Sam Jalloh

Sam Jalloh is a war survivor who used his love for tennis to save his life and has since travelled the world as an international tennis coach. Sam had an upbringing which is only seen in most people’s nightmares. All three of his brothers born before him sadly lost their lives and now, Sam uses the adversity he has faced in his life to motivate and inspire those he coaches spreading a message of love and acceptance. Coming from a country where war raged as he was growing up, Sam knows all too well the destruction hate can cause. When hired as a keynote speaker, Sam shares the experiences he has faced, and how to ensure his guests develop a growth mindset, facing any obstacles head-on to achieve their dreams.

Growing up in a war-torn Sierra Leone, Sam has always been surrounded by adversity, he lost loved ones and close friends in a war which, at such a young age, he did not understand. Sam grew up when young men became soldiers, or died; yet Sam managed to survive because of his sheer determination to see another sunrise and speak to his mum. When he was thirteen years old, now living in a war-torn country for 4 years, Sam found himself playing tennis and had a dream to qualify for the Sierra Leone Junior National Team and use the allowance money to feed his family and fund his education. Time and time again Sam’s dream was crushed, at 17 years old he found himself with one last chance to compete for the Sierra Leone National Team.

Having worked harder than ever before, Sam’s dream came true and he played for his country. Tennis, quite literally, saved his life and since, Sam has written not one, but two books titled ‘How Tennis Saved My Life’ (autobiography) and ‘Can’t Break the African Spirit’. In his autobiography, Sam speaks of how he learned to play tennis with just his hands and began playing tennis barefoot because his family could not afford shoes. In recognition of the hard work Sam put in to achieve his dreams of becoming an international tennis player, and the adversity he faced in a war-torn country he has become the recipient of numerous awards including the 2020 BBC Inspirations Award and the 2022 Queen’s Voluntary Service Award.

Sam shares his incredible story at keynote speeches up and down the UK and internationally in Europe, Africa, the USA, Australia and the Middle East, and how he survived living in a country with one of the highest neonatal and infant mortality rates in the world. Highly sought-after as a speaker, Sam had the honour of presenting two TEDx talks and his remarkable story has been featured on BBC One Breakfast, BBC One Sunday Morning Live, BBC Africa and many more. He is also a physical, nutritional and mental coach where he shares his life experiences to motivate his students and readers to change how they react to adversity. When looking for an inspirational speaker who leaves his audiences feeling moved and exhilarated as he shares how he escaped the grasp of Nigerian Soldiers by the skin of his teeth, look no further than Sam Jalloh to hire at your next event.