Mick Dawson, a former Royal Marines commando, gained renown as a record-breaking ocean rower. He has rowed across the Atlantic Ocean twice and holds a Guinness World Record for skippering the first—and only—rowboat to cross the North Pacific Ocean from Chōshi, Japan, to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in 189 days. This adventure was broadcast on the Discovery Channel’s documentary Rowing the Pacific.

Mick believes that determination, teamwork and adaptability are traits that not only apply to adventurers but to all walks of life. In 2015, he kayaked 2,500 miles around the Falkland Islands with a fellow Royal Marines veteran who was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Three years later, Mick returned to the Pacific, rowing from California to Hawaii with a blind veteran. These heartwarming journeys are chronicled in his book Never Leave a Man Behind: Around the Falklands and Rowing Across the Pacific.