Jo Bradshaw

Jo Bradshaw is an extraordinary inspirational leadership keynote speaker, adventurer and coach whose story embodies resilience, transformation, and the courage to embrace the unknown. Her journey from a comfort-loving, risk-averse Business Advisor to an Everest summiteer and Seven Summits climber is a powerful reminder that leadership begins with personal change. Through her story, Jo demonstrates that authentic leadership isn’t about being fearless – it’s about acknowledging fear and moving forward anyway. Her message resonates with anyone facing challenges, change or self-doubt, making her one of the most relatable and inspiring voices on leadership today.

Jo began her professional life firmly grounded in the corporate world, leading a risk-averse life where fear of failure – and success – held her back. A single decision in 2004 to complete a charity parachute jump became the catalyst for dramatic personal change. That one act of courage led her to reframe her relationship with fear, slowly shifting her perspective from “I can’t” to “what if I can?” This mindset shift propelled her towards the mountains and a new purpose: to lead by example and help others discover their own untapped potential. Today, Jo is a highly respected expedition leader, leadership development coach and public speaker, combining her corporate insight with the lessons learned in the world’s most extreme environments.

Over the years, Jo has completed the Seven Summits challenge, reaching the highest peak on each continent, including Mount Everest in 2016, just a year after surviving the devastating 2015 Nepal earthquake while at Camp 1. She has also summited two 8000m peak – Everest (8,848m) and Manaslu (8,163m) – and has led over 37 expeditions on Kilimanjaro, as well as numerous others on 6000m+ peaks. Alongside these physical accomplishments, she has raised over £45,000 for Place2Be, the UK’s leading children’s mental health charity. Jo’s approach to leadership is grounded in empathy, emotional intelligence and perseverance, qualities she believes are as essential in the boardroom as they are on the mountain.

As a speaker, Jo captivates audiences with her honest storytelling, humour, and deep insight into human resilience. She encourages teams to reframe fear, embrace discomfort, and take ownership of their growth. Her talks, tailored to each client, draw direct parallels between leading on mountains and leading through business uncertainty, crisis, and change. Jo’s philosophy – “Say yes now and work it out later” – reminds leaders that courage isn’t the absence of doubt, but the willingness to act despite it.