Discover how Australia’s leading motivational speakers, including Eric Bailey, turn adversity into strength. These five practical lessons will help you overcome challenges in your personal and professional life.
Adversity Isn’t The Enemy — It’s The Assignment
Let’s be real.
Adversity is not a matter of if — it’s when.
Life doesn’t give out free passes. It hands out challenges, setbacks, disappointments, and obstacles — and the world’s best leaders and speakers don’t escape this reality. They’ve just learned to respond differently.
Some of Australia’s most respected motivational speakers have one thing in common — we’ve faced storms, but we refuse to stay stuck in them.
As someone who has spoken across five continents, in front of millions, and led teams in both business and sport, here are five practical lessons I’ve learned (often the hard way) that will help you overcome adversity in your own life.
1. Adversity Reveals — It Doesn’t Define
Your struggle doesn’t define you — your response does.
Great leaders know that adversity exposes the real you. When life presses in, what’s inside comes out.
Are you bitter — or better?
Are you reactive — or resilient?
Every championship athlete, every business leader, every person of faith I know has faced a moment where they had to choose: Stay stuck or step up.
Adversity strips away the noise and shows you who you really are.
2. Consistency Beats Talent Every Day
The best motivational speakers in Australia didn’t get here by accident.
We didn’t wake up motivated every day.
We built habits when it was hard. We showed up when it wasn’t glamorous. We did the unseen work that eventually brought visible results.
I call it the P.A.T. Formula:
→ Persistence. Attitude. Tenacity.
This is how you outlast adversity.
Not because you’re the smartest or fastest — but because you refused to quit when everyone else did.
3. You Need a Team in Your Corner
Don’t believe the lie that you’re supposed to do life alone.
Isolation kills dreams.
In my leadership role at NLR Group, I’ve seen firsthand the power of a healthy, values-driven team culture.
We work hard. We problem-solve. We overcome obstacles together.
And you know what else we do?
We laugh. We shoot hoops. We tell stories. We encourage each other.
Your environment matters.
Build a tribe that believes in you — even when life is throwing punches.
4. Control The Controllables
Adversity can paralyze you — if you focus on what you can’t change.
Here’s the truth: 90% of life is out of your control.
But the remaining 10%? That’s yours to own.
Your effort. Your attitude. Your words. Your work ethic.
In moments of challenge, I remind myself and my teams:
“Stay in your lane. Do your job. Lead yourself well.”
You can’t control the economy.
You can’t control other people’s opinions.
But you can control you — and that’s enough to change everything.
5. Faith Turns Setbacks Into Setups
Let me be clear — without my faith, I wouldn’t be standing here.
Faith is the ultimate adversity weapon.
It gives you hope when circumstances say otherwise. It gives you peace in chaos. It gives you courage when fear is screaming.
I believe every person is created with purpose. I believe every challenge can be turned into a lesson, a blessing, and a testimony.
As I often share in my keynote talks:
“Tough times don’t last — tough people of faith do.”
When adversity comes — and it will — don’t shrink back.
Get fuelled by the Word. Get around people of vision. Get anchored in something bigger than you.
That’s how you turn adversity into your greatest advantage.
Final Word from Eric Bailey
“Adversity doesn’t break champions — it builds them. Every scar tells a story. Every setback is a setup. And every storm is an opportunity for your faith to prove stronger than your fear.”
— Eric Bailey, Australia’s #1 Motivational Speaker 2025
