Joel Primus
An entrepreneur among other things, Joel Primus is the founder and creative visionary behind Naked Underwear. He helped raise over $17 million, establishing retail distribution at Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom, Hudson’s Bay, and Bloomingdales. Naked completed a merger with Australian-based industry powerhouse, Bendon Lingerie, exiting in 2018. Recently, Joel co-founded Kosan, a travel clothing company that launched one of the most successful Kickstarter apparel products of all time—reaching nearly $1 million in sales in 30 days. He was one of the inaugural BC Business top 30 under 30 Entrepreneurs and is also an author and award-winning documentary filmmaker.
His new book Getting Naked: The Bare Necessities of Entrepreneurship & Start-ups is due out February 1st. Order here.
Once an elite long-distance runner, he now enjoys daily training, meditation, and time with his family on their farm outside Vancouver.
3 words to describe Nature?
Harsh. Gentle. Rhythmic
3 things Nature taught you?
Awareness
My place in the cosmos
To be still
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Omineca Mountain Range
The desert
Foothills of the Rockies
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Infinite
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Connected
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Fragile
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Alive in my human experience
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Energized
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Cozy
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
All
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Running through the forest trails in my own backyard. With my feet almost gliding over the earth I'd feel like a wild animal...in between worlds.
Nigel Bennett
Nigel Bennett is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, founder of Aqua-Guard Spill Response, and co-host of the podcast "Impact". His company, a global leader in oil spill control, protects water, the world’s most precious resource.
Both Nigel and Aqua-Guard have received multiple awards for their innovation, business excellence, and entrepreneurialism.
Nigel received the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni of the year Award.
Nigel has devoted his life to environmental and social responsibility and boldly advocates for “risking it all for what really matters” among the entrepreneurial tribes to which he belongs. Nigel speaks and consults with entrepreneurs and young people worldwide about bringing their talents to solving some of our planet’s most pressing challenges.
In 2012, Nigel set up his business to run without him, See what he did with his newfound freedom and see how he (with the help of his coach) has been able to create a life that most people dream of.
An active philanthropist, Nigel donates all profit from his book sales (Take that Leap – Risking it all for what really matters) and speaking engagements to organizations that support poverty alleviation, human rights, social services, and the environment.
3 words to describe Nature?
Calm. Great reverence. Beauty
3 things Nature taught you?
To have great respect for all things.
Made me very humble
Taught me how to heal
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Solo in the wild, on top of mountains, so:
Whistler area,
North Vancouver Seymour River valley,
Mt. Magilvery area (Whitecap backcountry hut)
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Calm and inspired
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Calm and in awe
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
In awe
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Beauty and respect for silence
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
The power of nature
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Cleansing
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Mostly Ocean, Mountain and Forest
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 16 I used to climb solo up to the top of Black Mountain in the snow up a gully to the summit and sit and meditate looking out at the Lion Mountains and then return.
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.
Seamus Blackley
Seamus Blackley is an American video game designer, a theoretical physicist and entrepreneur who has collaborated technically with Bill Gates and creatively with Steven Spielberg. He is currently the CEO of Pacific Light & Hologram. In 2003, Seamus founded the Interactive Entertainment department at the Creative Artists Agency, where he was the Head of Interactive for 9 years. Fun Fact #1: If you have a Xbox in your leaving room, its because of him! Fun Fact #2 Blackley is a GastroEgyptologist (hardcore amateur baker and Egyptologist). He once made bread using 4,500-year-old Egyptian yeast. Listen to his interview on Ologies here.
3 words to describe Nature?
Beauty. Power. Symmetry
3 things Nature taught you?
Respect
The biggest change often comes from the smallest place.
There is beauty everywhere, if you simply look.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
El bosque del apache
The gardens at Belsay Hall, Northumberland
The spot just under a big cloud in high summer
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
Powerless, but connected to all life everywhere.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Serene, relaxed, worried
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
Lucky that our planet can sustain life despite the enormous power of the mantle and core.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
Connected with everyone, as we all share it; but it’s also a reminder that we live in a thin shell around a planet, and it’s all very tenuous.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
It reminds me of my childhood, the big storms in New Mexico in the summer, and the smell of rain in the high desert
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
Lonely, and a bit sad
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
I am a desert person
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10 +, as it is for all of is, whether we admit it or not.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Its very simple, actually. We lived in the foothills of a big, rocky mountain range. My childhood was very difficult and abusive, and I survived by climbing (rather disturbingly far I must say now that I am a parent) into the hills, sitting on the tops of the enormous boulders, and letting the light and the smells and the sounds sooth and recharge me; to wipe away the human ugliness. One day I noticed a big rattlesnake sunning not far from me on the rock I had chosen. I thought about it, and then I closed my eyes and we sunned together. After half an hour or so, he left, but I was sure we had shared something important.
