In 2004 Jo Bradshaw was a Business Advisor for Business Link in Buckinghamshire, living a very normal, risk free, comfort loving and safe life.
Over the next 3 years she took part in three cycle challenges, finally being offered a role as challenge crew by Discover Adventure (DA) which she did during my annual leave. In late 2007 DA offered her a job in their offices near Salisbury running the Open Challenges and life since then has never been the same.
She moved the 120 miles from Bucks to Wiltshire in early 2008, halving her salary, selling her fancy 4x4, renting out her house and went from suits and business events to jeans, walking boots and a new way of life.
She worked at DA for two years, leading many a trip over and above the office work and gaining invaluable experience. The office job was getting too busy to allow her out and about so she left the safety of a regular income and went freelance in 2010, gaining her Mountain Leader qualification and headed off into them there hills!
Her job title is now Outdoor Instructor and Expedition Leader and since going self-employed she has now led 35+ expeditions on Kilimanjaro along with numerous other expeditions on foot, two wheels and horseback, most at high altitude, all around the world with both charity and private clients.
In the UK she teaches and assesses the expedition element of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award from Bronze through to Gold as well as leading challenges on bike and foot in the UK and Europe. She also helps to deliver corporate team building events and expedition training weekends as well as public speaking about her experiences before she discovered the outdoors, Everest, the earthquake and beyond to corporates, schools and groups.
She never thought she would ever summit Snowdon even once let alone any other mountains. Becoming the 3rd British woman to reach the true summit of Manaslu (the world’s 8th highest mountain,) standing at 8163m in September 2013 and then being the 36th British woman to reach the summit of Everest in May 2016 have been huge and unexpected achievements.
She has gone from having severe vertigo and a great ability to say no way too often to facing her fears, saying yes more and turning her life around. She is now en route to complete the 7 summits and continue to raise funds and awareness for children’s mental health charity Place2Be.
This is a great chat about life before realising how adventurous and resilient she could be, to talking about challenges big and small. How do we learn to know how to push ourselves but know where the line is between safety and possible danger to life?
We talk about the seven summits on seven continents challenge and how she got to be that person. Jo is funny and interesting, the chat is peppered with musings and advice on finding out how to be your own champion, growing in experience and confidence and enjoying the journey as much as the end goal.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-bradshaw-89b13885/