Chris Burkard

Chris is a highly accomplished explorer, photographer, creative director, speaker, and author. His most recent film, Under an Arctic Sky, was an Official Selection at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.

In the same year, Chris was included in Forbes’ Top 10 Social Influencer list. His clients include Apple, Patagonia, The North Face, Microsoft, ESPN, and Airbnb.

On his morning routine.

I always try to start and kick off my days with an hour or two of exercise, whether it be cycling, climbing, or yoga. Recently it’s been cycling as I have some endurance races that I’m training for.

I get that done before my kids wake up and then help them get their day started and take them to school. As far as food, I try and keep it really light and just stick to a smoothie.

My mind is usually racing too much to eat a huge breakfast.

On incorporating stillness.

For me, it began with my yoga teacher training.

After diving deep into that world it made me want to begin to learn more about the practice of being mindful. That led me to take a meditation course, which was one of the most beneficial things I’ve ever done.

Now, meditating is a part of my daily routine.

As someone who likes to always be in control, it really taught me how to let things go and realize what I can control and what I can’t.

On his life’s motto.

Challenge people to question their relationships with wild places, so they may find the joy in them I do.

People are often looking for complex solutions to their problems that a healthy relationship with the outdoors may be able to help alleviate.

In my work, I strive to show people the importance of experiencing the outdoors and hopefully inspire them to seek out their own wild spaces.

On listening to his body.

Fully committing to a vegan diet has had a massive impact on my life.

I’ve been a vegetarian for the past 10 years, but after my wife’s dad passed away it was really a wake-up call for me as far as my health.

Between that and more regularly practicing yoga, I began to really listen to my body and how I was feeling. It was a natural progression and I found that adhering to a vegan diet really affected my energy levels.

I stopped feeling fatigued midway through my day and generally felt much more energetic and alert.

Helping reduce my carbon footprint was another factor that led me to the diet.

On staying healthy on the road.

When I’m traveling to a new city I’m always asking people where the best vegan restaurants and cafes are. Luckily, I have a large enough social media platform to get tons of recommendations from people for local spots.

I also always try and find local yoga studios and climbing gyms. It’s a great way to discover a city and have the chance to be a part of the community.

On his nightly routine.

To wind down, I try and put my phone down at least an hour before I go to bed. I use that time to catch up with my wife and hang out with my kids.

I make it a point to reserve that time for things not work-related because the last thing I want to do is go to bed and wake up thinking about work.

I’m a chronically bad sleeper so I avoid caffeine and use an eye mask and occasionally CBD to help me fall asleep.