Featured image: Wang’s journey was one of perseverance / Photo provided by Lei Wang

“I felt this magnetic pull to climb mountains”, Wang says 

by Mia Taylor

Searching for an inspiring dose of travel goals? It doesn’t get much better than hearing from some of the planet’s boldest and most celebrated female adventurers about their inspirations, motivations and goals.

Our new series celebrates everyday ‘ageless adventuresses’ who have designed remarkable, jaw-dropping lives. And while each woman’s story is unique, their lives have a common thread: Persistence. The willingness to dream big, bold dreams, and the audacity needed to bring those dreams to life. These women are the very definition of what it means to be a badass woman in today’s world. But it doesn’t happen all at once — it’s all about the journey and the lessons learned along the way.

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Lei Wang: The first Asian American woman to complete the Explorer’s Grand Slam

Aconcagua. Denali. Elbrus. Everest. Kilimanjaro. Vinson. Carstensz Pyramid.

They are the tallest summits on all seven continents and Lei Wang has experienced each of them personally – along with making it to the North and South poles. It’s a feat known as the Explorer’s Grand Slam and Wang is the first Asian woman to have completed it.

That puts her in very elite company. It’s also a very long way from the young girl who grew up in Beijing, a self-described book nerd who barely passed gym tests in school. Wang wasn’t much interested in athletics for the first few decades of life, let alone scaling the world’s tallest peaks.

So, how did she get from bookworm to record-breaking adventurer? Her path includes many fairly standard life milestones: Attending college, earning a graduate degree and embarking on a career. In Wang’s case, the career was in finance on Wall Street.

Throughout it all, however, something was missing. “Deep down, I wasn’t excited,” Wang says.

And then, during a cold winter in Boston, Wang stumbled on a movie that would forever change her life. That movie was the 2023 survival documentary “Touching the Void,” which tells the story of two climbers and their journey up the west face of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes.

The movie triggered Wang’s curiosity. “I felt this magnetic pull to climb mountains,” says Wang about her response to the film. Yet, she was also someone who “had zero experience, hated the cold, and didn’t even like hiking.”

In spite of those contradictory realities, Wang paid a visit to a local library and checked out all of the mountaineering documentaries she could find. Binging on those movies triggered an important revelation for Wang that mountaineers are just normal people. As opposed to some sort of superhuman species uniquely capable of adventures the rest of us couldn’t possibly accomplish, let alone dare to dream up.

After that realization, Wang officially identified a new goal for herself: Climbing Mount Everest. And the rest is history.

The dream found Wang

In Wang’s case, her drive to reach the planet’s seven highest mountain peaks and the North and South poles wasn’t inspired by a single role model. But rather “the audacity of the dream itself,” she explains.

“I didn’t grow up thinking someone like me could do something so bold. That’s exactly why I had to try. The dream chose me, and I said yes,” she says.

That doesn’t mean accomplishing her newfound goal was easy. In fact, Wang admits there were many moments along the way when she doubted herself and everything she was doing. “I remember being alone in my tent on Everest, exhausted, questioning everything. But I had a guiding principle: I chose this,” Wang recalls. “I reminded myself I didn’t come this far…just to come this far.”

“I was doing it to become someone I had never dared to imagine,” says Wang, to which she adds, “Every hardship was part of that transformation.”

Lessons from a life of mountaineering

There was indeed a transformation that took place. Wang says completing the Explorer’s Grand Slam and her pursuit of mountaineering changed everything.

Before the mountains, Wang believed success came from doing what she was “supposed” to do.

After the mountains? She realized success is about living with purpose and courage.

Wang also found that she was more resilient, more grounded, and more open to uncertainty, having accomplished what she did.

“Today, I bring that perspective into everything I do—whether I’m coaching executives, delivering a keynote, or simply deciding how I want to live each day,” she says.

Take the first step

So what’s Wang’s advice for others who may be wondering how to create a rewarding life of adventure? The answer is simple. Start with what excites you, even if it scares you.

“You don’t need a detailed plan. You just need to take the next step,” says Wang. “Courage is built in motion.”

What’s more, advises Wang, “don’t wait until you feel ready.” And lastly, but perhaps most importantly, she adds: “And don’t let anyone else’s definition of ‘real adventure’ limit you. Whether it’s climbing a mountain or taking your first solo trip, what matters is that you’re saying ‘Yes’ to yourself.”

As for Wang, travel continues to be a big part of her life, but she approaches it far differently these days.

“Travel is a mindset more than a destination for me now,” she concludes. “I still climb and explore, but I also travel to speak, facilitate leadership retreats, and work with teams around the world.”

“And I travel for joy—with eyes open to wonder, even if it’s just in my own backyard or a short hike near Seattle,” Wang adds.” Adventure isn’t always about epic scale. It’s about presence and discovery.”

Lei Wang is just one of the women featured in JourneyWoman’s new book, “Never Too Late: How Women 50+ Travellers Are Making the Rules.” Download the book here.

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