Over the next month we are asking various women who are living life of their own terms a series of short questions. The purpose? To highlight that 'success' has a different definition for each and everyone of us, to highlight both our failures and our achievements and to start thinking about how we can each have a positive impact for the future generation....
Catherine Edsell is an adventurer, a global expedition leader, PADI divemaster, Reef Check Trainer, yoga teacher and mother of two. As an avid naturalist she has demonstrated her passion for adventure and effective conservation through independent and collaborative expedition work around the world. She often brings her children on expedition, and is now embarking on a series of transformative adventures solely for women. For more information about Catherine or to join her on an expedition go to www.cathadventure.com/the-matriarch-adventure
What does success mean to you in three words?
Riding the wave!
What is your biggest achievement?
That question brings to mind mountains climbed, deserts trekked, oceans dived, but actually I think my biggest achievement to date was taking my two girls to a coral atoll in the middle of the Banda Sea for a month, arranging childcare with a local Indonesian family, while I taught a coral reef ecology lecture series and led reef-monitoring dives. It was a very important step in integrating my passion for the environment, with my need to be hands-on and doing it whilst successfully maintaining a spirit of adventure with my kids in tow! I left that island after a month feeling as though I really stretched myself both physically and mentally, and with it grown my self esteem.
What’s your biggest failure?
Failure is an interesting concept – I can’t think of anything I’ve done that I’d consider a failure, though perhaps my benchmark is quite low - in the expedition world, things are often unpredictable, and things don’t always go to plan, it is a matter of being flexible and constantly adjusting your expectations. One of my maxims is ‘always expect the unexpected’, so as long as no one dies, any mishap is usually transformed into something positive!
What do you love most about yourself?
I think that’s got to be my ability to be diplomatic, to always see both sides, and be sensitive to the needs of others. It’s a quality that helps me a great deal in my work as an expedition leader.
What’s your biggest insecurity?
Difficult to put my finger on, but it’s definitely around motherhood. I make so many choices for my children, and sometimes it’s hard to know what’s right.
What advice would you give yourself to a woman half your age?
Be honest with yourself, and check that you’re following your dream and your passion not someone else’s. Don’t do things because you think other people expect it of you, as at the end of the day it’s your life, and things will flow much more easily if you’re holding the reins.
What is your biggest concern for the future generation and what would you do to change this?
I joke with my kids saying that it is their responsibility to sort out all the problems that we have created, and they take this very seriously, coming up with ideas on how to stop poverty, on how to slow down global warming, but joking aside, the future generation will in truth, be the ones to deal with all of these problems. We are connected more than we ever have been, on social media, 24 hour news, but at the same time we are also disconnected - I take my children around the world and through this, they see with their own eyes how other people live and the problems that face them, and the environments in which they live. I hope that this is setting them up with a true idea of how the world works, and ultimately will give them the foundations they will need to instigate real positive change. (I don't let them listen to the news – it only scares them.)
Want to be part of a 10 day adventure in the Namibian wilderness alongside 9 other women in 2017? See http://www.cathadventure.com/itinerary on how you can secure your place
