Breaking Barriers In and Out of the Water: Michael Gunning on Diversity, Teamwork and Mental Strength
This exclusive interview with Michael Gunning was conducted by Chris Tompkins of The Motivational Speakers Agency.
Michael Gunning is a former international swimmer who represented both Great Britain and Jamaica, best known for his record-breaking performances and inspirational advocacy for LGBTQ+ representation in sport.
As one of the most prominent openly gay Black athletes in swimming, Michael has used his platform to champion mental health, resilience and the importance of inclusive environments in and out of the pool.
In this exclusive interview with The Champions Speakers Agency, Michael—now one of the UK’s most in-demand diversity & inclusion speakers—shares his journey through elite sport, the lessons he brings to business audiences, and why inclusive leadership, goal-setting and collaboration are key to high performance.
Q: Inclusion has become a core value in modern organisations. From your perspective, how can companies go beyond policy to create truly inclusive cultures?
Michael Gunning: “I think the word inclusive within businesses doesn’t actually mean to include any more, which I think is amazing. I think it’s now all about involving people and actually involving people in all different aspects of the employment ladder.
“Like I said, bringing your full self to work every day is so, so important—and I think that’s for your mental health, I think that’s for your well-being. But actually, having that inclusive space, having that open conversation with employees, with people around you, really does make the biggest difference.
“Personally, throughout my career, when teammates ask me questions about my race or my sexuality, it just allowed me to feel valued. And I feel like the best way to allow workplaces to be inclusive is to allow everybody within the organisation to feel valued and just happy. I think when you share, when you collaborate, when you work together, it just allows everyone to feel valued and to learn off each other.
“Personally, I’ve learned so much off so many of my teammates, of my coaches. Swimming is definitely not an individual sport—I think despite what people say, it is amazing when you’ve got your team around you. And I really see corporate businesses being the same—working together for one mission and ultimately achieving a goal.”
Q: You’ve broken national records and faced personal adversity. What role does goal-setting play in achieving peak performance under pressure?
Michael Gunning: “I think goal-setting is at the heart of all success. Everyone’s journey is very different—I know that my athlete career has been very different to many athletes around me. But, for me, setting short-term, medium-term and long-term goals has really allowed me to be where I am today.
“I think all athletes, and all corporate business people, have been through many highs and lows. Personally, I was caught up in the Manchester Arena bombing, and three months later I competed in the World Championships. It was really tough to have to shift that mindset.
“Another experience I had was that I qualified for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and after the pandemic I didn’t re-qualify. Again, I had to bounce back from being at the hardest lows of my career.
“So, I feel like everyone’s journey is very different, but for me goal-setting and taking one day at a time—not looking too far ahead—is what got me through as an athlete, and I’m sure it’s what gets many businesspeople through as well. I think it’s so easy to look forward, to look in the future and see what you want, but actually working together, bringing it back, setting goals one by one and ultimately ticking them off one by one…
“I think many people forget that a swimming pool, a gym, was actually my workplace. Despite not having a 9–5 like many high-performance teams in corporate spaces do, committing to a goal—a high-level goal, a high-performance goal—was something that we had to do every single day, for me, for many years.
“I’ve been throughout my career now for over 16 years, and I think there is so much pressure on that high-performance work. But ultimately, I could not have done it without a team behind me. Swimming is definitely not an individual sport, despite what people may think. I would not be where I am today without my coaches, my psychologists, my nutritionists, without my teammates.
“I think working collaboratively is so important. It’s such a vital skill, and I feel like with me coming in as well, it allows a different perspective. Sometimes sharing different experiences, goals, just allows people to feel valued, but also pulls you together—working towards that high-performance goal.
“When we stand on the starting block in swimming, we might be on our own, but it’s definitely the team behind me that got me there. We need that trust, we need that understanding, and I think everyone within that high-performance team will know the pressures that come with it—whether you’re in corporate spaces or on a starting block in a swimming pool.
“I think effective leadership as well is another key value. Personally, I trained with Adam Peaty and, when we were training, sometimes he was a little bit low—he needed motivation—and it was down to me to step up to help motivate him and almost lead him to go on to achieve what he has today.
“We’re all on a very different journey, but I think without us each stepping up when we can—when we feel that opportunity to step up and support other people around us—I think that’s when we can go and achieve a goal.”
Q: When you speak to audiences, what lasting impact do you aim to leave them with?
Michael Gunning: “I hope audiences will step away and feel empowered and inspired by my talk. Personally, I’ll be taking everyone on a rollercoaster of emotions. I’ve got many different experiences to share that I really hope many people will take lots of different things from—my race, my background, my sexuality. I think there are so many different things and nuggets that people can take and hopefully put into their everyday working life.
“One thing I really love is Q&As, because I feel like I get such a wide range of diverse questions. I think everyone will take something very different away from my talks, and I think Q&As really allow people to have that voice—to get out of the talks what they would like to get out of. So I really look forward to sharing my story with everyone.”
This exclusive interview with Michael Gunning was conducted by Chris Tompkins of The Motivational Speakers Agency.
