#BecauseICan free school workshops and school speaker

with Vanessa Ruck aka The Girl On A Bike

Vanessa Ruck is a TEDx & award winning motivational speaker, motorcycle racer and adventurer, rally driver, content creator and presenter – 460k+ followers

School children are being inspired and encouraged to take a Because I Can attitude with workshops and speaker sessions – suitable for primary and secondary school children. The movement is all about giving kids the right tools to take on life, despite the setbacks and uncertainties, such as covid-19. The initiative has come about as a vehicle to motivate kids to go beyond their comfort zone and demonstrate anyone can achieve great things with the right mindset and the appropriate training.

I believe that it’s about realising that wanting to quit is normal, that anxiety and stress can be overcome and that with the right mindset and strategies anything is possible. Born from real life experiences, her workshops bring highly relatable lessons and tools to help better equip youths, and adults alike, for the battles and challenges of life.

At a time when the world is full of doom and gloom, particularly for the ‘lost generation’ of school students interrupted by covid, I want to deliver a real drive and inspiration. Bringing real life challenges, battles and big goals to youth in the hope that it will encourage the future generation to get up and take life by the hands and focus on what they can do.

Organised by me Vanessa Ruck, I attend schools to deliver workshops on finding ways to make things work, dealing with the lows and the set backs, whilst moving steadily towards the objective. 

What a refreshing presenter!
Vanessa delivered an emotional and hard hitting story, with clear and concise strategies for thriving in life, in a cool, calm and professional manner. Vanessa spoke to all year groups and delivered smaller group workshops to our disadvantaged students. She showed a deft ability to switch between the styles needed in these different environments and has built a lasting impression with many of the students she interacted with. Vanessa lures the students attention with her knowledge and experience and when their guard is down she delivers the tough lessons that they need to hear. We look forward to working with her again in the future.

Richard STEELE, Rednock School

Vanessa brings fresh perspective to a diverse range of kids from age 6 up to 18.

“The energy Vanessa brought to the school was fantastic. Not only is her story inspirational but she actually delivers actionable tools the kids can relate too.” 

Ben Cordy, Leeds Faith In Schools

With engaging storytelling, Vanessa’s sessions can deliver practical advice on: 

• Reality that life does have challenges and battles – it’s normal
• Learning to accept your situation and focus on the road ahead
• Importance of talking about mental health and asking for help
• Working on outcomes with goal setting to keep focused
• Dealing with pressure and anxiety by utilising the facts in the situation and pushing aside the ‘noise’
• Empowerment through mindfulness
• FEAR being False-Expectations-Appearing-Real
• The importance of understanding the facts in the situation and pushing aside the ‘noise’ when anxiety hits 
• Importance and benefit of gratitude
• Taking control to find the solution with an overcome mindset
• Remembering that wanting to quit is normal – but what makes you extraordinary is not quitting 

More practical, smaller group sessions can cover:

Really the options are huge, we can work together for something more bespoke for the needs of your school or students. However, as food for thought, these more intimate sessions could cover:

• Reflection on past challenges
• Learning from our own mindset
• Current and future challenges and areas for preparation
• Goal setting for big stretch ambitions but also smaller goals to work towards the big goals
• Identifying obstacles and areas where support can be utilized
• Finding areas for gratitude
• Self care and body image
• Female empowerment and believe

By the end, the children are challenged to come up with their own #BecauseICan challenge and set goals. 

What is on offer?

The school workshops that can take a very flexible form:

• large assembly presentations with audience engagement
• Smaller more intimate round table sessions
• Interactive mini workshops
• Evening parent sessions
• Staff sessions

Parent and staff sessions of the school speaker sessions are a great way to help triangulate the support network around kids to help the thought process continue. Conversations at the dinner table, support at home, and everyone understanding the language used during our sessions helps empower kids to put their learnings into action.

Really the options are open so please do get in touch and we can discuss the best plan for your school.

How it works:

1. Contact Vanessa Ruck
2. Discuss your school’s needs, programmes and how best to fit the workshops into your programmes
3. Book a date and ideally organise multiple sessions across the day /days to get the largest impact for travel
4. Vanessa will come and deliver

What is the cost?

Schoool work shops are free! However, based on recent feedback from multiple schools and due to incredible high demand I am now asking if a donation towards my time is feasible. I am unfortunately unable to sustain life with giving so much time and the costs of travel/hotels. I’ve been on a mission since my accident to help others with life’s battles. If I can help just one kid each time I share my story it somehow makes everything I’ve been through so much more worthwhile.

The recommended donation towards my time is £300 per visit and it can be maximized for up to 5 hours of sessions [any more any my voice will hate me!]. This supports my time and also the cost of fuel, accommodation and food while in travel.

However…..I don’t want students to miss out because of this. I’m aware that there are many schools with small budget pots they can dip into, but there are also many schools without this funding available. Therefore if you’re a school where there really is no funding to help further engage students please do reach out and we can see how we can find a solution to work.

All workshops and sessions are also available for clubs, groups and corporate events but these are at a higher cost – any paid events help me to keep a subsidised rate for schools enabling me to give time to schools for a more lower rate.

How can you help?

