Available to book
Ethan Zohn
Adversity
Stress Management
Dealing With Pressure
Transform resilience and purpose-driven leadership with Ethan Zohn, speaker and Survivor champion. Ethan works with organizations to inspire perseverance through adversity and social entrepreneurship, delivering impactful keynotes backed by his global health nonprofit reaching 18 million across 60 countries.
Philanthropy
Cancer Survivor
Adventurer
International Mens Day
Football
Soccer
Ethan Zohn redefines the word "survivor" in more ways than one. Not only did he win the 1-million-dollar prize on CBS Survivor: Africa, but he also used that victory as a springboard to an extraordinary life of entrepreneurship, social purpose, and advocacy. His journey is nothing short of remarkable, showcasing perseverance, accomplishment, and an enduring spirit in the face of unimaginable challenges.
In 2002, after winning the $1 million prize from Survivor: Africa, Ethan co-founded Grassroot Soccer (GRS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of soccer to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. With a strong focus on empowering young people, GRS developed a soccer-based HIV prevention curriculum, which has since educated over 700,000 young people across Southern Africa. GRS has expanded its reach to over 40 countries worldwide by partnering with global organisations. Ethan’s leadership has been instrumental in building a robust network of donors, including Nike, the Gates Foundation, USAID, FIFA, and others.
In August 2008, Ethan launched the Grassroot Soccer UNITED campaign, an international, youth-led movement to end HIV/AIDS in Africa. To bring attention to the cause, he embarked on a world-record-breaking 550-mile journey, dribbling a soccer ball from Boston to Washington, D.C. This campaign embodied the spirit of youth-driven activism and further solidified GRS’s impact in Africa and beyond.
Ethan’s dedication has also extended to founding the GRS Endurance Team, which has raised over $2 million through marathon participation. Despite his battles with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Ethan has continued to compete in marathons, inspiring others to contribute to the cause. His commitment to health, both personally and globally, remains central to his life’s work.
Today, Grassroot Soccer is a leader in global health education, providing life-saving HIV/AIDS education to more than 18 million young people across 60 countries. Ethan’s vision of a youth-led movement continues to inspire and mobilize communities in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa.
As an international keynote speaker, Ethan delivers powerful presentations deeply rooted in personal strength. He inspires audiences to confront life's questions, challenges, and opportunities with unwavering determination and character. With his remarkable sense of humour, honesty, and vulnerability, he offers keynotes that encourage audiences to view crises as opportunities to make a meaningful impact. If you are seeking inspiration to weather the storms of life or overcome obstacles at work, tune in to Ethan's story and learn how to survive and thrive.
Topics, sessions and talks
In 2020, millions of Survivor fans got to see 20 previous winners from the reality show’s storied past return for another shot at victory and a $2 million prize. And while each of them had a journey to getting back to the island, season 3 winner Ethan Zohn may have the most inspirational story of them all. Because up until seven years ago, not only was it up in the air whether Ethan would be playing Survivor again in 2020, it was unlikely he would even be alive to see season 40. This keynote tells the story of his journey through cancer and back to the island and what he learned about himself and human beings along the way.
Booking Ethan Zohn will empower your team or business with the unparalleled resilience and determination he embodies, having triumphed over life's most daunting challenges, including cancer and the competitive world of reality TV. His journey from professional athlete to social entrepreneur and cancer survivor offers invaluable lessons on leadership, perseverance, and leveraging personal trials for global impact.
Testimonials
often considered together
Lance Armstrong
Resilience
Adversity
Accountability
Ashley Cain
Mental Health
Adversity
Resilience
frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Email ethan.zohn@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Ethan's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.
Ethan Zohn structures his keynote as a first-person narrative that traces his experience as a two-time Survivor contestant, cancer patient, and nonprofit founder, drawing direct lines between those events and lessons about resilience and human behaviour.
Ethan Zohn speaks on cancer survivorship, resilience under pressure, and the intersection of sport and global health advocacy. He won CBS Survivor: Africa, subsequently co-founded Grassroot Soccer, a nonprofit that has delivered HIV/AIDS education to over 18 million young people across 60 countries, and returned to compete on Survivor season 40 following treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
Get the right person
Tell us what you’re working on and we’ll match you with the talent your audience won’t stop talking about.
