Bella Taylor Smith overcame great hardship early in her life to achieve her dream of winning The Voice Australia in 2021. She stunned Australian audiences with her world-class performances and has been invited by Guy Sebastian to join his sold-out National Tour commencing in April 2022. Stand Tall is thrilled to have Bella sharing her personal story and her incredible singing gift with students.
Lance Russell and Ryley Davis are leading professional freestyle motocross riders from NSW. Lance has won prestigious awards at the X-Games and has landed the "360 superman". Ryley, 15, is one of the youngest riders to land a backflip at a live event. Both young men will share their personal stories of overcoming self-doubt and adversity to achieve their dreams.
Born to Vietnamese refugee parents in a community plagued by heroin, Tony joined gangs at 13 and made as much as $10,000 a week dealing drugs, until a life-altering encounter in 2004 changed his path. Now with two decades of experience speaking in schools and mentoring young people, Tony shares his raw, real story of redemption to empower others to break destructive cycles and embrace hope.
Joany Badenhorst is Australia’s pioneering female Para-snowboarder and a two-time Winter Paralympian, serving as flag bearer at PyeongChang 2018. She lost her left leg below the knee in a tractor accident at age 10 but went on to win five World Cup golds and two Crystal Globes. Since retiring in 2019, Joany inspires audiences with her story of resilience, determination, and breaking barriers.
Nicola achieved her dream of competing at the Olympics, when she won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games after clearing 2.02m. Nicola has a passion for teaching others how to overcome their fears and encourage them to never give up on pursuing their dreams, no matter the cost.
Michael Crossland has the ability to captivate the imagination of young people to encourage and inspire them with his story. Michael has defied the odds of a life- threatening cancer to build a life of achievements as an accomplished businessman and an elite sportsman. His message of hope and overcoming adversity has seen Michael invited back year after year to Stand Tall.
