Alison Young

Transitions are hard. Whether we like it or not, failures, setbacks, and ‘cosmic rip-offs’ happen and when they do, they can leave us feeling ungrounded, like we missed a waypoint and are walking the wrong trail. Yet oftentimes, these moments are opportunities disguised as loss, opening us up to alternative paths on our life journey. Alison Young is an expert at reinvention. With a variety of identities from world-class professional musician to syndicated radio host to professional backpacker walking over 12,000 miles on six continents, she is uniquely positioned to speak on the subject. Drawing from over 12,000 miles hiked across six continents, Alison offers a unique perspective on overcoming life’s obstacles with strength and determination, making her an ideal fit for organizations seeking powerful lessons in resilience. Understand how dark, difficult moments can be tools for empowerment. Explore 3 ways risk-taking builds resilience. Shift the thinking surrounding regrets.

So many of us know the “secret to success” mantra – quitters don’t win and winners don’t quit – but sometimes, quitting is exactly the right course of action In fact, quit and grit are two sides of the same coin. Developing the skills to know when to say “no” can open us up to better opportunities to explore more, do more, and find the right things worth sticking to. As a long-distance backpacker, Alison Young shares her adventure experiences oftentimes in life-threatening situations, where understanding the biases and blocks to quitting helped her find more success and deeper gratification on and off the trail. Educational outcomes: Identify 5 biases that block intentional quitting. Explore the mindset of setting flexible goals to manage uncertain outcomes. Discover how getting to ‘no’ faster is a powerful skill.

Andante (on-DON-tay) is a musical term that means “at a moderate walking speed.” Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Wagner and Bach are just a few of the classical composers who walked in natural settings to capture their muse and compose some of the most enduring music ever written. What they discovered intuitively was that walking is not separate from creativity – it’s largely responsible for creativity. Composers and other artists may not have known why walking worked, but there’s scientific evidence to back it up. This came as welcome news to Alison Young who lives a dual life as a professional musician and long distance backpacker. She shares her enthusiasm for the intersection of classical music and walking as well as ways to tap into your own creativity. Educational outcomes: Learn about “impact retrograde” and the power of slow walking. Find out how forests feed the mind. Discover how to enhance your own creativity.