Ryan Campbell

Ryan Campbell holds the Guinness World Record as the youngest person to fly solo around the world, and his story of triumph, crash, and comeback has made him one of the most compelling voices on resilience, mental health, and the power of joy in sustaining high performance under pressure. He speaks on resilience, burnout prevention, mental health, and the surprising role that small pleasures play in sustaining performance, drawing from experiences as a world record-breaking pilot, a plane crash survivor, and a comeback paraplegic. He has been named one of Australia’s 50 Great Explorers.

The Record-Breaking Flight and the Crash
At 19, Campbell personally fundraised 250,000 dollars and completed a solo circumnavigation in a single-engine aircraft, earning international headlines including a feature on 60 Minutes. Two years later, the engine of a Tiger Moth quit immediately after takeoff. His passenger, also a pilot, did not survive. Campbell was cut from the wreckage with five breaks in his back, a complete paraplegic diagnosis, and broken bones from face to feet. Over the next 18 months he fought back to walking, and ultimately back to flying.

The Pink Cadillac Framework
Now based in Nashville, Tennessee, Campbell discovered that the missing ingredient in his recovery was not ambition but joy: an Elvis-inspired 1960 pink Cadillac he purchased as a reminder to prioritize what recharges us. This insight became his keynote framework, empowering organizations to build what he calls JoyFueled teams. He speaks on resilience, burnout recovery, mental health, adversity leadership, and the business case for well-being.

What does Ryan Campbell speak about?

Ryan Campbell became the youngest person to fly solo around the world at age 19, covering 24,000 miles across 15 countries in a 70-year-old aircraft. He speaks on courage, preparation, and achieving audacious goals, sharing the lessons learned from his record-breaking flight. Ryan’s story of meticulous planning and bold execution inspires audiences to pursue their own ambitious dreams.

What is Ryan Campbell’s background?

Ryan Campbell is known for: Youngest Person to Fly Solo Around the World, Author.

Who books Ryan Campbell to speak?

Meeting planners book Ryan Campbell for youth-audience and goal-setting conferences that want a genuinely record-setting achievement — youngest person to circle the globe solo — as concrete proof that meticulous preparation beats fear.

What’s Your Pink Cadillac? The Transformational Power of Prioritizing Joy

Dive into the joy-fueled resilience hidden in our hobbies, interests, and simple pleasures. In a fast-paced world where our challenges are relentless and the solutions seem out of reach, Ryan delivers a message of accessible, attainable change. From the highs of a world record-breaking expedition to the most unimaginable low of a plane crash and paraplegic diagnosis, Ryan uses his story to highlight the realities of adversity and the role of resilience. A message built on the importance of mental health and self-care, What’s Your Pink Cadillac? uncovers the most unexpected, transformational tool discovered in the most unexpected place, the purchase of a 1960 Pink Cadillac. Get ready to smile like a kid, step back, and show up better.

As a result of this program, attendees will:

– Develop a new understanding of adversity and the role of resilience

– Discover the hidden power of our hobbies, interests, and simple pleasures

– Unlock the tools to improve mental health, fuel performance, and improve culture

– Identify and share their own personal Pink Cadillacs

– Identify the five steps to driving our Pink Cadillacs