Finn Kydland
2004 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences | Jeffrey Henley Professor, UC Santa Barbara | Macroeconomics, Business Cycles & Monetary Policy
Yossi Ghinsberg
Amazon Jungle Survivor | International Bestselling Author of Jungle | Resilience, Leadership & Human Potential Speaker
Few people on Earth have earned the right to speak about resilience the way Yossi Ghinsberg has. His twenty-eight days alone in the uncharted Bolivian Amazon — no food, no shelter, no way out — became a global bestseller, a Hollywood film, and the foundation of a speaking career that has transformed audiences on every continent. Ghinsberg teaches leaders to operate at their peak precisely when conditions are at their worst.
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Yossi Ghinsberg biography
Motivational speaker Yossi Ghinsberg is one of the most extraordinary voices on resilience, survival, and the human will to endure. Born and raised in Israel, Ghinsberg served three years in the Israeli Navy on the Red Sea before a restless hunger for discovery led him to South America. In 1981, he joined a small expedition into the uncharted Bolivian Amazon — a journey that would change his life forever. After the group became separated in a violent river crossing, Ghinsberg found himself completely alone: no food, no weapons, no companions, no way out. For twenty-eight days, he survived in one of the most hostile environments on the planet. His story became the international bestseller Jungle, which was later adapted into a major motion picture starring Daniel Radcliffe.
Far from being defined solely by that ordeal, Ghinsberg turned his survival into a lifelong mission. He returned to the Amazon a decade later and became instrumental in creating Chalalan, Bolivia’s pioneering eco-tourism village that helped establish the Madidi National Park — one of the largest biosphere conservation zones in the Amazon basin. He subsequently served as Vice President of the Center for Investigation and Treatment of Addiction (CITA), establishing twelve treatment and research centers across countries from Mexico to China. He also founded EthnoBios S.A., a Bolivian bio-diversity prospecting company, and launched collecteco, a design label rooted in ecological values and indigenous craft traditions.
Bestselling Author and Award-Winning Storyteller
Ghinsberg’s book Jungle has sold millions of copies worldwide and remains one of the most compelling survival narratives ever published. His follow-up, Laws of the Jungle, translates nine hard-won insights from his Amazon ordeal into frameworks for personal growth, leadership, and organizational resilience. He has been featured in a Discovery Channel documentary and consistently ranks among the top-rated keynote speakers in global business circles. Peers, event organizers, and Fortune 500 executives alike describe his presentations as visceral, unforgettable experiences — not simply inspirational talks. He has shared stages with Richard Branson, Bill Clinton, Nassim Taleb, and Steve Ballmer, among others.
As a speaker, Yossi Ghinsberg delivers something no slide deck or management framework can replicate: lived truth at extreme stakes. His keynotes translate the raw lessons of jungle survival — radical responsibility, collaborative instinct, adaptive thinking, and the daily choice to keep going — into concrete strategies for teams and leaders navigating disruption, change, and uncertainty. Audiences leave not just inspired, but genuinely rewired. Senior executives, global leadership teams, and high-performance organizations book Ghinsberg because they want their people to operate differently — not just feel differently.
Yossi Ghinsberg Speaking Videos
Yossi Ghinsberg - Survivor of the Amazon
Yossi Ghinsberg - Bringing Amazon survival skills to business
Yossi Ghinsberg Keynote Topics
What does it take to survive — and lead — when everything falls apart? Drawing directly from his twenty-eight days alone in the Bolivian Amazon, Ghinsberg unpacks the instincts, habits, and mental frameworks that kept him alive and translates them into a powerful operating system for organizational performance. This keynote challenges leaders to move beyond competition as the primary survival strategy and embrace collaboration, adaptability, and radical responsibility as the true drivers of resilience. Attendees leave with concrete practices for building teams that don't just endure change — they thrive in it.
