"You Have One-Shot. And Its What Are You Going to Do with Your Life That Truly Gives You the Most Meaning" - Ray Zahab
1. Tell us about your journey from being an advocate to a remarkably extraordinary adventurer and an explorer.
My journey actually began in the late ’90s as someone who was not an adventurer or athlete of any kind. As a matter of fact, like many people, I struggled with health, happiness, and purpose. I was a pack a day smoker and heavy drinker who pretty much spent most of my spare time partying.
I finally came to a resolution that I was no longer satisfied with where my life wasn’t going…and I was no longer willing to live a life filled with unhappiness and lack of direction. I didn’t have a b plan or anything to fall back on- so I looked for inspiration, and I found it in my younger brother John, who himself had gone through a life transformation of his own. He became an avid ice climber and mountain biker. He loved running trails and paddling rivers. He was into sports that at the time were not as popular as they are now- but he was so passionate he just kept learning more about himself as he learned new endurance-based outdoor activities. He exuded a confidence that I so much wanted to know in myself.
So, I made the decision to try and follow in his footsteps. It took me a few years to eventually quit smoking and make a life shift, and on New Year's day 2000, I never looked back. I transitioned from mountain biking and climbing to ultrarunning, and eventually from competitions to expeditions. By now I have run, trekked, and crawled over 17,000 kilometers across the world's deserts, and across the Arctic and Antarctica. You can learn more about my various expeditions at My Website and know me via Instagram.
2. Moving towards your Organization, Tell us more about your Organization.
impossible2Possible (i2P) is a charitable organization that aims to inspire and educate youth through adventure learning, inclusion, and participation in expeditions. Youth Ambassadors are selected from around the world, and then participate, at no cost, in all aspects of the expedition, from logistics and running to creating educational content and team support.
All of the i2P Youth Expeditions have included various challenge based initiatives through an Experiential Learning Program, in which thousands of students participate as active ‘team members’ during the expeditions, from classrooms all over the world. This program and its technology are also provided at no cost to the students or schools participating. Since its inception, i2P Youth Expeditions have included 14 grueling expeditions; Baffin Island, Tunisia, the Amazon, Bolivia, India, Botswana, Utah, Peru, Chile, Italy, California, Greece, Death Valley, and Canada. The programs and expeditions are 100% free of cost.
3. How did you come up with this idea and go about executing it?
It was an idea that actually came as a result of our 7,500 km running expedition across the Sahara Desert in 2007. After completing that expedition, I came to a realization that through an adventure I was able to learn so much.
I had spent most of my youth not really caring about school or academics, and yet on this incredible adventure, I had learned about culture, agriculture, social economics, and more. So, my wife Kathy, my best friend Bob Cox, and I created impossible2Possible as a way to give young people an interesting way to connect to the world and learn about many subjects.
4. What has been your biggest challenge that you faced and how did you overcome that?
I have come to realize the most difficult challenges we face in life are relative to us as individuals. What is a huge obstacle for one person to overcome may not be for someone else. For me, quitting smoking and changing my life, and in the process learning to take risks and challenge myself, was the most difficult to overcome and adapt to.
5. I read about you and got really mesmerized, so what makes you go on and on, that is what inspires you?
I am mostly inspired these days by anyone that pursues their dreams and lives a life that they are fulfilled by. These days, I am truly motivated by the students and youth that follow my expeditions, and the expeditions of our i2P Youth Ambassadors.
6. What impact do you want to make in the world?
To raise my daughters to believe in themselves and not waste time worrying
about what others think- but instead pursue their dreams.
7. Lastly, What piece of advice would you like to give to the youth and future explorers?
See the answer to the last question. Truly it applies to all of us. Each of us is capable of the extraordinary in our lives. We just have to take the first steps to make our goals and dreams happen.
Interviewed By - Shubh Jani
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