Courtney Boyd Myers
Courtney Boyd Myers is a community builder, writer, and entrepreneur. She is the cofounder of AKUA, a sustainable food company that created the world’s first Kelp Jerky, a vegan snack made from regeneratively ocean-farmed kelp that was recognized by Fast Company as a World Changing Idea and by Time Magazine as an Invention of the Year.
For six years, Courtney known as “CBM” has helped build the Summit Community, a global network of founders, creatives, and innovators. And most recently, she has helped start a private home-sharing network called MyPlace. Previously, she helped market companies such as Four Sigmatic, Raya, General Assembly, SecondHome, and Transferwise. She began her career as a journalist at Forbes Magazine, The Next Web, and The Huffington Post. Courtney has also been recognized as one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, and one of Business Insider’s 30 Most Important Women Under 30 in Technology.
3 words to describe Nature?
Heavenly. Powerful. Vulnerable.
3 things Nature taught you?
Everything we need is all around us.
Stay present and have faith that it's all going to be okay.
We need to be kind to our fellow Earthlings.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Big Bay, a kite spot just outside of Cape Town, South Africa
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, where you can spend your days warm water surfing and your nights sleeping in the jungle.
Lake George, NY where I am currently quarantined!
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
At home
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Child-like
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Strong
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Grateful
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Romantic
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Excited
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?
The Little Mermaid came out when I was 5 years old and my life forever changed. I remember the feeling of being 5, 6, 7, 8 years old and every summer just staring at my legs in the swimming pool, and wishing I could grow fins. All these years later, and I am still trying to figure out how to be a mermaid.
Mike Velings
Mike Velings is one of the managing partners and founders of Aqua-Spark, a global investment fund for sustainable aquaculture, combining a healthy financial profit with environmental and social impact. A lifelong entrepreneur, Mike has spent decades jumpstarting a range of successful businesses. Among other ventures, he co-founded Connexie, which has helped catalyze a professional employment industry across the Netherlands. Mike naturally combines his business background with environmental and social engagement. He understands the potential for business to create durable solutions to complex world problems. With this in mind, Mike founded A-Spark: an investment company that assists entrepreneurs across the globe in realizing their visions of a start-up with a world-changing element. Through A-Spark he has invested in a broad range of ventures over the years– both in the developed and developing world. Mike serves on several boards and is an active supporter of a range of non profits.
3 words to describe Nature?
Beautiful. Forceful. Unforgiving.
3 things Nature taught you?
Nature has an unparalleled capacity for efficient design
Resilience
The smaller parts are as important as the bigger parts
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Southern Line Islands, Kiribati
Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Calm
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Fresh
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
In awe
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Calm
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Invigorated
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Alive
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?
8
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
With my best friend lying in the park, in the bushes, studying the behaviour of ducks in the pond
Barrie Mowatt
Barrie Mowatt, a pioneer of visual arts, has a long and accomplished history as an educator, philanthropist, and entrepreneur opening the Buschlen Mowatt Fine Art gallery in 1979. Barrie is the visionary behind the Vancouver Biennale Open Air Museum, where he combines his passion for art, education and community service in exhibitions that bring great art to public spaces where people live, work, play and transit, free for all to enjoy, explore and be inspired by. Barrie is also the founder of the Celebration of Hope Foundation, co-founder of Taste the Nation, and the Buschlen Mowatt Scholarship Program at Arts Umbrella. Barrie received the Vancouver Business in Arts Award from the Vancouver Board of Trade, and the Ethics in Action Award, presented by Vancouver City Savings and the BC Work Ministry. He has twice been nominated for Western Canada’s Entrepreneur of the Year in the category of socially responsible businesses.
3 words to describe Nature?
INCREDIBLE. AWE INSPIRING. MAGICAL
3 things Nature taught you?
