Alistair Humphreys is an adventurer, an author and a speaker. His latest book, Ask an Adventurer, is a refreshingly open, behind the scenes account of how he makes a living as an adventurer. As you might expect from someone who has rowed across the Atlantic Ocean and cycled round the world, he writes with a grounded and plain-speaking style. More than that though, his writing speaks of someone who is creating meaning in their life and sharing their knowledge to support others to do the same; if you’re looking to create a more meaningful life and prefer your spiritual wisdom to be more porridge than unicorn bites with marshmallow fluff, then look no further.

In a society where it can seem that following your passions and making a living through doing so are two mutually exclusive ways of existing, ‘Ask an Adventurer’ is a candid, no nonsense account of how he brings these strands together. Most impressively, Alistair shows how he’s managed to weave these strands together with an ‘I’m OK, you’re OK’ weft. His book is an account of following your heart and balancing your desires with your morals, of living a life with integrity, holding true to your beliefs, putting something of value back into the world and making a living to boot. This is a true story of risk and courage and the reciprocity which occurs when we trust in our power to create. 

Acknowledging some of his privilege (middle-class, university educated) he approaches his pursuits in a fair and balanced way, keeping in mind the bigger picture. That picture includes balancing a family life, as well as the wider implications that travel has. Indeed, he isn’t espousing we all set off and travel the world tomorrow. Some of his adventuring is what he neatly describes as micro-adventuring - things we can all do, in a day, from our own front doors, with minimal impact on the environment. Here is someone modelling the value of spending time in the outdoors, of connecting with something bigger than ourselves. His humility and humour shine through his words; he is an ordinary guy living what, for many, could be considered an extraordinary life and encouraging others to do the same.

With an invitation for the reader to consider the book as having a poke around his desk drawers, he’s open about how he balances things like sponsorship and endorsements whilst remaining true to his values. He talks about his vulnerability, some of the difficulties he’s faced, accepting who he is - not the best, nor the worst – and creating from that place. This is an inspiring and practical offering written from an ‘I’m OK, you’re OK’ perspective, sharing a life with hope, possibility and creativity in a way which is easy to connect with. Thank you, Alistair. 

If you have a story about a person, group of people, organisation, concept, policy, system etc which exists in an ‘I’m OK, you’re OK’ way, please share it by clicking the nominate button below.