Travels from California, USA
Yossi Ghinsberg's speaking fee falls within range: $30,000 to $50,000
Isolated in the Amazonian jungle after his raft went over a waterfall, Yossi Ghinsberg should have perished. Instead the Israeli, a 22-year-old youth at the time, gathered his wits and embarked on a three-week-long escapade surviving floods, poisonous snakes, fire ants, and more, as he attempted to walk to the nearest town.
Fresh out of his military service in the Israeli navy, Yossi hungered for adventure. He traveled to Bolivia where he joined up with a few other backpackers to go on an expedition in the rain forest. Underprepared, the group eventually divided, and two of his colleagues were never heard from again. He and an American traveling companion tried to raft down a river to a nearby town, but failed to realize there was a giant waterfall lying in their way. Yossi’s friend managed to jump out of the raft and swim to shore, but Yossi was swept over the edge.
After 20 days of surviving in the jungle without supplies or equipment, Yossi was rescued against all probability. The story of his survival was the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary and Yossi’s book Lost in the Jungle, which has sold over 1,000,000 copies. Currently there are talks to adapt his book into a film with actor Kevin Bacon possibly playing one of Yossi’s traveling companions.
10 years after his rescue, Yossi returned to the jungle where he had been lost and collaborated with the indigenous people there in the construction of an eco-lodge and the creation of a wildlife reserve. The eco-lodge has since become a highly regarded eco-resort called Chalalan. In other parts of the world Yossi has opened and directed several treatment centers for opiate addicts. He consistently is active in grassroots efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.
Currently he is the co-founder and CEO at Blinq.me, a Silicon Valley based start-up company financed by 500 Startups acceleration Micro Fund. Blinq is an innovative mobile solution that with one touch brings social updates from across social media platforms about any contact so you enter into every dialogue with confidence.
Tel Aviv. The edge of the map.
Yossi Ghinsberg was 22, fresh from the Israeli Navy, studying philosophy at Tel Aviv University. He found his way to Bolivia. A stranger claimed to know of hidden gold and uncharted land. Yossi walked into the Bolivian Amazon with four men and no way back.
The group collapsed. The raft hit a waterfall. He was alone.
Fear. Disagreements. A guide who may have been leading them nowhere. One by one, they separated. Then Yossi’s raft hit a waterfall. When the river released him, there was no one within days of walking in any direction.
Day 6. A jaguar watched him sleep.
No food. No shelter he didn’t build. Floods, fever, insects burrowing into his flesh. He woke to find a jaguar watching him. He grabbed mosquito repellent and a lighter, made a flamethrower, and drove it back.
He kept moving. Stopping meant death. He ate what he could find, not much. No gun, no knife, no fire, the horror came at night, and hallucinations were the only respite. He didn’t give up; against all odds, he made it to the riverbank.
Twenty days alone amidst the worst rainy season in decades. Kevin Gale, who refused to stop searching, and the indigenous Uchupiamona hunters that accompanied him, found him alive.
He wrote a book. Millions of people worldwide read it.
The original Hebrew edition appeared in 1985: Back from Tuichi. The English title became Jungle. A second book followed: Laws of the Jungle, applying what the Amazon taught him to leadership.
In 2017, director Greg McLean made it into a film starring Daniel Radcliffe. It premiered as the opening night gala at the Melbourne International Film Festival. The movie tie-in edition carries a foreword by Radcliffe himself.
The jungle he gave back.
He returned to the Amazon. Not to relive. To do something with it.
He was instrumental in founding the Chalalan Ecolodge in Bolivia’s Madidi National Park and helped establish the park itself. The lodge is owned and run entirely by the Uchupiamona people of San José de Uchupiamonas.
He also served as Vice President of CITA — the Center for Research and Treatment of Addiction — helping establish twelve clinics in twelve cities around the world. Work that rarely appears in the speaker biography. It is part of the story regardless.
Mr Sleep and the Flying Green Toad.
In 2008, Yossi released an album of world music and global fusion with musicians Avishai Barnatan and Amir Paiss. Thirteen tracks. Every lyric written by him.
