Belinda has managed film shoots in remote locations all over the world; produced survival shows for Bear Grylls and Ray Mears; led a biological research expedition to the Taklimakan Desert in China; organised expeditions for young people to Lesotho, Alaska and the Amazon; walked, kayaked and rafted from Zimbabwe to Namibia with a group of people with disabilities; walked across Nicaragua; and sailed across the Atlantic. She was also the skipper of Sea Gals, in which she was the first woman to row around Great Britain. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Ambassador for the Youth Adventure Trust and the British Exploring Society.
Today, she is a motivational speaker, researcher and campaigner promoting the psychological benefits of choosing challenge. Belinda's best selling book "Adventure Mind: Transform your wellbeing by choosing challenge” is the first book to explain the psychology of why adventure (“chosen challenge”) is so beneficial to our wellbeing. She runs AdventureMind, an international research collaborative and conference series to further explore the positive impact that adventurous activity has on wellbeing.
Her talks focus on the importance of choosing challenge, goal setting, managing intimidating problems, building resilience and daring to fail. It is Belinda’s belief that we are capable of more than we think we are: adventure has given her the ability to tackle problems that seem monumental by breaking them down into small steps. It has also given her the skills to deal with things when they go wrong.
This is an important message for children, who are under increasingly more pressure to succeed. A recent study by children’s charity Place2Be found that 63% of children still at primary school say they worry “all the time” about at least one thing to do with their school life, home life or themselves. As such, Belinda’s talks have two main themes: how young people can tackle things that seem scary, and how to deal with it when things don’t go to plan. She will keep attendees on the edge of their seat with exciting tales of adventure and stunning images from her travels. Expect an engaging talk between 30-60mins with a focus on wellbeing and youth development.
The themes of Belinda’s talks are relevant to children of all ages: from primary to sixth form level. Presentations are typically 30-60 minutes with Q&A, but Belinda will work meticulously with your brief to understand your challenges and what a successful experience would look like for your students.
See Belinda in action below:
Devon
Please enquire for pricing information.
