All American Entertainment Named to Inc. Best Workplaces in 2022. Read more
AAE Named to Inc. Best Workplaces in 2022. Read more
Jim Davidson

Jim Davidson

Keynote Speaker: Resilience Expert, Expedition Leader & Author

Jim Davidson Biography

Jim Davidson is a resilience expert, an expedition leader, and a New York Times best-selling author. From his 39 years of adventure and survival, Davidson distills compelling stories and uplifting lessons about how to overcome change, challenge, and uncertainty through resilience. Davidson shares motivating keynotes and workshops on personal resilience, resilient teamwork, and resilient leadership. Davidson has scaled high peaks from Argentina to Nepal, from Bolivia to Tibet. The US National Park Service has commended Davidson twice for volunteering for successful high-altitude rescues in Colorado and Alaska.

While first attempting to ascend Mt. Everest in 2015, Davidson and his partners survived massive earthquakes and avalanches. He shared his incredible experiences and insights with CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, Smithsonian Channel, PBS, and more. Davidson told his story of surviving the earthquake in the National Geographic TV Show “Witness to Disaster.” In 2017, Davidson returned to Mount Everest and summited successfully.

His most recent book, "The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain’s Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again," recounts the harrowing tale of his first experience with Everest, the two years he spent mentally rebuilding, and the triumph of finally reaching his goal. "The Next Everest" is being published in six international editions.

For 20 years, Davidson worked as a hydrogeologist (B.S. & M.S. degrees) and ran his own environmental consulting firm. Earlier he worked as an industrial painter on high-voltage electrical towers carrying 230,000 volts.

Davidson co-authored the New York Times best-selling survival memoir, "The Ledge: An Inspirational Story of Friendship and Survival." That book won the National Outdoor Book Award for Outdoor Literature and was picked as one of the Best Books of the Year by Amazon. His epic survival story was featured in an international TV episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive" on the Discovery Channel.

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Jim Davidson and other top speakers and celebrities.

Jim Davidson Speaking Topics

Resilient Teamwork and Resilient Leadership - Workshop

On his remote expeditions, Jim has encountered many teamwork and leadership challenges. During remote rescues and evacuations, the pressure increases, uncertainty grows, and team dynamics become strained. High-performing organizations face these same teamwork and leadership conditions in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing world.

By examining several real-world mountain rescue scenarios, Jim facilitates an invigorating, interactive workshop that has your team working together to resolve leadership and teamwork challenges. Some of the difficult rescues that Jim has helped with include:

  • Solo mountaineer with severe altitude illness at 19,200 feet on Denali (Mt. McKinley)
  • Hiker who fell 70 feet into a boulder field at 13,000 feet in Colorado
  • Climbers trapped at 19,900 feet on Mt. Everest

In this hands-on workshop, Jim uses engaging storytelling and vivid visuals to bring these scenarios to life. Then, he has your attendees work to resolve the dilemmas by having them:

Everest Resilience: Overcoming Adversity and Reaching High Goals

During his first Everest attempt in 2015, Jim and his team were trapped at Camp 1 by massive earthquakes and avalanches. After recovering from this huge setback, he trained even harder and returned in 2017 to summit Mt. Everest.

Work, life, and climbing always include change, challenge, and uncertainty. Struggling up Mount Everest reveals how resilience allows you to overcome adversities and still reach high goals. Jim has presented inspirational keynotes across the USA and internationally to prominent clients like Verizon, Capital One, UPS, OppenheimerFunds, Proctor & Gamble, Nokia, and more.

In this thrilling keynote, Jim shares hard-won resilience lessons on how you can learn how to adapt to change, face uncertainty, overcome challenges and recover from setbacks.

Facing Everest-Sized Uncertainties

Davidson’s first attempt to climb Mount Everest ended suddenly when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. This spawned massive avalanches and aftershocks that trapped Davidson’s team high on the mountain. It became the deadliest day ever on Mount Everest. Davidson returned in 2017 to try again. Along the way, his team had to endure eleven stormy days pinned in their tents, uncertain if they were going to be able to summit. Finally, conditions cleared and after persevering through the uncertainty, Davidson and his team reached their goal.

