Kevin Cherilla on Climbing Mountains

Kevin Cherilla has had the privilege of working with thousands of people from all walks of life for the past 20 years. Whether in the classroom, the boardroom or on the mountain, his tailored messages and themes are delivered for maximum impact to diverse audiences. From students to educators and employees to corporate executives, Kevin’s engaging, energetic and educational programs are perfect for reaching young people and adults through lessons and experiences that directly apply to their everyday lives: • Value the diverse qualities in every team member • Learn when to lead and when to follow • Achieve and appreciate success regardless of the odds against you • Inspire vision, hope and accomplishment in the minds of those who have given up • Set real goals that are beyond the ordinary As a business owner, premiere educator and mountain guide of twenty years, Kevin understands how people learn and what kind of presentation will resonate with specific audiences. Kevin’s programs not only captivate listeners but deliver salient lessons to inspire everyone. He offers these presentations for international corporations, foundations, universities and schools. Each one is unique and tailored to their needs, themes and schedule. Kevin’s presentations include breathtaking expedition photos and award winning video footage from around the world including the summit of Mt. Everest and Mt. Kilimanjaro. His teams have been featured on the front cover of TIME, Outside, Climbing and *Scholastic News magazines, on the Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and world news programs, including CNN. Kevin started K2 to engage and challenge individuals by reaching their goals of climbing mountains around the world. Many of his clients have individual disabilities such as amputations, blindness, paralysis and muscular dystrophy. His teammates have ranged in age from 10 to 85 years old and have had a phenomenal success rate of over 95%. In January 2012, Kevin was given one of his greatest and most rewarding climbs to date. He was the expedition leader for Kyle Maynard, the first quadruple amputee to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. Kyle won an ESPN ESPY Award for this tremendous accomplishment. In 2016, Kyle climbed the highest peak in the western hemisphere, Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina under Kevin’s leadership, and was subsequently featured in a Nike commercial during the 2016 Summer Olympics. Some of Kevin’s other expedition successes include leading 8 blind climbers up Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2009 which broke four world records. Kevin was a member of Erik Weihenmayer’s historic summit of Mt. Everest in 2001. Erik is the only blind person in history to reach the summit. On June 5, 2007, Kevin fulfilled one of his life-long dreams and summited Mt. Everest himself. In 2009, Kevin co-founded K2 Adventures Foundation, a qualified national and international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. K2’s mission is to care for children, adults and families with special needs and or life changing medical circumstances by providing services, support and funds that will be used for educational and medical enrichment. K2 has had many projects over the years including building a children’s medical and dental center in Tanzania, 3 schools in Nepal and working with a school for severely disabled children in Peru. You can learn more about Kevin's work at https://k2adventures.org/. Also, if you liked this episode and others, please support us at Patreon or follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @IntentionalPerformers. Thanks, Brian