Dixie and I began our corporate interventions in 1998 due to a serendipitous meeting at a Belgian cultural center. Dixie had been invited to tell his Antarctic adventure stories from his then recent South Through the Pole Expedition and - without warning - he invited me on stage to share my perceptions.

There was a gentleman in the audience who worked in finance management and he approached us during the book signing session later that night. He explained that he was preparing an internal event for his employees and invited us to come to speak to the group. Dixie and I looked at each other and said yes, not knowing that this event would be the first of hundreds of such speaking engagements over the next two decades. Our messaging at the time revolved around empowering outperformance and the various aspects of lofty goal achievement, both in the field and behind the scenes.

Today, our messaging is more relevant than ever.

The power of Dixie's legacy and the resilience required to proceed in a new normal without his physical presence have led me to be my own consultant. It has been almost ten months since his accident and each day takes me deeper into the process of self-leadership on both a personal and professional level. It's an often convoluted journey, with blistering parallels that mirror the gruelling physical and mental challenges of our various expeditions. While there is a clear goal of eventually thriving and achieving new successes, the path is full of obstacles that test me in ways previously unimaginable.

The main differences between my current situation and a polar expedition: I have no GPS and absolutely no idea when this "expedition" will end. It is currently impossible to gauge the stamina required in relation to time or distance.

And I am not alone.

Due to the various hardships in our global society over the past years, we are all navigating complex parameters that push us far from our previously determined comfort zones. We are each to some degree clumsily striving toward a new normal and using both short-term and long-term perspectives to help guide ourselves in the mist of uncertainties. While it may not always feel like it, we're on a common journey toward sustainable achievement and, whether we realise it or not, we're doing it together.

We have a large amount of control over the "how" to succeed in the midst of hardship. Realistic positivity, grace and humility are key components in self-leadership toward top performance.

In that spirit, it is with sincere pleasure that I am continuing with our corporate keynote and workshop activities. This journey and Dixie's legacy deserve to be shared in complete authenticity.

It would be my sincere pleasure to spend productive time with you and your teammates.

Contact Info: julie@polarcircles.com