Pekka Hyysalo
From coma to keynote stage – Pekka Hyysalo inspires with resilience and the FightBack attitude.
Why book Pekka Hyysalo for your next event
- A life-changing story of survival, willpower and the courage to rebuild life after traumatic brain injury.
- Founder of FightBack, inspiring people facing head trauma and challenging life situations.
- Engaging keynote speaker on responsibility, rehabilitation, physical activity and love as a driving force.
Non-binding request for Pekka Hyysalo
FightBack founder and keynote speaker on resilience and responsibility
Pekka Hyysalo was at the beginning of his professional skiing career when one second changed everything. In April 2010, he suffered a severe skiing accident in Ylläs, Finland. A traumatic brain injury left him in a coma for weeks and fighting for his life. Today, Pekka stands on stage as a professional keynote speaker, sharing a story of resilience, responsibility and the FightBack attitude that helped him reclaim his life. Book Pekka Hyysalo for your event and give your audience a perspective that stays with them long after the applause fades.
Pekka Hyysalo – From Professional Skier to FightBack Founder
Pekka Hyysalo was at the early stage of his professional skiing career when the direction of his life changed in a single second. In April 2010, during a skiing session in Ylläs, Finland, he suffered a serious accident. He hit his head, fell into a coma for several weeks and was diagnosed with a high energy traumatic brain injury.
What had been a life focused on athletic performance and AFP rankings suddenly turned into a fight for survival. The goals, routines and ambitions of a young professional athlete were replaced by hospital rooms, rehabilitation and uncertainty.
Against all odds, and driven by extraordinary willpower, resilience and a refusal to give up, Pekka began the long journey back. Step by step, he fought his way toward a normal life. The process required patience, discipline and a positive attitude that would later become the foundation of his message to others.
The Birth of FightBack
As Pekka’s fight for rankings transformed into a fight for life, his values changed as well. He made a conscious decision: he would FightBack.
In less than three years, Pekka founded FightBack – a brand that became his new mission. What started as a personal mindset grew into a powerful movement. Today, the FightBack attitude encourages people with head trauma and individuals facing various challenging situations to take responsibility, stay active and keep moving forward.
FightBack represents more than recovery. It stands for courage in the face of adversity, ownership of one’s circumstances and the belief that progress is possible even when the odds seem overwhelming.
Losing Speech – Finding a Voice
One of the most dramatic consequences of Pekka’s injury was the complete loss of his ability to speak. For someone who once lived through physical expression and athletic performance, this was a profound setback. Communication had to be relearned from the beginning.
Through relentless rehabilitation and consistent training, Pekka gradually regained his speech. The process demanded mental strength and daily commitment. What once seemed impossible became reality.
Today, Pekka Hyysalo is a professional keynote speaker. The man who once could not speak now stands on stage, delivering powerful presentations that move audiences across industries and backgrounds. His presence is authentic, his story is real, and his message resonates deeply because it is lived experience.
Keynote Topics and Impact
When you book Pekka Hyysalo for your event, you offer your audience more than inspiration. You offer perspective.
Pekka speaks about:
Resilience and never giving up – how to keep moving forward when life changes in an instant.
Responsibility – taking ownership of your situation, no matter how difficult it may be.
Physical activity and rehabilitation – the role of movement, structure and discipline in rebuilding both body and mind.
Love as the foundation of everything – the power of support, relationships and meaning in recovery and in life.
His keynotes are honest, direct and deeply human. He shares the reality of trauma and recovery without filters, while also highlighting the strength that can emerge from hardship. Audiences leave with a renewed sense of gratitude and a stronger belief in their own ability to handle challenges.
Book Pekka Hyysalo for Your Event
Pekka Hyysalo’s journey from a professional skier to a survivor of severe traumatic brain injury and founder of FightBack is a story that stays with people. It speaks to leaders, teams, healthcare professionals, athletes and anyone navigating change or adversity.
