Jessica Buchanan

Jessica Buchanan is an educator, author, humanitarian, speaker, and survivor. On October 25, 2011, while on a routine field mission in Somalia, working as the Education Advisor for her non-governmental organization, Buchanan was abducted at gunpoint and held for ransom by a group of Somali pirates for 93 days. Forced to live outdoors in deplorable conditions, starved, and terrorized by more than two dozen gangsters, Buchanan’s health steadily deteriorated until, by order of President Obama, she was rescued by the elite SEAL Team VI on January 25, 2012.

Buchanan’s ordeal is detailed in her New York Times bestselling book, "Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six". This book won the 2013 USA Best Book Award for Autobiography. Buchanan has been named one of the ‘150 Women Who will Shake the World’ by Newsweek, and her story was the most highly viewed "60 Minutes" episode to air, to date.

Buchanan is a highly sought after inspirational speaker and her TEDx Pearl Street talk, ‘Change is Your Proof of Life’ has been the foundation for which she travels the world, inspiring audiences to access their resilience by identifying their own autonomy and chance in the middle of their own life-changing event. She also hosts the popular women’s conversational podcast, "We Should Talk About That," and has launched Soul Speak Press, an imprint of Merack Publishing, to help women share their stories. Additionally, Buchanan continues her work as a family liaison volunteer for the non-profit organization, Hostage US, supporting former hostages and their families during captivity and eventual return, and also continues to serve as a dedicated Ambassador for the Navy SEAL Foundation, which works to support families of fallen SEALs.