Seeker Journal

From the projects of San Antonio to chasing big dreams in Los Angeles, Eriqlee’s journey is built on resilience, grit, and unstoppable determination.

When a life-changing diagnosis forced him to reimagine his path, he didn’t let it hold him back. Instead, he discovered endurance sports—pushing himself through Ironman triathlons and ultramarathons that tested the limits of mind and body.

Even after a knee injury, Eriqlee kept showing up. At one run club, he scooted alongside the group on a scooter, reminding everyone that seeking discomfort isn’t about perfection—it’s about showing up, however you can.

Today, he leads the LA Run Club with that same energy: pushing past limits, inspiring others, and proving that setbacks don’t define you.

Everyone show some love to @eriqadame...he’s just getting started.

Our first ever Seek Run Club was nothing short of incredible. The energy was electric, the miles flew by, and it felt amazing to bring the community together and get everyone moving again. Honestly...you just had to be there.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined, and an extra shoutout to our ambassadors for making the experience so special for everyone involved.

If you missed this one, don’t worry. We have more runs on the horizon and are hoping to expand to even more cities soon. Trust us—you won’t want to miss the next one.

Next runs:
10/4 - LA & Toronto
10/11 - London

The Seek Gang X

We officially launched the Seek Discomfort Video Contest last week, and we’re blown away by all the excitement so far! After the success of last year’s photography contest, we wanted to take things up a notch and give our community an even bigger platform to share their creativity. This is all about celebrating bold, cinematic storytelling and the adventurous spirit that defines Seek Discomfort. Whether it’s capturing breathtaking landscapes, daring stunts, or everyday moments of courage, we want to see your unique perspective come to life on screen. Our goal is to feature the most inspiring work and highlight the incredible talent that exists in our community.

We’ve received some great questions already, so here’s a quick FAQ:

Q: How long can my video be?

A: Up to 60 seconds.

Q: What format should I use?

A: Vertical or horizontal — both are welcome.

Q: What are the prizes?

• 🥇 1st Place – $1000 Creator Grant + Film a Seek Discomfort campaign + 1 year of Epidemic Sound
• 🥈 2nd Place – $250 Gift Card + 1 year of Epidemic Sound
• 🥉 3rd Place – $100 Gift Card + 1 year of Epidemic Sound

Q: What kind of videos are you looking for?

A: Bold, cinematic, adventure-filled storytelling that embodies Seek Discomfort and grabs attention instantly.

Q: Can I use old footage?

A: Yes! Any footage you’ve created, even from past adventures, is welcome.

Q: Can I enter more than once?

A: Absolutely! More entries = more chances to win and more opportunities to be featured on Seek socials.

Q: Do I need to use Seek Discomfort products?

A: Not required! But if you want, use discount code SDVIDEOCONTEST25 for gear. Please avoid other branded logos.

Q: Can I post my entry on my socials?

A: Yes!

Q: What’s the deadline?

A: December 3.

Q: What music can I use?

A: All audio must come from Epidemic Sound. Contestants get a free 2-month trial with code SEEK50 at epidemicsound.com.

Q: Where do I submit my video?

A: seekdiscomfort.com/videocontest

We can’t wait to see what you create. Remember, you can enter as many times as you like — so start submitting now and show us your boldest adventures!

Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating Seekers Day 2025! Once again, this community reminded us why we’re so proud to be part of it.

Our worldwide meet-up (which included 29 cities from 4 different continents) was an incredible success. From small gatherings in local parks to group runs on the beach, the energy was electric. We’ve heard stories of strangers meeting for the first time and walking away as lifelong friends. We’ve seen games of discomfort spark laughter, courage, and connection. We’ve even heard about people who had never heard of Seek Discomfort jumping right in and becoming part of the fun.

The truth is, this event was more than just a celebration. It was the spark we wanted to ignite the community. A first step toward more in person events, more spontaneous adventures, and more opportunities to come together beyond the screen.

Seekers Day reminded us that at its core, this movement is about community. It’s about creating a safe, welcoming space where we can all push past our comfort zones, explore the unknown, and know we’re surrounded by others who believe in doing the same.

This was just the beginning. And we can’t wait to see where the next adventure takes us.

Till next time, Seekers.

The Seek Gang X

I’ve been part of the Yes Fam since the Project 30 days. Saying “yes” and growing through discomfort has shaped so much of who I am—on paper and in the messy, magical moments in between.

