“My biggest fear is that when I die the person I am meets the person I could have become.”
Author Unknown
Our guest today is a truly extraordinary individual and one of the world’s leading wilderness experts. Bruce Kirkby grew up in Toronto as an engineering physicist by trade, but he had that itch that there was more to life than simply going through the same boring motions each day.
Despite almost failing English in high school, Bruce became a wilderness writer and adventure photographer, and today he’s visited 80+ countries and is renowned for connecting wild places with contemporary issues.
Some of his most notable accomplishments include the first modern crossing of Arabia’s Empty Quarter by camel, a descent of Ethiopia’s Blue Nile Gorge by raft, a sea kayak traverse of Borneo’s northern coast, and a coast-to-coast Icelandic trek.

Bruce is the author of three bestselling books, winner of multiple National Magazine Awards, and has been featured in The New York Times. His TV show Big Crazy Family Adventure was released by the Travel Channel in 2015 and followed Bruce’s journey with his wife and two young children from their home in Canada to India with one condition – the only mode of transportation they couldn’t use was airplanes.
In this interview, we'll look at:
- The moment when Bruce realized the traditional path wasn’t for him
- When he was taken hostage at gunpoint in Ethiopia
- What it was like traveling with his young family to Mt Everest and the Great Wall of China
- Lessons from living in a Buddhist Monastery in Tibet
- How to escape the modern grind and start enjoying life, and
- Parenting tips for 2020 and beyond.
Perhaps the best lesson from this interview is how to reconnect with what it means to be human.
Bruce has an incredible energy, some amazing stories, and I know you’re going to love this episode!
For the video interview, click here.
Resources / links mentioned:
🌎 Big Crazy Family Adventure on the Travel Channel
📚 Bruce’s brand-new book Blue Sky Kingdom: An Epic Family Journey to the Heart of the Himalaya
🎙️ We Are Podcast: Learn how to make money from your podcast
