BIOGRAPHY
Where the Story Begins
1973- As an army brat, Eric was born in Nova Scotia but moved to many different army bases throughout his childhood.
1993- At age 18, he joined the Canadian military forces, just like his father and brother.
1998- 5 years later he joined the circus life, travelling across north America as a promoter/marketer for more than 10 different circuses.
“I saw in circuses a way to explore my artistic skills and live like there is no tomorrow! My career as a freelance circus promoter/marketer (even ringmaster!) was a great way to discover my abilities to convince and communicate my passion to others “
2005- Facing his fear of the public, he went from behind the scenes to becoming a master of ceremony and later on a public speaker, working for various producers and delivering motivational speeches to various local organizations.
2008- Despite a brilliant career ahead of him, Eric had to slow down the pace and take a leap of faith to explore his inner life.
The Wake-up Call
2008- It was in the process of preparing a talk for a public school on the benefit of reconnecting with nature, that he realized a personal irony.
“I was completely absorbed by grueling work managing my own career. I was, in fact, the antithesis of my own message!! Spending numerous hours on my many devices to nurture my social networks while encouraging other people to reconnect with nature, not electronics”
Summer 2008-A near-death experience due to an accumulation of mental fatigue reset the priorities of his life.
Falling in Love with the Bicycle
Summer 2008-A few days later, in the turmoil of many personal and professional conflicts, he bought a brand new bicycle, hoping to find a valid excuse to get away from his office, gain clarity and reconnect with himself.
“Only a few miles away from my home, I noticed that the silence and the beauty of the surrounding nature was having an effect on my mood and psyche. The experience was so powerful and immediate, I realized I had been completely absorbed in and drowning in my daily dysfunctional sedentary lifestyle. I witnessed my profound disconnection from nature"
“The time I was spending on my computer to build my career in show-business and as a motivational speaker was creating stress and frustration through my entire body and mind. I was facing all the modern symptoms of the fast-paced city lifestyle, and despite all my efforts, was not able to find a viable solution to release these tensions”
The Reconnect-Disconnect Treatment
Fall 2008- In a leap of faith, Eric packed up his bike and bought a one-way ticket to Switzerland. With almost zero previous bike experience, he had quit everything, including his business clients, his girlfriend and his car, to face the unknown while bicycling Europe.
Fall 2008- Eric’s first few months of pedal-driven, liberation-induced euphoria soon gave way to a realization that he could not sustain that lifestyle forever. Mindful of the purpose of his trip, he discovered a new form of traveling using the work-trade system on small-scale organic farm and intentional communities
“My sudden transformation was the result from real physical work, social interaction and constant manual learning. The changes I was experiencing gave me a new perspective on how I could help others heal from modern traumas. As the result of my new way of living, I was finally able to "disconnect then reconnect."”
2009- Eric began investigating healing space designs for people facing the side effects of modern traumas, combining nature with applicable holistic knowledge.
“Having conquered personal challenges in my own life, I felt a resonance with therapeutic communities. All my past personal and professional experiences led me to what seemed to be a logical goal - to become an outdoor technical counselor/educator”
The Missing Link
2009-2010 Eric began a series of internships, sponsored by a Quebec foundation, working in 13 different European based therapeutic communities specializing in treatment for addicts and mentally ill patients. All linked as part of his personal European bike tour.
2010- Incubation of a new concept for an experiential bike retreat for addicts, merging reflection with action
“I saw in these settings that there was mostly psychological theory being applied to the patients but not actual experiences that would change their outlook as dramatically as my bicycle wanderings had affected me.”
2010- The therapeutic community from Quebec, in which he intended to work, goes bankrupt. No other similar project existed in Canada. As a result, Eric decided to create his own project, Velomotion Concept, combining bicycling with an innovative personal growth approach.
The Launching of a New Concept
2011- Eric returns to Canada, after many miles on his bicycle, mostly in Europe and North-Africa
“The world I was facing now was completely different than the one I left 4 years earlier, and much more challenging than ever before regarding a balanced life, away from the computer and electronic media”
2011- Through the process of working on the details of his own concept, Eric discovered many similarities between his efforts and the tourism industry trying to shift towards a more green and authentic experience. At the same time, bicycling and a new line of well-being activities in-tune with our modern time were on the rise.
Reflecting on his own experience, he was able to see the tremendous benefit of this vision to the cycling world.
”The transitional experience provided by my bike trip was full of golden nuggets! Working as a sheepherder in the french alps, a beekeeper in Tuscany, even a fisherman in Tunisia and many other professions that are considered exotic in our digital world"
It was a priceless experience for me but also for a growing niche of customers looking to reconnect with themselves through a more meaningful relationship with nature."
2011- Eric drafted his experiential bike concept on a 4-month promo bike tour across the Atlantic provinces, networking with various organizations involved with the *experiential tourism industry. From this he created his first experiential bike tour to promote Acadian heritage.
The making of Velomotion Plus
2012- Inspired by a weekend retreat for men (The ManKind Project), combined with 20 years of workshops and studies with various cultures, Eric created the Reconnect/Disconnect program as a vehicle to promote the message of his project Velomotion Plus: Bringing Personal Growth to the Cycling World.
“Ultimately, it was the most convenient and yet personalized way to extend my invitation for people to reconnect with the true benefits of nature, while offering a viable enhancer to the tourism industry.”
Now and then
Since 2011, Eric has been conducting Reconnecting experiences on bike trips, networking with specialists in the field of experiential learning, working with various bike tour operators, attending seminars and workshops on experiential tourism , scouting various locations around the world for upcoming bike retreat, as well as promoting new ideas to various NGO’s, looking to support his unique approach.
*Experiential tourism is an outgrowth of a global movement toward experiential learning, whereby people create meaning through direct experience.
