Follow Your Dreams
Our founder Ricky speaks at over 100 school & business events every year to inspire audiences to raise their aspirations. He's a Chartered Accountant (CA) and qualified Mountain Leader (ML), a Churchill Fellow and a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. He holds an Honours degree in Physiology & Sport Science. His story exemplifies a Growth Mindset.
Read more about Ricky
In his keynote talk 'Follow Your Dreams' Ricky describes his incredible journey from a council estate in Glasgow to the top of the world on his successful ascent of the world's highest mountain - Mount Everest.
During that long journey, he faced and overcame adversity and mental health challenges - being arrested twice, dropping out of University twice, and being made redundant during his accountancy training. He bounced back and overcame redundancy by completing the Marathon des Sables, a 150-mile ultramarathon in the Sahara desert known as the ‘toughest footrace on earth’. This experience transformed his mindset and gave him the confidence and determination to follow his own dreams.
Since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 2005, he has worked in the private, public and third sectors, including six years deployed with the Red Cross & other aid organisations in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, helping to support the most vulnerable people.
From 2014 – 2018 he was the youngest ever member of the executive team at the UK’s national polar research organisation, before stepping down to climb Everest.
He shares learning points from turning back below the Death Zone on Everest in 2017, when he coordinated the evacuation of a seriously injured team-mate from Chinese Base Camp, and how he put these lessons into practice to make a successful summit attempt in 2018.
The key themes include perseverance, building resilience, goal-setting and overcoming adversity.
Book Ricky as your speaker
Ricky is a STEM Polar Ambassador and his primary school talk 'Follow Your Dreams' includes 20 interactive minutes on Antarctica (science, weather, wildlife, logistics) & 30 minutes on his failure & success on Everest, with time at end for Q&A and trying on high altitude kit. For younger pupils, he offers a 30-minute talk with a focus only on Everest. Read more
Since climbing Everest in July 2018, Ricky has spoken at over 140 schools across the UK to more than 22,000 young people to help raise their aspirations. His keynote talk “Follow Your Dreams” describes his journey from a council estate near Glasgow to the top of Everest and how he faced and overcame adversity and associated mental health challenges. Read more
Ricky is in high demand as a keynote speaker and has spoken at hundreds of events and conferences to inspire audiences to raise their aspirations. Ricky will inspire and amaze your staff, clients & stakeholders with the story of his long & difficult journey from a council estate in Glasgow to the summit of Everest. Read more
Ricky has spoken at hundreds of events across the UK to inspire young people to raise their aspirations. Book an inspirational Everest-themed webinar for your children, pupils at home with parents, or for a child's birthday party. Read more
Ricky has spoken at hundreds of schools across the UK to raise pupils' and staff aspirations. We've now secured funding to deliver free inspirational Everest-themed webinars to schools across the UK to help support young people affected by the lockdown. Read more
Ricky has spoken at a number of higher & further education institutes across the UK. Ricky struggled through university himself and dropped out twice due to mental health issues. Book a talk from Ricky to inspire your students to overcome their own barriers and broaden their career horizons. Read more
Ricky has spoken at hundreds of schools across the UK to raise pupils' aspirations. He offers talks to both junior & senior school audiences and has spoken at staff conferences. Ricky is passsionate about social mobility. He offers free talks at schools in the most deprived areas to help close the attainment gap. Read more
Inspire Alpine® founder Ricky Munday has spoken at a range of business & school awards events. His 15-minute inspirational talk describes his experience climbing high in the Death Zone on the northeast ridge of Everest on his successful summit attempt in 2018, and the lessons he learned from his failure the year before. Read more