Introducing our newest contributor Anna Campbell!  Anna will be updating us with her various extreme projects throughout the year and sharing an honest account of her experience and useful advice for anyone interested in doing it themselves. So, a little about the lady herself…

She was born and brought up in East Africa, a genuine free spirit, spending most of her childhood on a tiny island off the coast of Kenya called Lamu! Anna is always doing or planning some adventure involving extreme sports and is always looking to master new ones. She will never turn down a challenge, and has a unique drive and determination to give her best, which she demonstrated by winning the grueling BBC series ‘Last Woman Standing’!

She is particularly drawn to the world of adrenaline sports and is one of today’s role models when it comes to inspiring girls to get involved! If you ever bump into Anna at a lake, on the ocean, anywhere, she is very approachable and will always stop what she is doing to encourage and help where she can… those who know Anna well know she is actually a very solitary creature, but loves finding other girls with similar free-spirit attitudes to ride with… as long as any politics or ‘negative vibes’ are left on the shore!

Tell us a bit about your goals in extreme sports.

“Well, like most athletes I want to continue to enjoy what I do and push my limits far beyond what I feel possible, I’m currently gathering as many skills/sports into my ‘bag’, which I love! With these I plan to leave on my biggest extreme adventure to date to raise awareness for a conservation project I support… so stay tuned. BUT aside from that, I really want to encourage more girls to experience these sports. Everyday I see first hand the phenomenal gains I get from them, not only my confidence, fitness and independence gets a boost but the places these sports take me around our beautiful globe and the fabulous people I meet through them. It’s a wonderful lifestyle that comes with these adventure sports… you just have to take that first step, join that club, buy that gear or plan a trip/course and then you’ll be wrapped up in it – and you won’t look back – you’ll be too busy planning the next adventure!“

What would you like to see in the future of the sports you love?

“I want to see more females pushing the boundaries and realizing they are capable of so much more then they think. I would love to think I could inspire males too, I’m not excluding them because I’m a strict feminist haha. I appreciate and admire male athletes and their immense achievements but obviously I’m aware that girls will relate to me more then the boys! My biggest want would be finding successful ways of engaging more kids to get involved with sport… of any nature, but ideally those that get them out in nature, in the elements. That’s the great thing about watersports, you feel very connected to the natural world, such an important thing that is overlooked with lots of youth today living in cities… I want to get them out there, give them a taste of that feeling I crave, when I feel life literally pumping through my veins!”

You have such range of sports in your life, but it seems adventure sports get the largest share of your time… how do you priorities your sport?

“It completely depends where I am in the world. If I am stuck in a rainy city I’ll be found drilling in a squash court or practicing Muay Thai, a recent favourite way to spend a rainy day is at a go-kart track… amazing buzz and serious fun! But if I have access to water and the conditions are right kitesurfing or wakeboarding come second to none. I love getting completely enveloped in the freedom, speed and adrenaline these sports allow me to experience, they also tend to challenge me in more ways then one, from extreme physical demands, intellect in sticky situations and of course overcoming the fear factor.”

Anna’s renowned for encouraging people to do what they really want to do in life, she strongly believes that you are in charge of your own happiness. We asked what Anna’s secret was for her contagious passion for life, she said, simply stick to these rules “stay true to yourself, be confident that where there is a will there is a way and always look for the positive in things! Regular chocolate also helps fuel the smile haha”

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