Next in the Inspired Life Speaker Series….

Andante (on-DON-tay) is a musical term that means “at a moderate walking speed." Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Wagner and Bach are just a few of the classical composers who walked at the speed of andante to capture their muse and compose some of the most enduring music ever written. What they discovered intuitively was that walking is not separate from creativity – it’s largely responsible for creativity. This came as welcome news to Alison Young who lives a dual life as a professional musician and long distance backpacker. She shares her enthusiasm for the intersection of classical music and walking as well as ways to tap into your own creativity for a more balanced life.

A former professional flutist and American Public Media radio host, Alison Young is the “solo, female, middle-aged, titanium-reinforced, neurological-movement-disorder manager, cancer-thriver and long-distance backpacker” Blissful Hiker. She’s hiked over 12,000 miles on six continents and in one year, walked New Zealand’s “long pathway” Te Araroa and the Pacific Crest Trail. She shares stories about her life as a musician and thru-hiker through image, found sound, poetic and metaphor-rich word, bringing alive lessons that inspire, energize and ultimately heal the body, mind and spirit.