Keynotes
OWN THE CLIMB®
What do the 124 Swiss Passes Challenge, the 30 Swiss Summit Challenge and business teams have in common? They all have mountains to climb – whether metaphorical or real. The mountains are the goals.
Success isn’t created at the summit. It’s created by the thousands of decisions and steps made before getting there. It is created on the climb.
From two cycling records and my latest 30 Swiss Summit Challenge, I translate the lessons from physical climbs into the climbs we face in business.
Based on my proprietary CLIMB framework®, I give my audience concrete takeaways on how to lead diverse teams through uncertainty, pressure and change, how to stay focused, deal with setbacks, manage failure, and keep performing sustainably – for you as an individual, and for your team.
Lead your challenge. Not the other way around.
OWN THE CLIMB.
Three keynotes.
Keynote 1
The 124 Swiss Passes Challenge – How Ownership Leads to Peak Performance
In 2022, I cycled all 124 Swiss mountain passes in 26 days — 1,368 km, 56,380 metres of elevation, 110 hours in the saddle. No rest day. No stable conditions. No plan B.
In this keynote I show what it takes to truly commit to a challenge, instead of waiting for perfect conditions — and what happens when the plan suddenly stops working: a construction site, right below the summit. Turn back, descend, find a new route — and climb again.
In that moment, it isn’t fitness, skills or knowledge that carries you through, but the decision to own the path.
The audience leaves the keynote with a concrete understanding of ownership-driven peak performance, ready to apply it the moment their own plan falls apart.
Keynote 2
30 Swiss Summit Challenge – Leading a Heterogeneous Team
30 mountains, 30 days, 40,000 metres of elevation — and a new team every day: familiar faces and strangers, different fitness levels, different expectations.
The keynote shows how teams stay sustainably effective under these conditions.
Take-Aways:
– How clarity about the goal and expectations makes ownership possible.
– How to enable people to take responsibility for their own path, despite uncertainty.
– How to make decisions when expectations diverge — in a way the whole team can stand behind.
Keynote 3
The Courage to Fail – Why Failure Is Part of Success
I have failed often, and hard: I gave up my career at the World Bank to become a professional cyclist – and quickly had to admit that wasn’t my path either.
At 30, I had nothing but my bike, and was searching for my purpose.
Today I am no longer afraid of failing, because I know it’s part of success.
In this keynote I show why the fear of failure often does more damage than failure itself — and how teams build a culture of learning that turns setbacks into real progress, instead of avoiding risk altogether.
Connecting sports with business
My 20 years of experience in high-performance environments doesn’t only come from sport.
I studied international security with a focus on nuclear weapons, worked for the IMF, the World Bank and in management consulting, and now lead my own business.
Having experienced myself what challenges business teams face, I understand them firsthand letting me translate the lessons from sport into the business world.
Common topics
- How to lead heterogeneous teams
- Why clarity is the start of everything
- How to maintain execution and performance under pressure
- Why ownership is the key to high performance
- Why motivation is not as crucial as you think
- Courage to fail – Why failure part of success is
Does your team OWN THE CLIMB?
Popular Format
20 – 30 min keynote + Q&A
Optional: a 30 – 60 minute interactive session to apply the principles to current projects.
Available in person and virtually.
Languages: German and English
Each keynote is preceded by a briefing call to align on your organization’s context and priorities. The content is adapted accordingly.
What leadership teams say
Neil Armstrong
European Food and Nutrition S&OP Director, Mars
Monika delivered an engaging and powerful session for Mars. Her personal story and practical CLIMB scheme gave our team a meaningful impulse to tackle their professional and personal challenges head-on. Her genuine openness to audience questions created an interactive and memorable experience!
Celeste Storchenegger
Client Community Manager, LGT Private Banking
Monika combines extreme performance with concrete implementation. Our leaders left with clear responsibility and concrete next steps.
Julia Restani
Senior Associate for Banking & Finance, GOERG
Inspiring, personal and impressive. Your impulses will be remembered – a clear recommendation.
Selection of clients
OWN THE CLIMB
Each keynote is available as a standalone session or as part of a longer engagement.
The first step is a short conversation to understand your context.