A few months ago, I said yes again. I booked a trip to South Africa, not knowing what was waiting for me, only that I felt called to go. Just days into the trip, I found myself hiking the Tsitsikamma Trail… with a fever. I had thrown up that morning and probably should’ve stayed in bed, but something in me refused to quit. I hiked anyway. I was the last to reach the campsite, but when I arrived, the other trekkers welcomed me without hesitation.

I changed into my swimsuit, wandered down to a natural pool, and stretched out on a sun-warmed rock with my book. There was a stillness there—a feeling of being completely alive in the middle of nowhere. Later, I rinsed off in an outdoor shower overlooking the mountains, and it felt like a dream I didn’t want to wake up from.

That night, I headed to the grill clutching a sad can of tuna. I wasn’t expecting much. Then a woman my age looked at me and said, “There’s no way I’m letting you eat that.” She grilled me a full plate—sandwich, sausage, steak. Then she handed me juice, a sweatshirt, and something even more nourishing: genuine kindness.

We sat and talked for hours. About home. Family. Dreams. We laughed, we prayed, we traced constellations under a sky untouched by city lights. And when I finally asked her name, she said, “Danielle.”

That’s my name too.

From there, the synchronicities just kept unfolding. We shared traditions, values, old stories and new hopes. For the next two days, we were inseparable—hiking, swimming, dancing. A few weeks later, we trained for a half marathon together, running it on the same day: she in South Africa, me in Texas.

Now, across continents and time zones, we talk every day. She’s asked me to be her bridesmaid this December. She offered her house, her clothes, and every ounce of support to help make sure I could be there. I’ve never felt more honored.

What started with a stranger’s kindness in the wild became a friendship I know will last a lifetime.

So here’s what I’ll say to you:
Take the trip.
Go alone.
Say hi to the stranger.

You never know where it might lead.

- Danielle DeMoes

Check out Danielle's Instagram for more adventures!

Back in January 2023, me (Dez), Tommy, Cam, and Tristan filmed an editor’s adventure series for the Seek Discomfort channel in Australia.

We played hide and seek in the city (you don’t need to watch that one... I lost lol), had the honor of learning from Indigenous Australians, went to the Babylon premiere, and even became the Wiggles. Yes, the actual Wiggles. I’ll share that story another time.

Even though the whole trip was planned out, we had no idea two surprise guests would show up...Thomas and Staffan.

We were hyped they were joining us, but what Thomas didn’t know was that we were going to pull an Uno Reverse and surprise for him with his biggest dream: visiting Hobbiton in New Zealand. 

(If you have no idea what Hobbiton is, its where the Hobbits lived in Lord of the Rings. Thomas is a huge LOTR fans, so this was a huge deal for him.)

Tommy and Cam pulled me aside and told me this was something Thomas had wanted for a long time, and we had to make it happen. I was immediately in. Then they told me the plan: we were going to surprise him by blindfolding him, blasting music in his headphones, and flying him to a whole other country without him knowing where we were going.

I was nervous. As someone with pretty intense anxiety, the thought of being blindfolded and transported somewhere unknown sounds like my worst nightmare. And I didn’t want to put that kind of stress on someone I care about. But the thought of him opening his eyes in his dream destination? That felt worth the risk.

After definitely not illegally sneaking a photo and stealing his passport to get a visa (joking, if you're the government), we were ready.

Walking up to his door to tell him was SO stressful. He answered, saw all of us standing there with a camera, and immediately knew something was up. Especially since he was in the middle of prepping for some other Yes Theory episodes - so his stress levels were already high.

We told him he had one hour to pack, that we weren’t coming back, and then we were off. Blindfold on, headphones in, and we headed to the airport.

Walking him through the airport blindfolded was a whole experience in itself. It looked like we were kidnapping him. But people in Australia are so kind. We explained what we were doing, and they were actually excited to help. 

At security and any checkpoints, we just had Thomas close his eyes and move quick. Somehow it worked. 

(For those of you who thought we FAKED the whole thing...i'm here to confirm WE DIDN'T! It was all VERY real and VERY stressful)

What didn’t make the video was that our flight got super delayed. So we sat at a restaurant and Thomas started spiraling, asking where we were going, if it was gonna be worth it...lowkey freaking out.

Then the craziest thing happened… he straight-up guessed it.

