The motivations and mantras of our newest Goose Person
“I was preparing my whole life for the moment when someone came along and said, “Can you get a film crew inside an active volcano?” and I just didn’t know it.”
Record scratch. Hold on. That’s Aldo Kane—adventurer, explorer, TV presenter and Goose Person looking back on the moment when his life changed and the second chapter of his career began. But you’re probably wondering how he got there—not just inside that volcano, but into the world of film and television, where he’s known as the go-to man for escorting productions into some of the most dangerous environments on the planet.
“When I was a boy,” he explains, “I wanted to be an adventurer, travelling the world, climbing trees—all the things I did as a kid I wanted to do as an adult.” Growing up in Scotland, he had a hunger for testing himself in harsh environments and pushing to be better physically and mentally. At 16, Aldo joined the Royal Marine Commandos as a Junior Marine and over the next decade he rose through the ranks, becoming an elite soldier and travelling the world.
But as much of a foundation these formative years were, leaving the military sent Aldo into a bit of an existential tailspin. “It was a job that was also a lifestyle,” he says. “I had this brotherhood—and when you leave, you almost loose your identity in a way. I didn’t know what skills I had from the military or how they were transferable.” And so for years he bounced between various jobs—some practical, like offshore oil rig work, but others focused on growing skills for a career pivot he didn’t even know he wanted.
“It very quickly became obvious that if I was to be successful,” he says, “then it would come down to me going after the things that I wanted to do and understanding that everything is process and hard work. I can look back on my time in the Marines and realize that whatever we populate our brains and our subconscious with—on a weekly, daily, hourly basis—that is what eventually becomes reality. In basic training, 50 people will start and ten will finish. Maybe only two or three have bad injuries—but the rest of them pull out because mentally they’re not up to the challenge.”
And that mindset is how Aldo Kane ended up inside an active volcano in the Congo with a BBC film crew.
“I think when you’re ready and prepared you can see the opportunities,” he says. “I understood that I was given one chance and that opened a new door and a new chapter in my life. I spent the next few years training and becoming a safety advisor for television and film.” His skills behind the scenes soon caught the eye of producers seeking on-camera charisma and today Aldo is in demand in both roles. “It’s the variety I’ve always been chasing!” he admits.
Last fall, Aldo accomplished another first—he wrote and published a book, Lessons from the Edge. “It’s stories from my life—from working with Hollywood superstars to going underground with caving teams to dealing with Narco hitmen in South America– but in a way that’s motivational for the reader,” he explains. “There are a lot of lessons applicable to everyday life, especially in the times we’re in now. There’s lots of change in the world. People are anxious, dealing with fear. I wanted to write a book that would help people realize that you only have one life and to get on with it—get outside, test yourself, get into the elements.”
Embracing your own life pivot, however, doesn’t have to be as drastic Aldo’s journey—but it does require taking action. “Whatever your passion, whatever that thing is that you want to do,” he says, “just go for it. Set a fire under it and take action. Don’t wait until you have all your ducks in a row—the best time to attack an idea is right now because in a year’s time you’re going to wish you started today.”