From these intense experiences, Davidson shares critical lessons for facing today’s uncertain times. He will share practical tips about:

• Building a resilient mindset for facing change, challenge & uncertainty • Attitudes and actions to take before, during, and after big storms • When to rely on passive perseverance vs. active perseverance

The Next Everest: Lessons from an Avalanche of Adversity

In 2015, Davidson set out to achieve a goal he spent 33 years building up to—summiting Mt. Everest. Little did he know he would find himself trapped by avalanches at 20,000 feet on the deadliest day the mountain has ever seen.

Nepal’s largest earthquake in 81 years shook Everest with a magnitude of 7.8 creating aftershocks and avalanches. Sadly, 18 lives were lost in base camp, while Davidson and his fellow climbers were trapped up on the mountain. By enduring this disaster, Davidson learned hard-won lessons about facing uncertainty and deepened his understanding of resilience. His intense experiences clarified the importance of embracing change to overcome challenges. Two years after the deadliest day on Everest, Davidson returned and achieved his goal of reaching the summit.

Through gripping stories of his moments on the mountain to the lessons that enabled him to reach such challenging goals, Davidson will inspire your team to be ready and resilient for the next Everest in their lives.

Jim Davidson Videos

Jim Davidson | Speaker Reel 2022

How to book Jim Davidson?

Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Jim Davidson for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment for over 15 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers. Fill out a booking request form for Jim Davidson, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Jim Davidson or any other celebrity of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Jim Davidson?

Booking fees for Jim Davidson, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. Pricing often varies according to the circumstances, including the talent's schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. Speaker fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Jim Davidson, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.

Who is the agent for Jim Davidson?

All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Jim Davidson for clients worldwide for more than 15 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Jim Davidson for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service talent booking agency?

All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Jim Davidson or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Jim Davidson or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.


Jim Davidson is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Personal Growth, Overcoming Adversity and Adventure. The estimated speaking fee range to book Jim Davidson for live events is $10,000 - $20,000, and for virtual events $10,000 - $20,000. Jim Davidson generally travels from Fort Collins, CO, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Rudy Ruettiger, Amelia Rose Earhart and Eric Boles. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Jim Davidson for an upcoming event.

Jim Davidson Speaking Topics

  • Resilient Teamwork and Resilient Leadership - Workshop

    On his remote expeditions, Jim has encountered many teamwork and leadership challenges. During remote rescues and evacuations, the pressure increases, uncertainty grows, and team dynamics become strained. High-performing organizations face these same teamwork and leadership conditions in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing world.

    By examining several real-world mountain rescue scenarios, Jim facilitates an invigorating, interactive workshop that has your team working together to resolve leadership and teamwork challenges. Some of the difficult rescues that Jim has helped with include:

    • Solo mountaineer with severe altitude illness at 19,200 feet on Denali (Mt. McKinley)
    • Hiker who fell 70 feet into a boulder field at 13,000 feet in Colorado
    • Climbers trapped at 19,900 feet on Mt. Everest

    In this hands-on workshop, Jim uses engaging storytelling and vivid visuals to bring these scenarios to life. Then, he has your attendees work to resolve the dilemmas by having them:

  • Everest Resilience: Overcoming Adversity and Reaching High Goals

    During his first Everest attempt in 2015, Jim and his team were trapped at Camp 1 by massive earthquakes and avalanches. After recovering from this huge setback, he trained even harder and returned in 2017 to summit Mt. Everest.

    Work, life, and climbing always include change, challenge, and uncertainty. Struggling up Mount Everest reveals how resilience allows you to overcome adversities and still reach high goals. Jim has presented inspirational keynotes across the USA and internationally to prominent clients like Verizon, Capital One, UPS, OppenheimerFunds, Proctor & Gamble, Nokia, and more.

