The Explorer's Gene
We believe Steve personifies "The Explorer's Gene".
"The Explorer's Gene" is a book written by Alex Hutchinson, a science journalist and former physicist. In the book, Hutchinson delves into the complex reasons behind humans' innate drive for exploration and challenge. He argues that our curiosity and thirst for adventure have ancient origins and are deeply rooted in our DNA.
The book blends riveting stories of exploration with insights from behavioural psychology, neuroscience, and genetics. It covers a wide range of topics, from the extraordinary voyages of the Polynesians to the latest research on risk-taking behaviour.
Some key themes in the book include:
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The evolutionary origins of our drive for exploration and its influence on human history.
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The role of genetics and personality traits in shaping our exploratory behaviour.
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How exploration and risk-taking contribute to our overall wellbeing and happiness.
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The importance of embracing uncertainty and stepping out of our comfort zones for personal growth.
"The Explorer's Gene" encourages readers to tap into their inner explorer and embrace new challenges, flavours, and the unknown to lead more fulfilling lives.
What's this got to do with Steve?
Ask Steve about some of his adventures as a kid and he will tell you fondly about going from one end of the property he was living on, in the creek that split the property to the other end of the property on a log, and then repeat the process. There were snakes in the logs that they chose and quite often in the creek itself. If the creek had no water in it, they would camp on a sand bank in the creek. Sometimes being rudely awoken by a cow walking through the middle of the tent.
He then joined the Navy in search of foreign lands and adventure as many with The Explorer's Gene would. He was only 16 years old but was forced to grow up very quickly. During his 20 year career in the Navy he visited much of South East Asia, circumnavigated the Australian continient and experienced a brief ANZAC exchange where he served in New Zealand with the New Zealand Navy. In his final years, he doubted he would continue in the Navy and the Commanding Officer (CO) of the ship he was serving on asked, what experiences have you not had that you wished you had had whilst serving? The CO then made it his mission to make sure this sailors adventures were fulfilled. He organised for the next time they were doing replentishment at sea, Steve was transferred by a jackstay transfer to the other ship and back. He made sure Steve was lifted from the deck of the ship whilst at sea by helicopter.
A happy sailor left the navy and went on to purchase his block of land. A small farm by Queensland standards but big enough for him and his wife to raise 3 children and take a big backyard adventure. Steve loves a good challenge, often dreaming of riding a horse to the coast from Tamworth as a child. He still has the desire to challenge himself both physically and mentally. His bike ride from his farm to Cunnamulla (over 600km into a headwind) to raise money for a charity was the beginning of his endurance adventure. This got him into Triathlon, which got him into Ironman 70.3 which got him into the full Ironman experience. Now with over 5 Ironman distance events under his belt including the World Championships at Kona Hawaii, he is ready to start sharing his experience and knowledge gained, by coaching triathlon and endurance athletes to achieve their goals.
Steve is a qualified Triathlon Development Coach. He has interest in activities which place physical and mental demands upon the individual. He works with you to understand your 'why' and builds a program to help you as an individual. He will help you with your preparation and develop a race plan. He understands his strengths and weaknesses and will refer you to professionals or other coaches when the need arises.
