Tori James FRGS
Elevating performance with lessons from the extremes
- First Welsh woman to climb Mount Everest
- First all-female team to complete 360 mile race to the Magnetic North Pole
- First to complete ‘Beeline Britain’ a unique journey documented in the multi award-winning film ‘As The Crow Flies’
Full Profile
Tori James is the first Welsh woman, and youngest British woman (at the time), to climb to the summit of Mount Everest which she achieved aged just 25. She is a record-breaking adventurer who has skied to the Magnetic North Pole, cycled the length of New Zealand and holds the record for the longest sea kayak in UK waters.
Tori’s outstanding storytelling ability is engaging and uplifting. She talks about risk, resilience and how you and your team can realise your potential.
Tori is an accomplished speaker who has delivered over 600 keynote presentations inspiring audiences across the globe. Tori talks about what it takes to be a high performing team and deliver under pressure, exploring the strategies, mindsets and beliefs that contributed to her team’s success.
Speaking at team development days, sales kickoff events and annual conferences she shares her experiences of life in extreme environments in a way that is inspiring and utterly compelling to listen to.
Tori starred in the BBC documentary ‘On Top of the World’ which was produced using footage she captured on her Everest climb.
In 2025, Tori launched the First Females podcast, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first female ascent of Everest by sharing stories of pioneering climbers worldwide. She also climbed Yala Peak in Nepal, retracing the steps of Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Everest.
Tori’s Beeline Britain challenge is documented in the multi award-winning documentary film called ‘As The Crow Flies’ and her book ‘Peak Performance’ describes the incredible journey she took from growing up in Wales to reaching the summit of Mount Everest.
Tori holds a ‘Points of Light’ Award, awarded by the Prime Minister in recognition of her outstanding volunteering and fundraising and is a member of the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame.
Tori is an advocate for active travel initiatives and passionately promotes school ‘bike buses’ enabling children to cycle to school and experience everyday adventures by bike.
Tori is the President of Girlguiding in Wales, an ambassador for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and a Fellow of British Exploring.
Talks
Survival in extreme environments requires so much more than speed, strength and stamina. It’s a growth mindset that really counts, both in the wild, and in work – our ability to reframe challenging situations, redefine failure and embrace uncertainty to achieve our goals.
With insights and lessons from Mount Everest and high altitude mountaineering you and your team will understand the importance of mindset and what it takes to embrace the biggest of challenges.
Building high performing teams in a hyper-connected, yet often remote-working world, is hard. It requires us to prioritise human connection more than ever before. Team development is about building relationships, developing trust and propelling others to success.
In this keynote, you’ll discover what it takes to be a high performing team, the leadership qualities that drive performance under pressure, and the strategies, mindsets and beliefs that contribute to long-term success.
Fear of failure is often what stops us taking on ambitious goals and ideas. Explore how we can embrace the things that scare us, drive sustained individual and collective performance and go beyond what we thought was possible.
Tori defies the stereotype of an adventurer and flips the script on what and who has conventionally been seen as brave and strong. She explores the misconceptions of resilience and our appetite for risk enabling you and your team to go further.