About me
Before I moved out to Morrison a few years ago, I spent 30 years teaching at Longwood University in Virginia.
I taught outdoor and environmental education. It’s essentially teaching students how to teach others how to protect the environment, how to appreciate it and more. When you go to a national park, you’ll find rangers who take people out on trails and teach them things about the environment. That’s what I did. I also taught backpacking and a variety of other subjects that had to do with the outdoors because my passion is for the outdoors.
I love to climb mountains and climbed my first one in 1977. That unearthed something in my soul, and it ignited a passion that I had never experienced before.
I recently climbed Mt. Princeton in Nathrop and last October I climbed Island Peak, which stands at 20,300 feet in Nepal. I did that one with a former student who is 30 years younger than me. Next year, I’m hoping to climb the Matterhorn, a mountain that is part of the Alps. It’s a classic, fun climb, and I’m not getting any younger.
I’ve done enough 14ers by myself. I can do solo things, and I can do climbs with other people. If people don’t want to do it or can’t do it, it doesn’t stop me.
Reaching your summit
After I came back from Nepal, I started to write my book “Achieving Your Potential: 15 Empowering Steps to Reach Each Summit.”
I use the metaphor of mountain summits as potential. Those mountain summits can be a desire, a calling goal, something you’re working toward and other things in your life. I outline the 15 steps in how to get there. The 15 steps are the 15 chapters of the book.
The first chapter starts from the beginning and focuses on how you identify your summit. There are people who want to identify their summit, but they just haven’t uncovered or unearthed it yet. I outline how to identify your summit and what you’re looking for. Then, the book looks at your purpose, your vision and moves on to how you plan, prepare and move toward where you want to be until you get your summit.
Business adventure coach
I’ve climbed a lot of mountains over my lifetime. I continue to do that because I get so much inspiration and growth. It’s a benefit to how I run my business and how I communicate to others.
I identify myself as a business adventure coach. My clients involve business owners, educators and adventure enthusiasts, and I work with them to reach their full potential and desired goals.
I’m not seeking people who necessarily climb mountains and do crazy outdoor adventures. Instead, I’m looking for people who have that spirit of adventure, who want to take risks, who want to step out into the unknown and who don’t mind getting out of their comfort zone. As a coach, those are the people who I shine best with. That’s what I mean by an adventure coach.
If you have a suggestion for someone to interview for My Name Is… contact Joseph Rios at jrios@coloradocommunitymedia.com