Henry Cookson – Depression, Adventure, Trauma, Presence, and Redefining a Meaningful Life

What happens when an extraordinary life of adventure is actually built as an escape from pain?

In this deeply honest and vulnerable conversation, Alex Ikonn sits down with Henry Cookson, founder of Cookson Adventures, Antarctic explorer, and world-class expedition leader, to explore the hidden reality behind success, trauma, depression, and the search for meaning.

From crossing Antarctica to building a luxury adventure company for some of the world’s most influential people, Henry shares the untold truth behind his journey, including years of severe depression, loss, burnout, identity collapse, and the long road back to presence, purpose, and self-acceptance.

This episode is not about hustle or achievement. It’s about what happens when running stops working, when nature becomes medicine, and when presence becomes the most valuable currency of all.

In this episode, we explore

• How adventure can become a trauma response rather than an escape

• Growing up with responsibility, loss, and emotional suppression

• Why high performers often struggle with depression

• The cost of burying emotions and wearing a reinforced emotional shell

• Losing a parent and hitting true rock bottom

• How EMDR and somatic therapy unlocked long-buried trauma

• Why success, wealth, and travel don’t guarantee fulfillment

• Redefining luxury as depth, meaning, and contribution

• Why presence is the most transformative practice we have

• The illusion of connection in a hyper-connected world

• How nature restores perspective, humility, and grounding

• Why slowing down may be the bravest move of all

• Gratitude, curiosity, and learning to live from alignment

This episode is a powerful reminder that healing isn’t linear, success isn’t what it looks like, and presence changes everything.

Episode chapters

00:00 Introduction and meeting Henry Cookson

02:00 Adventure as identity and escape

04:00 Trauma, responsibility, and early life pressure

07:00 Depression in your 20s and hiding the pain

10:00 Walking away from conformity and expected paths

13:00 Expeditions and the illusion of clarity

16:30 Building a company while battling depression

20:00 Losing his mother and hitting rock bottom

24:00 Entering treatment and breaking emotional armor

28:00 EMDR, somatic therapy, and emotional release

32:00 Rebirth, vulnerability, and learning to feel again

36:00 Why success doesn’t cure depression

40:00 Wealth, insecurity, and the illusion of having enough

44:00 Redefining luxury through meaning and experience

48:00 Conservation, contribution, and conscious travel

52:00 Presence versus distraction in modern life

56:00 The power of slowing down

01:00:00 Nature as medicine and grounding force

01:04:00 The most transformative places on Earth

01:10:00 Gratitude, curiosity, and living with awareness

01:14:00 Closing reflections

Follow the podcast

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlexIkonnPodcast

Explore Intelligent Change: https://link.intelligentchange.com/tools68894b