James Wallman

James Wallman is an international bestselling author, entrepreneur, futurist, and experience strategist/designer. He runs the strategy, innovation, and futures consultancy The Future is Here. Clients include KPMG, HSBC, KFC, IDEO, and Facebook. He has written two best-selling books: Time And How To Spend It (Penguin, April 2019) and Stuffocation (self-published 2013; Penguin, 2015; now in 7 languages). Wallman has advised companies from Absolut to Zurich Financial and has given talks from Amsterdam to Las Vegas; at venues including the Googleplex and 10 Downing Street. He advises the British government and is a 'Sector Specialist, Experience Economy' for the Department for International Trade. His opinions have appeared in the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Economist, and Wired and has appeared on TV and radio from Australia to Brazil and the US. James lives in London with his wife and two children.

3 words to describe Nature?

Green. Furry. Nice 

3 things Nature taught you?

Just the one: nature is us and everything in us and around us. It's what we call the crazy random experiment our planet is in the middle of. Everyone and everything here is reaching up for energy from the sun, rising from seed to flower, then falling back again. It's a funny, beautiful journey. 

3 most treasured Nature spots?

Only 3?? I can’t

First, anywhere with my kids. 

Then the view from any mountain in the Alps; the Mediterranean sea; Big Sur; Rhossili Bay; the jungle around the Tambopata River and Platja Mitjorn.

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?

Like I want to jump in and float on, surf on, sails on, get thrown about on the waves.

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?

Like I want to walk through it, climb its trees, hear its silence, its sounds, and just listen.

 When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?

Like I wish it would explode, but without killing me. Stromboli is good for this :-)

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?

Grateful that I had that day or that I'm about to have a day. Aware that time is passing.

 When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?

Yay! The gods are laughing. 

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?

Alive

 Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?

Ocean, Mountain & Forest. (But Deserts can be fun too)

 On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

Ha! Trick question. It's essential for all our wellbeing. So much science proves it. Hence 3rd rule of the STORIES checklist - the simple way to remember what you should do to be happy & successful - is Outside & Offline.

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

In the late 70s, it used to snow, and way more than it does now. My brother and I got dragged around the garden by our dad on a sled. And then at some nearby hill. Sledding is way too much fun. I miss it.

Also, I remember swimming off Corfu with my mum and my brother in the early 80s. No one was around so we were all swam naked... we were all confident swimmers so we went for a long swim, way out of our depth... the water was so pure and clear, glistening in the sun on the surface but you could see 20-30 feet to the sandy bottom. I get to the Mediterranean most summers... and every time I swim I feel refreshed, young, silly, alive.

 


Julie Angus

JULIE ANGUS is an accomplished adventurer, scientist and bestselling author of Rowboat in a Hurricane, Rowed Trip and Olive Odyssey. She is the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean from mainland to mainland and a recipient of the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year award.

She has also cycled across continents, rowed thousands of kilometers of coastlines and rivers, and organized a National Geographic expedition that sailed the ancient Phoenician trading routes to research the olive.

Explore Magazine listed her as one of North America’s leading adventurers and in 2016 Canadian Geographic named her one of Canada’s Greatest Women Explorers. She is a recipient of the McMaster University Arch Award and a Canadian Geographic Fellow. She is regularly seen on television shows such as Canada AM, CBC Sunday News and Daily Planet.

Julie is a scientist with an B.Sc. from McMaster University in Psychology and Biology and an M.Sc. in Molecular Biology from the University of Victoria. She also studied at the University of Leeds in England. She spent a decade developing therapeutics for genetic ailments and cardiovascular disease as a researcher and in business development. Currently she is the co-founder of the boat company Angus Rowboats and is an engaging and entertaining motivational speaker who inspires audiences and demonstrates techniques to reach goals and overcome challenges.

3 words to describe Nature?

Harmony. Joy. Peace

3 things Nature taught you?

How to be at peace with myself

To look at the bigger picture

To respect others

3 most treasured Nature spots?

Our off-the-grid boat access only cabin in the Gulf Islands

Old growth forests of Vancouver Island

The alpine environment of BC’s mountains.

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?

At peace

When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?

Awed by its greatness and complexity

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?

Enthralled and humbled by its force

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?

Appreciative to be able to experience such beauty and grateful for the day ahead or day passed

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?

Like curling up someplace dry and being a spectator

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?

Humbled by its power

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?

Ocean

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

10

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

When I was kid, we lived in Edmonton Alberta. One evening, the sky exploded in waves of colour: green, purple and pink. At first I thought something was terribly wrong. It was still the Cold War, and in my school on a military base, nuclear war was on people's minds; my best friend even had a bomb shelter in her basement. It wasn’t long before someone wiser explained that it was the Northern Lights, aurora borealis. Terror turned to amazement and relief. It was a very emotional event, to behold a phenomena so beautiful, otherworldly, and incomprehensible to my young eyes.

Watch her video with LEXUS


Eric Termuende

ERIC TERMUENDE is on a mission to change the way we talk about work. A bestselling author, speaker, and entrepreneur, Eric is co-founder of NoW Innovations and has been featured in Forbes, Inc., Thrive Global, the Huffington Post and many others. In 2015, Eric was recognized as a Top 100 Emerging Innovators under 35 globally by American Express. Eric sat as Community Integration Chair for Global Shapers Calgary, a community that functions under the World Economic Forum. He is a former Canadian G20 YEA Delegate, representing Canada in Sydney in 2014. Eric is currently signed by the National Speakers Bureau and travels the world talking about the future of work and multiple generations in the workplace. In 2016, Eric spoke at TEDxBCIT in Vancouver giving his presentation entitled ‘Bigger than Work’. Eric has worked and spoken with clients across the world. His new bestselling book, Rethink Work is now available on Amazon and in bookstores across Canada.

3 words to describe Nature? 

Peaceful. Untouched. Alive

3 things Nature taught you? 

Patience

Appreciation

Calmness

3 most treasured Nature spots? 

Mackenzie Mountains,

Kootenay Lake

Deep Cove

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...? 

Small

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...? 

Refreshed

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...? 

Insignificant

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...? 

Relaxed

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...? 

Exhilarated

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...? 

Energized

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person? 

Mountain

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being? 

10

Share with us a childhood nature memory? 

This is a photo I took in the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories. This is a perfect example of how small I felt in a part of the world that had never been seen or touched by humans. Ever.