Richard Holmes is a successful pro mountain biker who lives in Whistler, BC. Originally from Waterloo, Ontario, he moved out there years ago after falling in love with the sport, and his skill garnered him sponsors, trophies and prizes. After studying Mountain Bike Operations on BC's Sunshine Coast, he became a certified coach at the Whistler Bike Park.
Yet Richard has always suffered from a severe stutter, and two years ago he decided he needed to do something about it. He returned to Ontario to participate in an intensive speech reconstructive program at the Speech and Stuttering Foundation in Toronto.
Today, Richard is an award-winning public speaker, placing 3rd in his division in the Toastmasters International Public Speaking contest. Also, he has given a speech at the famous TEDx talks at the University of Waterloo.
Many are familiar with the TED talks, short informational talks by people with knowledge and expertise in a certain field. The TEDx program was launched in 2009 to bring this vision to the local level, with independent organizers curating their own events for their own communities. The TEDx talks at the University of Waterloo have been among the most successful. See Richard's talk below.