“A musical journey that will enchant children and adults alike.” A completely different side of the same man. Available on Spotify and Apple Music. He doesn’t only speak about courage. He attempts it.
Between 2013 and 2017, he found himself in Silicon Valley, building companies around AI and digital identity before either concept had a mainstream name. Two ventures: Blinq and Headbox.
Not a conventional tech founder. A curious man who showed up, surrounded by people far more experienced, applying what the jungle taught him: the ones who survive are not always the most qualified. Sometimes they are just the ones who showed up.
The ventures did not change the world. He has the bruises to prove he tried. That is why, when he speaks about being brave in a new world, it lands. On stage. Still the room.
He speaks to audiences of 10,000. He speaks to boardrooms of twelve. One story. Whoever is in the room.
He doesn’t stop at the edge. He builds there.
In May 2024, Yossi and Paul Templer signed the deed on a piece of land in South Crete. Ten thousand square metres overlooking the Libyan Sea. Paul Templer is a Zimbabwean-born adventurer who, in 1996, while leading an expedition on the Zambezi River, fought a hippopotamus for eight minutes and won. Today, he is a respected speaker, author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. The two men who should not be alive have connected and decided to build a dream together.
The name is Lino Cambi, a hidden sanctuary that awaits only those who hear the calling. Season one has only six lush suites. Blue Zone cuisine. Overlooking the Libyan Sea. Opening June 2027. Not a resort but a place where people who are done with noise can come to remember what matters, rejuvenate, recharge, align, and have great fun doing that.
Yossi puts world events into a new perspective, empowering each individual with responsibility and control to influence the planet. “The world is not as it is. The world is as I am, as you are,” he says. “We are not separated from the world. We make the world.” He discourages the audience from blaming others when they are confronted by adversity, explaining that when people do this, they become victims and give up their power to make a difference. “Being a victim is a choice,” he states.
Yossi Ghinsberg dissects what he has learned from surviving in the jungle and translates it into an entertaining and relevant experience to a business audience. He describes being separated from his traveling companions in the uncharted Amazon, losing control of his raft, going over a waterfall, and miraculously managing to get to shore. Little did he know that that was just the beginning of a 20-day fight for survival.
Having lost his supplies and equipment, Yossi faced numerous challenges over the next weeks. He recounts finding a fruit tree and being greeted with an unpleasant surprise. “Something coils and snaps,” he narrates. “It’s a snake, but not just a snake. It’s the most dangerous snake in the Amazon. It can kill you with one bite, and if it doesn’t bite you, it can spit venom at you and blind you.”
From Survival to Legacy
How to lead with clarity, courage, and creativity when the map runs out
The map has run out. Every organisation is navigating terrain that didn't exist five years ago: disruption, volatility, the quiet collapse of certainty as a management tool. In 1981, Yossi Ghinsberg spent 20 days alone in the Bolivian Amazon. No map. No food. No rescue coming. He did not have a framework. He had instinct, will, and the refusal to stop moving. He came out the other side with something no course teaches. That is what this keynote offers. Not theory. Not optimism. A way of thinking that works when nothing is certain. Leaders leave making faster decisions and trusting their own judgment. Teams stop waiting for the map to reappear and start navigating the terrain in front of them.
Key Takeaways:
- Redefining Stress Redefining stress as a misdirected survival instinct, the clarity tool no framework teaches
- The Illusion of Control Why adaptability beats certainty as a leadership strategy
- Innovation Under Pressure The creative muscle every organisation needs now
Best For: - Technology, financial services, professional services, any organisation navigating disruption
The Laws of the Jungle
Nature's principles for leadership, culture, and the legacy that outlasts you
20 days alone in the Amazon. No food. No rescue. No certainty of survival. What happened in those 20 days became a book, a film, and 25 years of standing in front of people who needed to hear it. This is not a talk about the jungle. It is a talk about you. About the moment you stop waiting to be rescued and start making yourself useful. About the difference between pain and suffering. About what is still possible on the other side of the thing you were sure would break you. Teams walk out of this room changed. Not inspired for a day. Changed.
