Episode: Mark Agnew — Failure, Resilience, and the Northwest Passage

Twice he set out to row the Atlantic. Twice he failed. One attempt ended in humiliation, splashed across newspapers as “Captain Calamity.” The second haunted him for years as he questioned whether he was truly an adventurer at all.

But failure didn’t end Mark Agnew’s story. It became the foundation of it.

In 2023, after 103 days in the Arctic, Mark and his team became the first to kayak the entire Northwest Passage — one of the last great polar challenges. Along the way, he faced polar bears, storms, fractured relationships, and the ghosts of his past.

What he discovered is that resilience isn’t about gritting your teeth. It’s about reframing failure, adapting, and finding meaning in the struggle

🔑 In This Episode

• Growing up in the shadow of adventure — his father mapping Patagonia and his mother travelling solo across Asia
• The humiliation of being rescued after just 48 hours at sea — and why he immediately wanted to try again
• The crushing weight of his second Atlantic failure, and how it became his “fork in the road”
• How a £50,000 scam nearly ended his dream before it began
• The polar bear encounter that tested his courage
• What 103 days in the Arctic taught him about resilience, camaraderie, and the meaning of adventure

🌟 Key Quotes

• “If you’re too tough, you can’t be resilient. Real resilience is about adapting, laughing at yourself, and being brave enough to know that asking for help isn’t weakness.”
• “Frame your struggles as part of the hero’s journey. The darkest moment isn’t the end — it’s the turning point.”
• “Failure didn’t define me. It refined me.”

🌍 Learn More

• Explore Mark’s world: sampenny.com/mark-agnew
• Work 1:1 with me to tackle your own bold goals: sampenny.com/action

Mark’s story is proof that failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s part of it.