The Tempest Two | Adventures

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The Atlantic Row.

The Tempest Two set off in 2015 from Gran Canaria to row across the Atlantic Ocean, a 3,000-mile journey with no experience or support crew. Over 54 days, they faced hurricanes, sharks, tankers, and a capsized boat. On their first night, they rowed alongside bioluminescent plankton, battling harsh weather, seasickness, and sleep deprivation. They marked Christmas by calling family and exchanging small gifts.

After struggling through fierce winds, they were advised to drop anchor and wait for 48 hours. Later, during one night, James was thrown into the sea by a giant wave. In the final days, a near-miss with a cargo ship highlighted the danger, but their marine tracker saved them.

Despite the challenges, they also encountered whales, dolphins, and beautiful sunrises. When they reached land, friends and family greeted them with food and drinks. The journey tested their mental and physical limits, with resilience and trust being crucial to their success.

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The White Mountain:

A winter ascent of Mont Blanc (4,809m), Europe’s highest and deadliest peak, despite the climbers’ lack of mountaineering experience.

Soon after completing an Atlantic challenge, the duo set their sights on Mont Blanc. Though it’s considered a good entry-level climb, it’s also notoriously dangerous due to avalanches, rock falls, and sudden weather changes.

They began in September by acclimatising on Italy’s Gran Paradiso (4,061m). Though they summited quickly, their descent was gruelling due to dehydration and lack of food.

The Mont Blanc climb started with a trek from the valley to the Gouter Hut (3,815m), involving adrenaline-filled rock scrambling and dangerous terrain. On day two, they planned to summit and return by afternoon, but a fast-approaching storm brought harsh winds and cold. Remarkably, they reached the summit in 3.5 hours and descended to Gouter. The final day was spent returning to the base.

The climb tested them physically and mentally—oxygen deprivation, exhaustion, and altitude strain—but the breathtaking summit view made it worthwhile.

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Wild Sweden:

Tom and James escaped busy city life for a week of wild camping and kayaking through Sweden’s Stockholm Archipelago—30,000 islands on the Baltic coast.

With no fixed plan, they set off from London with two kayaks, camping gear, food, and a goal to paddle six hours a day, exploring islands of all sizes. Their shelter was a small tent, and meals consisted of freeze-dried and long-life food.

The adventure was filled with stunning moments: fiery sunsets over pine-lined shores and clear waters, and a close encounter with a full-grown moose near their tent—an unexpected visitor in the remote wilderness.

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London to the Sahara:

With no motorbike experience, Tom and James set out to ride 3,000 miles from London to the Sahara Desert in just two weeks. After passing their motorbike tests in nine days, they set off on Triumph Tiger 800s with minimal gear.

They rode from London to Portsmouth, ferried to Bilbao, then through Cantabria and Rioja. Battling severe winds in Zaragoza, they soon realised they had overestimated daily travel distances. Adapting their route, they took a ferry from Almeria and entered Morocco via Nador—facing language barriers and a stressful three-hour customs ordeal.

Once inside Morocco, they travelled through Midelt to Merzouga, on the Sahara’s edge, where they traded bikes for camels to reach the Beyond Sahara festival. Along the way, they soaked in tapas bars, vineyards, vivid sunsets, and glowing desert dunes.

Their key message: ignore limitations—dreams only stay dreams until you chase them.

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Project Patagonia:

The Tempest Two undertook their most ambitious challenge yet—a world-first triathlon through the wilds of Patagonia, made up of a 1,600km cycle, 75km run, and 100km stand-up paddleboard (SUP).

After landing in El Calafate, their bikes were delayed for 72 hours in customs. Once reunited with their gear, they headed to Esquel and began cycling south. Their journey was plagued by gravel roads, extreme weather, and exhaustion. One campsite was flooded, forcing them into a B&B, and they frequently faced harsh conditions including snow, rain, and strong winds. With one route impassable, they detoured via ferry to Chile Chico, eventually reaching El Chalten on day nine.

Next came a 65km glacier trek over rugged terrain, including river crossings, running through flooded trails, and climbing Paso Del Viento in brutal wind and ice. After sliding down an icy slope and reaching their final ascent, they were forced to crawl in hurricane-force winds. Though exhausted, they completed the triathlon in 17 hours and 22 minutes—setting a new record.

However, with no transport awaiting them, they had to walk an extra 17km back to El Chalten.

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Speaking

The Tempest Two’s keynotes strike a balance of epic storytelling, entertainment, and actionable takeaways. Motivational talks that an audience can relate to; just two ordinary friends taking on some of the most challenging adventures.

Removing “can’t” to achieve the extraordinary: A keynote designed to motivate, inspire, and change the way people think about their own potential. They want to motivate people to challenge what they are truly capable off, inside and outside the office; to face adversity head on and embrace change.

Past Projects

– Gymshark: Kicked off their annual company conference in front of 800 employees

– Nike: Curated a day of workshops and sessions focussed on developing mindsets

– Nike: Ran a three-day programme focusses on giving accountability within a flat management structure

– Nike: Presenting at the global sales leadership conference

– Google: Keynote speaker at the Google Maps Summit, speaking to 200 of the Google team and their contributors

– Google: Opened the Google stand at the Outdoor Retail Show, speaking on stage and answering a Q&A

– icapital: Spent eight days in New York and Lisbon, providing keynotes and workshops to 1,200 people

– BNY Mellon: A two-day US Leadership Summit; tasked with bringing together the heads of function across the business to look at where the business will be in the future

– BNY Mellon: European Leadership experience held in London, bringing together the top leaders from their European offices.

– BNY Mellon: Two-day session with the marketing department operating in New York

– Aviva: Became Chief Motivation Officers

– Bacardi: Brought together 35 of the top performing managers for a three-day summit, kicking off a programme that would prepare them to fill the C-level roles in the future

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Company Offsites

The Tempest Two also provide company offsites. Often perceived as a day of forced fun, cringey workshops, and boring presentations, the Tempest Two have taken it upon themselves to create the best offsite experiences in the world. With over a decade of experience working with some of the most recognised brands on the planet, the Tempest Two offer bespoke offsites tailored to your needs, delivering the keynotes and running the workshops.

Speaking Topics

– Growth Mindset

– Leadership

– Teamwork

– Overcoming Adversity

– Resilience

– Obstacles

– Operating Outside Of Your Comfort Zone

– Setting Goals

– Embracing Failure

– Risk

– Habit Formation

– Removing the Word ‘Can’t”

Clients

Airbnb, Aviva, Bacardi, BNY Mellon, Dropbox, EMEA, Google, Gymshark, Heineken, icapital, JP Morgan, Microsoft, Nike, Randstad, Red Bull, Tesco, Vodafone, Waitrose.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book The Tempest Two for your next live event.

Contact us.