Brett Burton

HIGH PERFORMANCE · RESILIENCE · LEADERSHIP

Inspiring
people to perform
at their best consistently,
build resilience
and lead
with intent

Inspiring
people to
build resilience
and lead
with intent

High performance leadership starts here.

Brett Burton is a high-performance coach and motivational speaker, helping leaders and their teams become high performing and resilient. He teaches practical, science-backed skills to help people build the mindset, habits and resilience to perform and lead consistently at their best.

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21Years in AFL
177AFL Games
'09Mark of the Year
AFLPAPresident
HOFHead of Football
Meet Brett

The story behind the speaker.

21 years. A Grand Final. A very public sacking. And a daily system built from the science of rebuilding himself. Watch Brett tell it.

Brett Burton | Built to Come Back

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01

The Climb

Told he was too small. Left out of underage teams. He showed up anyway. 177 games, Mark of the Year, AFL Players Association President, High Performance Manager, Head of Football.

02

The Fall

2017: Grand Finalists. 2019: a fractured playing group, national media scrutiny, and a very public sacking. Not a quiet exit. Front page.

03

The Rebuild

Instead of retreating, Brett went deep. Neuroscience, positive psychology, structured daily practice. 4:30am physical, mental and emotional training. Seven days a week. A system for rebuilding himself.

What Brett Delivers

Not another
resilience talk.

Brett doesn't stand on stage and tell your team to believe in themselves. He teaches the science of what to actually do, before 7am, before the meeting, before the next difficult moment arrives.

His programs are built on an Honours Degree in Applied Science, a decade of senior leadership in the AFL, and a system he lives every single day. Your audience has heard the winning story. Brett gives them something more useful: a proven way through the hard part and how to set themselves up to be high performing — at their best consistently for what matters most.

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Keynotes

30 to 60 minutes. Four signature keynotes including "High-Performance Leadership: Built to Come Back". Every person leaves with a system they can use tomorrow.

Keynotes Overview Download

Workshops

90 minutes to half-day. Deep-dive into High Performance, Wellbeing and Leadership. Individual reflection and team connection built in. Practical frameworks, not theory.

Team Programs & Retreats

Multi-session engagement across High Performance, Wellbeing, Leadership and Culture. Off-site retreats for deep reflection, mind-body reset and genuine team transformation.

1-on-1 High Performance Coaching

Personalised support, a tailored action plan, and the accountability you need to consistently be high performing. Built around your specific challenges and goals.

The Framework

Five pillars.
One system.

Brett's methodology is grounded in evidence, not inspiration. Every program returns to these five foundations.

01

Energy

How we lead ourselves with Energy. The daily physical training, cold exposure, discipline around nutrition and sleep. Grounded in the latest high-performance science. Not performance theatre — proof the system works.

02

Optimism

Drawing on neuroscience and lived experience, Brett teaches how the brain responds to challenge and uncertainty — how to let go of what we can't control and why the best high performers operate with Optimism.

03

Calmness

After a very public fall, Brett had to rebuild who he was, not just what he did. He teaches the emotional control strategies he uses every day — to manage stress, anxiety and pressure and lead with Calmness.

04

Gratitude

Connection is performance infrastructure, not a soft metric. Brett teaches how to invest in strengthening our relationships and why regularly showing Gratitude drives trust, belonging and genuine connection.

05

Intent

Purpose is the engine. Brett's rebuilding centred on something larger than career — his mission to help his family and others learn the practical, science-backed actions required to become high performing and resilient leaders.

Brett's Story

From Whyalla
to Grand Final.
And everything after.

For more than two decades, Brett Burton lived and breathed high performance.

Across 21 years in the AFL as a player, high-performance coach and senior leader, he was respected within the industry for continually pushing the boundaries of human performance and having a deep understanding of what it takes to perform consistently at the highest level.

Then, in 2019, everything changed.

After being caught up in a controversial pre-season football camp, Brett was suddenly sacked from the role he worked hard to achieve and loved with passion. In the space of 24 hours, he went from life member and career success to unemployed, with a wife and five children to support.

What followed was the most challenging period of his life and, ultimately, the most defining. After initially struggling, mentally and emotionally, Brett made the decision to plot a path forward. He immersed himself in studies of how both the mind and body can be strengthened to overcome the difficulties we all experience. He built on his extensive experience in elite sport and physical development and broadened his scope to take in the related fields of personal and group wellbeing, human performance, leadership and resilience.

Understanding and renewal were not easy, and not overnight, but Brett eventually bounced back, built a new career and, most importantly renewed himself physically, mentally and emotionally. The experience also transformed his understanding of what it means to be a high performing, resilient leader.

Brett is convinced that the goal is not simply about achieving more or being more successful but, rather, it is about developing the mindset, habits and behaviours so that we:

can consistently be at our best for what matters most to us (High Performance)
overcome the challenges and setbacks which inevitably come (Resilience)
positively influence and support those we interact with in a consistent way (Leadership)

Over the last seven years, Brett has taught 15,000+ people from around the world, the practical science-backed skills required to lead themselves and their teams everyday with ENERGY, CALMNESS, OPTIMISM, GRATITUDE and INTENT.

Brett is not selling another story about winning. Rather he teaches a system for people wanting to consistently perform at their best, have the skills to overcome challenge when it matters most and positively influence the people in their lives – their family, friends, community and colleagues.

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“Your room doesn't need another success story. They need to know what to do when everything falls apart.”

Brett Burton
Trusted By

15,000+ leaders across
Australia’s leading organisations.

Testimonials

What they took away.

“Brett delivered a powerful presentation on mental wellbeing and resilience that deeply resonated with our workforce. His authenticity shone through, sharing practical strategies that inspired reflection and genuine connection.”

Michael Draper EGM - Health & Safety, Adbri

“I would highly recommend Brett to anyone looking for a speaker. The professionalism and passion he delivers with are second to none. The programs he has facilitated for us at Perks have been of exceptional quality and real value to our culture and development.”

James Black CEO, Perks

“Brett, you delivered 40+ presentations for us nationally, with an energetic, highly engaging style and practical insights. Feedback was exceptional, with 99% of attendees rating it a positive experience and recommending it to others. Brett you were a pleasure to work with and we look forward to what’s next.”

Peter Napolitano Head of HSE, Australian Gas Infrastructure Group

“Brett delivered an exceptional presentation for our Physical Security leadership team, combining deep high-performance expertise with practical, actionable behaviours. The session sparked meaningful reflection, strengthened team connection, and sharpened how we operate day to day.”

Rob Condina Microsoft, APAC Datacentre, Microsoft

“Brett has worked with our regional leaders and leadership group on self-leadership, how our behaviour impacts others, and the traits of high-performing leaders and teams. His approach is relatable, practical, powerful and motivating, with bespoke content tailored to our audience and objectives. Brett has the ability to captivate and connect with audiences of 10 or 100+.”

Alyson Gilbey Sr Manager HRBP

“Brett has been a trusted partner to AGIG, supporting our Executive team and workforce through coaching, leadership development and wellbeing initiatives. His authentic style, practical insights and genuine care for people have enabled meaningful conversations and lasting behavioural change. Brett has a unique ability to engage people at all levels of the organisation with a positive impact on both individual wellbeing and team performance.”

Johanna Birgersson EGM People Safety & Culture
Book Brett

Ready to bring Brett
to your team?

Whether you need a keynote, a half-day workshop, or a multi-session team program, Brett customises everything to your audience and your challenge.

hello@brettburton.com.au +61 (0)400 247 467 brettburton.com.au
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