Spencer West

International Motivational Speaker | Disabled Content Creator | Author | Actor l Entrepreneur

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Spencer West

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Spencer West, Author, Content Creator, and Disability & 2SLGBTQ+ Advocate

Spencer West is a globally renowned keynote speaker, author, content creator, and activist whose life embodies resilience, creativity, and the power of redefining what’s possible. Born with a rare genetic condition that resulted in the loss of his legs at the age of five, Spencer has spent his life challenging expectations – using adversity and lived experience as a catalyst for impact.

Today, Spencer is one of the most recognizable and influential disability advocates in the world. With a social community of over 4 million followers on TikTok, millions more across Instagram and YouTube, and a growing global audience, Spencer combines humour, vulnerability, and powerful insight to challenge assumptions about disability, belonging, and identity.

Spencer first captured international attention when he summited Mount Kilimanjaro using his hands and wheelchair, a seven-day, 19,340-foot ascent completed to raise awareness and funds for clean water and global education. The climb became the basis for the feature documentary Redefine Possible: The Story of Spencer West, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and spotlighted Spencer’s belief that we can help reduce barriers—physical or otherwise— through community collaboration, courageous vulnerability, and creativity.

Spencer’s bestselling memoir, Standing Tall: My Journey, chronicles his early life, the loss of his legs, and the experiences that shaped his resilience and purpose. His forthcoming book, Breaking Free, Stop Following Expectations and Start Following Yourself (Hay House, May 2026) offers a powerful and more vulnerable look at Spencer’s journey, blending personal stories with practical guidance on shedding expectations, embracing identity, and living authentically.

Spencer has spoken to audiences worldwide, from educational institutions and corporations to global leadership arenas, inspiring millions to challenge their assumptions and lead with empathy. He has shared the stage with prominent figures such as Mia Farrow, Jennifer Hudson, Martin Sheen, Martin Luther King III, and Natalie Portman, and was the opener for the North American portion of the Demi Lovato World Tour, bringing his message to audiences of tens of thousands.

Spencer has been featured on ABC News, CBS This Morning, CTV, and in The Globe and Mail, among others. Whether he’s climbing mountains, sharing his journey online, or helping audiences rethink their relationship to adversity, Spencer continues to spark meaningful global conversations about disability, inclusion, pride, and possibility. His work reminds us that challenges & expectations do not define us; how we respond and navigate them does. Spencer currently resides in Toronto, Canada.

Redefine Possible: Lessons for Tackling Mountains in Your Personal and Professional World

Spencer invites audiences to experience the transformation that can occur when we “redefine possible”. With his trademark humour and humility, Spencer spins a spellbinding story of the challenges he faced after losing his legs from the pelvis down at age five, and the journey of discovery that ultimately enabled him to summit Mount Kilimanjaro using his hands and wheelchair.

Spencer applies the insights gleaned from a lifetime of overcoming obstacles to help leaders and employees identify their own roadblocks and push past them. His inspiring message and tangible life lessons motivate business audiences to believe they can tackle any goal, whether personal or professional.

Spencer will cover:
>Key lessons he has learned throughout his life and how they can be applied both personally & professionally

>The importance of obstacles and how they are an integral part of our growth as individuals and as employees

>How we all have the capacity to create value both at home, in our communities, and in the workplace
Leveraging Talent with Disabilities (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility)

The life of visionary and activist Spencer West has been marked by both obstacles and triumph. After losing both legs from the pelvis down at the age of five, he entered a world that might have easily defeated him. Instead, he tackled challenge after challenge, learning to navigate in a world set against those with disabilities.

From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to climbing the workforce ladder, Spencer shares his insights on how bringing in talent with disabilities can have a very positive impact on your employees and customers.

Spencer will cover:
>His own journey as someone with a disability and the challenges he has faced in the work force

>What is ableism and what does it look like?

>The myths and stereotypes that keep employers from hiring folks with disabilities

>Tangible takeaways that employers and businesses can implement to start leveraging talent with disabilities
Leveraging Disabled & 2SLGBTQ+ Talent (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility)

Join Spencer West in this thought provoking and genuinely enlightening presentation where he will discuss the importance of leveraging talent with disabilities as well as the queer community and how both identities are necessary in the workforce.

The life of visionary and activist Spencer West has been marked by both obstacles and triumph. After losing both legs from the pelvis down at the age of five and coming out as gay at the age of 21, he entered a world that might have easily defeated him. Instead, he tackled challenge after challenge, learning to navigate in a world set against the queer community and those with disabilities.

From climbing the workforce ladder to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Spencer shares his insights on how bringing in talent with disabilities and the queer community can have a positive impact on your employees and clients.

Spencer will cover:
>His own journey as someone that identifies as gay and disabled and the challenges he has faced in the work force

>What is ableism and what does it look like?

