Alastair Humphreys is an English cyclist, adventurer, author, motivational speaker, blogger, film maker, photographer and a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. Whilst at University, he cycled from Pakistan to China, Land’s End to John O’Groats, Turkey to Italy, Mexico to Panama and across South America. Since graduating, Alistair has cycled round the world for 4 years, raced a yacht across the Atlantic Ocean, canoed 500 miles down the Yukon River and walked the length of the holy Kaveri River in India.
The Difference Between good And Great for Alistair Humphreys | He believes being brave enough to take risks and risk ridicule and failure.
Perceiving medioc rity to be the worst possible thing, worse even than failing (which at least gives you the chance of closure and time to begin something new…)
My Key Talent | THE VITAL THING to say here is that I have no special talent or strength. I am a normal person. Anyone could do the adventures I have done. The only difference, perhaps, is that I persuaded myself to BEGIN even when I was nervous. Beginning and persevering are key.
The Principles I Live By | Work hard but not too hard. Have fun. Be original. Cajole yourself to do things you find difficult and daunting: you might well surprise yourself. Be kind. Read a lot. Look after your body – it’s the most important tool you have.
Lessons I’ve Learnt | BEGIN! Think Big, Dream Big, but then chase down the first tiny little steps on the road towards your big dream. Don’t think that because you are not an expert you cannot do X. Think about the first tiny step that you CAN manage right now that will set you slowly on the road to where you want to go.
Dealing With Doubt | When I set off to cycle round the world I was convinced I would fail. But I persuaded myself to at least begin. It is better to begin and then to fail than it is to not even begin due to nerves or uncertainty. You’ll never know unless you try. Give it a go! You might surprise yourself…
Performing At My Peak | I don’t! And I don’t think any real people do this. Try your best, but accept that there are ups and downs in life. Acknowledge it and accept it. Sleep when you are tired. Find time to run and get into the wild. Read books. Do nothing. Let your brain tick over. And then when you do work, work very hard and efficiently! It’s about quality of work not quantity.
Resources I’ve Used | TED talks online, Economist magazine, Banff Mountain Film Festival winners, Seth Godin’s blog.
On Building Wealth | Think hard about how you define ‘rich’ and ‘wealth’. Is it amount of happiness? Quantity of new experiences? Good deeds done? Good stuff left behind? Or is it fat piles of cash? There’s no right answer, but it’s important to be clear of your own right answer.
My Favourite Book | As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee
Bridgette Gasa is the founder and Managing Director of The Elilox Group. She holds a PhD in Construction Management with NMMU and is the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) Past-President for the Africa Region. She serves on a number of Boards and is a recipient of prestigious awards which include a Department of Science & […]
Pepe Marais is one of SA’s advertising creative icons with a track-record to make anyone in the local advertising landscape swoon with awe, admiration, and to be honest, in my case, a twinge of jealousy. Together with his business partner, he founded the award-winning, highly acclaimed and sought-after agency, Joe Public, whilst still in his […]
Stephen Saad – CEO of Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. – is one of South Africa’s richest men, having reached millionaire status at the tender age of 29. Stephen Saad recently joined the small group of South African billionaires in 2014. Saad broke into the pharma industry in 1993, aged only 29 years […]
Linda Olagunju is the Managing Director at DLO Energy Resources & Founder of the Renewable Energy Forum South Africa. She holds an LLB from the University of Cape Town and an LLM in International Commercial Law with a specialisation in Oil and Gas Law from the University of Aberdeen. Linda was part of the team […]
Swaady Martin, is an Ivorian entrepreneur, prides herself as a custodian of Africa’s rich culture and history. And she preserves it with style. After an eventful, high-flying 11-year career at GE, where she held leadership positions in several divisions across the world (including acting as the Director for Sub-Saharan Africa of GE Transportation and acting-CEO […]
Claudio Valladares-Padua has bachelors’ degree in Business Administration and Biology. He started his graduate studies at the University of Florida in August, 1984, completed requirements for a Master of Arts degree in January of 1987 and for a Ph.D. in 1992. Claudio is a co-founder and Vice-President of the Board of IPÊ – Instituto de […]
Carina Schmid Legacy Project is the co-founder and CEO of The Global Experience, a non-profit organization and international youth media network dedicated to increase the intercultural dialogue. Since being in high school Carina enjoyed exploring different fields of work, including media production, marketing and journalism. A trip to Namibia eventually changed her life and made […]
Athol Williams came from humble beginnings in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, and has then lived in Johannesburg, Boston and London. He currently splits his time between Oxford and Cape Town. Athol Williams has published 3 collections of poems and 2 children’s books. He also has a deep passion for reading and education. He is pioneering […]
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
