Deep Work Sessions: Your Path to Focus, Productivity, and Alignment In today’s fast-paced, digitally connected world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the constant pings, endless scrolling, and digital distractions. For many, this digital deluge erodes focus, productivity, and even relationships, leaving us feeling stuck, disconnected, and out of alignment with our values. Embracing Deep […]

Adventure is more than just an expedition to an unknown landscape or significant physical challenge—it’s a mindset that shapes how we approach leadership, difficulty, and uncertainty. Reading adventure-oriented books is a window into understanding not only the journeys of others but also the traits and philosophies that define an adventurous life.  Here are my top 5 […]

The Climb Is Yours: Finding Meaning in the Ascent What defines adventure? Why are some adventures massively impactful and others barely move the needle? The most important climb of your life isn’t about the summit, the top is a fleeting moment in the entirety of the experience, but the moments you spend in preparation, on the wall, […]

The trope of the man in mid-life crisis: new car, travel, new haircut and clothes, unavailable, yearning for a youth that may not have ever existed, and on the precipice of blowing up his current life: marriage, family, professional trajectory…it’s a trope for a reason: it’s real in some form or another for each of […]

Understanding the Challenge of Modern Comforts I frequently see it with my clients: they struggle with any uncertainty because they are so used to having specific solutions to meet their every need. Feel cold? Simply turn the thermostat up a degree. Crave a particular type of food? Get it delivered any time. Today, our needs […]

When we our lives feel heavy and insurmountable – adventure offers us a pathway forward.

Life moves fast. Insanely fast. And we all struggle to keep up with the deluge of input and conflicting demands on our time and energy: personally and professionally. An adventure mindset offers an immediate, and directly tangible, solution. The Five Elements of Adventure are the foundational philosophy and the filter through which we can reflect, […]

It is all too easy to let life’s chaos reign and control our time and as a result, sadly, our relationship with our children. Adventure offers a catalyst for change: deepening bonds, creating indelible memories, and developing character. In the heart of every father beats the yearning for connection, a primal drum that calls him […]

“I am exhausted. This is exactly what I needed.” These are the words Andrew said at the end of the second day of our traverse through the Superstition Mountains outside of Phoenix, AZ. As the sunset over the desert, painting the towering Weaver’s Needle in a bath of pink light, over a gentle warm evening […]

This post was originally written for, and published by, Oars and Alps. Matt Walker spends 100 days a year in a tent. As a psychologist and international mountain guide, he spends much of that time leading men on climbing expeditions, helping them reconnect with a sense of adventure. While nearly all of his clients find these […]