>The myths and stereotypes that keep employers from hiring folks with disabilities and the 2SLGBTQ+ community

>Tangible takeaways that employers and businesses can implement to start leveraging talent with disabilities & the 2SLGBTQ+ community

Redefine Possible: Lessons for Tackling Mountains in Your Personal and Professional World

Spencer invites audiences to experience the transformation that can occur when we “redefine possible”. With his trademark humour and humility, Spencer spins a spellbinding story of the challenges he faced after losing his legs from the pelvis down at age five, and the journey of discovery that ultimately enabled him to summit Mount Kilimanjaro using his hands and wheelchair.

Spencer applies the insights gleaned from a lifetime of overcoming obstacles to help leaders and employees identify their own roadblocks and push past them. His inspiring message and tangible life lessons motivate business audiences to believe they can tackle any goal, whether personal or professional.

Spencer will cover:
>Key lessons he has learned throughout his life and how they can be applied both personally & professionally

>The importance of obstacles and how they are an integral part of our growth as individuals and as employees

>How we all have the capacity to create value both at home, in our communities, and in the workplace

Leveraging Talent with Disabilities (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility)

The life of visionary and activist Spencer West has been marked by both obstacles and triumph. After losing both legs from the pelvis down at the age of five, he entered a world that might have easily defeated him. Instead, he tackled challenge after challenge, learning to navigate in a world set against those with disabilities.

From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to climbing the workforce ladder, Spencer shares his insights on how bringing in talent with disabilities can have a very positive impact on your employees and customers.

Spencer will cover:
>His own journey as someone with a disability and the challenges he has faced in the work force

>What is ableism and what does it look like?

>The myths and stereotypes that keep employers from hiring folks with disabilities

>Tangible takeaways that employers and businesses can implement to start leveraging talent with disabilities

Leveraging Disabled & 2SLGBTQ+ Talent (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility)

Join Spencer West in this thought provoking and genuinely enlightening presentation where he will discuss the importance of leveraging talent with disabilities as well as the queer community and how both identities are necessary in the workforce.

The life of visionary and activist Spencer West has been marked by both obstacles and triumph. After losing both legs from the pelvis down at the age of five and coming out as gay at the age of 21, he entered a world that might have easily defeated him. Instead, he tackled challenge after challenge, learning to navigate in a world set against the queer community and those with disabilities.

From climbing the workforce ladder to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Spencer shares his insights on how bringing in talent with disabilities and the queer community can have a positive impact on your employees and clients.

Spencer will cover:
>His own journey as someone that identifies as gay and disabled and the challenges he has faced in the work force

>What is ableism and what does it look like?

>The myths and stereotypes that keep employers from hiring folks with disabilities and the 2SLGBTQ+ community

>Tangible takeaways that employers and businesses can implement to start leveraging talent with disabilities & the 2SLGBTQ+ community

Testimonials

"Spencer, on behalf of Gap Inc., and the Equality & Belonging Team, thank you for such an inspirational and informational keynote today. As you saw, the chat was active with praise from the attendees - what you didn’t see were the texts I was receiving from leaders raving about what you shared from workplace inclusion to adaptive. So many gems you dropped ignited our teams to really think about how we approach this work and the mindset shifts that are so critical to drive true inclusion in the workplace, especially for people with disabilities.”

Maria Febre, Head of Employee Belonging, Equality & Belonging - Gap Inc.
Thank you so much for making the CEO Award nominee breakfast such a special celebration. Your personal story touched everyone and your call to action at the end was perfect! It was exactly the message we wanted to convey to our people—to support their colleagues in their volunteerism. I’ve received so much positive feedback following the breakfast; everyone loved meeting you and many have commented that now they feel even more compelled to continue with their volunteer work. Your enthusiasm is infectious!

National Director of Community Leadership, KPMG Canada
"Spencer was exceptional and a highlight of our staff retreat. He used humour and storytelling in a way that asked the audience to dig deep and expertly connected it to our organizational vision and strategic plan. Staff left with insights about how to work together on a deeper level and felt inspired to strive for our ambitious goals."

Ashley Hilkewich, Chief Strategy Officer, Campfire Circle
Spencer West was a real treat to have at our Annual General Meeting. Spencer’s keynote address was inspirational, heart-wrenching, and funny. Spencer has a way of sharing stories that is humble and relatable yet inspiring. He has that incredible ability to highlight ableism and discrimination in a way that invites curiosity and personal reflection. After such a difficult year in 2020, it was a true delight to work with Spencer and his team to have him as our keynote speaker. We would highly recommend Spencer West to anyone!

Maddi MacDonald, Executive Council Member, Nova Scotia Disability Employee Network
“As Spencer’s vigorous and courageous spirit spread out to us, our eyes opened to the potential possibilities out there. His powerful and defiant attitude toward life proved that anything in this world is possible; if there is anything that stops us from continuing, it is the boundaries that we have created ourselves. Always remember, Redefine Your Possible.”

International School, of Kenya
“Spencer West was inspirational, the connection to YPO chapter members incredible, the bonding valuable and the experience WOW! Thank you Think Forum!”

YPO, Nairobi Chapter