A Workshop your members will talk about for years
MEET CHALLENGE WITH PRESENCE.
Let your community experience how to stay calm, focused and resilient when the body and mind want to quit.
Guided by two world-record holders. Two different environments. One shared philosophy.
Joska Šálek holds the Guinness World Record for the longest plank — 9h 38m.
Michaela Werner holds the Guinness World Record for the longest distance swum underwater breast stroke in one hour — 2,525 metres.
Together, they explore what it really takes to stay calm and present when things become uncomfortable.
Most training builds physical strength. Very few experiences teach how to stay calm under pressure.
In this immersive workshop your members learn how to:
• stay present in uncomfortable situations
• manage stress and pressure in life and performance
• move through physical challenge with calm focus
• build resilience and mental strength
What participants experience:
• the moment when the body wants to quit
• the moment the breath settles and the mind becomes clear
• the moment you realise you can stay calm and keep going
Learn from two athletes who have repeatedly tested these principles under extreme conditions — from world-record plank endurance to breath-hold freediving.
WORKSHOPS CAN BE DELIVERED AS:
3-Hour Community Experience or Half-day Workshop (4.5 Hours includes screening)
SUITABLE FOR:
Movement & Yoga Studios • CrossFit Gyms • Performance Gyms • Martial Arts Academies • Czech & Slovak Cultural Places
• Endurance sport Communities • Surf Lifesaving Clubs
ALREADY BOOKED IN AUSTRALIA:
Movement, Longevity and Body & Mind at Infuse Health, Newcastle, NSW, May 16
Country Retreat, Sydney May 21 - May 24
Bayside Run Festival, Sydney May 24
Meet Challenge with Presence for Ocean Swimmers, Wylie's Ocean Baths, Coogee May 30
Meet Challenge with Presence for Endurance, Long Reef Surf Lifesaving Club, Sydney May 31
If you're interested to host a screening or a workshop, please get in touch ASAP.
What does it really take to hold a plank for almost 10 hours?
It's not brute strength.
It’s the ability to remain calm and present when the body is screaming to stop.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
Meet...Joska Salek
The Czech Man Who Redefines What's Possible, Author
Most athletes inspire because of the extraordinary gifts they were born with. Others inspire because of who they choose to become without them.
Joska Šálek is one of them.
At the age of 48, Joska stood at a crossroads. Struggling with excess weight, alcohol, and a sense of stagnation, he chose change.
Seven years later, he holds three Guinness World Records:
-
Longest abdominal plank (male): 9h 38min 47sec
-
Barefoot half marathon in snow & ice: 1h 50min 42sec (surpassing the previous record held by Wim Hof, widely known as “The Iceman”)
-
Weighted plank (18 kg): 1h 25min 02sec
The numbers are remarkable.
But what matters more is HOW — and WHY — they were achieved.
Joska is also a survivor of 66 days of wrongful imprisonment in an Arab jail. He emerged not bitter, but stronger — with a deep understanding that even when the odds are against us, we remain responsible for creating our own happiness.
Michaela (Miska) Werner
Life-long Student of Water
Michaela Werner is a freediving athlete, coach and Guinness World Record holder based in Newcastle, NSW.
Her coaching work focuses on helping people reconnect with calm, clarity and trust in themselves.
Freediving teaches one powerful lesson:
You cannot fight water.
If you do, you lose.
Instead, you learn to relax, regulate your breath and move with awareness.
Together, Joska and Michaela bring two worlds together:
- land-based endurance and
- water-based stillness
Michaela also holds two Guinness World Records:
-
Longest Distance Underwater in 1 Hour (Female)
2,525m — Dynamic No Fins (25m × 101) -
Longest Distance Underwater in 24 Hours (Team, Breath-Held - under review) 98km — Dynamic No Fins (25m × 3,920)
During the workshop, Michaela guides participants through breathing, awareness and nervous system regulation practices that help people remain calm under pressure.
WHY "MEET CHALLENGE WITH PRESENCE"?
This is not a motivational talk.
Participants don’t just hear ideas — they experience them.
In this immersive Workshop your members will experience:
• Breathwork techniques used by elite performers
• Practical tools to manage stress and stay calm
• Guided physical challenges designed to reveal mindset patterns
• The power of presence when things get uncomfortable
• A unique shared experience that strengthens your community
The FOCUS is never on proving anything (ego). The FOCUS centres on how each person meets the challenge.
AVAILABLE LOCATIONS BETWEEN MAY 13 - JUNE 08:
Newcastle
Sydney
Central Coast
Wollongong
Canberra
Melbourne
Other locations can be arranged by request.
"When people imagine someone who can hold a plank for almost 10 hours, or their breath for over 6 minutes, they picture the chiselled body it must require.
Very few imagine the chiselled mind."
Workshop Formats
We’ve found people are naturally curious to discover how they respond under pressure — not just in training, but in everyday life.
3-Hour Community Experience
A focused introduction to the core principles of meeting challenge with presence.
Includes:
- Foundations - What are we really training for?
- Breath and nervous system regulation
- Guided challenge experience
- Practical takeaways - Training for life, not ego
Half-Day Workshop (4.5 hours) with screening
A deeper exploration of how the mind and body respond to pressure and discomfort.
Includes:
- Feature documentary about Joska "Anything's Possible" (A powerful look into Joska’s journey and the deeper “why” behind his world-record attempts) + Q&A
- Mindset frameworks
- Breathwork and nervous system regulation
- Guided challenge experience
- Reflection and integration
Bring "Meet Challenge with Presence" to your community
We will send you the available dates and cost for Australia (May 13 - June 8) and help you organise and promote the event.
FAQ
