Lost?

The middle of life could be the heart of life; the sweet spot where energy and wisdom combine to greatest effect. Instead, it’s a time when, despite everything they have, men often feel purposeless, directionless, exhausted and lost. Outwardly, their lives look successful. Inwardly, they feel very different.

For many men, work lies at the heart of that incongruity: their job might look impressive to other people but to them it’s profoundly unfulfilling, even soul-destroying. It’s the mountain they’ve been climbing for years but with every step it’s becoming clearer that they’re on the wrong path, heading for the wrong summit.

The Second Summit comes into view at this point, offering men the chance to explore what it might be like to head in a different direction; to point themselves towards something better, to honour their true talent, and find their path.

Campfire conversations

Talks, storytelling, and group discussions around a fire

Wayfinding sessions

One-to-one coaching delivered in the open air

Wild courses

Multi-day group sessions set in wild places

The Second Summit was created by Ed Haigh. Ed spent more than 25 years in the corporate world, including nearly 15 years as an advisor to many of the world’s biggest management consulting firms. His work with leadership teams took him around the world, from boardrooms in New York to beach clubs in Monaco.

It was exciting and taught him a lot, but it was never really Ed, and by the time he hit 50 his body was starting to tell him as much. Having quietly looked forward to his mid-life crisis on the basis that it would legitimise impulsive purchases and bad behaviour, the crisis Ed actually found himself in was considerably less enjoyable and didn’t seem to go away when he bought a new bike*. It was a crisis of purpose, meaning and belonging.

What followed was an intense period of soul-searching, reading, writing, thinking, walking, cycling and baking from which The Second Summit eventually emerged. It brought together Ed’s experience as a coach, strategist and mountain leader to help men going through a similar experience in life to take time out, draw inspiration from the natural world, and find their path.

*That’s not to say you shouldn’t try the same thing. You never know.

Notes

Short pieces exploring purpose, direction, and the quiet questions that hum in the hearts of men. Ideas shaped by the warp and weft of life, time in the natural world, and the thinking behind The Second Summit.