Who is Akshay Nanavati, the previous US Marine who skied a treacherous Antarctica glacier?

A former US Marine, ultramarathoner, and entrepreneur, Akshay Nanavati is rarely afraid of a problem. His newest quest is one for the file books — he’s amongst lower than 50 individuals who have managed to efficiently ski up the treacherous Axel Heiberg glacier in Antarctica. Despite the lengthy months of coaching in relative isolation and almost shedding a finger or two to frostbite, Nanavati plans to proceed his exploration of the South Pole.

Nanavati’s secret is a philosophy he calls ‘Fearvana’ — the concept worry, stress and anxiousness “are not your enemy” and might as an alternative be remodeled into “your greatest allies” for fulfillment. Nanavati’s ‘fearvana’ epiphany got here after years of battle — a painful bout of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when he returned residence after a seven-month deployment in Iraq, in addition to a battle with melancholy and habit.

He started his strategy of therapeutic by finding out neuroscience, psychology and spirituality, he wrote in an article printed on entrepreneur.com. “Initially, I just wanted a roadmap out of the abyss. But in that three-year journey, I began a greater quest to figure out how we can all live happier and more meaningful lives. That search led me to the concept of Fearvana,” he defined.

One of the primary obstacles he overcame was survivor’s guilt. While he survived the mission in Iraq, a lot of his fellow troopers weren’t fairly as lucky. He has {a photograph} of his buddy who died in Iraq up on his wall with the phrases ‘This should have been you, earn this life’ beneath. “Instead of fighting my guilt, I harnessed it. I told myself since I am still alive, let me do something meaningful with this life and honor my friend. That helped me sober up and focus on giving value to the world. Guilt is now my greatest ally,” he wrote.

Despite quite a few bodily limitations, together with a blood dysfunction that transports much less oxygen by way of his physique, in November 2021, he launched into a ski journey up the Axel Heilberg glacier in Antarctica, following within the footsteps of Roald Amundsen, the primary particular person to succeed in the South Pole. Nanavati and his group reached the highest of Axel Heiberg Glacier, precisely 110 years to the day that Roald Amundsen set foot on the South Pole.

“My first words when we landed in Antarctica were I’m in Antarctica (with great excitement)… I’m home (with a deep sense of calm and knowing),” he wrote in a weblog submit. “The place is unreal. I feel so privileged to be here and to experience all of this.”

He paperwork his journey and his tryst with overcoming worry in his ebook ‘Fearvana’.