Is this you? Or do you exclusively represent this speaker?

Paul de Gelder

Author

Army Airborne, Navy Bomb Disposal Diver, Shark Attack Survivor, TV Host, Actor, Author, Speaker

Visit Paul's website

About

Gender: Male

Nationality:

Languages: English

Travels from: United States

Engagement Types

Topics

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Biography Highlights

Paul de Gelder helps teams and leaders build resilience and embrace change so they can overcome adversity, lead with courage, and achieve extraordinary success.

Biography

Meet Paul de Gelder

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 Defence 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.

Videos

Popular Talks

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

TESTIMONIALS

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,

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 first hand 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 de Gelder has an incredible story to tell. It is a story of overwhelming odds, brilliantly overcome through hard work, gutsy determination, and a great sense of humor. I knew in an instant that I needed Paul to tell his story to the Divers of the United States Navy. His effortless charm and engaging manner reels you in for the most motivating ride of your life. A man is not defined by what happens to him, he is defined by how he handles it. That makes Paul a most remarkable man!

Commander Michael Egan

United States Navy, Supervisor of Diving,

From the moment I met Paul in his hospital bed, I knew I was privileged. Horrendously mauled and recovering from such drastic surgery… I was overwhelmed by his aura, his positive outlook and his will to live. In eight years of reporting for 60 Minutes, Paul, without question is one of the most inspirational human beings I have met! Everyone, whoever they are, can learn so much from Paul… I know I have.

Peter Overton

Reporter,

60 Minutes

I wish to thank you for your attendance at today’s successful 2011 Salvation Army breakfast. Your speech was inspirational and motivating and I believe contributed to the record number of attendees. Your story is inspirational and it is a reminder to al that nothing is insurmountable; congratulations on your achievements to date, I’m sure you’ll continue to achieve success.

Louise Duff

Managing Director,

Brilliant Logic Pty Ltd

Paul was excellent… I don’t think I have ever seen a group of boys aged 7-12 engaged for that length of time. The content was perfect and targeted the audience. I have had a lot of positive feedback from the staff and boys. I actually had 2 sons in the audience (8yrs old and 11 yrs old) and Paul was definitely the topic of conversation in our house all weekend!!! Thanks

Nikki McCathie

The Scots College, Sydney

His strength and will, only just out shine his humour and light heartedness, qualities that undoubtedly carried him through his darkest times. The impact and lasting impression he has made upon my groups and me personally is remarkable and I am blessed to call him friend.

Meredith Julliard

Customer Co-ordinator,

Freshstart Australia

Paul was a standout keynote speaker at our conference. He used his story powerfully to communicate the key messages aligned to the focus of our conference. More importantly, it was obvious he was aware of his audience and successfully related well with them. It was great to see him interact with the audience after his talk. Quite a lot of speakers leave once they have completed their talk but he stuck around and we couldn’t been more grateful. Paul is a great guy and I sincerely recommend him.

Gabriel Maciel

Cerebral Palsy Alliance

Just a short e-mail to pass on our sincere thanks for Paul’s time in presenting to our people. We know that it’s a big ask to come all this way for a relatively small company. He did a fantastic job and the feedback from our people constantly describes him as inspirational.

Julie Thomas

Human Resources Manager,

Newcastle Coal

Paul has accomplished something that all other speakers have failed to accomplish with our students. He has shown a clear delineation between EGO and SPIRIT. He obviously survived with his ego for so long before experiencing the life threatening event that confronted his mortality. He had a genuine conversation with the students that set up a trusting rapport which had them absorbing the story as though it was their own!

Patrick Whelan

Social Justice Coordinator,

St Pius X College, Chatswood

Thanks again for making oOh!media’s staff conference last Friday “the best one ever”. We had our party at Luna Park directly after the conference and you were definitely the talk of the party for the entire night. You are an amazing character with an extraordinary story to tell. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you.

Bronwyn Tracey

oOH!media Staff Conference, Sydney

Excellent presentation & very down to earth. Paul kept the audience attention throughout – not an easy task. The detail of the operation performed was great. His motivation is amazing, I went straight home and down loaded his book. Lots of great feedback from the audience-they all enjoyed Paul’s presentation

Shaune Gillespie

CEO,

Calvary John James Hospital, Canberra

Books

Shark: Why we need to save the world’s most misunderstood predator – for Shark Week, Seaspiracy and conservation fans

From shark attack survivor to the shark’s biggest advocate, Paul de Gelder tells us just why these majestic diverse animals need our help as much as we need them. Something happens to you the first time you dive with sharks… We have a perennial fascination with sharks. Portrayed in the media and popular culture as killing machines, we are awed by their power and strength. But the shark is so much more – a marvel of the sea, they have evolved over 450 million years into over 500 species, from the bioluminescent kitefin to the tiny dwarf lantern shark, the sociable lemon shark to the blue shark, which can birth up to 100 pups in one litter. Bringing balance to the ocean’s ecosystem, our planet is at serious risk when these amazing creatures are threatened. Paul de Gelder, who lost two limbs in a shark attack during a mission as an elite Australian navy clearance diver, spent time as part of his recovery learning all about sharks. He became so obsessed that, despite what happened to him, he is now an expert and has dedicated his life to helping save them. Shark is his love-letter to these unfairly vilified animals, and his warning to the world about what will happen if we don’t look out for them.

Uncaged

From elite soldier to shark attack survivor, Paul de Gelder’s life has been anything but ordinary. Growing up in Australia’s suburbs, Paul never really felt like he fitted in. Feeling like his life was out of his control, he began to self harm, and eventually turned to drugs. But something in Paul always told him that there was a world out there that he needed to explore – he just didn’t know how to access it. The Australian military was the answer but that service almost came to a brutal end when Paul was attacked by a bull shark in Sydney Harbour. Paul lost a hand and a leg, but he refused to accept limitations. In fact, the attack opened the door to a whole new life. One that would see Paul dedicate himself to the very animals that had tried to kill him…

Tough AF: From unhealthy, unfit & lazy to elite military athlete. The stories and steps to inspire action in everyone.

Tough AF is a journey into the mindset and physical rigours of what it takes to turn a civilian into an elite military athlete. Paul de Gelder went from an unhealthy, drinking, pack a day smoker to an Army paratrooper and then a world-renowned Navy Clearance Diver. This short eBook is a glimpse into his physical fitness journey. The stories and perspectives surround workouts that will gently ease in beginners and challenge even the most hardcore of fitness freaks.

Speaker Bureaus and Talent Agencies

Paul de Gelder is available to book via these agencies

Recommended

Speaking Agency