- The Bigger Your Goal, The More Resistance You Face And why that's the signal you're on the right path
- Pain Doesn't Mean Suffering The distinction that changes how people navigate hardship
- When Failure is Not an Option From paralysis to usefulness to unstoppable momentum
Best For: - All corporate audiences. Financial services, insurance, technology, healthcare, professional associations.
Real Survival vs Imaginary Survival
A survivor's perspective on chronic stress, and the path back to optimal performance
Most stress keynotes are delivered by experts. This one is delivered by a survivor. In 1981, Yossi Ghinsberg spent 20 days alone in the Amazon. He knows real survival. He also knows that most people, teams, and organisations are not running on real survival. They are running on something else entirely. Real survival is not the enemy. Real danger calls out the best in us. Senses sharpen. Decisions speed up. Courage shows up. When it is real, it is an invitation. What most of us actually experience is imaginary survival. No bear. No olympic race. Just the grind of the mundane and its mundane pressure. The body cannot tell the difference. The survival system fires anyway. We call it stress. It is the malady of our time, the biggest modern killer, the precursor to disease of body, mind, and spirit. This keynote gives audiences the tools to switch the system off. Not through the mind, which is too slow. Through the body, through sensorial practices that act on the organism directly, moving people from sympathetic to parasympathetic in real time. Peaks are for peaks. The rest of the time we are meant to operate at optimal performance. People leave with the discernment between real and imaginary survival, and the practices to use it at work and at home. Life changing. Sometimes life saving.
- Real Survival Is Not The Enemy Why real crisis calls out the best in us, and why imaginary crisis quietly grinds us down
- Peak Is For Peaks Why optimal performance, not peak, is the sustainable goal for leaders and teams
- The Switch Is In The Body How to move from sympathetic to parasympathetic through sensorial practices, not through the mind
Best For: - All corporate audiences. Especially leadership teams, sales organisations, healthcare professionals, and any group running too hot for too long.
SPEAKING.COM: What do you want people to learn from your presentations?
GHINSBERG: To be inspired to live life fully, to know that challenges are part of the path and that sometimes the bigger your vision the greater the resistance to it, but that this is part of the journey and not a reason to give up. I want to inspire people to dream without the hindrance of self-limiting beliefs and/or limiting cultural conditioning.
I’d like them to find the courage to revisit and reexamine some of their fundamental thoughts, beliefs and emotions by vicariously experiencing them rather than just intellectualizing and entertaining them. I’d like them to feel invigorated, to regain a spark in the eye and a spring in the knee, to know they, and no one else, is the protagonist of this life they are living, that their uniqueness is something they have to find, hone and shine on the world; that they are strong, worthy and beautiful.
I’d also like to challenge the paradigms they are trapped in and living by, and so expand their perception and the opportunities in their lives.
SPEAKING.COM: What kind of special prep work do you do prior to an event? How do you prepare for your speaking engagements?
GHINSBERG: I like to learn about the company or organization, and get an in-depth briefing from the relevant executives. I like to arrive on the scene as early as possible and get a feel for the place and audience. That way I can adapt more naturally to how the event rolls out. As to inner preparation, I take some notes to create a structure to fit the event, theme and timeframe.
I like to sit quietly and meditate on the event, so I can disconnect from other issues and be 100% present. I enjoy meditation, as I know inner balance is what is most valuable when I speak. It is not about what I say but how I am saying it. Audiences sense this and respond to it, knowing my presentation is real, alive and authentic.
SPEAKING.COM: Have you had any particularly memorable speaking engagements or unusual situations arise while on the road?
GHINSBERG: So many it’s hard to choose just one. I had many adventures in exotic places like the deserts of Dubai and Oman. Most memorable are those events where I met people who touched my life, in places where I’ve made new friends for life. Yet the ultimate experience is to know I was of service to someone, touched them, alleviated their pain and inspired them. This is what makes my work such a humbling privilege.
SPEAKING.COM: Who are some of your favorite audiences?
GHINSBERG: I have no favorites, because every mind and heart that is wide open and allows me to come in with my stories and insights is showing a generosity and trust that I consider sacred, so I tread gingerly. So there are no preferences. In some places, like India, the culture is such that sometimes I get a standing ovation before I started speaking. It is always great fun to know the room is there ready for you, loving you and ready to be taken by you.
