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George Kourounis
George Kourounis helps organizations build resilience and manage risk through extreme exploration. This adventure keynote speaker and climate change expert works with teams on fear management, decision-making under pressure, and leadership in uncertainty. Explorer-in-Residence with The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Guinness World Record holder, TEDx speaker.
George Kourounis travels to the most dangerous environments on Earth to document extreme natural phenomena, from active volcanoes to hurricane eyewalls, and returns with stories that reframe how we think about fear and resilience. He serves as Explorer-in-Residence with The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, holds a Guinness World Record as the first person to descend into Turkmenistan's Darvaza flaming gas crater for National Geographic, and has delivered five TEDx talks alongside an address to the UN's Environmental Emergencies Forum. George's work bridges exploration and education in ways that translate directly to audiences facing their own barriers. His 25-plus years confronting extreme conditions have produced a practical framework for risk assessment, decision-making under pressure, and turning fear into forward momentum. His television series Angry Planet, broadcast in over 100 countries, and his Stefansson Medal for contributions to science and public education confirm his ability to make complex subjects accessible and actionable. Audiences leave George's sessions with a clear methodology for managing fear in high-stakes situations, a grounded understanding of how climate change is reshaping our planet's most volatile systems, and renewed permission to pursue goals that feel intimidating. These takeaways are drawn directly from fieldwork that fewer people have replicated than have walked on the moon. Book George Kourounis to give your audience an unforgettable, evidence-based case for living boldly.
George's 25 years descending into active volcanoes and documenting extreme environments have produced a field-tested framework for risk assessment and decision-making under pressure that translates directly to leadership teams navigating uncertainty. His Stefansson Medal and Explorer-in-Residence credentials ensure your audience receives practical resilience strategies grounded in conditions most will never face.
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George Kourounis structures his sessions around first-person field accounts drawn from 25-plus years of documented work in extreme environments — active volcanoes, hurricane eyewalls, and the Darvaza gas crater — using these experiences to build a practical framework for risk assessment and decision-making under pressure.
George Kourounis speaks on extreme natural phenomena, risk assessment and decision-making under pressure, and the relationship between fear, resilience, and climate change. He holds a Guinness World Record as the first person to descend into Turkmenistan's Darvaza flaming gas crater for National Geographic, serves as Explorer-in-Residence with The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and hosted the television series Angry Planet, broadcast in over 100 countries.
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