Jon Rose
Former Professional Surfer, Humanitarian Leader & Founder of Waves For Water
Jon Rose
Former Professional Surfer, Humanitarian Leader & Founder of Waves For Water
Biography
Jon Rose is a former professional surfer, humanitarian leader, and founder of Waves For Water—one of the world’s most respected clean-water organizations, responsible for delivering clean water solutions across 51 countries and responding to more than 40 major disasters.
For more than fifteen years, Jon operated on the front lines of humanitarian crises, from the Haiti earthquake to the conflict in Afghanistan and large-scale disasters across Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. His work required leadership under extreme pressure, rapid decision-making, and sustained exposure to high stakes environments.
After stepping back from active disaster response, Jon began speaking publicly about the deeper cost of sustained service and high performance. His work now focuses on leadership under pressure, trauma informed recovery, and how individuals and organizations can rebuild sustainably after prolonged exposure to stress and trauma.
Speech Topics
Healing the Helper: Leadership, Trauma & Sustainable Service Under Pressure
Jon Rose — former professional athlete, founder of Waves For Water, and frontline humanitarian in some of the world's most extreme disaster and conflict zones — tells a raw, vulnerable, and ultimately empowering story about what happens when purpose, pressure, and service collide.
In Healing the Helper, Jon traces his journey from childhood conditioning to perform and provide, through a decade of chasing fear and flow in professional surfing, into fifteen years of crisis-zone humanitarian leadership… and the moment it all collapsed. What emerged was a deeply human process of unwinding old patterns, reclaiming energy, and returning home to self.
This talk is both emotional and practical: a roadmap for leaders, caregivers, founders, and high-performers who give endlessly — and need to learn how to rebuild without losing their fire.
Audience Takeaways:
- Identify hidden patterns — Recognize the psychological and emotional patterns that drive chronic over-giving and over-performing
- Transform burnout into clarity — Learn nervous-system oriented practices and micro-recovery tools to move through burnout
- Build sustainable service — Learn to lead without self-abandonment — service that doesn't require sacrifice
- Presence over performance — Replace 'performance under pressure' with 'presence under pressure'
- Boundaries with compassion — Create boundaries without losing compassion or purpose
- Reconnect with core identity — Rediscover who you are beyond achievement or utility
- Sustainable rhythm — Cultivate a life rhythm that supports long-term leadership, creativity, and impact
The Adventure Paradox: Leadership from the Frontline
Looking Backwards to Move Forward: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Burnout
Testimonials
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Humanitarian, "Doyenne of Disasters," Director & Author of The Third Wave - A Volunteer Story & Recipient of The Presidential Lifetime Service Award