Meaningful Meetings, Lessons Learned From Ryan Pyle: Takeaways From the Edge

This Enterprise Engagement Alliance YouTube show features an adventure television producer who left a comfortable community in Toronto to set out on a life of adventure from which he is now able to make a successful living.

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Ask Ryan Pyle, a television producer and adventure traveler, what’s the most important lessons he has learned in life and the first suggestion that comes to mind is push yourself beyond your comfort zone to discover who you really are.

Pyle joined host Bruce Bolger, EEA Founder, and Jaki Baskow, Founder and CEO of Baskow Talent and Las Vegas Speakers Bureau. Click here to view or listen to the show.

There was nothing about Ryan Pyle’s early life that would have suggested the path he has taken. He was born and raised in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. He played basketball, beginning at the age of six all the way through college at the University of Toronto. While there, he studied modern Chinese history and politics. He had a comfortable life near home. Suddenly, when it was clear he could not turn pro, he decided to make a big change—a dramatic move from his comfortable life in Toronto to China.

Today, he is an adventure photographer and television producer and host. He has created, filmed and hosted four seasons of Extreme Treks, three seasons of the Tough Rides, as well as other international adventure programs. His still photography has appeared in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, Forbes, and other international publications, as well as several books including Chinese Turkestan and Sacred Mountains of China.

Pyle reports that he set the Guinness World Record for the longest motorcycle ride, has been awarded five Asian Television Awards, and received a Gold Medallion from the Governor General of Canada, among other recognition.

In his corporate speaking, Pyle uses stories and compelling images of his experiences to share his insights, and says he likes to add collaborative and interactive exercises to his speaking, including off-site walks or outdoor activities in nearby parks that help tell the story of the destination or bring some of his own insights to life. He also leads individuals or small groups on treks of varied difficulties, some of which are filmed for his television shows or other use.

This Meaningful Meetings, Lessons Shared YouTube show addresses some of what Pyle has learned from his experiences and travels and how he shares these insights at live and digital events. Here are a few highlights of the show.

Some of one’s greatest disappointments can in fact help people find their true calling. Without discovering he could not make it in professional basketball, he might never have found his passion for extreme travel and discovery.
Never underestimate the power of connections of unrelated circumstances in life. The decision to move to China at 22 was driven by the desire to break away from a predictable life in Toronto and find new opportunities but it might never have happened had he not taken an introductory class on modern China in college to address a requirement.
Travel to or, better yet, living in a country that speaks another language provides a unique way to look at one’s life and our country from a completely different perspective—from the outside in—that better prepares one for the unexpected that often comes from working with people at home, work, or when traveling.
Getting out of one’s comfort zone, especially in nature, is like a cleanser for the mind, he believes, literally flushing out thoughts about daily tribulations to be replaced only by the experience of nature and the out of doors. “You can’t imagine how reinvigorated people feel after a great outdoor experience. It frees their minds and creates the basis for a reset.”
Wilderness treks are an ideal opportunity for leadership training because they require the same types of on-the-spot decision-making and even a few of the outdoor discomforts of combat without the mortal or psychological consequences.
Discomfort contributes to growth. Pushing boundaries opens one’s horizons and strengthens one’s resilience.
To remain young at heart, never stop pushing yourself out of your comfort zones, seeking new experiences, and crossing new boundaries.
Never be afraid to reinvent oneself. What one sets out in life to become can take unexpected changes that in the end work out for the better.

Click here to view or listen to the show.

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