Where the Story Begins
1973- As an army brat, Eric was born in Nova Scotia but moved to many different army bases throughout his childhood.
1993- At age 18, he joined the Canadian military forces, just like his father and brother.
1998- 5 years later he joined the circus life, travelling across north America as a promoter/marketer for more than 10 different circuses.
“I saw in circuses a way to explore my artistic skills and live like there is no tomorrow! My career as a freelance circus promoter/marketer (even ringmaster!) was a great way to discover my abilities to convince and communicate my passion to others “
2005- Facing his fear of the public, he went from behind the scenes to becoming a master of ceremony and later on a public speaker, working for various producers and delivering motivational speeches to various local organizations.
2008- Despite a brilliant career ahead of him, Eric had to slow down the pace and take a leap of faith to explore his inner life.
The Wake-up Call
2008- It was in the process of preparing a talk for a public school on the benefit of reconnecting with nature, that he realized a personal irony.
“I was completely absorbed by grueling work managing my own career. I was, in fact, the antithesis of my own message!! Spending numerous hours on my many devices to nurture my social networks while encouraging other people to reconnect with nature, not electronics”
Summer 2008-A near-death experience due to an accumulation of mental fatigue reset the priorities of his life.
Falling in Love with the Bicycle
Summer 2008-A few days later, in the turmoil of many personal and professional conflicts, he bought a brand new bicycle, hoping to find a valid excuse to get away from his office, gain clarity and reconnect with himself.
“Only a few miles away from my home, I noticed that the silence and the beauty of the surrounding nature was having an effect on my mood and psyche. The experience was so powerful and immediate, I realized I had been completely absorbed in and drowning in my daily dysfunctional sedentary lifestyle. I witnessed my profound disconnection from nature"
“The time I was spending on my computer to build my career in show-business and as a motivational speaker was creating stress and frustration through my entire body and mind. I was facing all the modern symptoms of the fast-paced city lifestyle, and despite all my efforts, was not able to find a viable solution to release these tensions”
The Reconnect-Disconnect Treatment
Fall 2008- In a leap of faith, Eric packed up his bike and bought a one-way ticket to Switzerland. With almost zero previous bike experience, he had quit everything, including his business clients, his girlfriend and his car, to face the unknown while bicycling Europe.
Fall 2008- Eric’s first few months of pedal-driven, liberation-induced euphoria soon gave way to a realization that he could not sustain that lifestyle forever. Mindful of the purpose of his trip, he discovered a new form of traveling using the work-trade system on small-scale organic farm and intentional communities
“My sudden transformation was the result from real physical work, social interaction and constant manual learning. The changes I was experiencing gave me a new perspective on how I could help others heal from modern traumas. As the result of my new way of living, I was finally able to "disconnect then reconnect."”
2009- Eric began investigating healing space designs for people facing the side effects of modern traumas, combining nature with applicable holistic knowledge.
“Having conquered personal challenges in my own life, I felt a resonance with therapeutic communities. All my past personal and professional experiences led me to what seemed to be a logical goal - to become an outdoor technical counselor/educator”
The Missing Link
2009-2010 Eric began a series of internships, sponsored by a Quebec foundation, working in 13 different European based therapeutic communities specializing in treatment for addicts and mentally ill patients. All linked as part of his personal European bike tour.
2010- Incubation of a new concept for an experiential bike retreat for addicts, merging reflection with action
“I saw in these settings that there was mostly psychological theory being applied to the patients but not actual experiences that would change their outlook as dramatically as my bicycle wanderings had affected me.”
2010- The therapeutic community from Quebec, in which he intended to work, goes bankrupt. No other similar project existed in Canada. As a result, Eric decided to create his own project, Velomotion Concept, combining bicycling with an innovative personal growth approach.
The Launching of a New Concept
2011- Eric returns to Canada, after many miles on his bicycle, mostly in Europe and North-Africa
“The world I was facing now was completely different than the one I left 4 years earlier, and much more challenging than ever before regarding a balanced life, away from the computer and electronic media”
2011- Through the process of working on the details of his own concept, Eric discovered many similarities between his efforts and the tourism industry trying to shift towards a more green and authentic experience. At the same time, bicycling and a new line of well-being activities in-tune with our modern time were on the rise.
Reflecting on his own experience, he was able to see the tremendous benefit of this vision to the cycling world.
”The transitional experience provided by my bike trip was full of golden nuggets! Working as a sheepherder in the french alps, a beekeeper in Tuscany, even a fisherman in Tunisia and many other professions that are considered exotic in our digital world"
It was a priceless experience for me but also for a growing niche of customers looking to reconnect with themselves through a more meaningful relationship with nature."
2011- Eric drafted his experiential bike concept on a 4-month promo bike tour across the Atlantic provinces, networking with various organizations involved with the *experiential tourism industry. From this he created his first experiential bike tour to promote Acadian heritage.
The making of Velomotion Plus
2012- Inspired by a weekend retreat for men (The ManKind Project), combined with 20 years of workshops and studies with various cultures, Eric created the Reconnect/Disconnect program as a vehicle to promote the message of his project Velomotion Plus: Bringing Personal Growth to the Cycling World.
“Ultimately, it was the most convenient and yet personalized way to extend my invitation for people to reconnect with the true benefits of nature, while offering a viable enhancer to the tourism industry.”
Now and then
Since 2011, Eric has been conducting Reconnecting experiences on bike trips, networking with specialists in the field of experiential learning, working with various bike tour operators, attending seminars and workshops on experiential tourism , scouting various locations around the world for upcoming bike retreat, as well as promoting new ideas to various NGO’s, looking to support his unique approach.
*Experiential tourism is an outgrowth of a global movement toward experiential learning, whereby people create meaning through direct experience.
