Sarasota’s Nik Wallenda Featured in New Book by Peter Jennings

July 19, 2021

Famed daredevil tight rope walker Nik Wallenda, a native of Sarasota, is featured in Peter Jennings’ newest book, “Pushing The Boundaries! How To Get More Out Of Life”. The book features profiles of 32 people from around the world – many of them well known – who feel restrictive rules are made for others and who are propelled to go where the faint of heart simply never venture.

“I’m expressing myself through performing,” Nik says. “Now, I’ll admit there are times when I’m on the wire and I’ll be maybe 1,600 feet up over a canyon. And I’ll think, ‘What am I doing out here? What kind of job do I have?’ So sure, I do think of it from time to time, but not in a pushing-the-boundaries sense… more in a ‘This is crazy what I do!’ sense. At the same time, I have to add that I find it strange that people don’t walk the wire. It’s what our family does. What we’ve always done. There are 16 of us doing it today. It’s normal.”

Nik joins individuals in “Pushing The Boundaries!” like doctor-of-change Patch Adams; intersex supermodel Hanne Gaby Odielle; international clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger; corporate glass ceiling smasher Katie Taylor; Mount Everest record holder Alan Mallory. Also profiled are Marina Nemat, who defied certain execution in her teens at Evin prison in Tehran; McDonald’s Chair George Cohon who persevered through 14 years to break into the Russian market; Tunchai Redvers who has initiated the “We Matter” movement to help indigenous youth who are facing suicide and drug abuse; Rick Hansen, who pushed himself around the world in a wheelchair to raise awareness of people with disabilities; Dr. Wan Yanhai, who was harassed and forced by the government in China to leave his homeland because of his work with AIDS; awesome and visionary jazz artist Christian McBride; and many more.

“With the world facing heightened levels of stress and anxiety,” says author Jennings, “people are seeking greater fulfillment. ‘Pushing The Boundaries!’ solves this by offering practical, positive guidance aimed at improving opportunities for growth. My job is to take you behind the scenes, putting you right there across the living room, office desk or kitchen table from the people I meet, part of an up-close, personal encounter. In this way, my followers can learn specifically how to develop the fearlessness that makes for constructive change in their lives. And, maybe as important, a sense of how the human spirit conquers adversity that readers can relate to because I’ve taken them there.”

Jack Canfield, co-author of the “Chicken Soup For The Soul®” series adds to this in the Foreword to “Pushing The Boundaries!”: “Having the conviction to reach beyond your fears and take chances means you’re ready to achieve lasting success.”

“You know what: fear isn’t a concept I even understand,” Nik Wallenda explains. “Fear isn’t a feeling I’ve ever encountered. My family started in this business a long time ago. We’re now at 7 generations. So to me, this is more… just life, you know? As my greatgrandfather said, ‘Life is on the wire. Everything else is just waiting.’ To me, I’m alive when I’m on that wire! For us, it’s just life. What I do.”

“Pushing The Boundaries! How To Get More Out Of Life” can be ordered through local bookstores, as well as on Amazon, Indigo/Chapters, Barnes & Noble, etc. Personally autographed copies are available through pushingtheboundaries.life