Julie Angus has cycled thousands of kilometers across the globe, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean from mainland to mainland and sailed ancient Phoenician trading routes in an expedition to explore the history of the olive tree. A Canadian adventurer, rower, cyclist, best-selling author, professional speaker and entrepreneur, she and her husband, fellow adventurer Colin Angus, have jointly been crowned National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. She’s been called one of North America’s leading adventurers by Explore magazine and one of Canada’s Greatest Women Explorers by Canadian Geographic and has been awarded the University of Victoria Distinguished Alumni Award and that McMaster University Young Alumni Award.

Angus has published three books that detail her adventures: “Rowboat in a Hurricane: My Amazing Journey Across a Changing Atlantic Ocean”, “Rowed Trip, From Scotland to Syria by Oar” and “Olive Odyssey: Searching for the Secrets of the Fruit that Seduced the World”. She regularly graces TV shows like Canada AM, CBC Sunday News and Daily Planet. With bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology and a master’s degree in molecular biology, she spent a decade developing therapeutics for genetic ailments and cardiovascular disease as a researcher. Angus and her husband founded Angus Rowboats, a company that designs and produces robotically cut kits for rowboats and small sailboats. More recently, they founded Open Ocean Robotics to help protect our oceans and offer solutions to some of our greatest oceanic challenges, in part with the development of autonomous energy-harvesting boats that are equipped with high-tech gear for offshore research. Angus is an engaging motivational speaker who inspires audiences with tales from her adventures and demonstrates techniques everyone can apply to face challenges and reach their goals.