Performing Under Pressure
When the stakes are this high we must be focused, resilient, and well prepared. As the Co-Creator of The U.S. Navy Warrior Toughness program, Stephen teaches how the same techniques used by the Navy & SEAL operators can be applied to leading & developing high-performance teams in business as well as by individuals in their personal and professional lives.
PROVEN RESULTS
Stephen offers concrete methods that allow for:
- Proven Training and Preparation Methods for Enhanced Execution
- Increased Employee Engagement
- Stronger Team Collaboration
- Optimal Performance Under Pressure
- Agility & Stress Management
- Adaptability & Change Management
- Increased EQ
I can say with all confidence and on behalf of our leadership team, that your session was impactful. In fact, I'm still hearing buzz about it! Likewise, I hope to have the opportunity to work with you, and Kelly, again as well!
CMP, Sr. Manager Business Strategy, Charles Schwab
Steve did a great job presenting relevant, implementable and practical information to our group in an engaging presentation. WE look forward to working with him again.
President & Founder Carver Financial Services, Inc.
Our elite warriors train to respond with success when the stakes are high. I had the pleasure of Steve presenting to my leaders and discussing how our best, do what they do. It was an outstanding talk. If you’re looking for a top quality speaker to train your team how to perform when the stakes are high, I highly recommend that you give Steve a call!
V.P. Organ Health, Natera
Stephen’s presentation to our sales and medical team was a true highlight that set the stage for a successful meeting and year. He took the time to understand our challenges and meet our people, which led to a customized presentation about how to successfully perform in critical situations-which for a sales team is every time they are in front of a customer. Importantly, he provided relatable stories while giving us proven effective techniques and strategies that applied to everyone in the room. Simply put it was a home run.
EVP, TerSera Therapeutics
Steve’s presentation was entertaining, riveting and inspiring. His speech left a lasting impression with our entire audience. We look forward to partnering again in the future.
V.P. Fuel Sales & Marketing ǀ Parent Petroleum, Inc.
Thank you (for the deep dive workshop) the team I think responded with the best compliment possible: ‘Stephen exceeded our expectations’ ! Thanks again for the Challenge coin!
Sales Director, Mid America Sales
Stephen is a phenomenal keynote speaker! His experience with the Navy SEALs and his ability to relate that to civilian life through stories and insights is one of a kind. He’s also a pleasure to work with and a great guy.
Head of Sales, Wealth Management Solutions, Schroders
Your talk was much needed and truly motivating. Thank you again for sharing your story and your insights on how to stay motivated & productive. Your content was easy to follow, and the prompts in the chat helped people actively reflect.
Global Sales Training Specialist, Spotify
"Steve Drum’s energetic and motivating presentation on his experience as a Navy SEAL and “Warrior Toughness” trainer demonstrated how preparedness, collaboration, mindfulness and execution are skills needed to achieve your personal best in high stakes situations – a mindset that is increasingly important as companies look to deliver innovative solutions for their customers."
Head of Programs Zurich North America
"I recently had Steve speak at our annual Sales kick-off. Steve’s presentation was engaging, spoke to the focus areas for Accertify and really resonated with our organization. I was really impressed with the time that Steve took to get to know me and the context for which I was asking him to present. One the day of his presentation he turned-up several hours ahead of his presentation and stayed to mingle and answer questions afterwards. Steve is a powerful speaker who imparted meaningful and well thought-out messages to my team. A class act in all respects!"
V.P. Global Sales and Partnership, Accertify
Steve’s (virtual) presentation was thought-provoking and tremendously inspiring. From lessons learned over two decades as a Navy Seal, Steve provided our audience with the tools and tactics necessary to achieve and sustain high performance as leaders. Steve is a must-see presenter for those looking for inspiration, motivation, and ideas on how to perform your best and face adversity.
Regional Vice President, Hartford Funds
"I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Steve Drum present his strong message on commitment, preparation, execution and reflection multiple times. Steve’s presentation style and delivery are both engaging and captivating. He will leave you thinking differently about your approach, your mindset and how you deliver on results. Steve’s humility, realistic and proven techniques will help you and your teams perform better."
