Elle Steele: Redefining Resilience & Leadership
Elle Steele has a resume like no one else. Truly one-of-a-kind, what connects Elle’s many achievements and skillsets is the belief that when we are brave enough to connect to our personal power, we can begin to heal our hearts and achieve greatness.
Elle was born with a congenital disability and a hand abnormality. With over 35 surgeries, including two knee replacements, Elle has overcome countless physical and mental challenges throughout her life.
At age 11, Elle started her celebrated swimming career with a goal of making the 2000 Paralympic Games. At 17, she achieved that dream, accumulating a swag of medals and national records along the way. Elle later played wheelchair rugby as the first female to play the sport for Victoria.
Beyond her athletic prowess, Elle displayed unique leadership as the captain of Australian swimming teams.
After 20 years of elite sport and retirement due to injury, Elle delved into neurolinguistics, realising the impact of language on her perception of disability and her happiness.
Shifting her mindset, she rejected the stereotypes people placed on her and realised that when she changed the way she felt about herself and a particular scenario, the outcome was often different to what was initially perceived.
As Elle worked with integrative energy therapies and neurolinguistics, her inner athlete was fired up, and her athlete’s mindset became the groundwork for her journey to empower others.
Elle saw the mind-body connection to success, leadership and personal happiness - this is where Elle has dedicated her career for the last 14 years.
In the last 2 years Elle has managed the National Project for Building Inclusive Sports Club, been a Change our Game Ambassador for the Office of Women in Sport and a Paralympics Australia athlete mentor. She brings the conversation back to how our community believes disability is something that needs ‘fixing’, rather than the world embracing diversity.
Elle’s TEDx talk ‘The Dance of Disability’ shares her insights on how we perceive limitations and our perceptions of others, sharing the message ‘I am not disabled because of my disability, I am disabled by a world that isn’t built for me.’
Elle is also the creator of The Self Belief Club, a wellness and mindset coaching program for athletes and people wanting to be the best versions of themselves. Elle uses her skills as a Paralympian and mindset mentor to show others that self-belief is the foundation for all achievements and moments of resilience.
Through her signature approach to leadership, mindset and disability awareness, she has helped numerous clients globally, and her impactful work has been featured in esteemed media outlets such as ABC News, TEDx, GT magazine, Listenable podcast, I Can’t Stand Podcast and more.
I started exploring neurolinguistics and quickly realized how profoundly language shapes our perception—not just of disability, but of ourselves. As I deepened my work by introducing integrative energy therapies, the transformative impact on my clients and community became undeniable. Through my unique methodology, I now guide others to cultivate self-belief, leadership, and a level of personal happiness they never thought possible.
My life’s purpose isn’t to inspire you, but to empower you to become your own inspiration—and use that power to change the world!
Empowering Change, One Story at a Time
Empowering Change, One Story at a Time
When you shift your mindset and embrace your gifts your personal power becomes limitless.
— Elle Steele
For interviews, comments, podcasts, and general media inquiries, contact Elle here.
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