“To find a new path for yourself, embrace vulnerability, break down barriers, change your mindset and discover the authentic you.”

 

My inspiration to start this foundation came from my personal experiences with mental health and the environment.

 

Many years ago, I faced personal challenges stemming from depression and insecurity. Instead of dealing with them head-on, I was looking to escape, making poor choices until I was staring into the abyss.

 

It was hard to identify what shifted inside me, the loss of a loved one for which I was to blame. My children, whom I deeply love and care for, began to grow emotionally and physically distant from me. But I had to make a choice, the hard choice, the right choice. I had nowhere to go but up.

 

I started making better decisions and chose a more challenging path by breaking habits, good and bad, and looking to understand who I was.

 

I loved the outdoors and always wanted to interact with it on a deeper level. I decided to step out of my comfort zone, challenge my fear of heights, and embrace vulnerability and vertical adventure by learning how to climb.

 

This was the start of my transformation.

 

I started HKOutsider to build a community where others could use outdoor adventure to overcome various challenges in their lives and raise awareness about the environment.

 

It is such a rewarding feeling to see individuals literally take the jump to overcome a challenge they are facing, and at the same time, step back and realize how we interact with our environment. A close friend of mine, made me aware of the Climate Crisis, particularly single-use plastics. This has now become a topic very close to my heart that I advocate in my daily life.

 

My goal is to take this a step further with the HKOutsider Foundation.