Paul de Gelder
Army Airborne, Navy Bomb Disposal Diver, Shark Attack Survivor, "Shark Week" Discovery TV Host, Author
IMPROVISE...ADAPT...OVERCOME... These three words – a mantra Paul learned in the Australian Army as a young Paratrooper – resonated with him the first time he heard them. Paul de Gelder chased adventure wherever he could find it, from his wild ride as a teen and his whirlwind lifestyle working in clubs and the music industry to hauling his way up to the elite echelons of the Australian Defense Forces as an Army paratrooper and then Navy bomb disposal diver.
In February 2009, Paul's adventurous life took a dramatic turn when a 10-foot bull shark attacked him during a routine Navy dive, severing his hand and leg. Rather than succumbing to despair, Paul channeled his indomitable spirit, fought through excruciating pain, and reclaimed his life. Drawing on everything his eventful life had taught him, Paul left nothing to chance, conducting his own rehabilitation. He fought through excruciating pain, smashing challenge after challenge whilst excellent the medical staff and the public with his will to succeed, and returned to full-time Navy service after only six months.
His journey from trauma to triumph is extraordinary, marked by resilience and determination. His inspiring story, vividly chronicled in his autobiography "Uncaged," takes "Never Say Die" to a new level.
In the years since the shark attack, Paul's life has changed in every aspect. Having left full-time Navy service in August 2012, after continuing to instruct Navy Divers for a further three years, Paul has traveled the world as a top motivational speaker, passionate environmentalist, adventurer, and mentor to school kids. He has spoken at venues across the globe, from the United Nations in New York to conferences across the U.S., China, London, Vietnam, and New Zealand.
Paul has also been a guest on major TV talk shows and starred as a guest trainer twice on the Biggest Loser Australia. He has hosted over 25 documentaries for Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, where he learned to hand-feed bull sharks, hammerheads, and blue sharks and dive with tiger sharks and even Great Whites without the protection of a cage. Megastar Will Smith featured Paul in his Facebook series “Bucket List” as his shark diving mentor, UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey was taught how to hand-feed bull sharks by Paul, and most recently, Iron Mike Tyson became Paul’s shark diving student. Paul also became part of an anti-poaching team in Africa to film the excellent work the Rangers did for FEARLESS, which aired on NatGeo.
Paul has been touted as one of the top 15 inspirational Australians and top 10 speakers, and now, based in Los Angeles, he is preparing to film yet more documentaries. Looking to expand his repertoire, Paul completed a lead acting role for a six-part miniseries for a major cable network and has since appeared in several commercials and short films.
An incredible life and an incredible story.
NEVER SAY DIE: TURNING PAIN INTO POWER
Paul de Gelder shares his powerful story of resilience, emphasizing its critical role in personal and professional growth. Through his experiences, including overcoming a life-threatening shark attack, Paul demonstrates how embracing uncomfortable change can catalyze growth. He draws lessons from his military background, highlighting the importance of discipline, teamwork, and adaptability in high-risk environments. Paul provides insights into recovery's psychological and physical challenges, offering strategies for developing a resilient mindset, including the power of positive thinking and self-belief.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Embrace change for growth.
- Learn from adversity.
- Apply discipline and teamwork.
- Develop mental and physical resilience.
- Cultivate positive thinking.
COURAGE UNDER PRESSURE: LEADERSHIP IN HIGH-STAKES ENVIRONMENTS
From his diverse background, Paul de Gelder offers valuable leadership insights from extraordinary life experiences. He discusses how adventure and leadership intersect, sharing personal stories from his time as a military paratrooper and clearance diver. Paul emphasizes decision-making and problem-solving strategies in high-pressure environments, navigating change and uncertainty, and fostering effective teamwork through trust, communication, and mutual support. He underscores the role of courage in leading oneself and others through adversity, reinforcing key leadership principles that inspire courage and resilience.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Master crisis decision-making.
- Navigate change effectively.
- Foster teamwork and trust.
- Lead with courage and resilience.
- Embrace adaptability.
BEYOND THE SURFACE: DISCOVERING PURPOSE IN LIFE AND WORK
Paul de Gelder guides audiences to discover their purpose and passion in life and work. He shares his journey of aligning personal and professional aspirations, emphasizing strategies for overcoming self-limiting beliefs and embracing personal growth. Drawing from his adventures as a Shark Week host, Paul highlights the importance of following one's passion, taking risks, and stepping outside one's comfort zone. He discusses crafting a fulfilling career path by aligning values with professional choices, continuous learning, and maintaining work-life balance for personal well-being and meaningful relationships.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Overcome self-limiting beliefs.
- Follow your passion.
- Align values with career.
- Pursue continuous learning.
- Maintain work-life balance.
UNCAGED: THRIVING THROUGH FEAR AND CHANGE
Paul de Gelder explores the transformative power of facing fears and embracing change. He shares personal experiences with fear and change, highlighting their significance in personal growth. Paul offers strategies for managing fear and embracing calculated risks, drawing from his military experiences and encounters with dangerous waters. He provides lessons in courage and resilience from surviving a shark attack, emphasizing the importance of mental fortitude. The presentation encourages audiences to view change as an opportunity for growth, adapt to new circumstances, and step outside their comfort zones to unlock their full potential.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Manage and confront fear.
- Embrace calculated risks.
- Learn courage and resilience.
- Adapt to change.
- Step outside your comfort zone.
Paul’s presentation was superb and without doubt the highlight of our event. Our team was absolutely inspired by Paul’s courage and resilience. It was a privilege to be in the room to witness his presentation. We will happily recommend Paul to colleagues and friends for future events.
QANTAS regional sales conference
This man, his mindset, what he's overcome and what he's done with his life is nothing short of unbelievable. His resilience, patience and drive to want to move past this traumatic experience had us all eager to understand how he was able to recover and redesign his life. I love his simple, yet powerful message about not waiting, let's all do/say what we need to today!
Audience member at EO Detroit
Paul’s story is epic and needs to be heard. Our audience [predominantly marketers] were moved and inspired to take action in their lives and reframe their thinking!
Roman Tsunder, CEO & Co-Founder PTTOW! & WORLDZ
Paul was the best speaker we ever had. I had many people tell me that, I even bought a book myself. He was a hit. He was someone that people could relate to.
Scott Brown, Manager, Flight Standards FAA
Paul, I wanted to say a huge thank you – it was a pleasure and a privilege to meet you and have you give such an amazing keynote. I know from the incredible feedback that you made a massive impact on a lot of people, and can honestly say it was one of the most powerful and inspirational stories that our delegates have ever seen – even those that have been coming to the event for 30 years. I hope you enjoyed working with us and being part of our most successful event to date (11,500 delegates over the week!).
Innes Macleod, Swift, Innotribe. SIBOS, London
Paul de Gelder's story is a total story told with gusto. You are just engaged right from the outset, captivated by his ability to move from one ‘bite-sized’ interaction to another, leaving each participant feeling more enriched.
Shane Granger, CommSec Adviser Services Luncheon
At our annual event, we always aim to feature one dynamite speaker to really bring down the house, capture our audience, and deliver a genuinely worthwhile talk that they will hopefully remember (and talk about) for a long time. Hands down, Paul de Gelder is the most memorable and inspirational speaker we have ever had. The audience reviews are all incredibly positive and are still coming in, a month later. No one moved a muscle during Paul's talk. He was masterful in his storytelling and his real-life experience is more than a little intense. But Paul was acutely aware of when to inject comedy and crafted a narrative that left every person feeling hopeful and inspired. He is best in class and I could not recommend Paul any higher!
Rip Esselstyn, Plant Stock, NC
Dear Paul, we have already received a tremendous amount of positive feedback on your keynote session - including the audio-visual team that made it a priority to tell me that of the 6,000+ keynotes he has seen over the years, yours was by far the best one he has ever seen! So thanks again for sharing your story with our delegates. I know your story has made a personal impact in my own life.
Trish Redekop, Project Manager, Atlantic Venture Forum, Critical Path Group
I cannot say enough how much this meant to our audience - people are still buzzing about your performance on stage and how much it moved them. Thanks again for everything!
Shachar G. Scott, Global Head of Brand Marketing at Snap Inc
I have not seen a speaker of this magnitude & impact in my lifetime. Paul de Gelder is an Inspirational Speaker about determination, resilience, having a positive attitude in life and making good choices for your path forward! I’m not sure what else to say except it’s a true real-life story and hearing it firsthand will stay with me for years to come. It’s moving, it’s powerful and Paul is able to tie it directly to your audience.
JoJo Conlan, Senior HR Leader, Amazon New York
Paul was absolutely fantastic. First standing ovation in 17 years of conference. Wonderful. He was perfect for our group, a fantastic storyteller and our audience was captivated by him. The response from our attendees was that he was the highlight of our week at conference. Would highly recommend him to anyone. Look forward to working with you both again soon, all the best.
David Maher, Celebrity Speakers
Dear Paul, the 46th CSDA Convention and Tech Fair held at the Grand Wailea in Maui was an outstanding success. We received so much positive feedback from your inspiring presentation and many stated that this was the best keynote speaker in the history of CSDA. Your mantra to improvise, adapt and overcome mesmerised the convention attendees and many recounted changes they planned to make to their lives as a result. Your incredible story against overwhelming odds will be long remembered as you motivated attendees both personally and professionally. On behalf of CSDA, thank you for such an outstanding presentation. Best wishes for a successful 2018 with all your new endeavors in Los Angeles.
Patrick O’Brien, Executive Director, CSDA
Hi Paul, I just wanted to send you a message to say thank you as I heard you speak at the recent Nursery & Garden Industry conference in Hobart. What an incredible human being you are. I'm very happy to have heard you speak. I felt so moved. I have heard a lot of speakers in my time but you are number one!
Karen Smith, Editor, Hort Journal Australia magazine
Paul, I would like to take a second, or three, of your time and thank you for your passionate presentation at the NSW Primary Principals' Association 2016 Annual General Meeting. As a scuba diving instructor I found your presentation to be on another level, which I'm still trying to comprehend... I know that this is going to take more than a couple of days to do so. I know that you have opened my eyes wide on how to motivate both my adult staff and the children of Australia that we are preparing for the future Australia. I wish you well sir, and know that the path you've walked has made it easier for me to walk after hearing the passion in your presentation today.
Greg Grinham, Principal, Granville Public School
