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Paul Pritchard is a professional mountaineer and diversity and inclusion educator.
He has climbed all over the world from Patagonia to the Himalayas. When he won an award for literature, Paul spent the prize money on a round-the-world climbing tour that found him in Tasmania, climbing the world’s slenderest needle of rock - The Totem Pole. But a falling boulder crushed Paul’s skull. The result was a massive brain injury. His partner, Celia, had to haul him 30 metres to a ledge. He permanently lost use of his right side and could not talk for many months.
During his year-long stay in hospital Paul wrote The Totem Pole. This memoir of his journey through brain injury became a best-seller, winning several awards. Since the accident Paul has led teams of ‘Disabled Adventurers’ up Kilimanjaro, cycled from the lowest point to the highest point in Australia and to Mount Everest.
Only in July last year, Paul led a team of people with disabilities on a traverse of the 232km Larapinta Trail in the Red Centre.
However, Paul is most well-known for returning to The Totem Pole 18 years after his brain injury. For this he was awarded the Australian Geographic Spirit of Adventure medal and was nominated for Australian of the Year. Paul volunteers his time to several disability organisations and presents across the world, while raising a family with his partner. Paul is a shining example of resilience, and the courage we can find when we work with what we’ve got.
Doing It Scared -Motivational and inspirational presentation on change, resilience and the importance of acceptance. Paul explains just how he turned a catastrophic accident into a precious gift - and how anyone can do this. Include - A roller coaster of an unconscious bias presentation that explains the mechanisms of bias through the lens of The Totem Pole accident. Doing It Like Paul - an empathy workshop for high schools. All my presentations use incredible imagery that leave audiences stunned
Doing It Scared -Motivational and inspirational presentation on change, resilience and the importance of acceptance. Paul explains just how he turned a catastrophic accident into a precious gift - and how anyone can do this. Include - A rollercoaster of an unconscious bias presentation that explains the mechanisms of bias through the lens of a catastrophic accident on The Totem Pole.
