| Going on an adventure changed my life!
I know it’s a cliche, but it’s true.
Bex from 10 years ago would not believe the life and person I am today. I’m confident and sure of who I am and what I want to do with my life. I’ve created a dream career for myself. I run my own social enterprise, lead expeditions, stand on stages delivering talks to hundreds, am a published author and have taken on huge feats such as kick-scooting the length of America and kayaking the width of the UK.
So many of the things I’m grateful for today stemmed from committing to my first big adventure in my late 20s: hiking a 1000km trail.
This experience was especially profound because I didn’t grow up doing the sorts of things that I now see as enjoyable and necessary – hiking, camping, and getting outdoors.
I grew up in Basingstoke, a huge town nicknamed ‘the Concrete Jungle’, to a family that isn’t outdoorsy. School was something to be endured. I struggled to fit in, didn’t do well in my classes, and had no champion encouraging me to push my boundaries or explore the great outdoors.
I moved to London after school, where I spent many years switching from one job to the next, struggling to find work I enjoyed. The strain of city life and dissatisfaction took its strain. I was stressed, unhappy and struggling with my mental health.
Deciding to go on a big adventure was partly out of desperation for a change. Quitting everything to hike 1000km on the Israel National Trail was a pretty out-there decision for someone who hadn’t even discovered the joy of a day hike yet. However, most of us could agree that the craziest decisions in life are often the best ones, which turned out to be true in this case.
I took so much from that journey, especially while crossing the desert, completely immersed in nature. I discovered who I am and what I’m capable of. The stresses and strains lifted from me and were replaced with calm and creativity. I grew in strength and confidence physically, mentally and emotionally. While in the desert, I also developed the concept for Love Her Wild – a women’s adventure community – and began growing my blog. The first steps of the career that I’ve built for myself today.
The thing for which I am most grateful for that stemmed from my adventure, though, is something that often goes unseen or unspoken. There are two intertwined parts. The first is a deep-rooted connection to nature. The second is gratitude and a need to give back to the planet and people.
While the adventures, book launches and events all look (and are) snazzy, exciting and amazing, the need to do good and give back underpins all my work.
Sometimes, this is in the form of fundraising off the back of an adventure, such as using the End2End Relay that I organised – a 74-day women’s hiking relay the length of the UK – to raise money for the Woodland Trust. Or it can be using exploration to leave things better than we found them, like when I kayaked in a team the width of the UK, picking up plastic pollution and raising awareness as we went.
Often, though, it takes the form of giving the gift of adventure and nature-connection to others. I’m a natural-born organiser and community leader, and I’ve combined my skills and expertise with my passion for adventure and the planet to do good. Love Her Wild now has over 50,000 members across the UK and takes over 4,000 women on outdoor adventures each year. I know that those women getting outdoors improves their lives and leads to them living more consciously for the planet and people.
Making it bigger than myself gives me real satisfaction, joy and happiness. Knowing that I’ve used my adventures to do something good gives me a greater buzz than any summit, award ceremony or pay cheque. Nature has given me so much in my life; it’s only fair to repay that!
The fight for a better planet for all is never-ending. We need everyone to realise their potential and to use their skills, wherever those lie (art, education, campaigning, fundraising, etc) for good. I often get asked how to start as people feel overwhelmed with where to begin.
That part is easy. Go on an adventure! Get outdoors, reconnect with nature, and top yourself up with all the goodness an adventure has to offer. Then, commit to taking action, no matter how small. Like any adventure, you won’t know where it leads or what the outcome will be, but taking lots of small steps in the right direction is guaranteed to result in something good! |
