Amy Purdy is an inspirational parathlete who lost both legs due to meningitis. Having found a passion and talent for snowboarding after both legs were amputated, Amy has achieved Paralympic success and is widely considered as one of the most commercially successful Paralympic athletes in the world. With an already successful career behind her, Amy is now booked as a speaker for a range of public and corporate events speaking on living life beyond limits and sharing how she has continually overcome adversity.
A highly successful snowboarder, Amy is known for her Silver and two Bronze Paralympic medal achievements in the Snowboard Cross and Banked Slalom. Achieving such success at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Games and the 2018 Pyeongchang Paralympic Games, Amy has also claimed a Gold New Zealand Winter Games medal in the Para-snowboard Cross. Outside of snowboarding, Amy is also the co-founder of Adaptive Action Sports, a non-profit organisation that helps individuals with physical disabilities to participate in action sports like Amy. Amy has also enjoyed time as a model and actress, having appeared in adverts for the Super Bowl.
When she was 19 years old, Amy unfortunately contracted a form of bacterial meningitis called Neisseria Meningitidis. Meningitis led to Amy suffering from life-threatening septic shock, and she unfortunately lost both legs and both kidneys. With just a 2% chance of survival, Amy incredibly survived and received a kidney transplant from her father that allowed her to pull through. After undergoing intensive recovery, Amy received prosthetic legs and learnt to snowboard. Impressing officials with her talents in snowboarding, Amy caught the attention of the Challenged Athletes Foundation who gave her a grant to allow competing in further snowboarding competitions and she is now a spokesperson for CAF.
Outside of snowboarding, Amy has also enjoyed time on television and has become a published author. She has been a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and featured on The Amazing Race. Amy has also contributed as a celebrity judge to the 2016 Miss America competition and performed at the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Amy’s talents have not gone unnoticed, and she has received recognition on Oprah’s SuperSoul 100 Visionaries and Influential Leaders 2016 and as one of 2014 EXPNW Impact 25. Inspired to tell her story, Amy has also authored the book On My Own Two Feet: From Losing My Legs To Learning The Dance Of My Life.
Having faced more adversity than many people will ever experience, Amy is now frequently booked as a speaker for corporate and public events to inspire attendees. Focussing on the topic of living life beyond limits, Amy explains how she has lived beyond her limits, overcome adversity and thrived despite her misfortunes. Also named as one of the Top 15 Most Marketable Para-Athletes in the World by the International Olympic Committee, Amy Purdy is the perfect choice as an inspirational Paralympic speaker for a range of events.
How to hire Amy Purdy
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Amy Purdy for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Amy's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Living beyond limits
Amy is often booked as a speaker for events, read her latest feedback below.
"Please convey to Amy that we were thrilled with her presentation at the convention last month in Palm Desert and she was our highest rated speaker! After her presentation many people wanted her book. We ran out of them." - Western Association of Food Chains Inc
"One of the kindest speakers we've ever had. Very inspiring and very engaging. Got a standing ovation and not every speaker got one. Went late with book signing and took pictures" - Club Managers Association of America
"Amy was amazing! Her story of overcoming challenges, coupled with her profound motivation to tackle situations head-on, proved powerful and informative. A great speaker." - Club Managers Association of America
"Everything went perfect! The company emailed all morning back and forth after Amy posted the pictures of her in front of her wall mural on Instagram. She was one of the best parts of the 4 day conference. Thank you!!" - Quicken Loans
"I wanted to reach out and say thank you for sharing your story with us this week in Hilton Head. You were the highlight of the conference. You are a true inspiration for anyone that has faced any type of adversity in their lives and how to overcome obstacles. I shared with you that evening that I believe your next project should be a movie about your life! I see that in your future- best of luck with your next adventure and enjoy your new home!" - Actavis
"Your inspiring story really resonated with the audience, and there was considerable positive feedback afterwards. It was nice to hear colleagues discussing how knowing our obstacles is a gift and an opportunity to take us to places we never expected. Your life story really underscored the necessity and benefit of innovation in a way few others could express. Thank you so much for being with us, best of luck with all your future adventures."- Pfizer
"Amy’s session blew all of our team away! She was phenomenal and the praise keeps coming!" - Nola, Colt Technology Services
