Creativity through the lens of the co-founder of Outdoor Gear Coach and Author
"Creativity means different things in different phases in my life."
Mike Parsons is known for helping people understand the real story behind outdoor gear, mountain innovation and the human problems that push equipment forward. His perspective comes from more than five decades in the outdoor industry, including his work as a manufacturer behind Karrimor and later Original Mountain Marathon, where clothing, packs and equipment had to perform in conditions where failure mattered.
Mike’s view of innovation is practical rather than abstract. He sees breakthrough ideas beginning with the people at the leading edge: climbers, expedition teams, factory workers and problem-solvers trying to overcome something that stops them from going further, staying warmer, moving faster or making a process work. That lens shaped his manufacturing career and later informed a decade of part-time teaching on innovation at Lancaster University Management School, where he worked alongside an academic colleague and won recognition for innovative teaching.
Before you go: take our 5-question Creativity Archetype Quiz at https://sustainingcreativity.fillout.com/creativityarchetypequiz. It takes under a minute and reveals your dominant creative style, your superpowers, and the #1 bottleneck holding you back.
Thanks for listening!
