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Everest summiteer & leadership expert

Tori James

Tori James, the first Welsh woman to summit Mount Everest, helps organisations build resilience and high-performing teams under pressure. A leadership and risk management speaker, she draws on record-breaking polar and ocean expeditions and over 500 keynotes delivered worldwide.

Trusted by Capgemini, PwC, L1.com

Tori James
Tori James

Tori James

Cardiff, United Kingdom

Typical fee range

£2k–5k

This is an estimated fee range for local in-person events. Location and format affect the final fee.

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Cardiff, United Kingdom

Starting from

£2k–5k

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loading@getapeptalk.com

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+44 203 835 2929

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Tori James's biography

At a glance

  • First Welsh woman to summit Mount Everest
  • Polar adventurer with record-breaking achievements
  • Leadership speaker translating extreme adventures into business insights

Tori James is a record-breaking adventurer who made history as the first Welsh woman to summit Mount Everest at age 25. Her extraordinary expeditions span polar races, marathon kayaking, and extreme cycling challenges that push the boundaries of human endurance.


As President of Girlguiding Cymru, ambassador for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award in Wales, and Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and British Exploring, Tori combines adventure with meaningful advocacy. Her achievements include completing the 360-mile Polar Challenge with the first all-female team and setting the UK record for the longest open sea kayak crossing.


Tori's expertise helps organisations navigate uncertainty and build resilience in challenging environments. Drawing from over 500 keynote presentations delivered worldwide, she translates extreme adventure experiences into practical business insights on risk management, high-performance teamwork, and achieving breakthrough results. Her adventure-inspired leadership development programs equip teams with strategies to thrive under pressure and embrace change with confidence.


Audiences gain actionable frameworks for developing growth mindsets, making effective decisions in high-stakes situations, and building trust within teams. Tori's compelling storytelling turns abstract concepts into memorable lessons that inspire immediate application, helping professionals recognise untapped potential and overcome perceived limitations.


Book Tori to transform your team's approach to challenges and unlock the extraordinary capabilities that exist within your organisation.

Tori's showreel and videos

Topics, sessions and talks

Mount Everest: Resilience And Growth Mindset

Tori James takes audiences on a gripping ascent into the death zone of Mount Everest, revealing the physical and psychological extremes of the world’s highest mountain. Through moments of triumph and challenge, she explores the power of teamwork, adaptability, and a growth mindset in reaching one’s potential. Her story shows how individuals and organisations alike can push boundaries, navigate setbacks, and redefine what success looks like under pressure.

Magnetic North Pole: Trust And Team Success

Drawing from her experience racing to the Magnetic North Pole as part of the first all-female team, Tori James unpacks the dynamics of trust, marginal gains, and communication in achieving collective goals. Her story proves that being underestimated can be a powerful advantage when combined with focus, collaboration, and resilience. Audiences are left with practical lessons on building high-performing teams and succeeding against the odds.

Cycling New Zealand: Embracing Uncertainty

Tori James recounts her exhilarating journey cycling the entire length of New Zealand, despite having ridden only 30km in a single day before setting out. With candour and humour, she captures the essence of embracing uncertainty, learning through experience, and staying flexible when plans go awry. This talk inspires audiences to approach ambitious goals with courage and curiosity, proving that anything is possible when you take the first step.

Beeline Britain: Teamwork, Purpose, And Performance

Through the extraordinary Beeline Britain expedition — a record-breaking straight-line journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats — Tori James explores the power of teamwork, adaptability, and determination in the face of the unknown. Combining stories from sea crossings, urban navigation, and rugged wilderness, she demonstrates how clarity of purpose and shared trust can carry a team through any environment. Her storytelling immerses audiences in adventure while revealing the essence of high-performance collaboration.

Why we recommend booking Tori

Book Tori James to inspire your team with powerful lessons on resilience, teamwork, and high performance, drawn from her record-breaking adventures and leadership expertise. Unlock your organisation’s potential and equip your people to thrive in the face of change by booking Tori as your next speaker.

Check Tori's availability

Trusted by Capgemini, PwC, L1.com

Testimonials

Tori [James] was amazing, I was personally feeling very emotional when she was telling us this wonderful and crazy adventure! I talked to the clients and my colleagues and everyone had such a good time! She is very nice and easy going and also very professional when talking. Many thanks for this!

Société Générale

She was one of the most engaging and inspirational speakers I've ever heard. I loved how she was able to adapt the lessons learned from her challenges to the workplace.

Finance Sector

Tori speaks of her own courage, joie de vivre and sheer grit and determination in a way that is inspiring and utterly compelling to listen to. She presents with a sincerity that can only come from a huge sense of personal achievement, and her passionate delivery taps into something in all of us.

Laura Greene

Senior Training & Development Officer, Breakthrough Breast Cancer

Featured Projects

Tori James - Peak Performance: The First Welsh Woman To Climb Everest book cover
Tori James - First Females podcast cover
Tori James - More Than A Mountain documentary cover

frequently asked questions

Something we've not covered here?

How do I book Tori James for my next event?

Email tori.james@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 Tori'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.

What is Tori James's speaking style like?

Tori James structures her talks around first-person expedition narratives — Everest, the Magnetic North Pole race, and a New Zealand cycling journey — using each as a case study to extract frameworks on teamwork, risk management, and growth mindset that audiences can apply directly to organisational challenges.

What topics does Tori James specialise in?

Tori James speaks on resilience and growth mindset through Everest ascent, trust and team dynamics from the Magnetic North Pole race, and embracing uncertainty through extreme cycling. She became the first Welsh woman to summit Mount Everest at age 25, a record she achieved at the same time as completing the Polar Challenge with the first all-female team to race to the Magnetic North Pole.

Does PepTalk charge a booking fee?

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.

What happens after I send a brief?

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.

What does the typical fee range mean?

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.

Have all the speakers on the website worked with PepTalk before?

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.

How far in advance should I book a speaker?

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.