Dream Big, Live Tall: A Conversation with Dean Jacobs on Courage, Curiosity, and Living Fully

Some conversations leave you feeling inspired. Others leave you feeling awake. My conversation with traveler, photographer, author, and speaker Dean Jacobs did both.

Dean has spent nearly nine years of his life traveling through 58 countries with a backpack, a camera, and an open heart. Today he works with students, educators, and communities to help people reconnect with their dreams and live with greater purpose. His mission is simple but powerful: help people dream big, live tall, and make the world a better place.

What struck me most during our conversation was not just the incredible places Dean has visited, but the philosophy he carries with him everywhere he goes. His work is less about travel and more about aliveness, courage, and the small actions that ripple outward into the world.

Below are some of the most powerful ideas from our conversation.

Dancing Like You Are Already Free

The first time I noticed Dean was at an event where people were invited to get up and dance. While others hesitated, Dean was already at the front of the room clapping, laughing, and moving like no one was watching.

That moment captured something essential about his philosophy.

Dean believes that we often wait for permission to feel joy, freedom, or connection. But in reality, those things begin the moment we choose them.

He explained that when he dances, he is not trying to impress anyone. He is simply celebrating life and allowing his body to express that gratitude. Sometimes, he says, joy is a decision we make before the world gives us a reason.

Interestingly, he also mentioned something many people in the mindfulness and somatic world understand well. When we move our bodies freely, we open ourselves up. We shift our energy. We become more receptive to insight, connection, and presence.

And as Dean likes to say, energy is contagious. When one person shows up with genuine joy, it gives others permission to do the same.

When the Cost of Staying the Same Becomes Too High

Before Dean began traveling the world, he had what many would consider a successful corporate career. He spent ten years working for Pfizer, collaborating with veterinarians and farmers and building a stable professional life.

Everything looked good on paper. But inside, something felt off.

Dean described the realization as a tightness in his chest. His nervous system was signaling that something was not aligned, even before his mind fully understood it.

Eventually he faced a question many of us encounter at some point in our lives: do we stay in the safe path that others expect, or do we listen to the quiet voice asking for something more?

After a great deal of reflection, he made the difficult decision to leave his job.

Looking back, Dean says the moment of clarity came when he realized one simple truth. The cost of staying disconnected had become greater than the fear of uncertainty.

That shift changed everything.

He sold his house, packed a backpack, and set off on a journey around the world that would last two years.

Traveling the World with Curiosity

Since that first trip, Dean has traveled through 58 countries across six continents. His journeys have included interviewing rebel generals in Congo, riding the Trans-Siberian Railway, hiking in the Himalayas, and even working with scientists studying mountain gorillas.

But despite the extraordinary experiences, Dean says travel is not about collecting destinations. It is about expanding perspective.

When we meet people from different cultures, we realize that humanity is far more connected than we often believe. Language, clothing, and customs may vary, but kindness and curiosity tend to appear everywhere.

Dean has seen this again and again in his travels.

From small villages in Africa to remote communities in the Amazon rain forest, people have welcomed him with dignity and generosity. Those experiences reinforced a simple truth. Beneath cultural differences, human beings share the same desire for connection, purpose, and hope.

Dreaming, he says, is universal. The way we express those dreams may differ across cultures, but the impulse to imagine a better future exists in all of us.

The Power of Dream Big, Live Tall

Over the years, Dean developed a framework he now shares with students and audiences around the world. It is built around three simple ideas: dream big, live tall, and make the world better.

Dreaming big is about possibility. It encourages people to imagine experiences, goals, and futures that stretch beyond the limits they may have placed on themselves.

Living tall is about character. It asks how we move through the world each day. Are we showing kindness, responsibility, courage, and curiosity?

And making the world better gives purpose to the entire framework. Life is not simply about paying bills and moving through routines. It is about contributing something meaningful to the places and people around us.

When Dean works with young students, he often asks them a playful question. Are we supposed to live in little boxes?

The kids immediately shout no.

Then he asks what we are supposed to do with those boxes.

The answer is simple. Stretch them. Blow them up. Expand them by dreaming bigger about what life could be.

While children tend to embrace this idea easily, Dean notes that adults often need help reconnecting with their dreams. Over time many people learn to quiet their curiosity in order to fit expectations.

His work is about helping people remember that dreaming is not reserved for a special few. It is part of being human.

Small Actions That Change the World

When people hear the phrase “make the world better,” they often imagine large-scale accomplishments or global impact.

Dean sees it differently.

For him, meaningful change often begins with the smallest gestures. It might be offering a high five to a student in a hallway, asking a grocery store clerk how they are really doing, or checking in on a neighbor who is going through a difficult time.

These moments may seem ordinary, but they create ripples of connection that move outward into the world.

Dean shared one example from his weekly racquetball group. For fifteen years he has played every Wednesday with a group of men from different backgrounds and political perspectives. One evening he invited them to his home for soup and guided them through a simple reflection exercise.

They talked about something good that happened the day before, something they were grateful for today, and a goal they hoped to accomplish tomorrow.

By the end of the evening the atmosphere in the room had completely shifted. People left feeling energized, connected, and uplifted.

It was not a grand event. It was simply a moment of intentional connection.

Photography as a Way of Seeing

In addition to speaking and traveling, Dean is also an accomplished photographer. His philosophy around photography is simple but profound. He describes it as discovering the extraordinary within the ordinary.

The practice begins with slowing down.

In everyday life, most of us move quickly from one task to the next. We pass by countless moments without really seeing them. Photography invites us to pause and look longer.

When we do, we begin to notice details that were always there but rarely observed.

Dean believes this approach applies to life beyond the camera as well. Anyone can cultivate this way of seeing by being more present, more curious, and more attentive to the world around them.

When we slow down, ordinary moments begin to reveal unexpected beauty.

A Moment at Mount Everest

One of Dean’s most memorable experiences occurred near the base of Mount Everest.

While traveling through Nepal, he climbed a nearby peak called Kala Patthar to catch a glimpse of the famous mountain. As he reached the summit, thick clouds rolled in and completely obscured the view.

A fellow traveler decided to leave, assuming the mountain would remain hidden, but Dean chose to stay. He trusted his gut instinct and he wasn’t disappointed. About twenty minutes later the clouds suddenly cleared, revealing Mount Everest standing clearly before him.

In that moment he felt an overwhelming wave of emotion.

Years earlier he had dreamed of seeing Everest, but like many dreams it had faded into the background as life became busy. Standing there, he realized something important.

Dreams are not reserved for extraordinary people. They belong to anyone willing to listen to the quiet voice asking them to try.

Living With Aliveness

Throughout our conversation, the word aliveness kept coming up over and over.

Dean believes life is meant to be experienced fully, not simply observed from the sidelines. That does not mean everyone needs to climb mountains or travel across the world. It simply means staying curious and open to new experiences.

Sometimes that might be visiting a new park in your city, trying a restaurant you have never been to, or striking up a conversation with someone in line at the store.

Small moments of curiosity create momentum. And momentum often leads to bigger possibilities.

His challenge for anyone listening is simple.

If something inside you feels stirred by a conversation, an idea, or a dream you have been holding onto, trust that feeling. That stirring might be the beginning of something meaningful.

As Dean shared at the end of our conversation, the world is waiting for people to take action on the best of who they are.

And perhaps the most beautiful reminder he left us with was a blessing he shares everywhere he travels.

Blessings to all who came before.Blessings to all who are here now.Blessings to all who will come after.

May they find peace in their hearts and joy in their journey.