Very Long Distances, Fastest Known Times, Difficult Pursuits, Speed Records and Firsts and Fastests.  That’s what I’ve dabbled in for the better part of the last decade, and I’ve done some rad stuff.

When I was on the brink of thirty, I had it all: an MBA from Harvard Business School; a fast-paced, high-impact job at Bain & Company; the sizable paycheck that came with it; a beautiful apartment, nice things, a partner in the same line of work; and the ability to travel all over the world not just for work, but also for play.

All I wanted back then was to not be glued to a screen and be outside instead. I wanted to experience epic adventures that would be worth telling stories about.  I wanted to go farther, faster, higher, more remote. And I did. I quit my life and moved into a $3,000 Chevy Astro van to ignore money and status and achievement and make adventure primary. 

100 Mile Races. Big wall climbs on Yosemite’s El Capitan. Speed records in the Rockies, the Himalayas and the Andes. The first woman to complete the 1000 Mile Iditarod Trail Invitational on skis. 

The tag line of my website said - #purejoy. In retrospect, I wonder if it should have said: #puregoals. 

I thought I was running from status and achievement. I told myself that I was seeking immersion in adventure so that I could slow down and leave behind the burnout that my time as a strategy consultant had catalyzed. But that’s not the story. 

Ten years later, what I want has changed yet not at all.  Today I’m on the brink of forty, and still all I want is to not be glued to a screen and be outside instead. I still want to experience epic adventures, adventures that are worth remembering. I still want to go farther and more remote; the ‘faster, higher’ bits don’t matter quite as much now, for me at least. 

Yes, I have successfully completed some unlikely missions that live in the record books - and I have withdrawn from just as many, because they felt trivial and empty. I have learned that I can do hard things, and that doing hard things in and of itself is meaningless.  What creates meaning, for me, is community, discovery and growth. I seek purpose, connection, and novelty - not just difficulty and competency.

What role does adventure play in your life?

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Adventure has changed my life, and through adventure I have touched the lives of many others. Through story telling, yes - but also as an advocate, an expedition leader, a business owner, as a guide, an employer and a mentor. I believe in the power of adventure to catalyze growth and joy, which benefit not just the adventurer but also those around her.  When we play outside, we get better.

• Want to help spread the power of adventure?  Become a Trailblazer. 

• Want to join me in experiencing the joy that adventure catalyzes? Go on an adventure with AWExpeditions, my women’s expedition company. 

• Want to embrace the power of adventure from the comfort of your home? Subscribe to Grit Lit.