The Opening Experience
Sunday, September 26, 2021 | 5pm
Bruce Kirkby
Acclaimed Explorer, Writer and Photographer
Bruce Kirkby lives life on the edge. An acclaimed explorer, travel writer and television host (with a degree in engineering physics), Kirkby’s travels have taken him from the world’s highest mountains to the wildest rivers and driest deserts. He draws on these experiences to provide real-world, practical lessons on resilience, risk management and change leadership, helping individuals and organizations confront fears, embrace change and find lasting success.
With journeys spanning more than 80 countries and 2000 days, Kirkby’s accomplishments include the first modern crossing of Arabia’s Empty Quarter by camel, a raft descent of Ethiopia’s Blue Nile Gorge by raft, sea kayak traverse of Borneo’s northern coast, and a coast-to-coast Icelandic trek. The former host of CBC’s No Opportunity Wasted, Kirkby recently spent six months travelling to and living in a Himalayan Buddhist monastery with his young family — an experience chronicled on Travel Channel’s Big Crazy Family Adventure.
The Joy of GRIT: Finding Performance through Purpose, Practice, and Process
In a world where disruption, volatility, uncertainty, and change never cease, GRIT is more critical than ever. Recent studies show no other trait to be more predictive of success, or career satisfaction than GRIT. Yet it remains an elusive quality—ephemeral and grossly misunderstood.
In the face of challenge, most teams and organizations turn instinctively to willpower. They GRIND. This is the hustle culture: late nights, skipped meals, exhaustion. GRIND ultimately leads to burnout and is not a long-term success strategy.
Contrary to popular belief, GRIT is akin to a flow state, aligned more with joy and grace than suffering and dogged determination. If teams and individuals learn to focus on a few simple fundamentals – Purpose, Practice and Process – their inner GRIT will flourish, naturally. True GRIT lives within us all.