Endorsements

“Throughout our lives we encounter many people. Most are run of the mill decent people, some are forgettable, a few are remarkable, but if you are fortunate you may meet an individual who is truly extraordinary. After some twenty years of friendship it is my firm view that Ellis Emmett is the latter.
Ellis is one of life’s rarities, a man who has chiselled his own path against relentless pressure to conform. From his early years Ellis choose the path less travelled, not to be different or rebel but simply because the conventional parameters of a 9 to 5 existence did not make sense to him.
Through some hard lessons early on he quickly learned to capitalize on his natural determination, incredible energy and his extraordinary drive to achieve the goals that he sets for himself. In those early years as a young adult he honed these skills into a resilient toughness that saw him safely through a number of incredibly difficult and trying adventures. The wilderness of New Zealand taught him respect and through it he began to own his chosen environment, devouring all its wroth and fury with vigour.
There has been a delightful progression to Ellis’s life. Never one to let the grass grown under his feet once he had mastered one thing he immediately looked to the next challenge. As this mastery grew, his natural desire to share the joy that he experienced emerged. He has taken countless people under his wing, nurtured and encouraged them, lead them and delivered them to a level of achievement that they never knew they were capable of.
It is unusual to find the warmth and compassion required to allow others to achieve in someone of such strength. It’s these qualities that makes Ellis a natural leader and moreover his ability to inspire confidence has others flocking to him for guidance. That said, leadership is not something that Ellis aspirers to, nor satisfies some ego drive desire. He leads because it is the most efficient way for him to achieve. When you possess the vision that Ellis does the only way to see your dreams to fruition is from the front.
What Ellis has achieved to date is extraordinary, at 40 he has done more, seen more, and made a difference to more lives than most of us could hope to do in three full life times. All this is made more astonishing by the fact that he has achieved this with very little resource and almost no budget.
With maturity and a wealth of experience on his side each project that Ellis undertakes is done with extensive research, meticulous planning and intelligent execution. The same honesty and integrity that is immediately apparent in his on screen delivery is present throughout his life. He applies consistent standards to everything he touches from planning a multi legged adventure to giving a talk to the local school.
His take on life is unique, his methods unorthodox and his point of view original. The result is as engaging as it is rewarding and this, in my opinion, puts him in a league of his own.
Simon Watson – New Zealand – Contractor, Company Director and Want-to-be Adventurer

“Ellis is a truly inspirational person. He inspires me because he has substantiated the fulfillment of his dreams with action. He’s the kind of person who figured out exactly what he wanted from life early on, and rather than wasting his time with cheap talk, he devoted the entirety of his being to seeing this formulation come to fruition.
In a world where people live by taking the linear and easy paths throughout life to fulfill petty ends, it’s awfully refreshing to see the outlier like Ellis who has thrown caution to the wind in the course of following his own inner compass. Sure he’s had his failures, but I think this is what makes him even more of an inspiration. No matter what seems to get in his way, he has this amazing knack for recalibrating and figuring out some alternative route to get where he wants to be, and I think that is what separates him from most people I’ve come across.
Combine all of these rare traits with an incredible ability to forge a genuine personal connection with nearly anyone, and an almost infectious air of happiness and you have Ellis Emmett.”
Zak Klausner – USA

“I was impressed that Ellis managed to engage a bunch of 13 – 17yr olds for 2 hours without fidgeting or boredom at our event. I could see by their faces that they were totally absorbed and hanging on his every word.
I can’t imagine that a single one of them would have not taken away some new skills, goals, and generally a positive philosophy for life after Ellis’ presentation.  You totally empowered and inspired them and Blue Light is all about that so thank you.”
Ruth Shepherd – Blue Light Coordinator

“Ellis Emmett a true inspiration….
There are few times in your life when your path crosses with a person that possesses the power to change the course of your own life. I didn’t know it at the time but the moment I met Ellis my life was to take a different direction.
Ellis showed me what the statement ‘thinking big’ is all about. Most of us think that ‘thinking big’ is dreaming or wishful thinking, but this is not Ellis. Thinking big to him is thinking, planning, action and completion in that order and without stopping or ever giving up.
I’m yet to meet a man with more drive, ambition and character than Ellis. He has a complete and total passion for life rarely seen. His mind is not bound by life’s baggage but yet seems to walk free and light, laughing in the face of difficult challenges. Regardless of his many personal battles and challenges, Ellis enjoys life on a level I’ve never seen.
Over the 10 years I’ve known Ellis he has become a life long friend. If I hadn’t met Ellis there is every chance I would not be where I am today.”
Daniel Tall – Co-Founding Director DW Bullion Ltd – South Africa

“Ellis is a valued member of our small rural community and as such we asked him to speak at our school prize giving. Our school ranges from 5 year olds through to 18 year olds and it is quite a challenge to provide inspiration for this broad spectrum. Ellis spoke with honesty and clarity and was able to engage all listeners with his material and message. Ellis has an innate ability to relate to people and has a warm and endearing manner. His use of visuals to begin was a great ‘hook’ for the students.
One message he was delivering was conquering fear or overcoming obstacles and the examples he used to demonstrate this were very powerful; lying on the ocean floor with a huge mantra ray hovering above his bubbles, certainly this had all students and parents in awe! He also was encouraging students (and adults) to ask themselves ‘What is the worst that can happen if I do this thing?’ – there certainly was discussion afterwards about how powerful that conversation with ourselves can be.
Ellis also has a strong environmental message along with enjoying a healthy lifestyle. Ellis thrives on challenges and his range of diverse and exciting experiences in some of our world’s far flung places – both above and below ground, were inspirational.
I certainly have no hesitation in recommending Ellis Emmett as a wonderful role model and inspirational speaker for young and old.”
Liz Grigg – Deputy Principal, Cheviot Area School

