Spencer West

International Motivational Speaker | Disabled Content Creator ♿️Author | Social Media Influencer

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Communication Customer Experience Management Strategy Social Justice & Human Rights Workforce + HR

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Celebrities Fresh Perspectives LGBTQ2+ Media Personalities Most Requested Motivational Speakers Virtual Presenters

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About This Speaker

The life of visionary activist Spencer West is a powerful story of resilience and triumph. At age five, he lost both legs from the pelvis down. Rather than let adversity define him, Spencer rose to each challenge and learned to thrive in a world not built for people with disabilities. His journey revealed strategies that empower leaders, educators, professionals, and young people to redefine what’s possible in their lives and careers.

Spencer is a global keynote speaker, content creator, and activist. He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro using his hands and wheelchair, opened for Demi Lovato on a world tour and starred in Redefine Possible: The Story of Spencer West, a documentary that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. He also authored the best-selling memoir Standing Tall: My Journey, played Spencer the window washer on Murdoch Mysteries. Today, he engages a global audience of over 4 million followers on TikTok.

His work has been featured by ABC News, BuzzFeed, 60 Minutes, CTV, BBC News, TMZ, CNN, Forbes, The Globe & Mail, CBS This Morning, and Bloomberg. He also appeared on Season 2 of Karamo The Podcast, hosted by Karamo Brown.

Spencer West has shared the stage with figures like former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Mia Farrow, Martin Luther King III, Jennifer Hudson, and Natalie Portman.

Spencer’s message has reached millions through live and virtual events. He has spoken for organizations including Virgin Atlantic, KPMG, Microsoft, Staples, Universal McCann, SickKids Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs, and many more across the education, finance, and healthcare sectors.

From major conferences and universities to stadiums of 20,000, Spencer captivates every audience with charisma and authenticity. His words inspire people to face challenges, embrace change, and lead with purpose. Every event ends with takeaways that help people and teams redefine their possible.

Videos

Speaking Topics: Spencer West

Leveraging Talent with Disabilities

Join Spencer West in this interactive, fireside chat where he will discuss not only why you should leverage talent with disabilities, but also how. The life of visionary and activist Spencer West has been marked by both obstacles and triumph. After losing both legs from the pelvis down at the age of five, he entered a world that might have easily defeated him. Instead, he tackled challenge after challenge, learning to navigate in a world set against those with disabilities. From climbing the workforce ladder to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Spencer shares his insights on how bringing in talent with disabilities can have a very positive impact on your employees and customers.

Redefine Possible: Lessons for Tackling Mountains in Your Personal & Professional Worlds

Spencer West invites audiences to experience the transformation that can occur when we “redefine possible.” With his trademark humour and humility, Spencer spins a spellbinding story of the challenges he faced after losing his legs from the pelvis down at age five and the journey of discovery that ultimately enabled him to summit Mount Kilimanjaro using his hands and wheelchair. Spencer applies the insights gleaned from a lifetime of overcoming obstacles to help leaders and employees identify their own roadblocks and push past them. His inspiring message and tangible life lessons motivate audiences to believe they can tackle any goal, whether personal or professional. Spencer is the author of the best-selling book Standing Tall: My Journey and star of the documentary Redefine Possible: The Story of Spencer West, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012.

No Can't, No Won't, Only How: Overcoming Obstacles to Make a Difference

Keynote speaker Spencer West lost his legs from the pelvis down when he was just five years old and faced overwhelming physical and emotional challenges. Rather than give up or turn inward, Spencer learned that by connecting with others and working to make the world a better place he could transform his life. Alternating between walking on his hands and using his wheelchair, Spencer has accomplished a list of feats, including building schools in poverty-stricken villages in Kenya and India, and walking 186 miles from Edmonton to Calgary in Alberta, Canada. One of Spencer’s biggest achievements was climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for a global clean water initiative while raising awareness of the devastating drought in Africa.