To me, this convo was the key to making sure he stayed fully surprised. I wish we got it on camera, because it was actual magic.

Thomas: “Are we going to Hobbiton?”
Dez (without missing a beat): “What’s a Hobbiton?”
Thomas: “Oh ugh... it’s from Lord of the Rings.”
Dez: “Where even is that?”
Thomas: “New Zealand.”
Dez: “Are we close to New Zealand?”
Thomas: “Oh… yeah, never mind.”
Tommy: “Oh dang, that would’ve been a good idea…”

Thomas looked so disappointed, probably thinking this whole thing wasn’t going to pay off.

I had to fully pretend I didn’t know what Hobbiton was and act like I had zero clue New Zealand was even near Australia. I played it real dumb. Like “what even is a New Zealand?” levels of dumb.

Honestly, I deserve an Oscar. Didn’t know I had that in me.

That moment sealed it. After that, he truly had no idea where we were going.

Getting on the plane was its own circus. People watched with curiosity, clearly enjoying the chaos. We were just hyped to finally take off.

Then we landed… and spent three hours in the customs line. Thomas was hungry, exhausted, and grumpy. Honestly, he handled it way better than I would have.

We finally got to the hotel, made sure nothing said “New Zealand” anywhere, and got him to bed.

The next morning, we blindfolded him again, put on his headphones, and drove to Hobbiton.

Driving through the hills of New Zealand and not letting him see any of it was both hilarious and kind of painful. But we knew it would all be worth it.

When we reached the start of the tour, we had to get on a tour bus. Watching Thomas get on a tour bus blindfolded was absolutely hilarious. Since it was a proper tour, the guide was supposed to talk about Lord of the Rings on the microphone. But the guide and the other guests were all fully committed to keeping the secret, so they played along and didn’t say a word.

Then, the moment came...

Our whole vision was to have him take off the blindfold and open his eyes right where you see all of Hobbiton. So we planted him, got the cameras ready, and waited.

He took off the blindfold, blinked a few times, and then let out the biggest gasp. I can still hear it in my head so clearly. He was in shock, absolutely overwhelmed. The happiness on his face brought me to tears. It was like we were watching little Thomas come out to play. 

A few nights before, he’d told me he’d never cried happy tears before… well, I am proud to say we changed that for him. 

We ended up doing the full Hobbiton tour, and even came back the next day for the festival. Childhood dreams were fully activated.

I’ll never forget that experience. It reminded me how beautiful life can be, and how making your friends' dreams come true can bring a kind of happiness that’s beyond words.

Love you so much, Thomas!

If you want to see this full adventure, watch it here!

- Dez

I set off at 1:30am from Mr. Mullet’s hostel in San Pedro, one of the towns on the edge of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala to hike up Rostro Maya (Indian Nose), a mountain shaped like the side profile of a face, with the plan to scramble up and stand on top of Pico de Loro (Parrot’s Beak) and take some self-portraits with the starry night sky and the ensuing sunrise.

Given the trail reports of bandits with machetes along the path waiting to charge hikers money, I also figured the middle of the night would allow me to avoid all but the most dedicated bandits. After 50 minutes of walking through San Pedro and San Juan, getting aggressively barked at by at least a dozen dogs along the way and probably waking up half the neighborhood, I arrived at the trailhead.

Another 1.5 hours of hiking up the mountain brought me to a spot on the trail just above Pico de Loro, which I figured would be the ideal spot to scout out the best vantage point to set up my tripod at. Venturing slightly off trail, I bushwhacked a couple steps before I decided that it was too steep and sketchy to continue, especially in the dark. Turning back, I stepped down with my left leg on what I thought was ground, but turned out to be loose branches. My foot went completely through and I fell backwards, tumbling 8-9 feet down a 60 degree slope before my right knee caught on a small root and stopped my fall. Lying upside down, my headlamp had been knocked off my head, but turning my head back, I could tell I was lying right on the edge of a cliff (which, when I could see it properly later during the daytime was definitely more than a hundred foot drop).

Lying on loose grass with barely any rocks or branches to support my weight or to hold onto, I recognized I was in a very delicate situation. Any sudden shift in weight could cause me to slip right off the edge of the cliff. I needed to move slowly and cautiously. I slowed down my breathing and my heart rate as I knew panicking would only make things worse. Reaching around with my arms in search of any solid rock to grab onto to haul myself up, I found nothing. just loose grass everywhere with no purchase. shit.

