“Co-Founder of WildPlay Element Parks. Entrepreneur, mountain guide, and 40-year student of fear, purpose, and what it means to lead well.”
Tom Benson is the co-founder of WildPlay Element Parks, a North American network of adventure parks he has spent 20 years building on Vancouver Island, BC. He didn't start with a market opportunity. He started as a mountain guide with a belief that helping people face fear changes something fundamental in them. That belief became a company, and that company quietly reshaped an entire industry.
Tom speaks candidly about what it actually costs to build a business around values rather than just opportunity. About what breaks when you scale purpose. About why fear is something to listen to, not conquer. And about what it looks like to lead a company for two decades without losing the original why.
He is not a frameworks guy. He works conversationally, draws on lived experience, and goes deep. Hosts who slow down and ask real questions get the best from him.
He has been an entrepreneur for over four decades. He has never stopped guiding.
Best for shows focused on entrepreneurship, purpose-driven leadership, adventure, experiential business, fear and courage, and the outdoor industry.
Experience Ziplines, aerial Adventure Courses, and outdoor adventures at WildPlay in Victoria, Nanaimo, Maple Ridge, Thacher, and Jones Beach.
