New Adventure: A Barefoot Journey Across Shikoku Island
On August 25th, after seven years away from adventure, and far too many hours behind a screen, Henk van der Klok returned to the road. This time, his adventure is more than just a physical challenge—it’s an exploration of the mind and spirit.
The 1,200-kilometer pilgrimage across the island of Shikoku, Japan’s 88 Temple Trail, will see van der Klok walking barefoot, shedding the artificial comforts of modern life. As he travels from one ancient temple to another, the journey will allow him to reconnect with the rawness of the earth beneath his feet, finding new layers of mental and physical resilience.
This trek is not merely about endurance or conquering the elements. It’s about asking the right questions at the toughest moments and pushing through adversity with clarity and purpose. Each step along the way serves as a meditation, allowing Henk to rediscover his capacity to adapt and confront discomfort with equanimity.
“As we increasingly insulate ourselves from discomfort, we forget how capable we are of handling it,” says van der Klok. “Every blister, every aching step, will teach me something new about how we process pain and how to remain resilient when it feels like we’ve hit our limit.”
The Resilience Rituals: Mental Tools for High Performers
While this journey is undoubtedly physically demanding, it also highlights the core principles that guide van der Klok’s philosophy: resilience is not simply a personality trait, but a skill that can be trained. Through his coaching, speaking, and upcoming book, Resilience Rituals, Henk introduces a mental toolkit designed to empower anyone to overcome challenges.
In his book, Henk reveals 42 resilience rituals—field-tested mental models that anyone can use in moments of pressure, doubt, or adversity. These techniques are activated by asking the right question, which shifts the mind from a narrow, defeatist perspective to one that sees new opportunities for action.
“For example, one of the rituals I teach is ‘Protector’s Might,’” says Henk. “It’s about finding strength for others—whether it’s someone you care about or a cause you’re passionate about. When you focus on being strong for someone else, you tap into a deeper reservoir of energy.”
Why Questions Are the Key to Resilience
The idea behind Resilience Rituals is simple yet powerful: it’s not about forcing yourself through challenges by sheer willpower but about changing the questions you ask yourself when things get tough. Van der Klok has discovered that the way you frame your thoughts in moments of adversity can drastically change your experience and outcomes.
Take, for example, the ritual “Dark Fuel.” Throughout his career as an adventurer, Henk faced a slew of personal failures. While many saw these as setbacks, he learned to harness them as fuel for his next challenge. “What slight, real or imagined, can I use as fuel?” becomes a prompt that taps into that reservoir of energy you might otherwise neglect.
Through his personal experiences—whether kayaking the Mississippi River, walking across Europe and the Middle East without money, or now embarking on his barefoot journey across Japan—Henk has learned that resilience begins when you shift your perspective. “Resilience isn’t about pushing through pain; it’s about transforming your mindset so that the pain becomes a tool rather than an obstacle,” he says.
Building Resilience: One Question at a Time
The upcoming barefoot trek is another layer of Henk’s ongoing mission to show how to build resilience—not through heroic feats, but through the everyday practice of self-reflection, adaptation, and mental toughness.
“It’s about giving yourself permission to face discomfort,” he explains. “When you remove your shoes and feel the earth beneath your feet, you’re reminded of the power of simplicity. Every painful step is an invitation to grow, to face discomfort, and to trust your body and mind to carry you through it.”
Throughout his trek, Henk will continue to document his journey through his YouTube channel and Instagram, sharing his experiences, reflections, and new insights into resilience along the way.
About Henk van der Klok
Henk van der Klok is an adventurer and keynote speaker known for his extraordinary journeys and ability to teach others how to build resilience through mental tools. His adventures include kayaking the entire Mississippi River, walking 6,000 kilometers through Europe and the Middle East without money, and now, embarking on a barefoot pilgrimage across Japan’s 88 Temple Trail.
His philosophy revolves around the idea that resilience is a skill anyone can cultivate, and through his Resilience Rituals framework, he offers simple mental models to help people break through pressure, pain, and self-doubt. In addition to speaking and coaching, Henk is releasing his book, Resilience Rituals, which shares his field-tested tools for high performers.
Media Contact
Henk van der Klok, Adventurer
Email: henk@vanderklok.nl
Website: henkvanderklok.com
Instagram: @henkvanderklok
YouTube: Henk van der Klok