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    Sean Swarner
    Speaker · Author · Adventurer

    Achievement Without Alignment Is a False Summit.

    Two-time cancer survivor. First cancer survivor to summit Everest. Sean Swarner teaches leaders how to strengthen decision-making under pressure and build resilience that holds.

    Sean Swarner Mountaineer
    One Lung · Seven Summits
    19,571
    ft · Everest
    5
    Summits
    1
    Poles
    "Dedicated to all those affected by cancer in this small world.

    Keep climbing."
    AS FEATURED IN
    ESPNCBS Evening NewsNBCFox & FriendsTODAYABCNational GeographicHuffPost
    Summit
    Summit · 29,035 ft
    Patagonia
    Expedition · Patagonia
    SEAN SWARNER - THIS IS NOT A SPEAKER REEL - THIS IS PROOF - YouTube
    Featured film
    The True
    North.
    The True North: The Sean Swarner Story. Emmy-nominated. Stream on Amazon Prime.
    Watch The True North

    A story you have to hear.

    At 13, Sean was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin's disease and given three months to live. He survived. At 16, Askin's sarcoma, a second unrelated cancer, with 14 days to live. He survived that too. One lung was removed. His first goal: crawl 8 feet from the hospital bed to the bathroom. He made it. Then he climbed 29,035 feet to the top of Everest, becoming the first cancer survivor to stand on top of the world.

    New book · May 7, 2026

    The True Summit Method

    How leaders turn pressure into peak performance. A leadership framework forged in the world's most extreme environments, from a hospital bed to the top of Everest.

    The True Summit Method Book

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    Work with Sean.

    Signature keynote

    The True Summit Method

    The flagship keynote on leadership under pressure. Also available: Are You Climbing the Right Mountain?, Teams That Endure, The ASCEND Framework, and Behavior Change Under Pressure.

    Book keynote
    Workshop

    Leadership Under Pressure

    Half-day and full-day workshops built on the ASCEND Framework. Designed for leadership teams, offsites, and high-performance organizations.

    Explore workshops
    Expeditions

    Climb with Sean

    Join Sean on guided expeditions to the world's greatest summits. 95%+ completion rate. Limited to 10 participants per trip.

    View expeditions
    Expeditions · 2002–2018
    Seven summits.
    Two poles.
    One lung.
    See the expeditions →
    Expedition
    “
    The unfair advantage, and cracking the code of human performance, is everything you've already survived.
    — Sean Swarner

    What clients are saying.

    "
    He inspires hope, resiliency, and drive more than any other speaker.
    TM
    Tara M.
    VP Group Product Director, Johnson & Johnson
    "
    He sparked a fire in every single person.
    BG
    Brad G.
    VP of Product Mgmt, Google
    "
    Sean helped our team break through mental barriers.
    DV
    Donald V.
    Board Advisor, Coca-Cola
    TRUSTED BY
    Johnson & JohnsonGoogleCoca-ColaIBMNikeMicrosoftNY Giants

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