Mike Banker

I came to BOSS because:

Various life events had brought me to a crossroads where I was looking for something to shake up my world in a unique and interesting way. I stumbled upon BOSS and was intrigued by the raw and intense experience it promised. I have always been passionate about the natural world, and BOSS’s ethos of simple living and doing more with less aligned with my own values. I took a 7-day field course that far exceeded my expectations. I came back nine years later to do a 14-day field course that similarly far exceeded expectations. There simply is nothing else like BOSS.

I am on the BOSS board because:

My BOSS experiences fundamentally changed me as a person. I suppose you could call them personal awakenings. There’s likely not a day that goes by where my BOSS experiences are not in some way still echoing and affecting my approach to life. I learned about pushing beyond preconceived boundaries and limitations (which more often that not, it turns out, are mostly just mental illusions). I learned new facets of joy and appreciation. I learned how to meet challenges in new ways. I grew my confidence in myself. I experienced community on a new level. I gained a little more wisdom. I grew more humble. I learned much about gratitude. And so much more (e.g.,making fire, processing an animal, navigating wilderness).

Gratitude is a fundamental component of the BOSS experience. So, I am on the BOSS board because it’s a damn cool, one-of-a-kind community that I want to help perpetuate and thrive, and because of my gratitude and desire to give back to BOSS some of what it has given to me.