Optimism Against All Odds

This morning, the Ottawa Police Association welcomed Dr. Adam Shoalts, described as “Canada’s Indiana Jones,” to speak to OPS officers and civilian members on mindset, building resilience, and overcoming adversity. 

Adam Shoalts is a professional explorer, bestselling author, and is the Westaway Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. He holds a Ph.D. in geography and history, leads solo expeditions in remote wilderness, and completed a 4,000 km Arctic journey in 2017.

Through humour, anecdotes and storytelling from his adventures alone in the wild, Shoalts inspired the audience to see the silver lining in every situation.

“There’s always something to be grateful for,” he said. 

Policing is an incredibly challenging profession, and resilience building is fundamental for civilian and sworn members alike. While exploring Canada and policing Ottawa may seem worlds apart, they share similar challenges.

When asked how he dealt with leaving his family behind to go do a risky, unpredictable and at-time dangerous job, Shoalts said that he uses it as fuel to get the task done. “It makes me want to get an early start the next day, and keep going, one foot in front of the other, because every hour is one more hour closer to seeing my family again.”

Shoalts managed to transmit his love for Canadian wildlife and land through his summary of a months-long trip canoeing alone across the Arctic and following a falcon’s migration trail from his front doorstep to the great white North.

Time in nature helps improve mental health by reducing stress, clearing the mind, and offering a break from the busy world. Shoalts advice to first responders is simple: spend more time outdoors, even on days when the weather is bad, your socks are wet and it’s cold – it will make you appreciate the little things so much more.