By booking Pekka Hyysalo for your event, you invite a speaker who embodies resilience in action. His story demonstrates that even when everything changes in one second, it is possible to rebuild, redefine values and create a new mission in life.
Pekka does not speak about theory. He speaks about lived experience. He shows what determination, positive attitude and responsibility can achieve.
From coma to keynote stage, from fighting for rankings to fighting for life, Pekka Hyysalo stands as proof that setbacks can become turning points. The FightBack attitude is not just his story. It is a call to action for every audience he meets.
Keynotes
Keynote by Pekka Hyysalo:
FightBack – When Life Changes in One Second
In April 2010, one second changed Pekka Hyysalo’s life forever. From the early stages of a professional skiing career to weeks in a coma after a severe traumatic brain injury, his reality shifted overnight. In this powerful keynote, Pekka shares the raw and honest story of what happens when everything you built your identity on disappears – and how you build it again.
This keynote is about resilience in action. It is about refusing to give up, even when progress is slow and the outcome uncertain. Pekka brings the audience inside the hospital room, into rehabilitation, and onto the long road back to a normal life. With authenticity and presence, he shows how mindset becomes the decisive factor when circumstances cannot be controlled.
Audience takeaways:
A concrete understanding of how resilience is built step by step
Tools to stay mentally strong during sudden change or crisis
A renewed perspective on setbacks and personal responsibility
Motivation to act instead of waiting for conditions to improve
Keynote by Pekka Hyysalo:
From Coma to Keynote – Redefining Identity and Purpose
Pekka lost his ability to speak completely after his accident. Communication, independence and future plans were suddenly gone. Yet today, he stands on stage as a professional keynote speaker.
This keynote explores identity, purpose and reinvention. Who are you when your title, career or abilities disappear? Pekka shares how his fight for AFP rankings transformed into a fight for life – and how that shift reshaped his values. Through determination, rehabilitation and a conscious decision to FightBack, he created a new mission that now impacts others.
The keynote is highly relevant for organizations and individuals facing change, restructuring or personal transitions. It addresses the mental side of rebuilding and the courage it takes to redefine success.
Audience takeaways:
Clarity on how to navigate identity shifts and major life changes
Insight into turning crisis into a new direction
Inspiration to redefine success on your own terms
Practical mindset strategies for long-term growth
Keynote by Pekka Hyysalo:
The FightBack Attitude – Responsibility in Challenging Times
In less than three years after his accident, Pekka founded FightBack. What started as a personal decision became a brand and a movement encouraging people with head trauma and others in challenging situations to take action and move forward.
This keynote focuses on responsibility. Not blame – but ownership. Pekka challenges the audience to look at what they can influence, even when circumstances are far from ideal. He shares how physical activity, structured rehabilitation and daily discipline played a crucial role in achieving what once seemed impossible.
The FightBack attitude is relevant for teams, leaders and individuals who want to strengthen performance, culture and mental toughness.
Audience takeaways:
A clear framework for taking responsibility in difficult situations
Inspiration to turn obstacles into action
Insight into the link between physical activity and mental strength
A stronger sense of accountability in both professional and personal life
Keynote by Pekka Hyysalo:
Love as the Foundation of Everything
Behind every recovery story stands support. For Pekka, love became the foundation of everything. Family, friends and belief from others played a decisive role during the darkest moments of rehabilitation.
In this heartfelt keynote, Pekka highlights the human side of resilience. Performance, goals and results matter – but without connection and support, progress becomes harder. He speaks about gratitude, relationships and the importance of building environments where people lift each other.
This keynote resonates strongly with organizations that value culture, trust and long-term wellbeing.
Audience takeaways:
A deeper understanding of the role of support in performance and recovery
Awareness of how culture influences resilience
Inspiration to strengthen relationships at work and at home
A reminder of what truly drives sustainable success
The RECOVERY Trailer
Watch Pekka Hyysalo in action!
