Welcome to the website of Marayke Jonkers, Australian Paralympic Swimmer, Paratriathlete, motivational speaker, self leadership training expert and founder of the charitable foundation Sporting Dreams.
Marayke’s journey from becoming paraplegic in a car accident as a baby to a three-time Paralympian, has inspired people around Australia through her motivational presentations and media appearances.
Marayke won a silver and two bronze Paralympic medals as a swimmer, and later became Australia’s first female paratriathlete when she won bronze at the world championships in 2010. A former world record holder and current Australian record holder, Marayke won Queensland Young Achiever Award in 2005, has twice been a finalist in the Young Australian of the Year Awards, and has been an Olympic torch bearer.
She is currently writing her autobiography “Unstoppable dreams: self leadership to win”.
Since retiring from competitive sport due to injury in 2011, Marayke has focused her attention on helping the next generation of Paralympians through the foundation she started called Sporting Dreams.
She has appeared on television shows including Insight on SBS, Totally Wild on channel 10, and in publications including Cosmopolitan Magazine.
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WHAT DOES MARAYKE SPEAK ABOUT?
LIFE INSPIRATION CHASING DREAMS ACHIEVING GOALS OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
Marayke has spoken to audiences ranging from 10 to 3000, in venues as diverse as pre-schools and Parliament House. She has shared the stage with dignitaries including Premiers and the Governor General. Her story is of daring to dream big, setting goals and never giving up no matter what obstacles life throws in your path.
She uses sport as a metaphor for life as she weaves her own stories of achievements, medal-winning highs and injury-plagued lows, through practical tips each of us can use to lead a rich, rewarding life and overcome the obstacles Marayke says are ‘inevitable’.
“While we may not be able to choose what happens to us in life,
we can choose the attitude we have towards it. So choose to win,”– Marayke Jonkers.
Marayke has a special interest in peak performance, and sharing the unique ‘mind training’ strategies she developed during her sporting career to help audiences ‘step up to the next level’ and get that last 10% out of themselves.
If you are seeking a speaker on any of these topics , Marayke can help (and will customise the presentation to your specific goals and requirements).
- Peak performance
- Goal Setting ( and achieving – how to stick to your plans)
- Obliterating obstacles
- Disability & the Paralympics: Marayke is very passionate about promoting Paralympic sport and disability awareness and has fun activities to help participants experience Paralympic sport.
- Safety: Marayke has spoken to audiences about spinal injury prevention and workplace safety. As she says, “at the moment prevention is the only cure.”
- Self leadership: The art of getting the best out of yourself.
NEWS
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Still pinching myself at the honour of carrying the Queen’s baton on the Sunshine Coast infant of my family. Wonderful to see so many generations from school kids to grandparents out cheering and all sectors of the community represented as baton bearers.
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IN SEARCH OF AN OUTBACK LEGEND Nothing says Australia more than a postcard image of a rusty windmill and outback shed at sunset, the red earth stretching to the horizon as the odd mob of cattle – or even a stray camel – meander by. But just what are your
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As a retired Paralympian who was inspired to take up sport watching the Olympics opening ceremony on television as a little girl in a pink wheelchair, an Olympic games is guaranteed to get the heart rate going and the memories flowing. But I have been pleasantly surprised to see just
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Marayke is Proud to have been announced as the QLD Ambassador for the National Injury Insurance sheme (NIIS) by the treasurer Curtis Pitt and Minister for Disabilities Coralee O’Rourke today outside parliament house in Brisbane. ” This is possibly the most important role I’ve ever had in my life,
MOTIVATE ME MARAYKE
MOTIVATIONAL MINUTE- FREE RESOURCES
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It happens to the best of us, the alarm goes off in the morning we feel tired it’s nice and warm and comfortable under the doona and before we now look with missed an entire day or week of exercise because we promised ourselves will do it later but
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Did you see the movie “how do you know” where Reese Witherspoon is a champion softball player and has her whole bathroom mirror covered in sticky notes with motivational sayings, affirmations and goals? Well- No longer do we need to scribble motivational quotes on post-its to stick to our mirror-
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Vision boards have been all the rage in personal development for many everyone from Oprah Winfrey to our favourite movie stars attesting to their virtue and power. Once upon a time they were the domain of giant cork boards pieces of cardboard stuck on a wall. I challenge you to
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It happens to the best of us, the alarm goes off in the morning we feel tired it’s nice and warm and comfortable under the doona and before we now look with missed an entire day or week of exercise because we promised ourselves will do it later but never
Facebook Posts
Amazing night welcoming home athletes and their families from Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games - from personal best times to medals and learning experiences they all did us proud.Nothing beats seeing young swimmers go from starting out to breaking world records and winning medals and having shared that whole journey with their proud families.
Amazing night welcoming home athletes and their families from Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games - from personal best times to medals and learning experiences they all did us proud.Nothing beats seeing young swimmers go from starting out to breaking world records and winning medals and having shared that whole journey with their proud families. #boardofdirectors #paralympiam #commonwealthGames #sharethedream
Water babies and @university of the Sunshine Coast alumni with now councilllor former swim coach n surf life saving champion @jason OPray with out to Commonwealth games swimming champions. Blake Cochran blew me away but to make up a classification against people with more physical ability in one event and competing individual medley even though he has a breaststroke specialist to win his two medals. And to the fabulous @leah Neal what can I say except for congratulations what a gold medal race in the last relay - maybe did you have to leave the whole nation on the edge of our seats were such a close finish lol. Wow. of @uscspArtans
Nailed it! "lucky" and I clearly share the same pre event tradition for themed nail art and her golden girl theme worked with 2 gold medals 🙂