austria
switzerland
Marc Wallert was a hostage. In the year 2000, terrorists from the Islamist group Abu Sayyaf kidnapped him and his parents while on vacation on the Philippines. They were held in the middle of the jungle on Jolo Island for almost five months. His parents and himself were finally released after long days of horror. This ending was never certain.
Marc Wallert – Kidnapping survivor from the jungle
Marc Wallert was 22 years old at the time. Perhaps, he sometimes thinks today, his youth was a blessing. Nevertheless: even if the jungle „did not destroy him“ at the time, normal everyday life initially drove him into a burnout.
Marc Wallert went in search of traces, concentrating on the decisive moments in his life. Sometimes it can take drastic experiences to find the true calling. Thanks to the biggest crisis of his life, he found his very own calling.
If you meet Marc Wallert today, it is almost hard to believe that this contented and balanced-looking man once went through hell. Today, the former management consultant is not only a proud father, he met his wife shortly after his release, but is also touring the country as a successful keynote speaker and author.
The blatant experience in the jungle has made him a master of resilience. He says: „I got through the traumatic experience of kidnapping mainly by believing in a good ending.“ At the same time, he warns against overly positive thinking according to the idea „nothing will happen“. He considers ignoring real dangers to be very perilous and advised in an interview with the German news platform “Deutschlandfunk Kultur”: “It is important not to confuse good optimism with bad optimism. What you shouldn’t do in a crises is to assume that tomorrow it will simply be over. You need to really prepare for a long time.“
Book Marc Wallert as speaker and experience expert for resilience
Marc Wallert has learned to enjoy the little things. He has personally tried out what is being instilled in us by todays mindfulness experts. As opposed to us, he never had a choice. When he talks about gratitude, the expression that is currently used a lot, has a different value: „Thanking every evening for what was positive that day is a wonderful way of training resilience, that is ones’ inner resistance.“
In his lectures as well as in his new book “Strong through crises – From the art of not losing your head” (German title: „Stark durch Krisen – Von der Kunst, nicht den Kopf zu verlieren“) , Marc Wallert explains useful strategies for everyday private and professional life, with which everyone can learn to become stronger through crises.
In his keynotes, Marc Wallert speaks about the topic of resilience, which is vital for him, about the art of not losing your head even in times of crisis, how to go through the VUCA world as an agile team or gives his „three jungle strategies for digital transformation“ further. His new book will be published on March 16, 2020.
