On CBC's NOW, which debuted to half a million viewers, Bruce Kirkby helps two people every week achieve life-altering experiences, and accomplish goals they had never thought possible. As a trusted guide, he assists NOW challengers in conquering their personal fears, and turning their thoughts into actions. It's something he's perfected over the years in his inspiring keynote presentations.

Sharing his adventures with others is Kirkby's passion. A noted wilderness adventurer, a bestseling author, and an award-winning photographer, he has journeyed through sixty countries and to the most remote corners of the world. With over 1500 days of expedition experience, he has crossed Iceland by foot, endured bombings in Borneo, traveled by horse through Mongolia, survived hostage-takings and crocodile-attacks in Ethiopia's Blue Nile, and joined an expedition to the summit of Mount Everest.

Kirkby is the author of two bestselling travel memoirs, Sand Dance, which was short-listed at the Banff Mountain Book Festival, and Dolphin's Tooth, about his journey from engineering cubicle to a life of adventure. He is a contributing editor at Explore, a columnist for UP!, and has written for The Globe and Mail and TIME. Three of his journeys have been featured in National Geographic documentaries, and his photographs have been shown in American Photo, Maclean's, and National Geographic Adventure. When not traveling, he lives in the small mountain town of Kimberley, British Columbia.

In this high energy, fastpaced and inspiring address, Bruce Kirkby—host of CBC's No Opportunity Wasted (NOW)—shows audiences how to ditch the excuses, plan bravely, move carefully, use fear as a compass, and embrace the unknown. Along the way he unearths key elements of excellence in leadership and teamwork, providing a step-by-step strategy for systematically breaking down barriers and achieving goals. Ultimately he explores the fundamental principles of working (and living) with passion, purpose and vitality. Combining video clips, stunning adventure photography and awe-inspiring stories from his own expeditions, Kirkby shares a personal philosophy that has vaulted him to international success as a photographer, author, and elite adventurer. Most importantly, he constantly challenges audience members to step outside their own comfort zones and rise above self-imposed limitations. Whether facing massive uncertainty and change, or striving for new and extraordinary results, Kirkby's insights—gathered from two decades of adventure, and on full display on NOW—can help individuals and organizations alike plot a course towards lasting success.

In today’s business world, teams are the norm, and teambuilding commonplace. But what does it really take to transform a group of individuals into a high performing team? The first key, according to Bruce Kirkby, is to clearly understand what “team” means, and what a team is capable of achieving—two things he lays out right away. With breathtaking stories from his adventures, Kirkby outlines his three fundamentals of moving from a "disorganized group" to a "functioning team"—Commitment, Alignment, and Relationships. He explores the importance of collective responsibility, constant communication, and clear goals. Taking the audience along for the ride, inside both the disastrously malfunctioning teams and highly polished crews he’s worked in, he leaves one clear message: by working together, everybody achieves more.

Using images and tales from a decade of adventures—including expeditions to Everest, Bhutan, Greenland, and Borneo—Bruce Kirkby reviews the fundamentals of risk management, and then digs deeper, sharing specific strategies and lessons learned in the high-stakes wilderness arena. He reminds us that risk is a dynamic variable, which must be constantly monitored. Human fatigue and error, along with single-minded focus on only the biggest hazards, can lead to tragedy. Statistically, most major accidents do not result from a single, catastrophic failure, but rather from a culmination of small, seemingly innocuous mistakes. Kirkby's scenarios—ranging from ice climbing, rafting, camel riding, and hostage-taking—provide tips and strategies on avoiding such pitfalls. He shows us that, with preparation and planning, even seemingly intolerable risks can be overcome, a key to success on nearly every major project. Krikby advocates nurturing a culture of safety, providing guidelines on how to determine risk and to act accordingly. "Risk is a fundamental element of change and growth," he notes, "What is crucial is not avoiding risk, but rather understanding and managing the dangers you face."

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