Calm Under Pressure: Elite Freediver Simona Auteri

What Elite Free Diving Taught Me About Leadership, Performance, and Letting Go

At 95 meters below the surface, on a single breath, panic is not an option.

But what can the extreme world of elite free diving teach us about staying calm, making decisions and performing when the pressure rises?

Join the Monaco Women Network after the summer break for a powerful and immersive evening with Simona Auteri: four-time CMAS World Record-holding freediver, multiple Italian Champion, architect, author, ocean advocate and founder of Apnée au Féminin.

Simona’s remarkable journey took her from leading ambitious architectural projects in London to becoming one of the world’s foremost freedivers. Drawing on her experience at the limits of human performance, she will reveal why freediving is not simply about holding your breath: it is about managing your mind while your body is telling you to panic.

Through compelling personal stories, practical insights and a guided breathing exercise, Simona will explore three powerful paradoxes:

• Why the more we chase control, the more we risk losing it
• Why courage is not the absence of fear, but a different way of responding to it
• Why rest and recovery are not rewards, but essential conditions for sustainable performance

Discover how breath regulates the nervous system, how fear can become valuable information, and why trust, curiosity and recovery may be among the most underestimated tools in leadership.

Whether you are leading a team, navigating change, making high-stakes decisions or simply seeking greater clarity in demanding moments, this evening will leave you with a new perspective on pressure, and practical techniques you can apply immediately in both your professional and personal life.

The presentation will be followed by a networking cocktail, offering guests the opportunity to meet Simona and connect with professionals from across Monaco’s business community.

Wednesday, 16 September 2026
18h00 to 20h00
Société Nautique de Monaco 
Conference room, first floor above the restaurant
1 Quai Louis II, Monaco

Places are limited. Advance registration is required. Event in English.

Our events are open to everyone: women, men, members and non-members.

For more information about the Monaco Women Network and our programme: https://www.monacowomenforum.com/en/network