Jay Irwin is an adventurous soul who is determined to inspire people through wilderness experiences. During his 23-year career in the computer software industry, Jay created entrepreneurial initiatives within some of the largest software companies in the world. After a year-long sabbatical, Jay now combines his love of adventure with his desire to make a difference in the lives of others. He teaches audiences, from inner-city youth to executives, how to bring the gifts learned from wilderness experiences into daily life to create powerful and long-lasting change. He is the owner of CBST Adventures where he takes clients out of their comfort zone so they can experience the metaphors of nature.
What you’ll learn about in this episode:
- Creating powerful and lifelong changes by teaching audiences to bring wilderness experiences into their daily life
- How a sabbatical jump-started Jay’s vision for his future and changed his life
- Jay’s 23-year journey in the technology industry and his inside view of company culture
- The analogy of “burning the ships” and choosing to move forward with your dream
- Stages of fear and anxiety that develop as your dream comes to fruition
- The challenges of starting a new business and the logistics of obtaining permits
- Three types of retreats: an experiential leadership retreat, experiential team building, and community impact events
- Personality assessments and scans that help assess individual team members
- Training leaders and communicating better as a team by using the correct tools
- A vision of executives acting as a team-of-teams and designing challenges through metaphors of nature
- Stepping outside your comfort zone and bringing yourself to the next level
- Running a business and continuing to do what you love by depending on your team for help
- How an avalanche almost killed him and became a transition point in the way that he thinks
- Advice for new entrepreneurs as they move through the beginning stages of their business
Ways to contact Jay: