Ed Jackson is famed as a former professional rugby player, who spent over a decade playing at the highest level for teams such as the Wasps, Bath, London Welsh and Newport Gwent Dragons. In 2017, Ed’s life changed considerably after he dived into the shallow end of a pool and broke his neck. Suffering debilitating injuries, Ed channelled drive and perseverance into his recovery and is now a recovered quadriplegic. With such an inspirational story to tell, Ed is now booked as a speaker for corporate and public events to share how he overcame adversity and how audiences can embrace a positive mindset and persevere through challenges.
Making his professional rugby debut in 2007, Ed began his playing career with Bath Rugby. Playing with the team for three years, Ed proved his worth as a talented player and was later scouted to join London Welsh Rugby Football Club in 2011. Becoming a fan favourite on the pitch, Ed was also selected to play for Wasps Rugby in 2013 and Newport Gwent Dragons in 2015. In 2017, Ed’s life changed for the foreseeable. After jumping into the shallow end of a swimming pool, Ed suffered a broken neck and was left with a spinal cord injury. With a destroying diagnosis of potentially never being able to walk again, Ed was determined to not accept defeat and endured intensive rehabilitation.
Fast forward to the present and Ed is inspiring all - now a recovered quadriplegic who climbed Mera Peak in 2019! Not letting the adversity he experienced hold him back, Ed has also become a broadcaster for Channel 4 and founded M2M Presents. Encouraging those around him to persevere through obstacles and adopt a positive mindset, Ed is also an Ambassador of Wings 4 Life, Restart Rugby and Berghaus. In 2021, Ed was also recruited to present live coverage for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games – which were postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also in 2021, Ed published his autobiography Lucky - which earned the status of Sunday Times Bestseller on the 9th of August 2021. A year later, Ed was requested to join the presenting team of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, and in 2023 he became the Founder of Vapoura Rum.
Having overcome serious adversity, Ed is now a popular choice as an inspirational speaker to have perform at corporate and public events. Sharing his story of determination, perseverance and positivity, Ed inspires all to overcome their personal challenges. Covering topics of resilience, change management, perspectives and positive mindsets, Ed has spoken for countless top clients such as Microsoft and Aspen. Whether he be presenting in person or via a webinar, Ed captivates audiences with his emotional journey of recovery and inspires all to overcome adversity.
Social Media
Books
Lucky
Reviews
Ed Jackson received a 5 star rating across 8 events in 2023
Agent Recommendation
"Ed Jackson, an ex-professional rugby star and a recovered quadriplegic, is an exceptional motivational speaker. His harrowing yet inspiring journey, from a career-ending injury to scaling peaks and becoming a successful broadcaster and author, exemplifies resilience and positivity. Ed's compelling narrative motivates audiences to overcome adversity with a determined mindset, making him a highly recommended speaker for any event."
How to hire Ed Jackson
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Ed Jackson 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.
Ed Jackson's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Increased Productivity Through Goal Setting & Habit Formations
- Maximising Potential in Limited Circumstances
- Positive Mindset Through Reframing
- Embracing & Overcoming Adversity
- Building Purpose
- Managing Fear
- Perspective
- Resilience
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Made a tangible impact on my staff who were hugely complimentary about Ed's inspirational talk. Highly recommend for any team going through a period of change or transformation" - Gareth, Chief Financial Officer, Aspen
"Very inspiring talk from Ed Jackson at Microsoft yesterday. Incredible story, amazing what can be achieved with the right mindset and determination. Highly recommend" - Iwan, Director of Customer Programs, Microsoft
"Ed ran two sessions over Zoom for around 165 colleagues at Diageo. With resilience as the key theme, Ed ran us through his inspiring story and provided the teams with a really clear summary of relatable and relevant advice. The feedback has been fantastic, with team members coming away inspired, more hopeful and significantly more positive about how we can reframe the challenges we're facing at the moment and come out stronger" - Sally, Head of Field Sales, Diageo
"I was recommended to get in touch with Ed regarding his inspiring story around his road to recovery as I was trying to source a motivational keynote speaker for one of our flagship corporate events in London. Not only was Ed a pleasure to work within the build-up to the event, he was timely in communications and very open on his content which made my role a lot easier! Ed truly has an amazing story to tell and his presentation style is confident yet humble which made for a great keynote talk that was enthused over by all attendees who went to the session. Ed is early on in his journey and I know that everyone that attended, myself included, will be following his story more closely to see what other professional and personal goals he will achieve." - Natasha, In-House Recruitment Network
"Ed Jackson recently accepted an invitation to address our new Graduates, their parents and our distinguished guests at 2 of the Health and Life Sciences Graduation ceremonies at Oxford Brookes University. Ed enthusiastically responded to the invitation and to the brief and delivered a hugely inspirational speech on each occasion. In his address, Ed reflected on his journey with great candour and bravery, however it was his ability to communicate immense positivity and hope through his words and the delivery of them that was truly exceptional. Oxford Brookes felt very privileged to have shared Ed's story and his advice for success. We would invite Ed back to speak in a heartbeat and would highly recommend him as a speaker at relevant events." - Carolyn
- 2023 - Co-Founder of Vapoura Rum
- 2022 - Presenter of coverage of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games for Channel 4
- 2021 - Author of "Lucky", Sunday Times bestseller
- 2020 - Climbed Mera Peak in Nepal
- 2019 - Founder of M2M
- 2018 - Broadcaster for Channel 4, coverage of the European Rugby Champions Cup
- 2018 - Climbed Snowdon
- 2015 - Professional rugby player for NG Dragons
- 2013 - Professional rugby player for Wasps
- 2011 - Professional rugby player for London Welsh
- 2010 - Professional rugby player for Doncaster Knights
- 2007 - Professional rugby player for Bath
- Presenter of "The Big Tackle" & coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games for Channel 4