Director, Department of Defense, CDW-G
Over the past four years I have interviewed over 300 people on leadership. I just heard Steve speak and he is #1 on my list! He effortlessly taught me to apply what he learned during 27 years in the SEAL teams to my life and organization. His framework of Intentionality, Proficiency, Agility and Accountability is brilliant, simple to apply and Steve provided tools that were immediately actionable.
CEO, Beyond Influence
I first heard Steve speak as he was entering retirement from his 27 year career as a Navy SEAL. Although I was interested in hearing his fascinating experiences and stories, I was doubtful I would see how they related to me. Boy was I wrong! His method of linking each story to his various leadership insights made them both inspiring and practical at the same time. Steve challenged me to strive to be a better leader and gave me the tools to get there.
Owner, Gwen Borner Consulting
I recently participated in a virtual presentation led by Stephen. His professional background with the Navy Seals is inspiring. And then how he uses that as background to help create high performing teams is very relevant for any business leader. I highly recommend Stephen if you are looking for someone with a fresh and innovative perspective on team building.
V.P. Application Engineering, Waystar
I had the honor of attending a virtual presentation led by Stephen recently for our team and key clients. Many people are getting burned out on webinars, but Stephen brought a unique approach leveraging his background as a Navy Seal which was very inspiring. He leveraged his Navy Seal experience to guide us on how to create high performing teams and shared suggestions on how to be a high performing leader and individual. I highly recommend Stephen if you are looking for someone with a fresh and innovative perspective.
Director of Enterprise Sales, Magenic
"It gives me great pleasure to highly recommend Stephen Drum as an exceptional speaker. Steve was our lead speaker on the first morning of our 56th Annual Conference in Chicago last week. Steve was prompt, easy to work with and communicative prior to the conference and kept the interest of our delegates with an excellent presentation on Using the Warrior Mindset to Meet All of Life’s Challenges - Performing on the X. While Steve began his talk with stories of his service as a Navy SEAL Master Chief, he was able to connect his experiences to any professional setting. Therefore, both our Veterans and other service members could relate, as well as those who had never served in the military. It was the perfect mix.
Steve filled the General Session room with positive energy and a dynamic presence and he kept the attention of 250 people for 30 minutes with an impressive presentation.
Thank you Stephen, for starting our conference on a very high note! Well done."
Conference Manager, Defense Credit Union Council
I’ve had the privilege of hearing Steve Drum present multiple times now, and each time I have walked away with a new valuable lesson. Steve brings a unique vantage point that can’t be duplicated by other corporate speakers, and as a result he garners instant credibility with his audience. Most of us can only sit back and listen in awe when Steve shares stories from his esteemed Navy SEAL career as we’ve never faced anything even remotely similar. However, Steve has a natural ability to translate his experiences for the average listener, and to distill the lesson from each down to an actionable take-away. Steve allows all of us to benefit from his years of training by offering his strategies around preparation and execution, and thereby enabling each of us to learn how to excel in our own pursuits. I highly recommend engaging Steve to come speak with your team!
Vice President Product and Partner Management, CDW
If you are looking for an impactful and ridiculously inspiring key note speaker, I highly recommend Stephen Drum. I have attended many sales conferences and have had the pleasure of listening to a variety of key note speakers but his was different. He left a lasting impression. It has been three weeks since listening to Stephen's talk and by this time, I would expect his message to be drifting away amidst the bustle of daily life. Instead, I find myself regularly reflecting on the stories Steve told whether I am preparing to walk into a high-stakes client meeting or helping my daughter with her homework.
Head of US Partnerships, Accertify, Inc
speaking topics
Key Themes:
- Perform Under Pressure
- High-Stakes Stress Management
- Optimize Performance
- Leadership
- Resilience
- Emotional Intelligence
Programs:
Work, family, relationships—life is demanding. A high-stress situation, or being on the X where all the pressures converge, could be right around the corner. How will you confront it? Your ability to succeed in stressful and challenging situations and seize opportunities depends on how you show up to face these moments. When you’re up against obstacles, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed and underprepared. But the battles you face are won when you prepare for life on the X.
