[rank_math_breadcrumb]

Alastair Humphreys | The Legacy Project | Adventure Speaker

About

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

Interview Questions

[everest_form id="26923"]

View further interviews.

The Legacy Project

Vicki Saunders is an entrepreneur, award-winning mentor, advisor to the next generation of change makers and leading advocate for entrepreneurship as a way of creating positive transformation in the world. Vicki is Founder of #radical generosity and SheEO, a global community of radically generous women supporting women-led Ventures working on the World’s To Do List. […]

The Legacy Project

Alan Brand is a leading expert in the development and provision of innovative employee wellness strategies enabling business enterprises throughout South Africa to mitigate the threat of HIV and AIDS and other associated health and wellness risks. He has developed numerous outcomes based wellness training modules. His personal energy and unique and professional facilitation skills […]

The Legacy Project

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 […]

The Legacy Project

Prof. Sesh Paruk has 18 Years’ experience at Senior & Top Management level in the Private and Public Sectors. She is currently supporting the Department of Public Works Turnaround strategy in the capacity of change management and culture change specialist. Prof. Sesh Paruk | The Legacy Project Sesh completed her role as the 1st HR […]

  • South Africa
  • Humanitarian
The Legacy Project

In 2008, Patrick was elected an Ashoka Fellow for his work as a social entrepreneur. At Ashoka, he was one of the first Fellows with a strong background in the for-profit corporate sector, and one of the first to have scaled a for-profit social enterprise globally. More recognition soon followed: He was named an Endeavor […]

The Legacy Project

Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist who has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. He has written five books – The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference; Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking; Outliers: The Story of Success; What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures; and David […]

The Legacy Project

Attie van Wyk is the CEO of Big Concerts, South Africa’s largest premier live entertainment company. The company has promoted more than 1600 shows with an excess of 300 international artists to an audience of more than 10 million people. In 2013, Attie was named as the Business Leader of the Year. Music Has Always […]

The Legacy Project

Maria Popova is a reader, writer, interestingness hunter-gatherer, and curious mind at large. She has previously written for WiredUK, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab, among others, and is an MIT Futures of Entertainment Fellow. I Am Driven By | The yearning to learn how to live, how to lead […]

Disclaimer
The profiles and images embedded on these pages are from various interviews conducted by The Legacy Project.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME