From the Studio to the Stage
Professional Overview
For almost three decades, Leigh-Ann had what many would call the best seat in the house.
As a sports broadcaster, she witnessed careers being made and broken in real time – athletes at their most vulnerable as moments unfolded. She covered major sporting events, interviewed champions and underdogs, and learned to think clearly and speak confidently when live broadcasts didn’t go to plan.
When a satellite feed failed, Leigh-Ann filled five minutes of dead air. When athletes froze, she turned one-word answers into compelling television.
Those years taught her something most people spend their careers trying to avoid:
How to perform brilliantly under pressure!
Expansion Into Performance Science
“I'm still working in sports broadcasting as a freelancer. But I'm also expanding that expertise into new arenas where the same principles apply: corporate stages, boardrooms, and leadership teams facing high-stakes pressure.
“The broadcasting industry is changing. Opportunities aren't what they were. But that evolution created space for something I'd been contemplating: How do I share these hard-won lessons with people who face pressure moments but haven't had 30 years to practice?
“The answer: I expand.
“I became a certified health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and completed their Coaching Intensive Practicum.
“I also qualified for the SA National Powerlifting championships. In fact, I qualified for nationals by being the only woman who entered in my weight and age category. Some people heard that and thought it diminished the achievement. I saw it differently: You can't win if you're not in the arena. Most people wait for perfect conditions, for permission, for the "right time." I entered anyway. That lesson became the foundation of everything I now teach.”
"You can’t win if you’re not in the arena."What Leigh-Ann Brings
to the Stage
Not your Typical Speaker
Leigh-Ann doesn’t come from academia or corporate consulting. She comes from the trenches – with more than 30 years of public performance under intense scrutiny, where mistakes were immediate and visible.
She has interviewed Olympians moments after victory and defeat, covered World Cups and major championships, and witnessed first-hand what separates those who thrive under pressure from those who falter.
Then she did something many speakers talk about – but never do.
She reinvented herself.
And she’s still living that reinvention.
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Not theory from a textbook, but lessons learned from thousands of hours performing live, when there was no safety net and no rewind button.
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As a certified health coach, Leigh-Ann understands what happens to the nervous system, cognition, and body under pressure, and how to work with those responses instead of fighting them.
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As a national powerlifter, she practices what she teaches. When she speaks about nerves, confidence, and high-stakes performance, she’s not speaking from memory—she’s speaking from this week’s training session.
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She understands what it feels like to question relevance, value, and longevity, and how to rewrite that narrative with action, not platitudes.
Who Leigh-Ann Works With
Leigh-Ann works with individuals and teams who face high-pressure moments regularly, including:
✓ Executives presenting to boards or investors
✓ Sales teams closing critical deals
✓ Leaders navigating crisis or organisational change
✓ Professionals delivering high-visibility presentations
✓ Teams managing performance expectations and deadlines
✓ Mid-career professionals focused on staying relevant
✓ Anyone who needs to perform when there is no second chance
She doesn’t offer generic motivation.
She delivers practical frameworks, real stories, and battle-tested strategies from someone who has lived in the pressure cooker.
Beyond the Stage
Leigh-Ann is a life-long learner - studying performance science, or revisiting classic sports moments to extract lessons she may have missed the first time.
She holds a Bachelors degree in Journalism & Media Studies, and an Honours degree in Human Movement Studies – a combination that reflects her lifelong fascination with storytelling and human performance.
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, she works both locally and internationally – either covering sporting events as a broadcaster or delivering keynotes and training for corporate audiences. Whether your event is in Cape Town or Copenhagen, she brings real experience, authenticity, and tools audiences can use immediately.
If that's the kind of expertise your audience needs, she'd be honoured to work with you.