“Ellis has become one of my greatest friends. He is one of the most trustworthy, genuine, inspirational people I know, with a huge heart.
They say the best things in life aren’t “things” and Ellis really is someone who’s character and passion motivates and inspires you to believe in yourself.
He has a natural ability to put everyone at ease and feel comfortable in his presence. After spending only a short while with him, you feel like you could conquer the world.
Through personal experience he gives back to others by sharing and supporting, inspiring us all to better ourselves and look to the future. A true natural leader in life.
Everyone who meets Ellis will have a more positive outlook toward not only themselves, but life as a whole, and make a wonderful friend in the process.”
Tiffany – UK

“Although I have only known Ellis a brief time, the meeting with him and subsequent friendship has helped me change my life. We met one evening and through conversation he encouraged me to explore a few fears that were holding me back from achieving some long aspired goals. He has continued to be a solid mentor for me during this time, but most importantly his own attitude towards life is infectious. When he speaks about his life and adventures, he speaks from the heart and stirs something in us that makes us want to achieve even just a little of what he has achieved. It is clear he practices what he preaches and does what he says he’s going to do – all this while keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground and maintaining a sense of adventure and humour. He exudes a natural excitement about life – and makes the most of every opportunity. I know that he has had to overcome his own obstacles and face a few of his own fears in life on a personal level, but he has managed to achieve greatness and maintain humility while doing so. He is a rare commodity in this world; compassionate, kind, a people person and a natural born leader and mentor.  Ellis is truly an inspiration.
I would encourage anyone who would like to be and feel inspired to listen and pay attention to Ellis Emmett.”
Helen Duyvestyn

“Ellis Emmett is an engaging and entertaining presenter who uses real life examples of his business and personal successes, to inspire and motivate others.
After Ellis’ presentation to the 21st Century Women in Business series, our members were clamoring to take action, set goals for facing their fears in their personal and business life, and work out ways to improve their lives on many other levels!
The amount of positive feedback our organization received after Ellis’ presentation was outstanding, and as such improved and boosted our public profile. As a result of his presentation at our event, we generated new members!
From a professional standpoint, Ellis was such a pleasant person to deal with throughout, from the beginning of booking to his departure. I found him highly co operative, organized and he delivered everything with a high level of professionalism and integrity.
Thank you Ellis – we look forward to you coming back and inspiring us again.”
Mari Huusko – Founder of 21’st Century Women in Business

“Ellis Emmett is the consummate Kiwi adventurer. It is not, however, his impressive resume of death defying feats of daring, or his laundry list of big dreams accomplished that jump up to greet you. It is, instead, his eternal optimism, his “Say Yes” mentality and his unflagging enthusiasm for encouraging the dreams that other people are chasing. Ellis is not inspirational, he is inspiration embodied. If you don’t feel the tingle of excitement over the beautiful possibilities of life when you’re talking to Ellis then I suggest you check your pulse!”
Jennifer Miller – World Traveler 

“Describing Ellis Emmett is something like asking me what the colour red smells like. It’s just not that simple. A lot of people have already described him as being adventurous, a dare-devil, an inspiration, etc. So coming up with an original way to put him into words is harder than I thought.
Ellis is a risk-taker and has had an uncanny knack for pushing people past what they felt was their absolute limit. Ellis has been a dear friend, a confidant, a listener, an advice-giver, a story teller, and is like family to me. He is humble, loyal, caring, and funny. He is also understanding, sympathetic, and trusting. He believes in the best in people, and encourages anyone to give things time before drawing conclusions or making rash decisions which very much contradicts his devil-may-care, impulsive reputation. He is not reckless with his goals or dreams and is painfully organized when it comes to his plans and lifestyle. His humour is infectious and his laughter is genuine and he tries to take any situation (bad or good) and find the funny side of it. He’s shared some of life’s challenges with me, some down times, some great times, and appreciates every victory and learns from every mistake.
Do not let him into your life if you don’t want him to call you on the things you claim to be…. or push you to pursue the dreams you have. He will light a fire under your ass and shove you forward, and if he can help you get there he will.
He has no time for the word “can’t” and won’t settle for “try”. (I’ve tried that). Ellis won’t be satisfied until he hears “I will”. He listens for the things you don’t even notice that you’ve mentioned, and will steer you onto a path without you even realizing it. The next thing you know you’re going back to school, or building your dream home, starting you own business or jumping into shark-infested water. And he doesn’t even have to be there physically with you.  He can be half a world away and you’re still going to do it because you know if he was there he’d be cheering you on.
His door and heart are always open to people who need him. He’d give the shirt off his back to a stranger and ask nothing in return. And he relates to you because of what he has overcome, and will listen if you have something to say that would help him with anything he might still be struggling with. He loves to learn. He’s not a hypocrite. He would never expect or ask anyone to do what he wouldn’t be willing to do himself.
Ellis is self-made, but he knows he didn’t do it alone. He asks for help when he needs it and he appreciates any words of wisdom from anyone who might have some insight into something he’s taken on. He isn’t all ‘risk taker-adrenaline junkie’. He notices and acknowledges the little parts of life and has an endless respect for nature and all living things. I am honored to call him my close friend. I’d dare say a best friend. And I’m a better person for knowing him.”
Kori Rogers – Canada