Traveler Profile - Brad Chiet

Up Close With Brad Chiet

An Experience Collector Member

Editor’s Note

Brad spent five years earning an engineering degree, landed a job at a major aerospace and defense contractor, and then walked away from all of it to become a music composer.

He has been saying yes to things that don't quite make sense ever since.

A Reject Average member for several years, Brad brings the same leap-of-faith mentality to adventure that he brought to his career.

He doesn't always know where he's going.

He's learned that's usually the point.

Member Q&A

You left a successful engineering career to become a music composer. How does that decision connect to how you approach adventure?

It took me nearly a year to make that decision, and another seven years before I was making a living at it. What I learned is that the hardest part of any challenge is just making the decision to do it. Once I understood that, it changed how I approached everything. The fear is always the biggest obstacle. Once you get past that, you become almost unstoppable.

What was your first Reject Average experience?

Brant called me out of nowhere during COVID. Everybody was locking down and spraying their groceries with Lysol, and he's telling me about a jet ski adventure in Catalina. I figured there was a reputable company involved. A support boat. Normal safety precautions. There was no support boat. Just ten jet skis, a chef with food for a beach cookout, and a deserted part of the island where nobody would find us. It was one of the best days I'd had in years. When I walked back into the hotel in Long Beach afterward, everyone looked at me like I was insane. I had forgotten to put my mask on. My whole mindset had shifted on that brief trip. I had completely lost track of the fact that there was a pandemic.

Was there a specific experience that changed how you think about fear?

Arizona. We were ziplining across a mountain range. Not between hills. A mountain range. The cable was attached to what looked like a metal pole drilled loosely into the ground. There was no way I was going across it. Some of the guys went first. You feel the pressure. Eventually I thought, my kids are grown. I'll probably be okay. I did it. I was terrified to a level I hadn't experienced before. When I finished, I was actually more angry than exhilarated because it felt like such a reckless thing to do. Then we immediately did a mountain climb. Brant put me first, probably thinking I'd be slower. I was still running on adrenaline and basically ran up the mountain. The lesson stuck. Things I might have overthought or feared before just don't stop me anymore. That shift has shown up in my work, my relationships, my business decisions.

"The lesson stuck. Things I might have overthought or feared before just don't stop me anymore.

That shift has shown up in my work, my relationships, my business decisions."

You've talked about making new friends as an adult being nearly impossible. How has Reject Average changed that?

About ten years ago, my youngest told me I had no new friends of my own. Family friends. Old friends. But no new friends. For most men past a certain age, that's hard to argue with. I actually invented a fake friend named Ericsson Robertson. Forged holiday cards from him. It became a running joke because my kid knew I was full of it. Then Reject Average came along and solved the problem for real. The people on these trips have had success, failure, setbacks, and extraordinary life experiences. Their bios are intimidating. In person, they're just regular people who aren't afraid to push it. The adventures are great, but what stays with me are the conversations and the things we learn from each other.

What's the experience you talk about most?

Africa. We averaged three safaris a day, on top of everything else.

Visiting the gorillas was unlike anything I can describe. No cages, no restraints.

A few guys with shotguns standing behind us just in case, though at that point you're probably already having a bad day.

Victoria Falls was one I was genuinely nervous about going into. You hang over the edge of a waterfall held by two guys gripping your feet.

That turned out to be one of the most unbelievable moments of my life.

What surprised you most on that trip?

It wasn't the wildlife. We visited a school for young women who had been pushed out by their families after becoming pregnant. Teenage girls with nowhere to go. The school takes them in, teaches them skills, helps them find a path back. One evening a former student came by just to say hello to Brant. She had resisted the vocational program because what she really wanted was an education. The school supported that. She went back to school. Her dream is to become a doctor. In that part of the world, for a young woman in her circumstances, I'm not sure that's something you're even allowed to think. But you could feel it in her. She wasn't hopeful about it. She was certain. What hit me was the ripple. Helping one person doesn't just change her life. It changes every life she will eventually help.

How do you define adventure?

Adventure is giving yourself permission to jump in, go with the flow, and see where things lead. There are so many things in life that are planned, calculated, rehearsed, and practiced. Adventure is the opposite of all that. For me it's a form of creative expression and freedom that most people never allow themselves.

What's your ideal Reject Average experience?

It starts the same way every time. I get a notice from Brant. I show up at the airport. And I enjoy the ride from there.