James Laughlin
James Laughlin is a 7-Time World Champion musician, #1 best-selling author of Habits of High Performers and global keynote speaker. As a renowned strategist in High Performance Leadership, James helps businesses and teams make high performance their new normal. From boardrooms in London to missions in Antarctica, he equips leaders to unlock elite results. A history-making team captain and trusted mental skills coach to professional athletes, James brings proven tools to the world’s top performers. He also hosts the #1-ranked Habits of High Performers podcast, where he interviews prime ministers, Formula 1 teams, and best-selling authors to explore the habits behind world-class performance.
See James Laughlin in their element
Watch the showreel of James Laughlin.
James Laughlin is Seven-Time World Champion | #1 International Bestselling Author | High-Performance Coach. James Laughlin has spent more than two decades studying one question: why do some people consistently perform at their best while others struggle under pressure? A seven-time world champion, #1 international bestselling author, leadership coach and trusted advisor to CEOs, elite athletes and organisations around the world, James has distilled those lessons into practical frameworks that help people think better, lead better and perform better. James is the author of Habits of High Performers, the #1 international bestseller published by Harper Collins, which distils the principles used by world-class performers into seven practical habits anyone can apply. He is also the host of the Habits of High Performers podcast, where he has conducted more than 450 interviews with leaders, athletes and experts on what it takes to excel. His insights have featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, The Sydney Morning Herald, CEO Weekly, 1News and The Morning Show. Named Celebrity Speakers New Zealand’s Most-Booked Speaker for 2025–2026, James delivers more than 60 keynotes each year for organisations including KPMG, Air NewZealand, Rugby Australia, CBRE, Rabobank, Roche, Westpac, Deloitte, Spark, NZ Post and Dell Technologies. His keynotes combine compelling storytelling, behavioural science and practical tools audiences can implement immediately. Whether working with a senior leadership team or an audience of hundreds, James helps people perform at their best when pressure, change and uncertainty are highest. Alongside his signature keynotes, he creates customised speeches and multi-event leadership series tailored to each client’s objectives
Talks that move a room to act
Each keynote is tailored to your audience, theme and outcomes.
High performance is not reserved for an elite few. It is built through repeatable habits
Drawing on his experience as a seven-time world champion, bestselling author and high-performance coach, James combines unforgettable storytelling with practical tools that showaudiences how excellence is created. Participants leave understanding that highperformance is not simply about working harder – it is about thinking, behaving andrecovering differently.Audiences will learn how to identify the habits that have the greatest impact on performance,replace unhelpful patterns with simple, repeatable systems, and create greater clarity, focus,energy and personal accountability.
When change is constant, the ability to see and act on possibility becomes a competitive advantag
In this energising keynote, James helps leaders and teams navigate uncertainty, pressureand disruption without becoming trapped by fear, negativity or outdated thinking. Throughcompelling stories, neuroscience and practical frameworks, audiences learn how to reframechallenges, regain agency and move forward with purposeful action.Audiences will learn how to turn problems and uncertainty into opportunities for constructiveaction, challenge the thinking that limits performance and innovation, and create confidence,momentum and optimism when the path is unclear.
Inspiring reads by James Laughlin
Explore publications and books authored by James Laughlin.
Habits of High Performers
Habits of High Performers Essential Principles to Thrive in Life and Work James Laughlin | HarperCollins What separates people who consistently perform at their best from those who struggle under pressure? In Habits of High Performers, seven-time world champion and high-performance coach James Laughlin shares what he has learned from world-class performers. He distils it into seven practical habits that anyone can apply. Combining storytelling with practical tools, the book shows that high performance isn’t reserved for an elite few: it comes from how you think, behave and recover. A #1 international bestseller, it has been praised by Robin Sharma as a powerful work that decodes how the very best do it, and endorsed by Sir John Key as a book for anyone who wants to gain that high-performance edge.
What your audience walks away with
Belief
Living proof that more is possible, no matter the starting point.
Resilience
Practical strength they can use the moment they leave the room.
Permission
To talk openly about mental health and support one another.
Momentum
The motivation to act, reinvent and perform at a higher level.
What organisers say
"James is such a polished professional and really did take the time to immerse himself as part of the team. He listened intently, he used storytelling as a way of solidifying the theories he presented, he made the session engaging and memorable... He has an easy going, relaxed and informal style which we really liked... I can thoroughly recommend James for any event."
"Sometimes when you are the 'captain' of the team you can't quite find the key to the next door and you need to call a friend... In an afternoon he gave our team energy, insight that was later turned into practical mindset and clarity to move from planning into action."
"Fantastic presentation, very easy to work with and super lovely person!"
"James delivered a fantastic webinar on the Habits of High Performers for a collection of our HP staff. His storytelling was engaging, the content was practical and actionable, and he kept everyone involved throughout. A high-impact session that left us with valuable tools and insights to apply straight away."
"We've had some outstanding and dynamic speakers over the years, but none like James. The feedback we have received on his talk has been consistently great and he was very well received, with many of our people stating he was the best speaker we have engaged to date... Hire him, you will not be disappointed!"
"James was a hit with all our staff. Everyone I spoke to absolutely loved him and thought he was the best speaker we have ever had! Our staff even had some great questions for him at the end, so everyone was engaged."
Book James Laughlin for your event
Tell us about your event and a dedicated manager will confirm James Laughlin's availability and fee, usually within 24 hours.
A booking manager will be in touch within 24 hours with James Laughlin's availability and a tailored quote.
Similar voices