In many industries, the pace of disruption can leave teams feeling as if they're lost in the wilderness — isolated, overwhelmed, and running low on resources. This keynote draws a direct parallel between Ghinsberg's jungle ordeal and the pressures facing modern organizations, showing how the same principles that saved his life can save a company's culture, performance, and morale. He redefines "survival" not as a defensive posture but as a proactive state of peak readiness — one where every individual is fully engaged, every team is aligned, and every decision is made from a place of purpose rather than fear.
Every person carries an inner hero — a reservoir of courage, creativity, and commitment that most of us never fully access. Ghinsberg's Amazon experience brought him face-to-face with his own, and this keynote is designed to do the same for audiences. Moving beyond storytelling, it offers a structured framework for activating what Ghinsberg calls the "Day-to-Day Hero" in every employee and leader: the capacity to assume ownership, serve something greater than oneself, and show up with full intensity regardless of circumstances. Particularly effective for culture transformation, leadership development, and organizational change initiatives.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Yossi Ghinsberg
Why Yossi Ghinsberg?
Booking Yossi Ghinsberg for your event is a decision that will leave a lasting impact on every person in the room. As one of the world's most powerful storytellers, Ghinsberg doesn't just inspire — he transforms. His twenty-eight days alone in the uncharted Amazon give him a level of credibility that no business speaker can manufacture: he has genuinely faced death and chosen life, repeatedly. His frameworks on resilience, radical responsibility, adaptive thinking, and survival-minded leadership translate directly into how teams perform under pressure and how organizations navigate disruption. He has spoken to Fortune 500 companies, global leadership summits, and high-stakes corporate conferences across every continent, consistently receiving top scores from event organizers. When you book Yossi Ghinsberg through Aurum Speakers Bureau, you're not hiring a motivational speaker — you're creating a defining moment for your organization.
What is the true story behind Yossi Ghinsberg's Amazon survival?
In 1981, Yossi Ghinsberg and three companions ventured into the Bolivian Amazon with a guide who later proved to be a wanted criminal. After a violent river separation, Ghinsberg was swept downstream and left completely alone in one of the most remote and dangerous environments on Earth. He spent twenty-eight days surviving without food, weapons, or shelter, battling floods, infection, trench foot, and a jaguar encounter, before being found by one of his companions. Two of the original four members of the group were never seen again. The ordeal became the basis for his international bestseller Jungle and the 2017 film of the same name starring Daniel Radcliffe.
What is Yossi Ghinsberg's book Laws of the Jungle about?
Laws of the Jungle is Ghinsberg's follow-up to Jungle, in which he distills nine core principles drawn from his Amazon survival experience into a practical guide for personal growth and leadership. The book challenges the Darwinian "survival of the fittest" narrative and proposes instead that collaboration, awareness, and purpose are the true engines of human resilience. It has resonated strongly with business leaders and organizational teams looking for frameworks that go beyond conventional self-help.
What topics does motivational speaker Yossi Ghinsberg cover?
Yossi Ghinsberg speaks on resilience and mental toughness, survival-based leadership, adaptive thinking and change management, team collaboration under pressure, purpose and personal transformation, and sustainability and ecological responsibility. His talks are built around his lived Amazon experience and are reinforced with footage from the film Jungle, making them viscerally compelling for any audience. Organizations across finance, healthcare, technology, and consumer goods have hired Ghinsberg to energize leadership teams and shift organizational culture. To explore availability and customized keynote formats, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau directly.
How to book Yossi Ghinsberg as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Yossi Ghinsberg as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Yossi Ghinsberg's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Yossi Ghinsberg or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Yossi Ghinsberg speaking fee?
Yossi Ghinsberg speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Yossi Ghinsberg to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Yossi Ghinsberg.
How can I contact Yossi Ghinsberg?
We only work with Yossi Ghinsberg on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Yossi Ghinsberg and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Yossi Ghinsberg speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Yossi Ghinsberg for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Yossi Ghinsberg for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Yossi Ghinsberg is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Yossi Ghinsberg for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
