Conny van Rietschoten
I've been thinking about what really changes the world, and it's rarely a politician.
Rarely a president, a prime minister, even a king or queen. Policies matter and so does science, but when it comes to changing hearts, changing habits, inspiring people to actually act, history tells a different story.
I wasn't inspired by politics, I was inspired by people who'd done something extraordinary. And for me that was Conny van Rietschoten, the Dutchman who remains the only skipper ever to win the Whitbread Round the World Race twice.
As a child, I once took a train, an hour each way, just to see and touch the Flyer, his yacht. It wasn't just a yacht. It was the start of a dream that ended up shaping most of my life.
Everyone has someone like that. Not someone you put on a pedestal, just someone who shows you what's actually possible, simply by doing it.
That kind of influence has always lived in the same places. Musicians filling stadiums. Athletes breaking records. Explorers crossing oceans. Artists moving millions of people through their work. None of that disappeared. It just gained a new stage alongside the old ones, social media, reaching further and faster than any of it could before.
If we're serious about facing climate change and everything coming with it, facts alone won't get us there. We need the people who already inspire millions, every single day, to help carry the story too. Not through fear, not through politics, but through hope, curiosity, and the belief that looking after this planet is something worth being proud of.
Imagine what happens if the world's most influential musicians, athletes, creators, and storytellers ever spoke with one voice. They don't need all the answers. They already have something just as powerful, the ability to make millions of people care.
History's shown us, again and again, that's always where real change begins. Somewhere out there, right now, there's a kid on a train, and someone they're about to see is going to shape the rest of their life.
