“If it’s meant to be it will be, if not I will make it happen.”
Lurata Lyon was a victim of human trafficking and organ harvesting in Yugoslavia whilst still a teenager. She is now an international public speaking and presentation skills coach and a motivational speaker. She has set up and run her own business in countries as far and wide as the UK and Singapore, working with C-Level clients, ambassadors and charities. She has also appeared on news programmes such as GB News.
The aim of her business is to help audiences explore how they can make better connections in their professional life and their personal life, how to overcome their obstacles so they are happier, and how to be more positive and have better outcomes.
In addition to being a superb motivational speaker she is also on the advisory board of the charity Help Children Now where she has been helping refugees in Ukraine reach safety.
In March 2024, Lurata was the recipient of the Human Rights Award at the Women’s Awards.
Contact Great British Speakers today to book human trafficking victim and motivational speaker Lurata Lyon for your next event.
Lurata Lyon was kidnapped at the age of 17 during the Yugoslavia war and held for six months in solitary confinement where she was abused and beaten. Upon being rescued, she was moved to the UK as a political refugee where she was granted permission to remain in the country indefinitely. Lurata didn’t choose to be a victim of such a heinous crime, but she chose how she reacted to it, and with over 15 years’ experience, she is now a voice to those still in need.
On her arrival in the UK, Lurata initially ran her own personal training business, focusing on delivering five-star training, injury rehabilitation, nutritional advice and personal programmes. After an injury herself, she moved into the public speaking and coaching industry, and combined with her speaking engagements, her aim is to help others reach greater heights, but more importantly, give hope and inspiration to those who are down on their luck.
In 2015, she brought out her book titled The Devil Couldn’t Break Me, in which she shares her personal horrors of the war and her awful ordeal at the hands of kidnappers. She hopes the book will raise awareness and funds for charities that support women and children against violence. Lurata has also been featured in best-selling author Ralph Pezzullo’s podcast Heroes Behind Headlines where she talked about her incredible story of survival from the $150 billion-a-year business of human trafficking.
In 2023 Lurata release ‘Unbroken’ Surviving Human Trafficking, which is available on Amazon.
As a motivational speaker Lurata Lyon portrays her messages through speaking engagements at private events, conferences or at individual business meetings. She also runs her own masterclass where she focuses on communication and presentation skills, mindset and overcoming obstacles.
– Team bonding
– Learning a range of cutting-edge communication skills and when to apply them
– Improving the ability to manage key stakeholders, teams, and managing upwards effectively
– Ability to win and succeed in pitches and sales meetings
– Becoming an inspiring, impactful and influential presenter, from one-to-one meetings to large groups
– Focusing on mental health and wellbeing
Lurata has worked with a number of small and large corporate clients including WPP Stream Asia – where over 500 attendees saw her in action as a motivational speaker for the likes of – Acosphere, Amobee, ClearView, Dentsu, Engie, Forrester, GingerMay, Goldman Sachs, OAG, Oath, Sanwa, Skybound Capital, The Drum, Ultimate Asset, UN Women.
What You Will Gain:
Through her after-dinner speeches, conference events or intimate meetings, Lurata aims to teach audiences how to raise their self confidence and self-belief, help them gain a different perspective of their life and work environment, inspire them to overcome their obstacles, how to perform better under pressure and how to show compassion.
A Chat with Lurata Lyon
As part of our ‘Chat with…’ podcast series at Great British Speakers, our director Jane Farnham sat down with Lurata to talk about her experience with human trafficking and organ harvesting, her charity work, her entrepreneurial spirit, and how to make better personal and professional connections.
Lurata is heavily involved in martial arts including Brazil Jiu Jitsu, kickboxing and is a black belt in Taekwondo, she has had small parts in a number of feature films, and she is passionate about fast cars and motorbikes.
Lurata spoke of human resilience and mindset at one of our events at Goldman Sachs in Singapore. Her horrific story, the experience she has had and the determination she has gained against all the odds, left us all feeling moved, inspired and with a strong belief that you can go through anything in life, literally and still find a way to overcome your obstacles, succeed and reach your goals.
Selina McCole, Global Head for Operations & Supply Chain and Supplier Diversity at Goldman Sachs
Having heard about Lurata’s life story from the people in the industry and her amazing work on Presentation skills, Mindset, Mental Health and Human resilience, WPP was honoured to invite Lurata as a guest speaker at our global conference in Thailand called Stream Asia which is a 3-day event. She shared her chilling experiences in such a profound way, yet it left the audience in tears, including myself. Never have we thought we would be in the presence of someone that’s been through such an inhuman act, but her humbleness and warmth reassured us that we could go through anything and still survive not only that but become stronger and wiser. Lurata inspired the attendees so much so that she was invited back to WPP Stream Asia the following year. She is amazing.
Scott Spirit, WPP
I knew Lurata’s story to some extent, but little did I know how her experience and her speech can blow people away. She is very engaging, funny, humble and down to earth yet wise, knowledgeable, experienced and inspiring. I couldn’t have wished to have had anyone else for our event. Totally and utterly mind-blowing speech.
Victoria Usher, CEO and Founder at Multi-Award-Winning Agency GingerMay
Oath APAC engaged Lurata Lyon to provide training across a breadth of presentation disciplines and results were instant, blatantly apparent and instantly provided ROI, I would not hesitate to recommend Lurata Lyon to anyone looking to invest in their employee skill development and progression,.
Managing Director, Oath
A unique approach to coaching that really cuts through, makes even the most accomplished presenters and public speakers realise there is always room for improvement.
CEO, ClearView Group
Having Lurata train my teams on presentation skills was just an eye-opener, there is always room for improvement and gain more confidence.
CEO & Founder, Sanwa
Speaking to the team just now the feedback has been extremely positive, and I could see myself the improvement that is on display following your training.
VP, SEA, Amobee
I attended one of Lurata’s training sessions and was excellent. The techniques were so useful and after just one session I noticed a vast improvement in my presentation skills. Lurata is great to work with… patient, insightful and inspiring and would highly recommend her services to any company where presenting is an important part of business. I take with me some really valuable learning which will in turn improve my professional performance and will have positive impact on results. Thank you Lurata.
Regional Director, Client and Product Strategy, Dentsu