Mark Tewksbury

All of us feel fear at times. It’s a part of being human. But too often, fear holds us back—it paralyzes us, keeping us stuck where we are. True progress only happens when we find the courage to act in the face of that fear. Mark Tewksbury embodies this spirit of courageous leadership. Determined to see his Olympic dream realized, he took an unconventional path—working with the world’s top synchronized swimming coach in the final year of his career, a decision that helped him drop over a second from his time and win Olympic gold by just 6/100ths of a second. But Mark’s courage didn’t stop in the pool. In 1998, when few in sport were willing to speak openly about sexuality, he took a stand and shared his truth as a gay man—sparking a conversation that continues to this day; and becoming a global leader in the movement for inclusion ever since. Later, when the corruption of the IOC was exposed before the Salt Lake City Olympics, it was Mark who stepped down from all his Olympic posts and co-founded OATH, an organization that united Olympians, academics, politicians, and media to stand up for Olympic values. In 2012, Mark returned to the Olympic movement as Chef de Mission for Team Canada at the London Olympics, where he inspired a new generation of athletes with his unwavering conviction. In 2017, he joined the Canadian Olympic Committee as a Board Member and served as Vice President from 2021 to 2025—proving that true leaders never stop growing, never stop challenging, and never stop inspiring. In fact, the lessons and skills Mark learned to lead himself and others to high performance transfer to anything. Anything! In 2023, Mark enrolled at SAIT as an Apprentice Cook—a three-year program that, upon completion, earns the Red Seal. His continuous journey post-athlete proves that courageous leadership isn’t confined to the podium; it’s a mindset and approach that never ends and elevates every part of our lives. Let Mark’s stories inspire you. Through these stories, you will: • Learn how to push through fear with a feedback model that gives you room to fail—and to grow. • Understand the power of a performance culture, and how vital feedback and accountability are for progress. • Discover a collaborative model where people come together to share their strengths for a common purpose. • Explore the balance between authoritarian command-and-control leadership and collaborative, connection-driven leadership—unpacking the strengths and pitfalls of each. • Understand the impact your thinking has on your actions and how to stop letting your unconscious thoughts sabotage your results.