Anything Is Possible: An Evening with Polar Adventurer Victoria Humphries.

Victoria Humphries is a polar adventurer, three-time Guinness World Record holder, marathon runner, mountain climber, author and Bath-based businesswoman. She describes herself as a normal person who simply believes that anything is possible when you commit to it. For Victoria, success is not defined by elite talent or privilege, but by stepping forward, being brave and embracing the unknown. Challenges will always exist, and every one of us has a choice: be overwhelmed by them or face them head on.

In 1997, Victoria and her mother Sue joined the first all-female expedition to the North Pole. Battling shifting ice, brutal winds and temperatures plummeting to –40°C, the journey tested the group’s physical and mental endurance. At one point, both fell through the ice into the Arctic Ocean, forcing a life-or-death rescue and proving the importance of calm thinking, teamwork and resilience in high-pressure moments. These experiences shaped Victoria’s understanding of fear, failure and progress. She learned that success is rarely linear, and that grit and incremental steps matter far more than perfection.

Victoria now combines her adventure stories with over two decades of commercial leadership. After a long career in education, she became Managing Director of Teachit, a leading digital learning platform. She is currently CEO of the Royal Photographic Society, Chair of Governors for a school in Gibraltar and a trustee for a UK group of schools. Her talks avoid corporate jargon, replacing theoretical frameworks with practical lessons rooted in lived experience. She helps audiences recognise that they operate in a constantly changing world, one where people will fall, need to change direction and often lack all the answers. Through honesty, humour and relatable insights, Victoria shows how embracing discomfort can unlock personal and professional growth.