About Leigh-Ann Paulick
From the broadcast studio to the keynote stage
Professional overview
For over three decades, Leigh-Ann Paulick 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, moments unfolding with no script and no second take. 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!At 50, she knew it was time to change course.
Reinvention, credibility & performance science
To deepen her understanding of performance beyond experience alone, Leigh-Ann became a Certified Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She completed their Coaching Intensive Practicum and is preparing for board certification – grounding her work in the science of stress physiology, behaviour change, and human performance.
At the same time, she stepped into a completely new arena.
Leigh-Ann became a national powerlifter.
She qualified for nationals by entering – at an age when many people wait for permission, perfect timing, or reassurance. Once there, surrounded by elite athletes, she had to perform.
That decision shaped the foundation of everything she teaches today:
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 at 50.
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 – and thrived.
Beyond the stage
When she’s not on stage, Leigh-Ann is usually in the gym, studying performance science, or revisiting classic sports moments to extract lessons she may have missed the first time.
She holds degrees in Journalism & Media Studies and Human Movement Studies – a combination that reflects her lifelong fascination with storytelling and human performance.
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Leigh-Ann travels internationally for speaking engagements. Whether your event is in Cape Town or Copenhagen, she brings real experience, authenticity, and tools audiences can use immediately.
