What inspired you to work for Warriors Academy?
I have always had a love for the outdoors and was brought up in a very active family so it was inevitable. What led me to work at Warriors was participating in its gap year and MAI courses where I experienced the most incredible world of support and an environment pushing me to better myself while being in the most beautiful places in South Africa. This made me realize what I wanted to do with my passion for the outdoors.
Describe a typical day at work.
Wake up at 5:30 a.m. for group exercise which is to improve the fitness of all the students entering the camp. After showering and meal times, we start with the day's activities which may be a multitude of courses.
The courses range from public speaking and website design to self-defense and first aid. it may also be an extreme activity of some sort ranging from day hikes and cycles to bungee jumping, skydiving, and scuba diving. We may also be on multi-day journeys such as self-sustaining hikes, multi-day river rafting, or cycle tours over 500 km.
Take a selfie while exploring and traveling through the beautiful country of Switzerland.
Why do you do what you do?
My job allows me to change people's lives and help them learn of their greatness and become better versions of themselves. In doing this I travel to South Africa experiencing all its beauty and meeting new people. Having so many students come to me and tell me that I'm a role model for them and I have helped them overcome their greatest weaknesses and push them to develop their greatest strengths is mind-blowing to me.
What is your favorite part of your job?
It would be seeing the growth of our students as well as the adventures we have. Also, I am at my best when I'm in nature and exploring our planet.
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
My education was a year of outdoor guide training for the very purpose of working in the position I have today. Especially the more complicated sides of touring and dealing with adventure gear have been possible due to my incredible training through MAI.
Time to get on the water! This is me with a group on my very first 5 day Orange River expedition!
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
I often struggle with unmotivated students as well as fearful ones. I believe the methods that succeed the most are that of self-mastery tools. I want our students to feel as if they are free to be themselves.
I push them to enter their courage zones which is difficult but when we are in this zone we can adapt and grow thanks to adversity. These students however struggle to remember everything they're taught, which is where I come in to help guide them back to their goals of self Improvement.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Embrace fear but never let it hold you back from fun. Too many times have I missed out on life due to my fear of the situation or change or my unwillingness to make a mistake. This has led me to lose out on so much joy as well as experience that could have taught me how to better myself.
FEAR stands for: false, evidence, appearing, real. This prevents us from both good and hard times in life.
What makes Warriors Academy special?
The statement below is from a parent in 2023. With his words he allows you to realize that what we accomplish at Warriors is something other companies cannot, and we change people's lives because of it
"What an incredible experience for him! Tough, challenging, out of his comfort zone while living in the wild, and having fun with a great group. His personal development has been tremendous. Everything we wanted for him to experience in his gap year. With health & safety rubbish ruling the world right now, it’s next to impossible to find an organization like yours."
Hop on for a piggyback ride! Here we are supporting a local primary school.
Why should someone choose your organization over competitors?
Our passion for our goal of self-mastery and Physical development has led us to become the number one voted gap year of the year, for five years in a row. This is because we tackle more than just the fun of adventure but embrace the struggle and encourage our students to do what they fear. This allows exponential growth and a newfound love of life to blossom from our journeys.
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Our goal of self-mastery and physical development within our students is one shared by all the staff here at Warriors. As we strive to build a microverse of life and create opportunities to deal with what our world has in store for us.
We believe that you must embrace struggle and hardship as it is part of life and become a powerful tool in living your life. This correlates with our number one rule of having fun. For as much as we struggle we also laugh and love each other and we push to have an environment that leads them to say their time with us was the best in their entire lives.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I hope for them to leave with a better understanding of their mental and physical limits as the majority of people have no idea how much further they can go than what they believe to be their best. I want them to leave saying this was the best time of their life and learn to love change and be able to accomplish more from self-mastery.
One of the best benefits of traveling is meeting the fantastic people I have met.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
I believe it's important as we would never be able to work together with others without it. As each person is unique and has a unique way of perceiving the world. It becomes important to learn of each other's differences and embrace the uniqueness in each other, for only then will we see the uniqueness in ourselves and be able (with the help of others) to accomplish greatness.
What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?
Go ahead and take that step, do something that matters to you, and don't be afraid to fail. The world is a fun and wonderful place for those who reach out more constantly.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
It means to do something that matters TO YOU. The world is filled with so many possibilities to achieve feats that help others or animals or nature and so on, but to waste time lazing around is self-destructive behavior. I believe that fun is important and we all need a break but I do not believe it should stand in the way of doing something that you know in your core is supportive and powerful for you and the world.
