Liv Arnesen
on being a Role Model and chasing your Childhood Dream
No horizon is so far!
“Success on an expedition, as in life, isn't about brute strength or even endurance, but resilience: the ability to remind oneself, over and over, of the joy of living, even amid the greatest hardship. The true journey of any expedition is the journey of the mind. Every expedition has a reckoning point, the moment when an adventurer must navigate her own inner tumult and find the strength to continue. Navigating that terrain depends not on physical skill or muscle, but on character. Where one finds that hidden reserve of motivation is a litmus test of human nature.”
Liv Arnesen is the embodiment of inner beauty. A brave spirit thirsty for empowering youth. Her patience, stubbornness and perseverance made her “lucky enough” to realize her childhood dream of skiing to the South Pole. A dream that had the terrain to become real thanks to growing up in Norway and having parents who always encouraged her to wander the beat of her heart and immersed her in skiing and polar history. Her name, pronounced “Leave”, determined her to leave on a quest to reach what her soul was yearning for and turned her into an inspiring role model for children.
Liv Arnesen is a polar explorer and, mostly, an educator. In 1992, she led the first unsupported women’s crossing of the Greenland Ice Cap, and followed this in 1994 by becoming the first woman to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole. After the expedition, Liv founded her own company, ARNESEN, to provide motivational lectures to children: “Teaching is my greatest contribution. I take being a role model seriously!”
In 2001, Liv and Ann Bancroft wanted to expand the walls of the classroom: the two teachers became the first women in history to sail and ski across Antarctica’s landmass, completing a 94-day / 2,747 km trek. They also “took students all over the world along with them”: they documented the journey on their website and educators all over the world followed the trek with their classes!
In her book, “Skiing into the Bright Open”, Liv talks about the courage of holding on to your dream, even in the face of adversity. Be it an ice block, no one believing you can do it or even a polar bear coming to attack you: “Chase your dream. Listen to your heart and your intuition. If there is something that makes the blood run in your veins and your heart beat faster, then it is important for you, even if your parents and friends don’t like it. Be patient. It might not happen in a year, it might happen in 3 or 5 years. I waited from age 8 to 41 to accomplish my dream. It was worth it!”
Read Liv Arnesen’s answers for Inspirators and find the role model who might inspire you to believe in your own madness!
Thank you, Liv, for being a Role Model!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Liv Arnesen
Company / Institution: ARNESEN, BancroftArnesen.eco
Title: Educator-Explorer-Lecturer-Coach
Website: livarnesen.com & www.wingsworldquest.org
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liv-arnesen-77922a5/
Country of origin: Norway
Country you currently live in: Norway
Your personal definition of Regeneration: I do not use the word, but what it means to me is trying to think out of our traditional "little boxes" and imagine things differently, as in Pete Seeger's song!
Main business challenge you face: Funding for our educational expeditions (BancroftArnesen.eco).
Main driver that keeps you going: The determination to promote our curriculum “Water Challenge Badge” through our expedition on waterways on each continent. It´s about access to fresh water and it is translated into 9 languages!
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Persistence and kindness.
The trait you most value in others: Honesty, kindness and generosity.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Spending time in the winter at my cabin in the Norwegian mountains. No access by car, no internet. Just listening to the radio, skiing, reading, being close to the moon, the stars and the white open!
The #inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
Marie Curie
Thor Heyerdahl
Roald Amundsen
Wangari Maathai
A hint or starting point for companies or professionals that are taking the first steps in the regeneration journey: Invite role models for a “walk and talk”! Our brain becomes more creative when we walk and move.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you: Seeing on their websites that "Our focus is sustainability”. It became just a word, we should have full clarity on how it is implemented in the company.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: When you focus on problems, you´ll have more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you´ll have more opportunities.
Books that had a great impact on you:
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
Must-reads for any regenerative professional:
Regeneration. Ending the climate crisis in one generation by Paul Hawken
Movies or Documentaries you would watch all over again: None. I am a reader and listener and re-read articles and books and re-listen to podcasts. But I have watched “Out of Africa” a couple of times!
Blogs / Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently: As a Norwegian, I listen to podcasts in Norwegian about Norwegian and international politics, the environment, literature, interactions between different cultures, etc. (Verdibørsen, Burde værtnpensum, Ekko, Trygdekontoret, Tojes time, Norsken, Svensken og Dansken).
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Livin` on a Prayer (Bon Jovi); Forever Young (Alphaville); Take on Me (A-Ha); Den du Veit (Marius Müller); Girls just wanna have fun (Cyndie Lauper); The Creek and other tunes from Jan Garbarek bring memories from expeditions back to me.
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: Svalbard (the Norwegian Arctic), Antarctica (after several expeditions), visiting Kenya and Rwanda as an Ambassador for the Norwegian Refugee Council. Visiting the schools in the refugee camps.
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on: Just go on a “walk and talk” with a person who understands your vision!
Associations, business clubs, tribes you belong to – and why: Explorers Club for 30 years. Great to meet the scientists and explorers there, but the increasing annual fee is not worth it, so now focusing on www.wingsworldquest.com and on their focus on supporting female scientists and explorers.
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: Creative people.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: There is a way!
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: A clear vision and a plan, optimism and empathy.
The quote that inspires you:
“Real Dreams never die!” (Norman Vaughan)
Your own quote that will inspire us: Norman allowed me to use his quote as mine :)
