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  3. Toufic Abou Nader
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Toufic Abou Nader

Self Employed
Gritty Goat
Country or state 
United Arab Emirates
Available to 
Global
City 
Dubai
Fee 
Languages 
Arabic,
English
Volunteer
Yes

Personal Details

Bio

I was born to the name Toufic, an ancient name that some say means luck and others suggest a single-minded drive for success. My life has been nothing short of a miraculous fusion of both. My labor of love has become helping people succeed at facing and embracing discomfort, disarming self-pity and fear, and finding their true grit.

Please join me on a journey of discovery that travels the landscapes of our outer world; from the world’s deepest cave to one of Nepal’s most nefarious mountains, to a desert in Oman; to uncovering the lessons and blessings of life-threatening accidents, subterranean and high-altitude despair, and the highs of marathon running.

Let’s begin:

Dhoor El Shweir, Lebanon, 2002: I nearly lost my life at the age of 15 in a horrific traffic accident. Doctors told me that I would suffer the physical and mental consequences of the trauma for the rest of my life. They told me to get used to a new reality without most of one leg’s function — and an end to my dream of being an explorer.

Khasab, Oman, 2015: A deadly poisonous snake bite left me fighting for my life in an intensive care unit. My body and mind flickered between vivid nightmares of losing a limb and the imminent possibility of dying.

Krubera Voronya, Abkhazia, Georgia, 2016: On a 30-day expedition into the world’s deepest cave I was confronted with a fear unlike any I had ever experienced: it crushed my ego, stripped me of hope, and left me facing absolute vulnerability.

Khumbu, Nepal, Himalayas, 2018: I faced the devastating loss of my partner, Mike, while leading an expedition on one of the world’s most notorious mountains, the infamous Ama Dablam — deceptively monikered the Mother’s Necklace. I was fortunate to survive the expedition but was left with crushing grief and shattered faith.

Here and Now: I feel blessed — not because I survived those setbacks and challenges — because I discovered ways to turn devastating loss, sorrow and despair into hope; and hopelessness into grit and renewed purpose. And because I am privileged to be alive to share those lessons with you.

I invite you to let me share my stories with you and to work with me to master mental toughness, and dissolve the deceptive illusion of comfort to find your own brand of inspiration, hope and passion.

- Why nearly losing my leg taught me mental toughness through voluntary discomfort?

- Why my expedition to the world's deepest cave left me facing my worst fears?

- Why the grit toolkit was the key to survival in the face of death?

Current position (1)

Self Employed

Gritty Goat

Achievements (5)
Lead cave explorer

As a cave explorer, I am proud to share I am the only explorer that managed to reach the deepest point of the deepest registered cave of Sultanate Oman.

Lead trainer at Middle East Cave Expeditionary Team

I am one of the lead trainers at the Middle East Cave Expeditionary Team, who ran countless training, rescue scenarios and explorations.

World's deepest cave - Krubera

It is an honor to have been one of the few humans that ever explored - unsupported - the world's deepest cave Krubera situated in Abkhazia.

Surviving one of the world's deadliest snake

In 2015, a deadly snake struck me leaving me with little chance to survive. A distressing experience left me wandering between vivid nightmares and death itself. A truth my conscious could not comprehend. A truth in many ways was my life’s best teacher.

Lead explorer to the new deepest cave of the Middle East

8 years of exploration and hard work, has led a small team of explorers to find a remote unexplored cave in Oman. The exploration is still ongoing and its logistical complexity has been a real challenge.

Degrees (1)
Information Technology
American University in Dubai
2007 to 2011

Presentations

Presentations (3)
REPURPOSE FEAR

What is fear? Can we overcome it; master it or even embrace it? Is fear inherited, learned or something else? Should we avoid it at any cost? When do apprehension and hesitance transition from being necessary for our safety and security to becoming obstacles on our life and leadership path?

Your individual answers to those questions will be different from at least 7 billion others. But neuroscientists and psychologists agree that our response to fear falls into one of three general categories: flee, fight or freeze. That’s a universal experience and where our keynote journey begins.

Our approach to fear, our preparedness for it and our intimacy with it, are nearly never discussed. Why is that? Can we turn our relationship with fear — our fear of fear — to our advantage? Can we redefine it and fine-tune our responses to it so as to become more resilient, more present, more outgoing and adventurous in our lives.

I have frozen, fought and fled in a span of twenty minutes.

A TRUE GRIT TOOLKIT​

All of us have grit — bravery, backbone and resolve — to varying degrees.

Some of us are intimately aware of it, others have felt hints of it. This keynote experience, A True Grit Toolkit, begins a journey toward a deeper understanding of what grit is (hint: it’s not muscle or will power), why it matters and how to strengthen yours.

Adversity, crisis and trauma expose the character of our grit, especially when they threaten that which is near and dear to our heart — in my case exploring and adventuring.

In 2015, on an expedition in a remote region of Oman, not far from the Strait of Hormuz, I was bitten by a deadly-venomous carpet viper.

In A True Grit Keynote I tell my story of struggle and survival; from the initial shock of the trauma; to drifting in and out of consciousness; to the fear of, and surrender to, the real possibility of dying; to the discovery of potentially cancerous cells in the bite zone three years later.

VOLUNTARY DISCOMFORT ​

We crave the comfiest sofa, the driverless car, heated seats, frictionless relationships, zero stress, more days off. We refrain from asking for a raise; we leave our assignments until the eleventh hour; and we want to begin a better diet and regular exercise — next Monday.

Seeking comfort is our top priority.

I collided with a car at high speed at the age of 15. The doctors’ prognosis was that I would suffer the consequences of that accident for the rest of my life. They advised me to accept a new reality without most of the function in one of my legs — a reality with devastating unimaginable physical and mental obstacles consequences to my every activity and passion. Aside from my physical agony I was in shock, depressed and in tears.

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Expertise (36)

Leadership
Sport & Hobbies
Other
Conquering Fear Controlling Fear dealing with fear Embracing Fear Facing Fears fear and doubt Managing fear and risk Overcoming Fear to Live Your Best Life Building Resilience and Grit grit True Grit Persistence and Grit discomfort voluntary discomfort Philanthropy comfort zone Outside the Comfort Zone How to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone and into a Bigger Life facing adversity girt toolkit Life and death Survival Surviving Trauma surviving Confronting Death Encounters With Death Near Death Experience explorer caving cave explorer krubera deepest cave worlds deepest cave

Clients

AUD
AFT
InnerFight
Outdoor UAE
Ajala
Asian University for Women
Shweir Youth & Development program
World Art Dubai
Recommendations
Why choose me? 

I found purpose in trauma, a survival story of overcoming fear and death in a very remote location.

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