Soraya believes in taking a holistic approach to making the world a better place, and writes about sustainability, nature and adventure travel. Soraya is Lonely Planet Sustainable Storyteller 2021 and founder of the All The Elements – a community working to increase diversity in the UK outdoors.
Soraya in her own words:
In 2014, I left my ‘dream job’ to make a difference. I kickstarted my new career by studying sustainability for business. As a reward to myself for handing in my dissertation, I went wild camping and canoeing on the Mississippi river. This trip was far more than an adventure holiday – it was a re-connection to nature. I want to help you to be more mindful in what you do and to understand that individual decisions can make a positive impact on our planet. When I'm not travelling, writing or creating
net-positive artwork, you'll find me tackling
diversity in the UK outdoors, organising
all-women sailing trips exploring plastics and toxics in our ocean and walking my labradoodle Rory.
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Show notes
- Who is Soraya
- What her childhood was like
- Having a passion for horses
- Going to university to study law
- Pivoting her career into sustainability
- Not being happy in her dream job
- Figuring out her purpose
- Wanting to study sustainability for business
- What does sustainability mean to Soraya
- The One Planet MBA - University of Exeter
- Adventure and sustainability
- Why adventure has to have a purpose
- Why are we going to these places?
- How are we communicating what we are seeing?
- Travel with a lower impact
- Getting involved in the adventure community
- Being inspired by Ben Keene
- Rebel Book club
- Love Her Wild
- The Yes Tribe
- Adventure Uncovered
- Explore at the RGS
- Starting to travel on her own in 2016
- Taking a trip to the Sahara desert
- Canoeing on the Mississippi with Dave Cornthwaite and Emily Penn
- Liking to have shared experiences while adventuring
- Losing the fear
- The Sail Britain Voyage
- Not always being artistic, but always being creative
- Wanting to be able to paint and draw
- Drawing while on expedition
- Heading to Vancouver in 2018
- The challenges to tacking plastic
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Breaking the challenge down
- Black Lives Matter
- How can we create change?
- What are you most passionate about?
- Making informed decisions
- All the elements which was set up in August 2020
- The importance of role modelling
- Stepping into the light
- The many aspects to diversity
- Bringing everyone together
- Sharing her story online and feeling uncomfortable at the start
- Taking on a new project with her mum and dog (Rory)
- Deciding to walk the South West Coast Path
- Final words of advice
- Working out what is important to you
- Not worrying about what other people are doing
Social Media
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