DEBRA'S BUSINESSES

SHOAL PROJECTS 

Where Business, Adventure & the Media meet to inspire action. 

Founded in 2002, Shoal manages my extreme adventure habit! I go on crazy expeditions then we write books, make TV programmes and use the lessons learnt along the way to inspire company workforces worldwide.

My first introduction to a company is often through attending their conference as the Motivational Speaker but many of these introductions have led on to fascinating projects. Our partners have had a variety of reasons for supporting my adventures – the BBC made beautiful documentaries, whereas some of our corporate clients wanted media exposure, internal employee engagement or unique client entertaining platforms.

In 2024 I launched The Debra Searle Academy, an online course platform, to help people take immediate action to implementing the mindset tools and strategies that lie behind the successes of both my businesses and adventures.

MIX DIVERSITY 

Individual Potential, Collective Success.

In 2014 I co-founded MIX with my twin Hayley Barnard. Mix is passionate about helping organisations maximise the opportunities present in a diverse workforce and customer base. To achieve this Mix offer a range of services including D&I consultancy, keynote speakers on topics such as unconscious bias and training and workshops on subjects such as inclusive leadership, as well as unique storytelling projects, such as the Women's Arctic Challenge.  In 2024, I stepped back from Mix to focus full time on The Debra Searle Academy.

Awards:
National Diversity Awards – Shortlisted – Positive Role Model for Gender
European Diversity Awards – Finalist – Inspirational Role Model of the Year
Personnel Today Awards – Finalists – HR Supplier Partnership Award.

YOUR SPEAKING CAREER 

Expert Speaking Made Simple. 

For years I kept getting asked how I had established myself as an international speaker, so we created YourSpeakingCareer.com to teach amateurs how to turn pro and help existing speakers to grow their business.

Sadly, this company was victim to the success of Shoal Projects and MIX. It is always hard to let a project go that you have loved and nurtured but as the other two companies skyrocketed it became impossible to run all three at the level it required. It was a brilliant introduction to the wonderful world of online courses, hosting a podcast and utilising social media algorithms to reach our target market, knowledge which we now utilise to grow The Debra Searle Academy. Nothing is ever wasted!