Keynote Speakers

Resilience Expert & Everest Expedition Climber

Jim Davidson is a resilience expert who has survived not just one epic mountain disaster, but two. From his realworld survival experiences, he distills hard-won lessons about forging the resilience to overcome change, challenge, and uncertainty.

While climbing Mount Everest, Jim and his team survived massive earthquakes and avalanches on what became the mountain’s deadliest day ever. Jim later returned to Everest and summited successfully. His riveting survival stories have been featured in documentaries for National Geographic, Smithsonian Channel, Netflix, and Discovery’s hit show, “I Shouldn't Be Alive". Jim has been featured on NPR, CBS, CNN, and hundreds of other media outlets.

From his 42 years of adventures, Jim shares compelling stories and practical tips about how to persevere and how to endure uncertain times through resilience strategies and post-traumatic growth. Davidson provides motivating keynotes and interactive workshops on resilience, teamwork, leadership, and change management. His energizing messages have been shared in-person and virtually with audiences in more than 35 countries.

Jim has scaled high peaks from Argentina to Nepal, and from Bolivia to Tibet. While leading expedition teams around the globe, Jim has guided his teammates through storms and setbacks to reach lofty summits. The U.S. National Park Service has commended Jim twice for volunteering on successful high-altitude rescues in Colorado and Alaska.

His latest book, The Next Everest, was published in six international editions and was selected as an Amazon Editor’s Pick. Jim’s survival memoir, The Ledge, was a New York Times bestseller. He worked for twenty years as a hydrogeologist and managed his own environmental consulting firm. In his youth, Jim worked for his father painting high-voltage electrical towers carrying 230,000 volts.

EVEREST RESILIENCE: Overcoming Adversity and Reaching High Goals

Work, life, and mountain climbing always include change, challenge, and uncertainty. From his four decades of adventures around the globe, expedition leader Jim Davidson shares hard-won wisdom about forging resilience, encountering setbacks, and still achieving high goals.

In this riveting keynote, Jim shares his real-world survival experiences of:

• Enduring the deadliest day ever on Mount Everest, when huge earthquakes and avalanches trapped Jim and his team at 19,900 feet.

• Recovering from this disaster and returning two years later to summit Mt. Everest.

Attendees will learn practical lessons on how they can:

• Cultivate a resilient mindset for managing change.

• Spark resilience in each other during stormy times.

• Provide resilient leadership, even when the path forward is unclear.

• Rebound from setbacks even stronger than before, through post-traumatic growth.

Jim will inspire your team to be ready and resilient for the challenges and opportunities ahead.