– Schools message me to book your speaking event
– Brands reach out to support the big picture and schools programme
– Corporations please reach out to book me for your motivational speaking, employee engagement, diversity & inclusion, key note speaker, annual conference headline speaker etc
– Book me for resilience training at your company as the funding helps support my subsidised schools programme

I offer youngsters a new perspective on life’s outcomes and highlight an approach to reaching life’s goals. Be part of the solution!

About Vanessa Ruck

As a motorcycle rider and racer, Vanessa speaks passionately and authentically about the challenges of recovery from a life changing accident and making the most of every day. After being hit by a car while cycling in 2014, Vanessa’s world was turned upside down, resulting in 7 surgeries and a roller-coaster of mental and physical recovery spanning 7 years. Through her recovery she discovered motorcycles, becoming known as “The Girl On A Bike”.  

‘Motorcycles, something I started post-accident, have become my love and passion. If you’d asked me 7 years ago whether I would be racing off-road motorcycles I’d have probably choked on my drink! But life takes us on some amazing journeys.’ 

‘People can relate to my story because everyone goes through bad times. Hopefully I am inspiring others with my school sessions to show that if I can bounce back after 7 surgeries, others can get through their hard times.’ 

Helping Inspire Others to Make the Most of Each Day

Combining her ten-year career in marketing and her resilience for life, Vanessa has built a following of over 250,000. She now inspires others to get up and tackle the battles life throws at us with gratitude and happiness. Instead of adding to the sometimes-toxic social media landscape filled with ‘all so perfect’ lives, she’s real and honest, sharing the highs and the lows. Showing the strength needed to come out stronger against life’s curve-balls.

She’s absolutely brilliant, she’s so engaging. I could listen to her for hours and it’s so clear the kids will take loads away from what they’ve heard.

Anonymous teacher

Vanessa is on a mission to show that nothing is impossible if you work hard enough, even as a slightly reconstructed person following the accident. Vanessa has successfully leveraged the power of social media, passionate storytelling and marketing to share her story and inspire others. She empowers others with the lessons she has learned through her emotional, thought provoking and highly engaging story.

​If you can pull her away from her bikes, she will bring an incredible energy to your school for pure resilience, determination and inspiration.

What the audience can expect

An exciting story of sports and challenges from the point of view of Vanessa, who as a fit and active individual with many passions was struck down by an easily avoidable accident and went on to find new ways of slaking her thirst for adventure by becoming “The Girl on a Bike”.

Presentation Approach

Vanessa speaks from the heart, and as such will take the group on a journey of emotions. They will feel they are with her through the adversity and adventure alike and will come away from the presentation with a renewed vigour and outlook.

For further information, including booking a school visit for your school, please get in touch.  

You never grow in your comfort zone

The Girl On A Bike

Hear what some of the schools have to say:

“Vanessa worked with 440 children in one afternoon across years 9, 10 and 11. Each session had clear messages linked to their personal experiences, but they also managed to carefully reflect the needs of each group to maximise possible impacts. Her ability to create links between her own seemingly untouchable achievements and the everyday mindset needed by us all, captured their audience’s attention.”

Matt Skinner – Personal Development and Wellbeing @CMCS

“Vanessa embodies the mindset that sits at the heart of the #BecauseICan project. Her experience, storytelling and ability to apply her learning to others has inspired young people across Leeds to step up throughout the multiple school tours of Leeds. Tooled with the insights from their sessions I’m excited to see how the young people we work with will put the #BecauseICan mindset into practice”

Ben Cordy, Leeds Faith In Schools

Over 20 years of working in education I’ve listened to many different speakers on a wide range of interesting topics; however, I must say that your incredibly powerful and engaging presentation was by far the most enjoyable and beneficial presentation I have been privileged to witness. You have a natural way to deliver and engaged the pupils, you speak from the heart and share experiences wholeheartedly with the pupils. You are inspiring not just to the children but to the adults that were in the room, all humans need more speakers such as yourself that provide a truly engaging and supportive approach towards everyone’s lives, your belief in them was genuine and they could feel this!  

Phil Keeling Burton, Orchard School, Bristol

“Just wanted to say a huge thank you for the time and energy that you gave to the students on Tuesday. The assemblies were brilliant – they developed your inspirational story and then made it very relatable to how students can use mindset to achieve goals. Vanessa’s obvious enthusiasm for life and her inspirational story connected with students and helped them to think about their own life goals and barriers to success . The workshop was particularly powerful and Vanessa worked empathetically with the groups to discuss their aspirations and plans. It would lovely if you could revisit”

Sarah Haines, Headteacher, Bradon Forest School

“We absolutely loved your visit.  The girls were totally transfixed during your talk (this doesn’t always happen, especially on the last day of term!).  You pitched it perfectly to all the girls in the audience and their huge number of questions at the end was testament to their interest in everything you had talked about.  It was fun, interesting, thought provoking and inspiring on all levels.  Life doesn’t always take the perfectly paved path you imagine and you have to take what’s thrown at you and make the most if it!   Thank you for making it a truly memorable End of Term Lecture!”

Fiona Haywood, St Catherine’s Association

Want to donate and support more subsidised school programme?

I unfortunately do have somewhat limited resources so I am always welcome to sponsors supporting me. Please do get in touch to donate and help me fund more school visits.

Supported by …. could your name / brand go here?

As a small individual I am desperate for any support to help me keep on visiting schools. Please get in touch to make a donation or sponsor the schools programme.

Contact me via email – hello @ thegirlonabike.com for corporate or club bookings see here.