Former Royal Marine Commando, turned motivational speaker and television presenter, JJ Chalmers epitomises the mental resilience and determination required to overcome adversity. Severely injured in combat was not the end of Chalmers’ story, as he fought to not only live but thrive, going on to win gold at the Invictus Games and carve out a new career in television presenting and public speaking. With first hand experience of the qualities required to be undeterred by defeat, Chalmers makes the ideal speaker for a range of demographics, facing business dilemmas, personal challenges or looking for inspiration, a truly compelling speaker.
In 2011 a confident, qualified and dedicated Royal Marine Commander was deployed to fight in Afghanistan for England. The risk of the role became all too real when Chalmers was severely injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) on duty, causing facial deformity, loss of two fingers, leg wounds and the destruction of his right elbow. What followed was months of gruelling rehabilitation and him undergoing nearly 30 operations in eight weeks, however, his mental resilience never faltered and his determination to overcome the devastating blow in order to live a full life was nothing short of inspirational.
Being limited in his new life was not an option for Chalmers, who set the challenge for himself of reaching the 2014 Invictus Games for injured former or current army personnel. Not only did he participate in the adaptive sports event, but he secured gold in the Men’s IRecB1 Recumbent Circuit Race, bronze in the 1-mile timed trial and bronze in the 4x 100 mixed relay. A stand out star of the competition, the team spirit Chalmers had missed from his Forces days was reignited in his sports team. With such talent, and first hand experience of the cause the Games represent, Chalmers returned in 2014 as the presenter, fronting coverage for the BBC.
A natural in front of the camera, Chalmers was soon in demand from a number of broadcasters wanting the down to earth and charming former serviceman as their representative. Since his debut on the small screen, Chalmers has presented the 2016 Rio Paralympics for Channel 4, 2018 Commonwealth Games for BBC and appeared on the likes of The Last Leg, Superhumans Show and numerous sports segments for news outlets. Most recently, Chalmers was listed in Strictly Come Dancing's 2020 celebrity line up, finishing in the quarter finals of the competition. A truly captivating and inspirational speaker, JJ Chalmers can offer transformative talks to your audience when you hire him for an event.
How to hire JJ Chalmers
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring JJ Chalmers 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.
When he's at corporate events, JJ is known to cover the following topics:
- Military
- Mental resilience
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Overcoming adversity
- Peak performance
"I have to say as I was lucky enough to be sat with JJ, what a wonderful, inspirational man he is and I’ve heard so many fantastic comments from our staff here at Revolution, he really did a wonderful speech and really made a positive impact on our staff and he is just such a wonderful chap. Please do pass on my best regards to JJ and I am so happy that I got to meet him." - Susie, Revolution Bars Group
"The conference went very well and JJ was excellent. The informal feedback we have had is overwhelmingly positive. People have described JJ as inspirational, authentic, kept their attention at all times and good balance of humor and excellent content." - Fiona, Revolution Bars Group
"Just wanted to say thank you for arranging this webinar; it was one of the best I have ever seen. So much positivity following such incredible circumstances."
"What a great speaker. Listened to lots of amazing people, more so in that last 5 years or so, JJ – what a great guest – thank you very much for putting this on and extending the invitation."
"That was incredibly inspirational.so much to take away. No questions, just thanks..both for the presentation, and for your service!"
"Not a question, just thanks for a very open presentation, really enjoyed listening. Really appreciate everything you have said and completely agree that getting a grip on perspective really helps you enjoy challenge and enjoy life very much for it. Huge thanks."
"Could you pass on our thanks to JJ from Kate and I and from the rest of DAWN. The conversation was absolutely brilliant, and we’ve had so many comments already with praise and positivity. We really think the entire NICE staff has been educated, had their eyes opened and just really enjoyed listening and taking everything on board, so thank you so much." - Portia and Kate, NICE
"The event went very well and we’ve gotten some really great feedback.Learning his story and understand what he has been through and the accomplishments he has made despite his problems was so inspiring. Thank you again for arranging for him to speak with us." - Madeleine, Kio
“The session was great! JJ is an amazing storyteller, and the participants were so pleased with the session.” - NHS Dorset County Hospital
