Meet Paul Templer

Paul Templer is living proof that your life can change in an instant… and when it does, if you want to… you get to choose what’s possible and what happens next. He was born in Africa, amidst war and strife. Wanderlust struck him early and he traveled the globe; he served with distinction in the British Army; led extreme expeditions to some of the last uncharted places left on earth and by all accounts had a rip-roaring time. Eventually, he “settled down” to lead photographic safaris back in his native homeland. That was until March 1996—when Paul was attacked by a rogue hippo while guiding a small group of tourists down the Zambezi River. Now THAT was a bad day at the office! The attack took the life of another guide who Paul was trying to save and cost Paul his left arm. Immediately after the attack Paul clumsily navigated the dark dysfunctional space that seemed to stretch out ahead of him; his life had been, quite literally, ripped apart. A master storyteller, Paul drip feeds his entertaining and inspiring step-by-step journey from his run in with the grumpy hippo to modifying a paddle and learning to kayak again with one arm, so that he could lead a historic three-month long expedition from the source of the Zambezi River to where she flows into the sea – a feat which had never been done before. By 2011, Paul co-authored, Success Simplified, with Stephen Covey, the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In 2012, Paul’s book, What’s Left of Me detailed the “you’ve got to be kidding me” stories color his exotically dramatic life… including his fight with that rogue hippo, that cost him his arm as the precursor to winning his life. Paul’s story has been featured on the BBC, National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel, where the attack and rescue have inspired millions. While guiding a Zambezi river tour in Africa, Paul Templer attempted to save another guide’s life. In the process, he battled a rogue hippopotamus, suffering over 40 puncture wounds across his body and losing his left arm. Over time, Paul regained his will to live and continues to adventure around the world. Now his transformative experience is an inspirational story, for audiences around the world, about life and how we choose to approach it.