Adventure Based Healing

Brad Ludden is an outdoorsman, athlete, philanthropist and entrepreneur. As Nike's first sponsored whitewater kayaker, Brad spent his youth traveling the world paddling first descents in remote parts of the globe and using his kayak as a vehicle to experience other cultures. 

At 18 he recognized an opportunity to share his love of kayaking and the outdoors with others who could use them as a way to heal and started First Descents, a non profit organization that offers free outdoor adventures to young adults impacted by cancer. Since 2001 First Descents (FD) has become a global leader in adventure based healing, provided free adventures to thousands of young adults all over the world and has published 2 research studies demonstrating the efficacy of outdoor adventure in decreasing feelings of anxiety, depression, isolation, alienation, and improving feelings of self confidence, self compassion and body image. 

Brad recently launched Stoke Broker, a company which aims to create highly customized, life-changing adventures for its clients.

Brad lives in Whitefish, MT, where he was raised, and spends his days fly fishing, floating rivers, riding bikes, big game archery hunting, flying his plane, backpacking, skiing and dreaming up his next great adventure.