, she draws from those experiences to guide her audiences toward personal, meaningful change. Her mission is to help people discover their hidden strengths and the resolve to pursue their own aspirations, all while being empathetic. “Building a sense of belonging is at the heart of everything I do,” she says.
The former captain of Australia’s Paralympic swim team — who’s also a gold medalist and five-time world record holder in freestyle and butterfly — was born without a left hand and forearm. But Annabelle has never let that affect her life. She finds strength in her own determination, pointing out that “it’s important to realize how much our perspective impacts our potential.” Annabelle also recognizes how much the kindness and empathy of others have shaped her life and helped her accomplish her goals, influencing the themes underlying her speeches, which include a TEDx presentation. “Finding the courage to be kind to others can sometimes be as daunting as finding the courage for our own aspirations,” she says.
It was after completing the Stanford Executive Program (SEP) — and noting the positive response to her valedictory speech — that Annabelle recognized an opportunity to help others develop the skills that led to her success, like resilience, grit, and perseverance. That set her on her current career path, spurring the leap from general counsel for the Australian Olympic Committee to speaker and consultant. Suzannah Toop, SEP ’24, calls Annabelle a true inspiration to everyone around her. “Her goal is to provide people with a practical growth mindset and resilience strategies they can access on demand, and to do this at scale,” she says. “Annabelle is not only changing the lives of those closest to her, she’s having a profound impact on people she meets all around the world.”