SPEAKING.COM: What types of audiences would most benefit from your message?
GHINSBERG: They all do, because my message is universal and I adapt very well to different audiences. My message is not specific to any industry, age or gender, nor do I teach a method to improve any particular department such as HR or Sales.
I touch consciousness and empower the individual, expanding their capacity to deal with circumstances and leverage hidden opportunities they couldn’t see before. I speak to all types of audiences around the world, though I usually speak in corporate environments to inspire and empower the individuals and the company.
SPEAKING.COM: What made you decide to start doing speaking engagements? What got you started?
GHINSBERG: I’m a storyteller. Addressing audiences is a gift I feel the calling to share, an innate need; there’s an aspect of me that only comes to fruition and life when I speak in front of audiences. I love this aspect of me that rises up. I’m in awe of it and the first to get inspired and listen to it. In a way I need my talks as much as my audiences – sometimes I feel I need it more. It is very aligning for me.
When you do what you are supposed to do, it feels naturally good, and that sense accompanies my speaking. What got me started is a story that needed telling: my experience surviving in the Amazon against all odds. It has inspired millions around the world in the form of books and a documentary series. Soon it will be a motion picture.
SPEAKING.COM: Which of your keynote topics are the most popular? How are your keynote presentations unique? Which of your keynote speeches do you enjoy the most and why?
GHINSBERG: ‘The Power to Survive’ – Telling the story of my harrowing experience being alone in the Amazon and bare to the bone for weeks, isolated from society, deep in a hostile forest during the worst rainy season in a decade.
These circumstances caused me to discover that victimhood is a choice; adversity is something we all encounter and can deal with. I find that for the first time I can trust and rely upon myself. It is a powerful story of self-discovery, and vicariously takes people through the experience instead of just listening. In this deep space, where the audience and I are one and our emotions exposed, the insights and inspiration become cathartic and transformative, even life changing to many.
‘The Wevolution Revolution’ – The harrowing Amazonian survival story sets the background and deeply engages the audience. At that point I reveal the enlightened insights that transformed and changed my life forever.
I then tell the story of my return to the Amazon and the building of Chalalan, the most celebrated and award winning resort in the Bolivian Amazon, fully owned and operated by the most isolated Indigenous community.
It’s a real Cinderella story that shows that sometime the amateur can achieve more than the professional since their dream is not tainted with doubt and assumptions about what is not possible. Yet this story has far greater meaning, showing that the rainforest is an ecosystem that thrives on synergetic cooperation and that this is a metaphor for life on the planet as a whole. Core paradigms of scarcity as our reality and competition as the optimal way of dealing with it are revisited and challenged. Nature demonstrates that abundance is a better description of reality and that niche dominance and cooperation are more effective and more profitable.
I prefer the second topic as it takes my personal story far beyond self-discovery to actual global redemption, working towards the tipping point when the paradigm shifts and a new era begins–nothing less than that.
SPEAKING.COM: How much do case studies, personal stories and humor factor into the content of your keynote speeches?
GHINSBERG: I only tell my own stories. I have lived a rich, interesting and diverse life so the audience doesn’t get teachings I have learned but experiences I have lived. I open my heart and mind with complete devotion in a space of pure giving, sharing my life experiences.
All the content is original and personal, all the insights and messages are mine or internalized through life experience. My sense of humor is also authentic, because people react with laughter at various points when the intensity and the charge of the story require some relief.
I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Yossi Ghinsberg present at a recent overseas conference conducted by Sigma Company Limited.
Yossi’s story is an inspiration and demonstrated clearly the strength of the human mind and what it is capable of achieving. The sincerity and passion with which he delivers his story endeared him to all the delegates present.
The reception after his first presentation was such that we invited Yossi to make a second presentation on the following day. His easy going style and broad perspective on life made him an instant success with all those present and he was generous in the time he was willing to share with all the delegates and their partners throughout the cruise.
