Ikin Achieve

As a motivational speaker, I’ve been know to bring energy, laughter and joy to the process of powerful, transformative learning. I have a unique approach to successful business and life coaching. This is a combination of laughter and joy. Also with effective techniques to help you define and realise your goals.
Achieving the impossible probably seems... well... impossible That’s just because it hasn’t happened yet. If there’s one thing my life has taught me, it’s that just because something hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it can never happen.
I’ve achieved things I once thought were impossible again, and again, and again. What feels “impossible” to you? Winning that promotion? Falling in love? Overcoming your fear of success? Becoming a world-champion? Making your first billion? Whatever it is, I’d love to get to know you better, to help you achieve your “impossible” too.
But first, you might like to get to know a little more about me. I get it. Why should you listen to a guy like me? What’s my story anyway?
Famous First Words When I was about 18 months old, I spoke my first sentence. Guess what it was. It wasn’t, “I’m hungry,” or “I love you mumma,” (sorry mum). The first few words I ever put together in some kind of a sentence were, “It doesn’t worry.” What a bizarre mindset for an 18-month old right? It. Doesn’t. Worry. And I was right. The universe doesn’t worry, does it? So why should we? Why consume ourselves day in and day out with what the haters think, what could possibly go wrong, and all that we perceive as rotten in the world? All that worry doesn’t serve you. It doesn’t save you from the inevitable, it merely stops you from reaching your full potential. I’ve always had this innate ability to just worry less. I’ve ignored the haters, focused on my goals and never given up, especially when faced with other people’s ideas of the impossible, of what would “never” happen.
“Practicing cartwheels will never get you anywhere!” When I was in the under 7’s football team, I missed a vital catch losing the game for the team because I was too busy perfecting my cartwheels.. OOPS. I can see why the people watching might have thought there wasn’t much of a future out there for me. Growing up in a world where people had such narrow ideas of what constitutes a ‘boys’ sport’ could have been very limiting for me, if I had let it be. The thing is, I was so single-minded in that moment on the field, the football match didn’t exist for me. All I wanted to be, was the best at cartwheels.
Fast forward a few years later and I was the coolest kid at primary school, with an insane catalogue of impressive gymnastics tricks. Outside of school I was the Rockstar of the local gymnastics club. I was going to be a world champion one day. So, mum took me to The Australian Institute of Sport and they took one look at me and said... "That kid's going to be too tall, he'll never be a gymnast!" I felt like a failure. Over something that was out of my control!
I could have given up my world champion dreams there, but I didn’t. I channeled my energy into a new sport – aerobics. By the time I was 15 I was travelling all over Australia to national aerobics competitions and doing pretty well at it too. But it wasn’t all travel, excitement and fun. I was mercilessly bullied by my peers. I really didn’t fit in. I was the odd one out. I was the boy who didn’t want to play football, who liked sequins, lycra outfits, pop music and aerobics. But I didn’t let the bullies stop me. I competed nationally and then internationally, until a friend encouraged me to get into dance. That’s where I really found my tribe. I worked hard at it, had a blast, met some amazing people and by age 25 I was hired as the can-can soloist at the Moulin Rouge in Paris.
You know what French the can-can consists of? All cartwheels! Those cartwheels on the football field, the gymnastics, aerobics and dance, it was like my whole life had been leading up to this moment of performing in the Moulin Rouge! Finally, I was a success! But my moment in the French sun was short lived. That feeling of finally finding success was gone in just one year. So, I was 26, my heart was broken, I’d decided to leave the Moulin Rouge, and tail between my legs, I came back to Australia. Even though I was home I’d never felt more lost in my life. Besides, I still had this deep desire to be a world champion, to be the best at something. Even in my darkest moments, I knew I had it in me. That’s when I made the decision to audition for a new TV show called So You Think You Can Dance?
“A TV show about dancing? That’ll never be a hit with Aussie audiences?"
