At 30 years old, Jamie McAnsh woke up paralysed from the waist down.
What followed was a battle with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, mental health, identity loss, and rebuilding life from the ground up.
Today, Jamie is an award-winning speaker, adventurer, and inclusion advocate helping people and organisations rethink resilience, leadership, and what’s truly possible.
Trusted by organisations across the corporate, education, and public sectors.
Featured speaker • Inclusion leader • Founder of Project Can’t
The Journey
Jamie’s story is one of resilience, adaptation, and refusing to accept limitations. From paralysis and chronic pain to mountain expeditions and global stages, every chapter has been built on one belief
No matter how hard life gets, you can always get back up.
The Fall
Everything changed overnight when Jamie woke up unable to walk. Diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, he faced paralysis, chronic pain, mental health struggles, and the loss of identity that followed. Life as he knew it disappeared in an instant.
The Fight Back
Recovery became about far more than physical rehabilitation. Jamie had to rebuild confidence, purpose, and belief from the ground up. Through setbacks, isolation, and uncertainty, resilience became a mindset rather than a moment.
The Mountains
From a wheelchair to Everest Base Camp and on to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. Jamie began turning adversity into adventure. Every expedition became proof that limitations do not define possibility and that even the hardest mountains can be climbed one step at a time.
The Mission
Today, Jamie shares his journey to help others overcome adversity, embrace inclusion, and realise their potential. Through speaking, storytelling, and advocacy, his mission is simple: to help people get back up and move forward with purpose.
Real Stories. Real Resilience. Real Impact.
Jamie’s keynote talks combine lived experience, emotional storytelling, humour, and practical lessons that challenge audiences to rethink adversity, leadership, inclusion, and human potential.
Having spoken for organisations, schools, leadership events, and conferences across the UK and beyond, Jamie delivers talks that leave a lasting emotional impact while inspiring real action and reflection.
Topics
- Resilience & Adaptability
- Mental Health & Wellbeing
- Leadership & Team Culture
- Inclusion & Accessibility
- Overcoming Adversity
- Human Potential
Not sure where to start? Let’s figure that out together.
Most organisations start with a conversation and take it from there.
Motivational and keynote speaking
Practical, human keynotes on resilience, inclusion, and leadership under pressure.
Grounded in lived experience and designed to spark meaningful conversations, not just applause, these sessions help teams think differently and act with greater confidence and clarity.
Latest blogs, articles and announcements
Explore Jamie’s latest blogs, articles, and announcements covering resilience, inclusion, leadership, adventure, mental health, and lived experience.
Honest storytelling, practical lessons, and reflections designed to inspire change, challenge perspective, and encourage people to keep moving forward.
Get Back – The Podcast – Coming Soon
The Get Back Up Podcast shares honest and inspiring conversations with people who have faced adversity, rebuilt their lives, and discovered strength through struggle.
From mental health and disability to adventure, leadership, and personal transformation, every episode explores the power of resilience and the importance of never giving up.
Challenging the Word “Can’t”
Project Can’t was built to challenge limitations — physical, mental, and social. Through extreme expeditions, storytelling, and community impact, the project exists to prove that impossible is often just untested.
From mountain climbs to future global challenges, every journey represents something bigger than the destination itself: resilience, belief, and the courage to keep moving forward.
What Clients Had To Say About Jamie
Some of the professional organisations Jamie has worked with
Sometimes Getting Back Up Starts With Hearing Someone Else’s Story
Announcements From Jamie
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NEO4J virtual talk on resilience and inclusion
NEO4J virtual talk on resilience and inclusion In May 2025, I had the privilege of delivering a NEO4J virtual talk on resilience and inclusion through Champions Speakers Agency. Speaking to one of the world’s most innovative tech companies, whose focus on graph databases and AI is transforming the way we understand connections, was both exciting…
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Sopra Steria Accessibility and Inclusion: A Guest Speaker’s Perspective
When I was invited to speak at Sopra Steria in June 2025, I knew the conversation would be about more than technology. It was about people, accessibility, and the courage to design a world where everyone belongs. The briefing call set the stage perfectly. We spoke about the reality that 96% of websites remain inaccessible…
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Five Years with The Motivational Speakers Agency
Building Impact with the UK’s Biggest Organisations For the past five years I’ve had the privilege of being represented by The Motivational Speakers Agency, one of the UK’s leading platforms for keynote speakers. It’s been a partnership that has opened the door to some of the largest organisations in the UK, and it has shaped…
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Top Motivational Speaker in the UK | Jamie McAnsh
Being Named One of the Top Motivational Speakers in the UK Was Never About the Title In 2025, I was listed as one of the top motivational speakers in the UK. That sentence still lands with a quiet pause when I say it out loud.Not because of ego.Because of the road it took to get…
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Virtual Motivational Speaker for Global Teams: My Talk with Linesight
Working as a virtual motivational speaker for global teams allows me to meet extraordinary professionals and connect with organisations that are truly shaping the world, sometimes quite literally. One such experience was my time working with Linesight, a company whose reach spans continents, but whose values remain grounded in collaboration, innovation, and people-first thinking. Who…
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Disability empowerment through storytelling: Breaking Barriers at the Disability Positive Event
A Powerful Platform for Sharing Disability empowerment through storytelling is something that I absolutely love to do. I had the incredible honour of speaking at the Disability Positive event – and what an experience it was. To stand in front of a room full of individuals who, like me, live with disability, and to be…
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Inspiring Young Minds with a Motivational School Speaker at Estcourt Primary Academy
As a motivational school speaker, I aim to inspire students with stories of resilience, courage, and self-belief that show them how challenges can become opportunities. Working with Champions Speakers Agency always brings exciting opportunities to connect with diverse audiences, and my recent engagement with Estcourt Primary Academy was no exception. This event was about more…
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Celebrating Success with AstraZeneca: A Night to Remember
Celebrating success with AstraZeneca as a motivational speaker was a great privilege. There are moments in your speaking career that stand out, not just for the opportunity, but for the people you meet, the energy in the room, and the sheer impact of the occasion. Being invited to speak at the event for AstraZeneca was…
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My Time at Kennedy’s Law: Motivational speaking for professional services firms
Motivational speaking for professional services firms is more than just storytelling; it’s about shifting mindsets, energising teams, and reinforcing purpose. In industries where pressure runs high and the stakes are constant, it offers a much-needed space for reflection, inspiration, and re-connection to the ‘why’ behind the work. These talks can boost morale, encourage resilience, and…