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John Graham

Diplomat, mountaineer, peace-builder -- his greatest adventure was finding the meaning of his life in service, and helping others do the same.

John Graham
Travels From Travels From:
Washington, USA
Speaking Fee Speaking Fee:
Live Event: $5,000 - $10,000
Virtual Event: Please Contact
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Categories Categories:
Categories Categories:
Adventure, Education, Health, Leadership, Motivational, Political
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John Graham Biography

John Graham shipped out on a freighter when he was sixteen, took part in the first ascent of Mt. McKinley's North Wall at twenty, and hitchhiked around the world at twenty-two.

A Foreign Service Officer for fifteen years, he was in the middle of the revolution in Libya and the war in Vietnam. For three years in the mid-seventies, he was a member of NATO's top-secret Nuclear Planning Group, then served as a foreign policy advisor to Senator John Glenn. As an assistant to Ambassador Andrew Young at the United Nations, he was deeply involved in U.S. initiatives in Southern Africa, South Asia and Cuba.

By most measures, he was very successful. But something was missing.

In 1980, a close brush with death aboard a burning cruise ship in the North Pacific forced him to a deeper search for meaning in his life. Now out of the Foreign Service, he began teaching better ways of handling challenge and conflict. Since 1983 he's been a leader of the Giraffe Heroes Project, an international organization moving people to stick their necks out for the common good. A frequent keynote speaker, he's also done TV and radio all over the world. Articles about him have appeared in major magazines and newspapers. In 2010 Graham formed and now leads Giraffe Heroes International, bringing his expertise and inspiration  to the world.

Graham audiences over almost 30 years as a professional speaker include dozens of major national and international conferences and organizations. For a partial list see the attached document, "Past Audiences."

He is the author of Outdoor Leadership, from Mountaineers Books; It's Up to Us, from the Giraffe Heroes Project; Stick Your Neck Out-A Street-smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond, from Berrett-Koehler; and Sit Down Young Stranger, a memoir published in 2008 by Packard Books.

Graham walks his talk, including as an international peacemaker, active in the Middle East and Africa. He has a degree in geology from Harvard and one in engineering from Stanford, neither of which he ever expects to use.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 04/27/2024.

John Graham Speaking Topics

  • Tapping The Heroes Within Our Kids

    [Especially relevant for educators, parents and educational conferences]

    Most kids want to be helpful and caring, but these impulses are often suffocated by a materialistic culture that values all of us for what we can buy, not for who we are. You can help your kids bring these impulses to life. John Graham, author of It's Up to Us, a mentoring book for teens, shows how telling kids the stories of real heroes prompts many of them to want to make a difference themselves. You'll learn from his speech how to help kids find and solve problems they care about-and build lives as caring and courageous citizens.

  • Do It Because It Matters

    [A favorite keynote for conferences of associations and organizations]

    "There's tremendous joy and satisfaction in doing work you know is meaningful," says John Graham, citizen activist and former diplomat. Hearing stories from his adventurous life, and from the lives of the heroes honored by the Giraffe Heroes Project, you'll learn how to build and sustain meaning in your work as a source of vision, passion and strength.

  • Why Should You Care?

    [For assemblies of middle and high school-age kids]

    Teens pay attention when John Graham asks them what they care about. The author of It's Up to Us, a handbook for teens, Graham uses an easy tone and style, and plenty of dramatic stories, to show students that nothing is more important than living a meaningful life, and that the surest path to that meaning is service. "You can find thousands of ways to make a difference," he says, as he offers practical tools for the search. "Find the ones that excite you and go for them with everything you've got."

  • Don't Die Before You've Made A Difference

    Twenty-five years ago, John Graham was nearly killed when the cruise ship he was lecturing on burned and sank in the freezing waters of the Gulf of Alaska. Rescued at the last moment as a typhoon engulfed his lifeboat, he emerged with a sense of direction and purpose that hasn't wavered. "All of us want meaningful lives," he says now, "but we don't have to face death to find them. The guiding signs are all around us, most of them small and subtle-I just ignored them." No matter what your situation in life, don't settle for just taking up space-find the meaning you're looking for in service, in committing to ideals beyond your personal needs. Let Graham help you find or renew the passion for what you care about-then go after it with everything you've got.

  • How to Lead: Insights from Many Slippery Slopes

    [Especially relevant for anyone in a leadership role-in business, government, nonprofits, team activities and much more]

    You'll gain insights and practical tips from John Graham's 40 years of leading-on mountain-climbing teams, in Vietnam, at the UN, as an environmental activist and in the nonprofit world. The author of Outdoor Leadership, Graham says, "the core of good leadership is developing a clear picture of yourself as a leader, building trust, and inspiring others with a clear and compelling vision of success."

  • Answer The Call

    Your community and your country need more from you than your best wishes. What can you do to help? Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned agent of change, you'll gain inspiration, skills and strategies for action from John Graham, author of Stick Your Neck Out-A Street-Smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond. Drawing on his 30 years' experience as a political and social activist, John offers solid tools for solving public problems, laced with his dramatic and humorous personal stories.

John Graham Books

  • Sit down young stranger: one manʹs quest for meaning
    Sit down young stranger: one manʹs quest for meaning
  • Stick Your Neck Out: A Street-Smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond
    Stick Your Neck Out: A Street-Smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond
  • It's up to us
    It's up to us
  • Outdoor leadership: technique, common sense & self-confidence
    Outdoor leadership: technique, common sense & self-confidence

FAQs on booking John Graham

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  • What topics does John Graham speak about?

    John Graham is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Adventure, Education, Health, Leadership, Motivational, Political.

  • Where does John Graham travel from?

    John Graham generally travels from Washington, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

  • Who is John Graham’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like John Graham for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book John Graham for your next private or corporate function.

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John Graham is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Tapping The Heroes Within Our Kids, Do It Because It Matters, Why Should You Care?, Don't Die Before You've Made A Difference, How to Lead: Insights from Many Slippery Slopes and Answer The Call. The estimated speaking fee range to book John Graham for your event is $5,000 - $10,000. John Graham generally travels from WA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Saul Farber, Charlie Alejandro, Bruce Weinstein, Loretta LaRoche and Nick Lowery. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling John Graham for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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