I stretched my arms to their absolute limits and finally found a rock waaaay off to the left. Phew. I hauled myself up on the rock and got back on the trail. Recognizing I could have almost fell to my death there, I felt grateful to have survived.

After taking a couple minutes to collect myself, I hiked down to Pico de Loro. Climbing it in the dark was absolutely out of the question. I’d already tempted fate once, and now that I’d lost my headlamp, I wasn’t about to scramble up this sketchy rock with just one hand and my iPhone flashlight in the other. So, I waited until it was bright enough to see the rock without a light and then climbed to the top. Flying my drone from there, these are the images that I captured. It was an absolutely incredible sunrise.

By the time I got back to the hostel it was about 8 and the town of San Pedro was just waking up. I took a well deserved shower and then hopped on my laptop and started my work day, the events of the past several hours feeling absolutely surreal.

Lesson learned. I’m definitely never again venturing off trail in the dark on a trail I’ve never been on.

- Ivan Chan

Several years ago, early on in my outdoor climbing journey, my buddy Adam and I set our eyes on climbing up The Chief, one of the crown jewels of Canadian rock climbing. A granite monolith towering 700m+ above the adventure town of Squamish just an hour north of Vancouver where I live, there are hundreds of routes up the face of it, which attract climbers from all around the world.

At this point, Adam and I had only been climbing outdoors for a couple months, and the highest route that we had climbed was approximately 200m, so climbing the Chief would be a big step up and a major milestone for the both of us. Adam and I had actually met each other while on the trail hiking up the Chief, and from that teamed up as climbing partners as we both wanted to start climbing outside, so this would be sort of a full circle moment for us as well.

On our first attempt, we underestimated how long it would take to climb to the top, started too late in the day, and ended up having to bail on the climb halfway up. Determined to finish it, we decided to make another attempt the following weekend.

As the weekend approached, Vancouver was hit with a heat wave, hitting temperatures of 34C. This might not be considered extreme in many other cities around the world, but because Vancouver is used to moderate temperatures, most buildings don’t have air conditioning, and when heat events do happen, its quite an ordeal. And at the very least, not ideal to be baking with no shade all day on the side of a 700m+ rock face.

But, determined to make up for our previous weekend’s failed mission, we decided not to delay our climb and set out bright and early on the weekend at 9am. The first couple hours went relatively smoothly, and we slowly made our way up the mountain. Eventually, the sun rose directly above our heads and we started to be slammed by the heat with nowhere to hide. Adam informed me that he had run out of water. We were maybe halfway. I gave him half of the remaining water that I had, but 30 minutes later, again told me that he’d run out. He was supposed to ration that for the rest of the climb! I guess we’d have to survive on barely any water for the rest of the climb.

When we reached about 75% of the way to the top, there was a section where we had to scramble up a sketchy exposed area without any protection with a rope. To fall here would be dangerously injuriously if not fatal. Typical practice would have been to coil our rope and put it around our shoulders and then climb through that section, but to save time, we decided to just keep the rope trailing behind us as we climbed the section and then to pull up the rope afterwards.

I felt very sketched out climbing through this section - I didn’t like that I wasn’t protected with a rope. But I made it through and breathed a sigh of relief. Until I went to pull our rope that had been trailing behind us up. The other end of the rope had gotten stuck in a crack, meaning I had to climb back down through the sketchy unprotected section, unstick the rope, and climb back up again. When I first climbed through it, having to climb it 2 more times was the last thing I expected to have to do.

Finally, we had the rope all sorted out, and could continue climbing, but now another concern presented itself. It was starting to get late in the day and we only had a short period of time before it started to get dark. We had to hurry. As relatively inexperienced climbers, we hadn’t predicted even the possibility of ending up in the dark and so we hadn’t packed headlamps with us. If we didn’t make it up before dark, we might end up having to spend the night perched on the side of a mountain.

We climbed faster than we had ever before and managed to make it up to the top just as it was becoming too dark the see the rock features in front of us. Exhausted, hungry, and dehydrated, we nevertheless sighed a sigh of relief. The only thing between us and a big meal was an hour hike back down the mountain. Using our phone flashlights, we slowly snaked our way down and finally got back to the parking lot.