PATIENCE
GRATITUDE
FRAGILITY OF LIFE
3 most treasured Nature spots?
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL FOREST
YOSEMITE
HAIDA GWAII
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
DWARFED AND INSIGNIFICANT
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
ALIVE AND REFRESHED
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
EXCITED, CURIOUS AND IN AWE
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
GRATEFUL TO BE ALIVE IN THAT MOMENT
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
ALIVE AND CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT WILL FOLLOW
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
ALIVE AND EXCITED
Are you an Ocean, Mountain,Forest, or Desert person?
I’M ALL 4 OF THESE.
I LUV LOOKING AT, CLIMBING & BEING ON TOP OF MTNS; AS WELL I LUV BEING DEEP IN FORESTS, AND IN THE OPEN DESOLATE DESERT AND WATCHING AND LISTENING TO THE POWER OF THE SURF...EACH ARE INSPIRATIONAL RETREATS WHERE I CAN BE AT ONE ONE WITH MYSELF AND IN AWE OF THEIR GRANDEUR AND IMMENSITY.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
BEING ALONE IN THE MTNS PICKING HUCKLEBERRIES, DISCOVERING LADY SLIPPERS AND RUNNING NAKED AMONG THE TREES AND TALL GRASSES!
Cherae Robinson
Cheraé Robinson is an entrepreneur, global development expert, DJ, and modern Pan-Africanist who is the founder and CEO of Tastemakers Africa, an experiences marketplace connecting curious travelers to local insiders in African cities. For nearly a decade, Cheraé sat at the nexus between science and partnerships raising visibility and support for large international nonprofit organizations. Her expertise centers on agriculture and public health with an emphasis on women-centered community programs. In this capacity she has spent time at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, and CARE. Cherae was a part of the team that created the Borlaug Institute for South Asia, a $100 Million USD Agricultural research institution in Delhi, India and the Carlos Slim Biotechnology Center, a $80 Million research facility in Texcoco, Mexico. She has traveled and worked in nearly 40 countries.
The winner of the inaugural “She Leads Africa” startup competition, Ms. Robinson has been named one of 10 Emerging Women Entrepreneurs in Africa by Forbes.com, one of 20 to watch by leading Silicon Valley trends group Culture Shift Labs, and a Woman to Watch by the United Nations Foundation and Innov8tive Magazine. Most recently she was named one of "50 People Changing The Way We Travel" by Conde Naste Traveller Magazine.
Cherae is a member Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Morgan State University. She splits her time between Brooklyn, NY and city-hopping the African continent. When not tackling the demands of running a fast-moving startup she spends her time learning every meme she can from her 10 year old son “Trace”
3 words to describe Nature?
Peace. Open. Possibility.
3 things Nature taught you?
Life has a rhythm
The world is much bigger than me
There is a realm to be understood beyond the noise we create
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The Hudson River
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
At peace
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Curious
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
In awe
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
Alive
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
Nervous
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
On edge
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
An Ocean person
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I fell in love with both reading and nature on a summer vacation where I was visiting a friend of the family on Lake Ontario. Each morning I would wake up, read Anne of Green Gables and look out the window at the lake. By sunset I was skipping rocks across the lake after my daily swim. It was a beautiful moment to have as a child
Ross Beaty
ROSS BEATY is a geologist and entrepreneur in the international minerals and renewable energy industries. He currently Chairs Pan American Silver Corp. and Equinox Gold Corp. and has founded and divested many other resource companies. He is also an environmental philanthropist, primarily through The Sitka Foundation. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Nature Trust of BC, is a Director of The Pacific Salmon Foundation and Panthera, and is patron of the Beaty Biodiversity Center at the University of BC. Mr. Beaty was appointed to The Order of Canada in 2017 and the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in 2018.
3 words to describe Nature?
Spiritual. Wondrous. Sustainable
3 things Nature taught you?
What beauty really is.
What sustainable systems look like.
The ability to enjoy simple things without all the junk in urban systems.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Patagonia
BC coast
Galapagos
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Small
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Fulfilled
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
If it’s an active volcano it’s always awesome. If it’s an extinct volcano I always think of the power of plate tectonics.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Beauty
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Appreciative of the power of nature
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Ditto
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?
Hiking and camping with my family.