Legendary Ladies

Angkor Wat

Great Female Explorers

The history of exploration rarely focuses on great female travelers. Yet as early as 1891 women journeyed to the heights of Kilimanjaro and the freezing depths of Antarctica. Until recently, their indominable leadership has remained relatively unrecognized. Now Michael Conefrey's book How to Climb Mt. Blanc in a Skirt: A Handbook for the Lady Adventurer tells us that the lost history of female exploration includes women who traveled to every corner of the globe.

We discover that these women were mountaineers, sailors, desert and polar explorers. They traveled not for fame nor posterity, but because they were excited to encounter other cultures − driven by what Martin Luther King called "the urgency of now." Given the challenges they confronted, I suspect that travel nourished their souls.

Women explorers were the first to:

• Find the lost city of Cana in the Middle East
  
• Map the Siachen Glacier in the Himalayas
• Visit an Ottoman harem in Constantinople
• Reach the top of Huascaran in Peru
• Achieve the world record for the fastest flight from Britain to Australia (lasting 44 years)

"Few such moments of exhilaration can come as that which stands at the threshold of wild travel." ~Gertrude Bell, Desert Explorer

These women leaders remind us of what's possible when we let the wisdom and steadfastness of our spirit lead us.

Feed Your Spirit!

Don't let the incessant demands of work or life stave your spirit of what you need to feel more vibrantly alive. Engage in simple practices that naturally bring you in sync with yourself. Notice how much clearer your mind is...how much calmer and resilient you feel...how much more productive and effective you are. 

Transform yourself by quenching your soul's thirst.

Sylvia at Jungle Temple in Cambodia

Start small with...

Walks in nature

Playing with a dog

Long luxurious baths

Relaxing with a fun novel instead of watching TV

Laughing with children

Watching the sunset

Tending a garden

Fresh flowers

Naps

Reading travel magazines

Taking a Virtual Vacation

Make whatever works for you an easy playful practice. Have fun doing it several times a week or daily. Notice the subtle yet significant difference it makes in your leadership and the rest of your life.

"Without practice you know about it, but you don't know it." ~Albert Einstein