But, as we got closer, it appeared the parking lot gate was closed. A quick google search revealed that the gates closed at 11pm every day, and we were about half an hour past that. Fortunately, Adam was living in Squamish at the time, and we called a taxi to bring us to his place, with a quick stop at McDonalds to refuel after our big day.

In the morning, I woke and went to grab Adam’s bike to bike back to the Chief to retrieve my car. But searching high and low, I couldn’t find my car keys. I finally came to the conclusion that the only point I could have lost them was in the back of the taxi the night before. Calling the taxi driver, I couldn’t get through - clearly he was still asleep after his night shift. In the end, I had to call my parents who were visiting me in Vancouver to drive the extra pair of car keys up for me, finally drawing the adventure to a close.

A day where everything that could have gone wrong pretty much went wrong, the story of the first time we climbed the Chief is one that we cherish and that we’ll be telling and laughing about for the rest of our lives.

- Ivan Chan

When I headed to Hong Kong in December 2023, I had the idea of taking a night climbing shot at the crags above the skyscrapers, illuminated by headlamp. The photos that I most like to capture are those that capture a sense of adventure in extreme nature and that I haven’t seen anyone else capture before. Over the years, I’ve developed a fondness for photos taken at night. They just seem to ramp that sense of adventure up to another level - its a time when most people are in bed.

I wasn’t entirely sure how I would make the shot happen considering I didn’t have any familiarity with the climbing areas there, didn’t know any climbers in Hong Kong, only had personal climbing gear with me, and would need to convince someone to go on a night climbing adventure. However, I knew that if I could make it happen, I would end up with a pretty unique shot the likes of which couldn’t be taken in many other places around the world - there’s not many places I know of where you can climb right next to skyscrapers.

My first attempt to meet other climbers was to post on the Hong Kong Climbing Facebook group. I got no responses. Ok. Next attempt. Let’s try to meet climbers at a local climbing gym. Well, as it turns out, a day pass at Hong Kong climbing gyms costs 280 HKD (36 USD). Yep, that’s a no go. Final hail mary attempt. Just show up to a crag and hope there are other climbers there I can befriend. This worked quite well actually. After a very sweaty and unexpectedly sketchy approach involving rope sections, scrambling, and metal rungs drilled into a steep slab, I arrived at Central Crags where I met Connor, Ronny, and Emma- 3 locals who were kind enough to let me climb with them.

I told Ronny and Emma about my idea for a night climbing shot and a week and a half later, we headed back to Central Crags at night to see if we could make something cool. Conveniently, there was a bolt next to a ledge at the very end of the crag located halfway up the wall that I could clip myself into and just hang there to take shots from. And so, here is the shot that I got from that night.

This photo is one of my favorites I’ve ever captured not only because its unique, but also because of the story and memories behind it. I had no idea how I was going to make the shot happen at first, but by just persevering, trying out different avenues, and pushing myself a bit out of my comfort zone by just rocking up to the climbing area and asking strangers if I could climb with them, I managed to make it happen. Its such a beautiful reminder for me what amazing things can happen if you just put yourself out there.

- Ivan Chan

Make sure you check out the Seek Discomfort x Ivan Chan collection, now live!

Last October, I flew back to LA from Paris for one of the biggest campaigns I’ve worked on: Guided by Nature.

The idea was simple but powerful: let nature lead the way.

We were inspired by the outdoors, the sense of freedom it gives, and how that aligns with Seek Discomfort. Vision boards were made. The product lineup was ready. And we picked the perfect place, Sequoia National Park.

I was especially nervous going into this one, mainly because I didn’t know anyone on the shoot.  The models and the videographer were complete strangers. And since I was in charge of photography, campaign production, and the long drive there and back, I really wanted everything to go perfectly. It was a lot to carry, and the nerves were real.

But from the moment we hit the road, something clicked. Instead of strangers, I found teammates. Instead of stress, it felt like an adventure. We laughed, we learned what “scrambling” is (thanks Amanda), and of course, I made sure we hugged a sequoia tree before we left.

The goal was for everyone to have a good experience (spoiler: they did!). That meant more to me than anything else. The photos and videos turned out even better than I imagined. Not just because of the landscape, but because you can feel the joy in them.

As the day came to a close, we pulled over to watch the sky explode into a cotton candy sunset. No words, just five people who started the day as strangers, standing together in silence, soaking it all in.

Huge shoutout to Josh, Amanda, Philip, and Nolan. Can’t wait to make more magic with you in the future. 

- Dez