Just Challenge founder Lucy Bennett-Baggs left the corporate world to bring office workers away from their desks and into the depths of extreme challenges
Lucy Bennett-Baggs had worked for HSBC for seven years, including four years working in the company's marketing, sponsorships and events sector, when she had her lightbulb moment.
After organising two gruelling charity challenges—one in the Sahara Desert and another in the Gobi Desert—and seeing the life-changing personal and professional results, she realised that providing these experiences was an idea worth investing in and started her company, Just Challenge.
We spoke to Lucy about the importance of getting out of your comfort zone, and why strength, resilience and camaraderie are the ultimate recipe for success.
Tell us about what inspired you to start Just Challenge
When I worked for HSBC, I led expeditions that changed my life and the lives of the 100 people who took part in. The fact that we raised US$500,000 for charity and provided access to clean water for tens of thousands of people was the moment I realized that there are other organisations should be doing this.
So I set up Just Challenge that will facilitate that. Each challenge is very bespoke; I never sell something to a client – I go in and have a discussion about what they want to achieve, who their charities are, what their objectives are, and then I’ll go away and design something to suit.
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How do these challenges bring people together and improve company dynamics?
In the corporate world today there is more pressure on health, wellbeing and mental health for employees, so I think it’s really important to provide the opportunity to switch off from their work and from social pressures, to take them out of their comfort zone and into remote locations that they’ve never had the opportunity to experience.
Not to mention we live such privileged lifestyles, with access to delicious food and accommodation—in a third world country you’re eating food you’re not used to eating, sleeping in tents in minus 20 degree Celsius…it really forces you to adapt and bond with your colleagues on a different level.
When we survey people after a challenge, we find that the majority of people felt prouder to work for their companies.
