Why Paul Cosentino Wants You to Think Like a Magician (Even if You’re in a Boardroom)

If you’re wondering what a magician is doing on a corporate stage, Paul Cosentino will beat you to the answer.

“So you might be wondering, why am I hearing from a magician? Well, you can learn a lot from a magician – far more than just magic tricks. My art form is really about psychology. It’s about problem-solving. It’s about shifting perception. That’s what I bring to the room.”

As one of Australia’s most praised illusionists, Cosentino has built a reputation on death-defying stunts, high-production live shows, and a unique blend of spectacle and smarts. But today, you won’t often catch him escaping from a straightjacket or hanging upside down over shark tanks. Today, Cosentino is speaking to business leaders about how to escape a much more prevalent danger: the invisible boxes we trap ourselves in.

According to Cosentino, more often than not it is our own self-doubt that locks us in boxes.

“I’ve escaped from underwater tanks, burning ropes, and steel cages. But the toughest thing I’ve ever had to escape is my own fear.”

 

From street performer to international stage: How confidence is crafted

Cosentino’s journey hasn’t exactly followed the traditional success script. “I was doing theatre shows, selling 500+ seats, getting standing ovations but I couldn’t get an agent, a manager, or a single TV producer to take a chance on me,” he says. “I didn’t fit the mould. I wasn’t the ‘boy next door.’”

When all the roads were leading him towards giving up, he chose the path of doubling down. Treating feedback as his bible, Consentino listened closely to his audience and worked to refine his act night after night.

“To be a great magician, you have to be a great listener,” he explains. “You learn when people laugh, when they gasp, when they clap—and if they don’t, you adjust. You change the lighting, the music, the wording. That’s how you build belief in yourself. You earn it through refinement.”

His message resonates with entrepreneurs, marketers, and industry leaders alike: ‘trust the work, refine the delivery, and always back yourself, even if others don’t’.

 

What teams can learn from illusionists

While corporate life doesn’t (always) involve flaming ropes or underwater chains, it shares the pressure, unpredictability, and real-time problem-solving that Illusionists work with.

“Fifty percent of my show is audience interaction,” Cosentino says. “You can’t script how people respond. You need to adapt in the moment. And you need a plan B, sometimes a plan C. If something goes wrong, the audience should never know. You pivot so seamlessly, it looks like it was always part of the act.”

It’s this kind of high-stakes adaptability that Cosentino believes businesses can learn from, and his keynote talks unpack these principles. He doesn’t bore you with theory, but instead shares stories that involve split-second decisions, physical risk, and an entire team depending on flawless execution.

And of course, what’s a better way to delve into concepts like misdirection, perception, and focus, than with live magic?

“Being a magician is all about perception,” he says. “You might be stuck on a problem not because it’s unsolvable but because you’re looking at it from the wrong angle. Shift your perspective, and suddenly, the solution is obvious.”

 

Why thinking like a performer might be your team’s secret weapon

When COVID wiped out live events and venues overnight, Cosentino didn’t panic, he innovated. He took his illusions to the Zoom screen and turned the frame’s limitations into new opportunities.

“That frame everyone thought was restrictive? We used it to our advantage. Things outside the camera’s view became part of the illusion. The ‘constraints’ actually gave us new tools to work with.”

His mindset is one he believes to be useful for any team in times of uncertainty. No panic, no paralysis, just innovation. Maintaining momentum, to Cosentino, is all about flexible thinking, creative problem-solving, and a willingness to shift gears.

“Performers are trained to stay cool under pressure,” he says. “You get there by being prepared, rehearsed, and confident in your material. And when things go sideways? You adapt. That’s a skill every professional can develop.”

 

The glass ceiling is an illusion (and he means that literally)

Cosentino’s most striking metaphor is the “glass box” we all live in. He’s smashed through plenty of those not just physically, but psychologically.

“People hit a ceiling in their careers or personal lives and think it’s the end,” he says. “But often, that ceiling is self-imposed. The real trick is seeing it for what it is: an illusion.”

Like many of us, Cosentino could easily fear failure, but instead, he sees it as an opportunity to grow. A time to rethink, reframe, and try something new. Through his keynote, he challenges his audiences to do the same.

“With the right training, the right people, and the right mindset, the ‘impossible’ starts to look very achievable,” he says.

Is your organisation looking for a powerful yet entertaining speaker? Cosentino’s keynotes are not simply about magic but about focus and mindset. 

 

Interested in booking Paul Cosentino for your event? Call ICMI today on 1800 334 625 or make an enquiry online.