Motivational Speaker, Diversity, One-armed record-breaking Everest mountaineer
North America
Gary Guller grew up in both England and the US and became the first person with a bodily impairment to lead an expedition to Mount Everest.
The sportsman, explorer, and author has spent the greatest portion of his life exploring the world and taking part in his passion, mountain climbing. After paralyzing his arm in an Alpine climbing accident, Gary asked that it be amputated, as he was determined to pursue his passion. The stunned medical team at Duke University complied with his request.
Gary went on to lead what is probably the most diverse, record-breaking, physically challenged team ever to the Mt. Everest Base Camp. From there, he went on to challenge the peak, and in so doing, became the first one-armed person to climb to the summit. This challenge was followed, the next year, by an expedition to the summit of Mt. Cho Oyu in Tibet. It is the world’s 6th highest mountain.
Besides his climbing achievements, Gary has also completed what CNN World News describes as ‘The hardest stage race in the World’, a six day, 155-mile endurance race across the Sahara Desert. He has also successfully completed the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii.
Gary’s Himalayan adventure was featured in the award-winning documentary ‘Team Everest: A Himalayan Journey’, while he features as the climbing advisor on the ‘Sherpa Stew’ documentary. His book, ‘Make Others Greater’, combines stories of leaders and businessmen the world over, delivering an inspirational message of resilience and empowerment.
Gary makes use of his experiences to share with audiences the importance of equality, teamwork, determination and identity in achieving success on both a personal and professional level. He believes in looking inwards in order to motivate and inspire yourself, setting goals that maximize potential while setting aside fears and doubts. Amongst his clients, he counts some of the world’s top corporations, the US Army, Navy, DEA, and CIA.
“Just to let you know that when I got back into the office I had a whole host of mails from attendees at the event saying how inspiring & thought provoking your piece was, I would also add that people who had seen other ‘key note speakers’ commented on how different your piece was at you focused on what a team can achieve together, not what the leader had achieved. This I think is really powerful. It was a pleasure to host you, you are a true professional, & a very easy person to host.”
"Gary was fully engaged with our group and spent a lot of his personal time with our employees. Throughout the planning process he communicated often and made us feel very comfortable with our choice. Gary’s message, presentation style was wonderful and I received many comments on the great job he did."
“Gary has several differentiated attributes. He has a very compelling story. It focuses on the team and what is possible. This is a competitive differentiator for our business. Gary brings his A game every time. He spends the necessary time understanding the organization and makes sure his messages are in the context of what the audience needs to hear. Gary puts in the time. He comes in early and is available to the participants afterwards. He does not land, do a stock speech and leave immediately. Having worked with many outside professionals, I can tell you definitively that this is what sets Gary apart.”