Since 1996, I’ve had the pleasure and honour to travel the world, see some truly breathtaking sights and meet many amazing people.
My journeys have taken me from the jungles of South East Asia, through the Sahara desert, along the African continent and into South America. More recently I’ve skied large distances across Norway and, in April 2016, skied to the Geographic North Pole. In February 2020 I rushed headfirst into the Siberian winds that scream across the frozen surface of Lake Baikal, Russia.
12 days, 400+ miles and a touch of frostbite. Should have remembered to pack an extra pair of gloves!
And it was solo expedition I will never forget, mainly because I managed to avoid being eaten by wolves.
And then there’s the…
Less Glamorous Me
So that pretty much sums up my life as seen from the outside world. So here’s a little journey into the inner world of me.
By night I am a chocolate glutton! No, I really mean it. Huge quantities of 85% cocoa-packed bars of chocolate are consumed to fuel my secret nocturnal activity – writing. Okay, I don’t really eat much of the brown stuff, but I do like a bar or two (per day).
When I’m not working, spending time with my girls, training or cooking, I am a public speaker. My talks are for business and schools children and, so far, I’ve given presentations to students on four continents. Oh, before you ask – the 5 – 7 year age range is the hardest to keep entertained and I find that letting them get their hands on things like my skis, pulk and Arctic clothing is a great way of maintaing interest levels.
I also give talks to corporates as well, which helps me fund my trips around the world. So far I’ve given presentations to a number of companies, UK-based and global, including one of the world’s top five tech outfits and one of their major partners. I think they liked what I had to say as they invited me back and spread the word to a number of their clients and partners.
My brief resume doesn’t seem complete without a rundown of the things I like. Here goes:
- Running
- Travelling
- Speaking
- Writing
- Doing hard stuff and hopefully inspiring children the world over.
- Skiing
- Chocolate
- Listening to other people’s stories
- Chocolate (yeah, I know…)
Last night we camped about half a mile away from the geographic North Pole and slept. This morning we woke and skied one hundred and fifty metres to the point where this is no latitude, no longitude – masses of man made lines converging into a single point.
How does it feel? Amazing and, above all else, a privilege. Out of around seven billion people in this planet only a few hundred have visited this place. Less have skied any significant distance to stand at the top of the world. I am one of a few who now have experienced the serenity and perfection of this barren and beautiful region.