Given the bullying I’d copped at school and even as a grown man from people who considered dancing to be unmasculine, I wasn’t sure whether the new dance tv show would last more than a few episodes. None the less, I turned up and auditioned. I got in and made it to the top 10 dancers on the show. We were all pretty stunned and amazed when it went to air and people couldn’t get enough of it. So You Think You Can Dance ended up being one of the most popular shows on TV that year. I was famous all around the country for being good at something I loved! Finally, I was a success! But the truth of reality TV show success is, it’s short lived. 6 months later and everyone has forgotten about you.
After the fame from So You Think You Can Dance wore off, I was running a successful Gold Coast dance school. I was loving the feeling of mentoring and coaching young people in a discipline that’s great for their physical health, but also for teaching teamwork, professionalism, dedication and focus. I might not have been the football star every Aussie dad wants his boy to become, but boy was I kicking some career goals!
Yet, I still felt a gnawing inside. Something was unfulfilled. I wanted to be a world champion. No. It was more than a want. I needed to be a world champion. "He’ll never be a world champion at anything now, he’s too old!” Nobody else’s ideas of “never" or "can’t" was going to stop me! I was 31 years old, and the average age of a world champion sports person is 25. After that age, the body tends to decline, and it is said you can no longer function at peak performance levels. I didn’t care about that statistic. A number was not going to hold me back. So, at age 31 I went back into my aerobics and committed myself again to the impossible dream of becoming a World Champion. I was determined to be a World Champion at something. And guess what? I did it!!!
At age 32 I achieved a World Champion status in the field of sport Aerobics. Finally, I was a success! But, there was still something missing in my life… Something I hadn’t ever dared dream of that could be possible in my lifetime.
“You’re gay, you’ll never get married and have kids.”
Look, I always knew I was a bit different to most of the other boys at school. I had a drive, determination and focus that was uncanny, I had my ‘it doesn’t worry’ mindset and I adored sequins, lycra and cartwheels more than dirt, footy and roughhousing. As a young person, when I was finally realising, I didn’t identify as heterosexual, it was a time when gay men were ridiculed, ostracised and bashed. Kids at school who picked up on my fabulous point of difference bullied me constantly. I was never allowed to forget that I wasn’t like them. I certainly didn’t ever think I would grow up to have what society considered to be a “normal” life. I knew I’d never have the chance to get married and have children. There was nothing I could do about it. I just had to live with that fact.
Flash forward to now... Society has changed a lot! The 2 biggest highlights of my life have been marrying my Husband and starting a family of our own through surrogacy. I’m living a life now that young Anthony had thought was completely impossible. Throughout my life, society has changed. When I was a little kid, I thought I was never allowed to get married. Then growing up I was barely allowed to say, “I have a boyfriend”, and then over time it became okay to say, “I have a partner”. Now I can finally say, “I have a Husband” and “we are having children through surrogacy”.
I want to share with the world; how important it is to never lose that hope, that faith, that vision, that dream because of a couple of setbacks; because of a few ‘no’s; because people say you can’t. That shouldn’t be the reason to stop pursuing what you really want from your life. Go for it! I am living proof that impossible dreams are so, totally possible.
Finally, I feel like a success! I never lost hope and belief that one day I would be able to accomplish what had once seemed so impossible.
Some of my Achievements: • Aerobics World Champion • Moulin Rouge Can-Can and Danseur Soloist • So You Think You Can Dance’ Top 10 • Associate Choreographer Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony • Jay Shetty Certified Coach • Yale University Science of Well Being • Certificate III & IV in Fitness • Owner of Ikin Dance 2001-2018 • Gymnastics Australia Athlete and Coach of the year • Owner of Global Dance Pro 2018-present • Motivational Speaking for Public and Online Events
Anthony Ikin is the ideal business / life coach, guest / motivational speaker, and even event MC. Whether you’re hoping to motivate your staff, inspire your students or ensure your conference is a success. He’s just as engaging online as in person with the flexibility (literally!) to adapt to the needs of any event. While his home base is Australia, Anthony is available for events across the English-speaking world. Bookings are available for 30 or 60-minute sessions, live in person at your location, or via video link online.