After years spent building, and ultimately selling, the insanely successful running app, Runna, Dom Maskell found himself with greater freedom but without the same sense of purpose.

The sale opened up immense possibilities, but the structure that had shaped his days was missing.

“There’s a lot that you lose when you leave work,” said Dom. “I believe we need things like accountability, progression and structure, if we’re to find greater purpose and happiness.”

Through a series of energising conversations and choices (and a few epic Strive gatherings to boot) Dom rediscovered the value of embracing discomfort and of becoming a beginner again.

He joined Strive looking for people who understood the tension between newfound freedom and the loss of routine and momentum. His first Global Gathering took him to Necker Island; his second, across Iceland. Both introduced him to extraordinary people and experiences, showing him how much more there was to explore.

Meeting fellow Striver Luke Hepworth was particularly influential. Hearing about his adventures revealed a whole other level of what might be possible.

Dom has recently been pursuing even more ambitious adventures of his own (from wing walking above the Cotswolds to planning a charity relay across Kenya) with a new willingness to be a beginner again. 

His recent trip to Nicaragua was all about learning to surf. He arrived alone and stayed in a hostel where everyone seemed more experienced and at home in that world than he was. While others headed confidently into the waves, Dom clung to his foam board and repeatedly fell off. “It’s uncomfortable and embarrassing,” he said.

Slowly, embarrassment gave way to progress. Progress became enjoyment. And through the experience, Dom rediscovered a sense of resilience and achievement.

This led him to learn several other new skills from kitesurfing and wakeboarding to free diving, giving him a whole new sense of purpose, achievement, community and plenty of fun!

The pursuit of personal growth is a key pillar of Strive and something we talk about a lot. It’s the lifelong process of becoming more conscious of who we are, more intentional in how we live, and more capable of realising our potential in service of something beyond ourselves. 

Dom’s experience is a reminder of what growth can look like in practice, and how much we stand to gain when we find the courage to be a beginner, embrace the awkward, humbling moments and allow ourselves to be bad at something for awhile.