Growing Bolder With Roz Savage

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Added: Sun. Nov 02, 2008 3:25pm
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It was the Growing Bolder Radio Show interview with Roz Savage that got me thinking. In 2005, Roz was leading a successful, but unremarkable life as a management consultant when she had an early-mid-life crisis.  She couldn’t shake the feeling there might be more meaning to her life than a steady income and a house in the suburbs.

Roz took a piece of advice from a motivational book and wrote two obituaries for herself. One as if she died that very day. The other as if she made major changes, took chances, and chased dreams. In both versions, she included quotes from her family and friends.  Stunned by the difference between what was and what might be, Roz committed to changing her life.

The self-help book suggested looking back to the moments where you've really felt like a success. “For me, it was the sense of achievement I felt when I was picked to row in Oxford's lightweight crew," Roz told us.  "I had set myself that goal, worked really hard and achieved it, so rowing had that positive association for me."

Roz decided that rowing would be her vehicle to an exceptional life. She would return to rowing but in a way that would make a statement and ultimately, make a difference.

In 2005, she was the only solo woman to compete in the 3,000-mile Atlantic Rowing Race from the Canary Islands to Antigua. She finished the race in 103 days.

This summer Roz decided to raise awareness of the plight of the world’s oceans by attempting to become the first woman to row solo from San Francisco to Hawaii.  Averaging 10-11 hours a day "in the saddle," Roz rowed 2,600 miles and listened to 62 audio books along the way. She made the trip in 99 days, eight hours, and 55 minutes. Along the way we blogged and conducted interviews on a satellite phone about preserving the delicate balance of the oceans. And this was just the first of a three-leg journey across the Earth's largest ocean.

In early 2009, Roz will continue for another 2,600 miles to Tuvalu in the Southwest Pacific, followed by the final leg to Australia. If successful, she will have rowed 7,200 miles over three years, and will be the first woman in history to row solo across the Pacific Ocean.

In a few short years, Roz has become a worldwide celebrity and a leader in the movement to preserve our oceans. Her exploits are followed by news organizations all over the world. She has major sponsors, is writing a book, and is in-demand as a motivational and ecological speaker.

It all started because she answered that voice in her head that we all hear every now and then. The voice that asks, “Isn’t there something more?”

There are many ways to answer. For Roz, it was writing the two obituaries.  One as if she died that very day.  And one in which she lived a long life and embraced the Growing Bolder attitude that it’s never too late and just about anything is possible. She imagined dedicating herself to something she would enjoy and something she could believe in. She imagined living a life that would make a difference and inspire others.

When she stopped imagining, she started doing. That’s Growing Bolder. It’s filling the gap between what is and what might be with action.

Listen to GB Radio's Interview with Roz Savage
Check Out Roz's Web site
See how Roger McGuinn was Inspired by Roz