*Photo Credit: TEDx
Jessica Buchanan
Best-selling Co-Author, Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan & Her Dramatic Rescue By SEAL Team Six
SPEAKER FEE RANGE: $11,000–$19,000 [FEE NOTE]
TRAVELS FROM: Virginia
On October 25, 2011, Jessica Buchanan and a colleague were kidnapped at gunpoint by Somali land pirates and held for 93 days, enduring the most harrowing and painful experience of her life. Today she shares with audiences the tools she quickly learned to find strength to face any situation no matter how large or small the challenges or obstacles. She learned first-hand how to remain hopeful, dig deep even when you feel completely empty of any resources and trust your instincts as all can find the inner strength to face any situation. She chronicled the story in the New York Times best-seller and 2013 USA Best Book Award/Autobiography, Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six (2013).
On October 25, 2011, while on a routine field mission in Somalia, working as the Education Advisor for her non-governmental organization, Jessica was abducted at gunpoint and held for ransom by a group of Somali pirates for 93 days. Forced to live outdoors in deplorable conditions, starved, and terrorized by more than two dozen gangsters, Jessica’s health steadily deteriorated until, by order of President Obama, she was rescued by the elite SEAL Team VI on January 25, 2012.
Jessica’s ordeal is detailed in her New York Times bestselling book, Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six.
Jessica has been named one of the ‘150 Women Who will Shake the World’ by Newsweek, and her story was the most highly viewed 60 Minutes episode to air, to date. Jessica is a highly sought after inspirational speaker and her TEDx Pearl Street talk, ‘Change is Your Proof of Life’ has been the foundation for which she travels the world, inspiring audiences to access their resilience by identifying their own autonomy and chance in the middle of their own life-changing event. Click to learn more.
Jessica is the co-founder of the transformational coaching program, The Project You Collective, and The PYC Speaker’s Academy, which she started with Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor, Rebekah Gregory and Branding and Marketing expert, Loren Buchanan. Because empowering women to find their purpose, speak their truth and show the world is her greatest passion.
Jessica also co-hosts the popular women’s conversational podcast, We Should Talk About That where she and Jessica Kidwell attempt to unpack the uncomfortable topics that nobody is talking about, but definitely should. As a podcast that ranks in the top 1% of the 2.6 million airing shows, Jessica has the privilege of working with women from all walks of life, experiences and gleaning from their expertise.
Jessica also works as a family liaison volunteer for the non-profit organization, Hostage US, supporting former hostages and their families during captivity and eventual return, and also continues to serve as a dedicated Ambassador for the Navy SEAL Foundation, which works to support families of fallen SEALs.
Jessica is currently working on her second book, From Deserts to Mountain Tops: A Traveler’s Manual to Surviving Survival- a memoir and self-help guide for those who have experienced hardship and are journeying from the desert of survival, back to finding themselves.
Jessica’s ordeal is detailed in her New York Times bestselling book, Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six.
Jessica has been named one of the ‘150 Women Who will Shake the World’ by Newsweek, and her story was the most highly viewed 60 Minutes episode to air, to date. Jessica is a highly sought after inspirational speaker and her TEDx Pearl Street talk, ‘Change is Your Proof of Life’ has been the foundation for which she travels the world, inspiring audiences to access their resilience by identifying their own autonomy and chance in the middle of their own life-changing event. Click to learn more.
Jessica is the co-founder of the transformational coaching program, The Project You Collective, and The PYC Speaker’s Academy, which she started with Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor, Rebekah Gregory and Branding and Marketing expert, Loren Buchanan. Because empowering women to find their purpose, speak their truth and show the world is her greatest passion.
Jessica also co-hosts the popular women’s conversational podcast, We Should Talk About That where she and Jessica Kidwell attempt to unpack the uncomfortable topics that nobody is talking about, but definitely should. As a podcast that ranks in the top 1% of the 2.6 million airing shows, Jessica has the privilege of working with women from all walks of life, experiences and gleaning from their expertise.
Jessica also works as a family liaison volunteer for the non-profit organization, Hostage US, supporting former hostages and their families during captivity and eventual return, and also continues to serve as a dedicated Ambassador for the Navy SEAL Foundation, which works to support families of fallen SEALs.
Jessica is currently working on her second book, From Deserts to Mountain Tops: A Traveler’s Manual to Surviving Survival- a memoir and self-help guide for those who have experienced hardship and are journeying from the desert of survival, back to finding themselves.
- Kidnappings, Ransoms, and The Security Sector
Who is this keynote for? This keynote is for the audience who works specifically in the security space. With Jessica’s unique background in the INGO (International Non-Governmental Organizational) space combined with her professional training as a teacher, Jessica shares lessons learned from before, during, and after her kidnapping experience to enable aid organizations and companies of all sizes and sectors to learn from her kidnapping experience as both a cautionary tale and a story of survival success.
The audience will leave with:
✔Practical takeaways and lessons learned from the unique perspective of a former hostage
✔An unforgettable illustration of the importance of an organization’s Duty of Care
✔A renewed sense of purpose as to their WHY supporting their mission
✔A commitment to their own personal security, and listening to their gut
✔An actual security checklist they may use prior to visiting project locations at home and abroad - Deserts to Mountaintops
Who is this keynote for? This keynote is geared specifically to those audiences looking to walk in greater alignment with themselves, and for those who are ready to start listening to their own voice and hone their intuition.
The audience will leave with:
✔Tools for honing their intuition in every area of their lives
✔Real life examples that drive home the life and death situation that not listening to their intuition can cause
✔Exercises that will bring them into greater self-awareness and alignment into what they want for their future
✔Feelings of Empowerment that will bring them to decisions more quickly, ultimately getting them to their next steps in an effective and efficient way. - Change is Your Proof of Life
Who is this for? Audiences who may be facing corporate or personal life changes and the challenges that arise when change has been thrust upon you.
The Audience will leave with:
✔Renewed mindset on how to collaborate with change in their lives
✔Tools to empower them to make change work for them, not against them
✔Practical steps for reclaiming control in important areas of life when things feel like they are spinning out of control
✔A patriotic reminder of what it means to be an American - Impossible Odds: A Story of Strength and Survival
Who is this for? Audiences of all types looking to be inspired and motivated to face the everyday and extraordinary challenges of their lives with grace, tenacity and the ability to move forward.
The audience will leave with:
✔Feelings of inspiration and a renewed perspective showing them that they have what it takes to persevere through obstacles, no matter how impossible they may seem in the present
✔Specific tools Jessica used during captivity, that you can employ in your every day life, that inspire gratitude and a willingness
✔A poignant reminder that no matter how alone we may feel, we have not been forgotten
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