Public Speaking
Banff Mountain Film Festival, Alberta, Canada (photographer: unknown)
I very much enjoy sharing my personal stories and anecdotes from many years of wild adventures in the mountains. I have spoken about my experiences to a wide variety of audiences over the years, including:
Film Festival Audiences
Schools and Universities
Tech Startup Workshops
Corporate Events
If you are looking for a speaker for one of your corporate events and want a fresh perspective from outside the business world, then I would love to talk with you about it. It turns out that risk management and decision-making in the mountains (in what are sometimes life or death situations) are quite similar to the risky challenges business managers face in an increasingly dynamic, high consequence, and fast paced world. I explore these themes using very personal stories of success and failure. One lesson that is a constant, and that I repeat often in these settings, is this: one can only learn from failure. Do not fear failure. Fear inertia, idleness, complacency. Get out there. Operate beyond your comfort zone. Assume a level of [calculated] risk. The rewards can be great, and often far greater than one can appreciate from the ground. In the world of finance, the higher the risk one is willing to accept, the higher the potential reward (or loss). The same is true in the mountains. The important difference is that low risk-taking in the these environments almost never equates to low rewards. Shoot the moon or aim low, but go. Adventure never fails to deliver.
A sampling of the major themes I like to address in my talks:
The Freedom of Total Commitment
Harnessing Flow States to perform beyond what you thought possible
Embracing Uncertainty and the Unknown
Mental Frameworks for justifying risk-taking
When to listen to your gut, and when NOT to. Rational Thinking in Critical Situations.
Assembling the right team with a Shared Risk Tolerance, and how to harness Group Flow States when egos are put aside.
“Tom’s experiences and stories about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the world’s wildest places has lessons for all of us. Engaging, thought-provoking and inspiring.”
—Misha Gopaul, CEO and Co-Founder of FATMAP
Speakers From The Edge represent the finest motivational speakers from the world of adventure, exploration, extreme sports and endurance, who have, quite literally, pushed themselves to the edge. Our speakers comprise explorers, mountaineers, adventurers, and extreme athletes, each of whom are driven, focused and motivated. They take on some of the most treacherous of journeys and challenges the planet has to offer. In short, they are precisely the kind of people to inspire others to achieve great things.
Our speakers have been individually hand-picked for their unique achievements, and their ability to engage and inspire any audience. Each has extensive experience in presenting to the public and private sector; from multi-national companies, organisations, and trade associations, to schools, sporting, community and voluntary groups
Speaker Profile: Tom Grant Mountain Guide
Dropping into a skiable line, somewhere above the Brenva Glacier, Courmayeur, Italy (photographer: Aaron Rolph)