Hi, I’m Dave. I see life as a bit of experiment and really enjoying the good things that come from saying “yes”. I’m an adventurer, community creator, keynote speaker, filmmaker and author. And I have some alpacas and a campsite, too!

In between long distances journeys without motors I run a community called The YesTribe which revolves around a motto to SayYesMore. I speak to audiences around the world about adventure, positive mindset and community building, and I host a podcast called Self Propelled.

I’ve written a few books, made hundreds of motivational little films, work with companies big and small to promote outdoorsy goodness, and I have a passion for renewable energy solutions, wild camping and unique, low-level living.

For fifteen years I’ve been leading an experimental life; living in unusual structures, embarking on unique adventures and acting out on those ideas that would usually be left in a pub or a daydream. I’m sure I’m here for those lightbulb moments that conjure up the seed of an idea and then explode into a cool reality.

As an adventurer I seek social connection and slow travel, often through a self-set lifetime mission called Expedition1000: twenty five different journeys over 1000 miles, each using a different form of non-motorised transport. So far I’ve travelled over 24,000 miles in completing fifteen journeys including record-breaking distances on a skateboard (across Australia), stand up paddleboard (the length of the Mississippi River) and waterbike (along the Norwegian coastline). There are many adventures to look forward to in the remaining ten journeys, but don’t ask me what they are yet, I have no idea!

In 2015 I created a community called the YesTribe, with a spirit modelled around those kind river and road angels I’d encountered on my own journeys. Powered by what was once just a personal motto to say yes more, the YesTribe has grown to tens of thousands of members worldwide, each bound by a love for making and taking opportunity, a deep appreciation for the outdoors, and a brave, kind and curious lifestyle.

Since quitting my job as a really, really bad graphic designer in 2005 a new way of making a living has grown organically. I travel the world as a speaker, sharing lessons and stories about adventure, positive mindset, community and the power of a decision. I make the occasional film, do a little presenting, host a podcast called Self Propelled and run filmmaking courses for smartphone owners, amongst a handful of other things.

My mission is to use adventurous stories and ideas to create spaces, events and opportunities to encourage and empower.

I love sleeping in weird places, making silly ideas come true and creating opportunities for other people to take a leap forward. As much as possible, I’m led by experiments and the thrill of simplifying adventures for others who are trying them out for the first time.

When not at home, I still disappear once or twice a year to tick off another one thousand mile journey, and make a living by speaking to audiences around the world about adventure and positive mindset.

After living on a houseboat in London for three years Em and I were caught by the COVID-19 pandemic and lived on a double decker bus over the Summer of 2020. This pause in work and travel helped us fast forward our dream of finding some land to merge community with a small business, all geared towards encouraging people to develop a greater connection with nature.

The Big Sky Hideaway is our new basecamp, offering unique glamping, camping and alpacas alongside a woodland for bushcraft and hammock nights, a permaculture garden and a project to plant two thousand trees. By the end of Year One our whole site will be powered by renewable energy.

I created this website in the hope that others will experience similar feelings to those that I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy. Do take a look around and if it’s not instilled in you already, try saying yes more, it’ll take you on an incredible adventure of your own choosing.

BIOGRAPHY

Dave Cornthwaite is a record-breaking adventurer, bestselling author and award-winning community leader with a habit of doing things differently.

Since quitting a job as a really bad graphic designer in 2005 Dave has embarked on a unique career; covering over 24,000 miles under his own steam as part of Expedition1000, an ongoing mission to take on twenty-five different non-motorised journeys, each over 1000 miles in distance. He's completed fifteen of these, so far.

Dave has written three books and delivered over 1000 lectures on six continents, his ever-evolving keynote speech is a motivating and inspirational kick up the backside for anyone who ever wondered whether they were capable of doing more.

He is the founder of SayYesMore, a social enterprise geared towards positive change with a thriving community of outdoor lovers; the YesTribe.

In between adventures Dave also hosts a podcast and along with his wife Em, runs the Big Sky Hideaway in Lincolnshire, where you can camp a frisbee-throw from smiling alpacas and enjoy nights in converted buses, or a hammock village.

On 1st January 2020 Dave was given the first Point of Light award of the decade by the Prime Minister, honouring his unique message of positivity.

If his enthusiasm for simple living, the power of adventure for good and the glorious pursuit of enjoying Mondays isn't enough to get you ready for a new challenge, nothing will.

Dave has created hundreds of short films, delivered hundreds of lectures worldwide and travelled over 22,000 non-motorised miles as part of his Expedition1000 project.

Amongst Dave's adventures are record breaking SUP journeys along the Mississippi and around Martinique, longboarding across Australia, swimming 1001 miles and co-founding the groundbreaking growth mindset projects, Exploring Mindset and Winter Quest. 

Dave has written three books: the bestselling Life in the Slow Lane, a hapless search for love in Date, and BoardFree, the story of how he left his job to skateboard further than anyone ever had.

His uniquely entertaining and motivational keynote presentations have been enjoyed on six continents and his passionate advocacy of the word YES has contributed to the sprouting of countless adventures worldwide, big and small.

In between adventures Dave is committed to enabling others to reach their own potential through social journeys, workshops, group expeditions and mindset-shaping projects. In 2015 his motto, SayYesMore, transformed into a different beast when he accidentally founded a social enterprise of the same name and a community of doers called The YesTribe, which offers a gentle solution to the mental health pressures of today's society.

Although consistently nomadic for a decade, Dave now lives on a boat in London and in between adventures leads The YesTribe, a community of doers dedicated to redesigning life for the better. He blogs and speaks about adventure, living life on our own terms and maximising efficiency of choice in order to magnify the positive impact of our work and lifestyle.

If his enthusiasm for simple living, the power of adventure for good and the glorious pursuit of enjoying Mondays isn't enough to get you ready for a new challenge, nothing will.

My mission

My mission, I guess, is to offer a reminder that wherever you're from, whatever your background, if there's something you want to do then there is a way. It's not always easy, it's not always hard, and it's almost always down to your mind whether you do it or not. So if you want to try, I'd like to try to help you. 

I've been lucky enough to have some great experiences and I don't take any of it for granted. I think it's important to pass that stuff along. Drop me a line, anytime, if you think I can help and always remember that it's the people you surround yourself with who make life special, liveable and memorable. So pick your friends wisely, and be one of those people who other people choose to have around, and you'll be on the right track.

STREETCRED