Cory Richards Convergence Keynote at the 2017 SXSW Conference [Video]

“The truth is, I'm a very uncomfortable person, I'm a very insecure person. I've never felt like I really fit it. Some friends might dispute that, but the truth is I've always felt like a shape-shifter, like I couldn't really fit in anywhere. So what I did was I found identity in the mountains because the mountains themselves didn't require me to be anything else. I could just be myself."

A climber and visual storyteller, Cory Richards, was named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2012 and a National Geographic Fellow in 2015. His photography has appeared in National Geographic Magazine, Outside Magazine, Man of the World, and The New York Times.

Watch the video above for the full 2017 SXSW Conference Keynote Session with Cory Richards. Get inspired by a multitude of diverse visionaries at SXSW – browse more 2017 Keynotes, Featured Sessions, Red Carpets, and Q&A’s on our YouTube Channel.

Each day of SXSW 2017, we will also be live streaming exclusive conversations with SXSW Conference speakers from our Facebook Live Studio – view the schedule here.

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2017 SXSW Conference Speaker, Cory Richards - Photo by Alexa Gonzalez Wagner