Team Building & Culture Speaker

Relay teams win together or lose together, and so does every company.

Short track relay taught Apolo that a team's culture shows up in the hardest laps, when nobody is watching the scoreboard and everybody is watching each other. He speaks and runs workshops on shared standards, trust under pressure, and how elite teams actually perform together.

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What Apolo covers

Shared Standards Beat Talent

The standard the team accepts becomes the ceiling.

Talented groups fall apart when everyone keeps a private definition of good enough. Apolo shows teams how shared standards get set, defended, and raised, and what happens to trust when leaders let them slide.

Trust Under Pressure

Built in training, revealed in the hardest moments.

In a relay exchange there is no time to negotiate, so the trust has to already exist. Apolo translates that into how teams prepare together, so the pressure moments feel familiar instead of frightening.

Culture You Can Practice

Keynotes plus hands-on workshops for your team.

Beyond the keynote, Apolo runs working sessions where teams put language to their standards and agree on how they will hold each other to them. Culture improves when it becomes something a team does together, and the workshop makes it concrete.

Built around your event

Every engagement is designed around your people and your goals, whether it's a 5,000-person sales kickoff, a conference, or a 30-person executive offsite. Formats range from 40 to 90-minute keynotes with Q&A to half-day workshops and multi-day retreats.

What event leaders say

From the moment Apolo arrived, his genuine warmth and friendliness endeared him to all our guests. He captivated the room when he took the stage and was able to inspire and entertain our audience simultaneously.Chris Simonsen, CEO, Orangewood Foundation

It's so invigorating to hear from someone who's had such unique experiences and is influencing not only sport, but also the world to talk more about mental and emotional wellbeing.Celeste Harrington, Global Benefits Manager, Microsoft

I can't think of a better person to inspire us and remind us that succeeding is a marathon, not a sprint. Apolo Ohno is the living embodiment of that mindset.Herve Sedky, President & CEO, Emerald

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Quick facts

Most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian in history: 8 Olympic medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze) across 2002, 2006, and 2010

Two-time New York Times bestselling author: Hard Pivot and Zero Regrets

20 years working with high performance teams

Has worked with Apple, Google, Nike, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Deloitte, and Citadel

Formats: 40 to 90-minute keynote with Q&A, half-day workshop, fireside chat

Audiences from 5,000-person sales kickoffs to 30-person executive offsites

Who it is for

Leadership teams, sales organizations, and operations groups that need to perform together under pressure, along with teams rebuilding culture after a merger, reorganization, or a stretch of rapid growth. The material works for intact teams in one room and for large events where many teams sit side by side.

What your team walks away with

A shared language for standards, and a way to raise them without breaking trust
A concrete picture of what trust under pressure looks like when it is built in training rather than hoped for in the moment
Practices teams can run together so the hardest moments feel familiar
An optional workshop where the team writes down its standards and how it will hold them

About Apolo

Apolo Ohno is the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian in history, with 8 medals across the 2002, 2006, and 2010 Games, including relay medals won alongside teammates he trained with daily for years. He is a two-time New York Times bestselling author of Hard Pivot and Zero Regrets, and he has spent 20 years working with high performance teams at companies including Apple, Google, Nike, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Deloitte, and Citadel.

Frequently asked questions

What does Apolo cover in a team building keynote?

Shared standards, trust under pressure, and how elite teams actually perform together, drawn from short track relay racing and 20 years working with high performance teams.

Why is relay racing the lens for team culture?

Because relay teams win or lose together. Nobody medals alone, every exchange depends on trust that was built long before the race, and that picture of interdependence maps directly onto how companies work.

Are workshops available in addition to the keynote?

Yes. Half-day working sessions where teams put language to their shared standards and agree on how they will hold each other to them. Many clients pair the keynote with a workshop the same day.

Who books this keynote?

Leadership teams, sales organizations, operations groups, and teams rebuilding culture after a merger, reorganization, or period of rapid growth.

What formats are available?

A 40 to 90-minute keynote with Q&A, a half-day workshop, or a fireside chat. Every engagement is shaped around the audience and the goals of the event.

How do we book Apolo for an event?

Reach out through the contact page at apoloohno.com/contact with your event date, audience, and goals, and the team will follow up on availability and fit.