The "Impossible Olympian": From Near Suicide to Dual-Sport Olympian; Captain of the Israeli Bobsled Olympic Team
AJ Edelman Biography
AJ Edelman is Israel's first double-sport Olympian and the first Orthodox Jew to compete in the Winter Olympic Games. He represented Israel in skeleton at Pyeongchang 2018 and founded, coached, and captained ""Shul Runnings,"" Israel's inaugural Olympic bobsled team, at Milano-Cortina 2026. Overcoming a history of near-suicide and Major Depressive Disorder, Edelman has continually used life's adversity to build for the future. Edelman founded Advancing Jewish Athletics, Inc. to build a pipeline for underrepresented Jewish and Israeli athletes in need at the highest levels of international sport.
Edelman holds a BS in mechanical engineering from MIT and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. Named to Forbes 30 Under 30, he has spoken at multiple TEDx events, Talks at Google, Jewish Federations, synagogues, JCCs, and Hillels across the United States. His keynotes cover peak performance, Jewish identity in the modern political era, and building teams from 0 to 100.
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AJ Edelman Speaking Topics
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The Power of Reframing: How Disaster Becomes Your Greatest Fuel
AJ Edelman has built an Olympic career on a single skill that has nothing to do with athletics: reframing. Cut from his first national team tryout, told his sport didn't exist in his country, and forced to self-fund every season of his career — he turned each setback into a strategic advantage. In this keynote, Edelman walks audiences through the reframing techniques he used to go from an obese and failing high school student to MIT engineer, Yale MBA and two-time Winter Olympian, and how those same techniques apply in the boardroom, the startup, and the organization. Drawing from real moments in both sport and business, he makes the case that there is no such thing as a permanent negative — only an unfinished reframe. Audiences leave with a practical framework for converting their worst professional and personal moments into catalysts for breakthrough performance.
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I Have Never Failed: How to Eliminate Failure and Live in a State of Permanent Growth
AJ Edelman has been cut from teams, missed Olympic qualification by fractions of a second, launched a nonprofit with no funding, and built a national winter Olympic program from a country with no ice. By most scorecards, his career is a highlight reel of failure. He disagrees — and in this talk, he explains why. Edelman presents a mental operating system that eliminates the concept of failure entirely, replacing it with a cycle of permanent growth. Every setback becomes data. Every loss becomes curriculum. Every "no" becomes navigation. Drawing from his journey across two Olympic campaigns, an MIT engineering degree, a Yale MBA, and the founding of Israel's first-ever Olympic bobsled team, he shows audiences how to stop fearing failure and start compounding from it. This talk is for anyone who has ever let a setback define them instead of refine them.
AJ Edelman Videos
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What are the speaker fees for AJ Edelman
Speaking fees for AJ Edelman, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book AJ Edelman are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and under $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire AJ Edelman, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does AJ Edelman speak about?
AJ Edelman is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Athlete, Inspirational, Jewish Heritage, Olympic Athlete, Sports, Sports Motivation -
Where does AJ Edelman travel from?
AJ Edelman generally travels from New York, NY, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent. -
Who is AJ Edelman’s agent?
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AJ Edelman is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The Power of Reframing: How Disaster Becomes Your Greatest Fuel, I Have Never Failed: How to Eliminate Failure and Live in a State of Permanent Growth, The "Impossible" Olympian: From Obesity to Olympic Great — A Journey from Zero to Hero, Performing at an Elite Level: Lessons from a Multi-Sport Olympian for the Boardroom and Beyond and From Suicide to Success: Lessons from a Double-Olympian Who Nearly Lost It All. The estimated speaking fee range to book AJ Edelman for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. AJ Edelman generally travels from New York, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Corey Hirsch, Jason Lezak, Mike Eruzione, Tatyana McFadden and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling AJ Edelman for an upcoming live or virtual event.
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