Talking to him and sharing his views on a variety of topics only served to confirm the depth of his thinking and the caliber of the man.
Sigma is delighted to have had Yossi on our conference program and have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone who is looking for a speaker of exceptional caliber with a most intriguing and interesting experience to share. I wish him well for the future and look forward to building on the relationship that we established during this conference over future years. Elmo de Alwis, Managing Director, Sigma Pharmaceuticals
Thank you for your invaluable contribution to our recent Nokia Day conference. Your address was perfectly suited to our overall theme of “continuous learning”. Feedback received from the group was outstanding which can only be attributed to your ability to communicate the events you experienced whilst in the Amazon.
The storytelling of ‘The Holy Grail’ at the themed dinner was superb with all staff mesmerized by your presentation. In addition, your morning meditation session provided an excellent means of recovery following the festivities of the previous evening.
Your contribution to the success of the Nokia Day was significant and for that we are most grateful. Chris Carr, Financial Controller, Nokia Telecommunications
I feel like I may have made a new friend. We are very pleased, as you know, with your presentation.
Thank you for your candor and honesty and for your easy working relationship.
Please keep in touch. Lori Vanston, Professional Development Manager, BMW
As you are aware, we recently invited Yossi Ghinsberg to speak at our Sales Conference for Olympus last month. After hearing Yossi speak last year at the Corporate Lunch, I felt he would be an ideal candidate to inspire and encourage our Sales Team to new heights and to push the boundaries.
I am pleased to say that Yossi’s speech/presentation did achieve the desired result. Everyone who participated in the evening had nothing but glowing references and felt an enormous sense of exhilaration in recounting Yossi’s story.
I would not hesitate to recommend him to other companies thinking of using him in a similar situation. Erika Gisser, Hospital Business Executive, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals
As the acting president of Guadalajara’s YPO chapter it is my pleasure to endorse the work of inspirational speaker Yossi Ghinsberg.
We have heard a lot about him and his life experiences but little did we know we were about to meet a storyteller of world stature. His stories had the power to remove us from our mundane and familiar realities and take us to Yossi’s magical world of exotic places and dramatic adventures. No one could stay indifferent, hanging on each word and with him in every breath, exploring not only the wilderness of the Amazon and the physical endurance but also the mysteries of our the heart and the nature of existence.
It was a most memorable evening and truly inspirational experience, Yossi’s gift will remain with us no doubts for very long.
On a personal level it was a pleasure to meet and work with Yossi. He surprised us all with his control of the Spanish language which further won the hearts of our members and their spouses. The event was a great success with fantastic feedback and one of the highest speaker evaluations in the history of our chapter. Marcos Dau, Acting President, Guadalajara’s YPO
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Speaker rating
Comments about seeing this speaker live? (This field not required to submit a star rating.)
Name *
Email *
Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Lost in the Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Adventure and Survival
Four travelers meet in Bolivia and set off into the heart of the Amazon rainforest, but what begins as a dream adventure quickly deteriorates into a dangerous nightmare, and after weeks of wandering in the dense undergrowth, the four backpackers split up into two groups. But when a terrible rafting accident separates him from his partner, Yossi is forced to survive for weeks alone against one of the wildest backdrops on the planet.
Stranded without a knife, map, or survival training, he must improvise shelter and forage for wild fruit to survive. As his feet begin to rot during raging storms, as he loses all sense of direction, and as he begins to lose all hope, he wonders whether he will make it out of the jungle alive.
Lost in the Jungle is the story of friendship and the teachings of nature, and a terrifying true account that you won’t be able to put down. Order Here
Laws of the Jungle: Jaguars Don’t Need Self-Help Books
Alone with no food, supplies, or weapons, Yossi Ghinsberg was lost in the Amazon for twenty-eight days. Against all odds, he survived, and his story became the international bestseller, Jungle. Now, in Laws of the Jungle: Jaguars Don’t Need Self-Help Books, Ghinsberg shares the profound truths the treacherous Amazon taught him. These nine revelations inspire personal consciousness and an evolved perspective on our nature–as humans and as beasts. Order Here
Call us / email us / check availability and fee for your favorite speaker.