    In this thrilling keynote, Jim shares hard-won resilience lessons on how you can learn how to adapt to change, face uncertainty, overcome challenges and recover from setbacks.

  • Facing Everest-Sized Uncertainties

    Davidson’s first attempt to climb Mount Everest ended suddenly when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. This spawned massive avalanches and aftershocks that trapped Davidson’s team high on the mountain. It became the deadliest day ever on Mount Everest. Davidson returned in 2017 to try again. Along the way, his team had to endure eleven stormy days pinned in their tents, uncertain if they were going to be able to summit. Finally, conditions cleared and after persevering through the uncertainty, Davidson and his team reached their goal.

    From these intense experiences, Davidson shares critical lessons for facing today’s uncertain times. He will share practical tips about:

    • Building a resilient mindset for facing change, challenge & uncertainty • Attitudes and actions to take before, during, and after big storms • When to rely on passive perseverance vs. active perseverance

  • The Next Everest: Lessons from an Avalanche of Adversity

    In 2015, Davidson set out to achieve a goal he spent 33 years building up to—summiting Mt. Everest. Little did he know he would find himself trapped by avalanches at 20,000 feet on the deadliest day the mountain has ever seen.

    Nepal’s largest earthquake in 81 years shook Everest with a magnitude of 7.8 creating aftershocks and avalanches. Sadly, 18 lives were lost in base camp, while Davidson and his fellow climbers were trapped up on the mountain. By enduring this disaster, Davidson learned hard-won lessons about facing uncertainty and deepened his understanding of resilience. His intense experiences clarified the importance of embracing change to overcome challenges. Two years after the deadliest day on Everest, Davidson returned and achieved his goal of reaching the summit.

    Through gripping stories of his moments on the mountain to the lessons that enabled him to reach such challenging goals, Davidson will inspire your team to be ready and resilient for the next Everest in their lives.

Jim Davidson Videos

Jim Davidson | Speaker Reel 2022

Jim Davidson Reviews

  • Great program! Thank you!!
    NAIOP AZ - Sep 08 2023

  • Environmental Air Systems - Apr 26 2023

  • Dan Beard Council, Boy Scouts of America - Mar 31 2023

  • Honeywell - Jan 24 2023

  • Jim was a fantastic speaker, and more importantly his topic resonated with our employees. I heard first-hand from people the impact he had on them, and that's the best form of success for us.
    AIG - Nov 22 2022

How to book Jim Davidson?

Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Jim Davidson for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment for over 15 years. The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers. Fill out a booking request form for Jim Davidson, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get pricing information and check availability for Jim Davidson or any other celebrity of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Jim Davidson?

Booking fees for Jim Davidson, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. Pricing often varies according to the circumstances, including the talent's schedule, market conditions, length of presentation, and the location of the event. Speaker fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. In some cases, the actual quote may be above or below the stated range. For the most current fee to hire Jim Davidson, please fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak with an experienced booking agent.

Who is the agent for Jim Davidson?

All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Jim Davidson for clients worldwide for more than 15 years. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Jim Davidson for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service talent booking agency?

All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. We do not exclusively represent Jim Davidson or claim ourselves as the exclusive booking agency, business manager, publicist, speakers bureau or management for Jim Davidson or any other speaker or celebrity on this website. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage.


Jim Davidson is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Personal Growth, Overcoming Adversity and Adventure. The estimated speaking fee range to book Jim Davidson for live events is $10,000 - $20,000, and for virtual events $10,000 - $20,000. Jim Davidson generally travels from Fort Collins, CO, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Rudy Ruettiger, Amelia Rose Earhart and Eric Boles. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Jim Davidson for an upcoming event.

BOOKING INFORMATION REQUEST
JIM DAVIDSON

We are happy to assist you with your interest in booking a speaker or celebrity for your event, your organization, and the type of talent you would like to secure, and an agent will be in touch shortly.

Fill out the form below to or call us at 1-800-698-2536 if need immediate assistance.

Tell us about your event!

We respond to most inquiries within 4 hours. Under special circumstances, it may take up to 24 hours.


This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.