Life on the X shares strategies used by the world’s highest performers. In this guide, you will discover tactics that elite athletes, military special operators, and successful business leaders use to thrive under pressure and deliver world-class results.
You can triumph when you are deliberate in how you prepare for, execute, and assess your actions in the most important moments in your life. By learning the skills and methods of top-performers, you can meet the X with courage and confidence.
Are you ready to bring your A game to life?
In the SEAL Teams, the X refers to the most critical and dangerous point of the operation; fast roping from a helicopter onto the rooftop of an enemy building, a coordinated attack on an enemy compound, or operating deep behind enemy lines. This is the point of NO RETURN where a SEAL must be at their best.
No matter where and no matter the circumstance, it’s critical that SEALs perform at their best “on the X” in each of these moments.
While in the boardroom instead of the battlefield it may not be life or death, but there are still critical moments where the pressure is on, and we absolutely need to bring our A-game.
When the stakes are this high, we must be focused, resilient, and well prepared.
As the Co-Creator of The U.S. Navy Warrior Toughness program, Stephen teaches how the same techniques used by the Navy & SEALs, elite athletes, and top-performing CEOs operators can be applied to leading & developing high-performance teams in business as well as by individuals in their personal and professional lives.
In this presentation, Stephen shares proven performance psychology techniques and training methods used by the world’s most elite performers and shows how it can easily be applied to any high-pressure business situation or personal event. Each presentation will be customized around the audience’s specific goals and challenges
After you learn to perform on the X, you and your teams will not only learn to face challenge and adversity with courage and resilience, but you’ll also learn concrete methods that will allow for: Increased Employee Engagement, Stronger Collaboration, High-Performance Under Pressure, Agility, Stress Management, Increased EQ, Proven Preparation and Rehearsal Methods for Important Events, Proven Team and Individual Lessons Learned Framework, Adaptability & Change Management
Takeaways
- Learn how to develop to true resilience in the face of adversity and set-back
- Face the most pressing life and business challenges head on
- Execute with agility and flexibility when everything is on the line
- Develop a deliberate process to study lessons learned in preparation for what’s next
- Implement effective strategies for leading teams through dynamic change
Customized Deep Dive Workshop (75 minutes – 4 hours)
Session outcomes:
Learn the framework process for preparing and executing in high-stakes or challenging situations which include: Commit, Prepare, Execute and Reflect
Learn critical stress management techniques for successfully responding to stressors in professional AND personal settings
Discuss goal planning and execution strategies for prioritizing and performing in a fluid and stressful environment.
Learn and perform mindfulness and performance psychology skills for increased resilience and focus during stressful periods and situations.
Sample Workshop Format:
Opening story and Commit content
- Purpose and personal philosophy
- Objectives and goals
- Obstacle forecasting
- What are some potential obstacles to our success? Daily and long-term
Story and Prepare content
- Performance Psychology skills
- Skill development practical
- Recalibrate-breathing exercise/Breathing habit training
Story and Execute content
- Situational Awareness
- Variable Focus
- Agility/Flexibility
- Scenario Discussion on above content
Story and Reflect content
- Your process for: Assess, Analyze, Reflect
Giving and receiving feedback
Body Scan or Progressive muscle relaxation exercise
Video Reels







Invite Stephen to your next event
Life On The X
Stephen's first book, Life on the X: A Navy SEAL's Guide to meeting any challenge with Courage, Confidence and Readiness, is set to launch in March 2023.
Meet Stephen Drum
Retired Navy SEAL Master Chief, Co-Creator of The U.S. Navy Warrior Toughness program and Executive Business Consultant who teaches how the same techniques used by the Navy & the SEAL Teams can be applied to leading & developing high-performance teams in business as well as by individuals in their personal and professional lives.
Speaking Topics
As the Co-Creator of The U.S. Navy Warrior Toughness program, Stephen teaches how the same techniques used by the Navy & SEALs, elite athletes, and top-performing CEOs operators can be applied to leading & developing high-performance teams in business as well as by individuals in their personal and professional lives.