What if the best business mentor you never had wasn't a person at all?

In this episode, Chris Gilmour, educator, wilderness guide, course creator, and resilience consultant, shares how a fascination with wildlife tracking in his early twenties led him to one of the most unique and meaningful careers imaginable. Over two decades, Chris has taught thousands of people how to grow food, navigate the wild, and build resilience, not as a doomsday prepper, but as a practical, grounded human being who understands that nature has been solving complex problems long before we arrived.

His work sits at the intersection of ecology, emergency preparedness, and ancestral wisdom, and it all traces back to one man: John Young, who taught Chris to track deer and inadvertently taught him how to see the patterns that run through everything.

[00:03:40] What He Does and Who He Serves

Educator, wilderness guide, and resilience consultant
Helps individuals and organizations reconnect with nature and build resilience
Works with businesses, municipalities, and hospitals on preparedness and resilience audits

[00:04:40] Where It All Started

Got into wilderness guiding in his early twenties
Became obsessed with reading wildlife tracks, weather patterns, and birdsong
Those skills taught him pattern recognition and how to connect the dots in complex systems

[00:06:00] Reconnecting People with the Land

Humans have lost a deep connection to the land that shaped us for thousands of years
Ancestral skills still train our brains and bodies in ways that matter today
Time in nature calms the nervous system and restores balance amid constant tech and noise

[00:07:00] Holistic Preparedness

Not doomsday prepping; a practical, non-fear-based approach to an uncertain world
Helps individuals, communities, and organizations adapt to extreme weather, pandemics, and financial disruption
Bridges emergency management expertise with ecology for a uniquely holistic angle

[00:08:20] Resilient Design

Lives on a small homestead, growing food and balancing land-based living with consulting work
Applies sustainable agricultural thinking to how businesses and individuals hold up under pressure
What makes a food system locally resilient also makes a business resilient to disruption

[00:09:40] What Inspires Him: Million Dollar Relationships

Sitting alone in a hotel restaurant at 10pm on a work trip, had a profound epiphany
Realized no amount of money would make him stop doing this work
Sent Kevin an email that same night after thinking about what a million dollar relationship really means
Confirmed he is living his life's purpose and would not trade it

[00:14:40] How He Helps People Who Feel Overwhelmed

Most people either ignore the anxiety or spiral into extreme prepper mode; neither works
Humans are born survivors; reframing that story is the first step
Audits organizations, maps every vulnerability, then finds the low-hanging fruit
Small proactive steps create immediate relief; you sleep better when you've done something

[00:19:20] Client Impact: The Young Man Who Came Full Circle

Worked with at-risk youth in his early guiding days, taking young offenders into the wilderness
One young man with a severe alcohol problem resurfaced years later in a very dark place
Chris used his network to land him a summer job with a park warden in remote backcountry
He is now seven years sober, a father, and works with at-risk youth through nature connection

[00:24:00] The Relationship That Changed Everything: John Young

A friend introduced Chris to John Young in his early twenties
John is an author, TED speaker, and founder of schools focused on land connection
Chris went to learn tracking but John was really teaching pattern recognition and systems thinking
That foundation led Chris to study emergency management and eventually consult with hospitals and municipalities

[00:27:40] What John Planted That Grew into Everything

John introduced the idea that culture can be designed intentionally
That sparked Chris's obsession with patterns across healthy cultures, communities, and ecosystems
The pattern thinking John taught is the foundation for every client conversation Chris has today

[00:31:20] What Being a Tracker Really Means

Tracking started as reading animal prints; it became something far bigger
Now it means tracking ripples across time, culture, business, and human relationships
The mission is applying ancient pattern wisdom to the most complex modern challenges
Healthy humans, ecosystems, and businesses all share the same resilience patterns

KEY QUOTES

"I realized that if I had millions of dollars in the bank, I would still be sitting here working on my notes to go serve this community. That relationship is literally worth more than a million dollars to me." — Chris Gilmour

"John taught me to track deer. That led me down this deep rabbit hole that basically led to how I do my work today." — Chris Gilmour

"Healthy humans are more resilient. Healthy ecosystems are more resilient. Healthy businesses are more resilient. How do we put those all together? That's my sacred question." — Chris Gilmour

CONNECT WITH CHRIS GILMOUR

🌐 Website: https://www.chrisoutdoors.ca

🌲 Consulting: https://www.chrisoutdoors.ca/consulting

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisoutdoors

Thanks for tuning in!

If you liked my show, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, and subscribe!

Find me on:

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeart Radio |