What Is Project Horizon & Why Am I Doing It?

Project Horizon is a global conversation experiment by executive coach and high-performance consultant Tim Dutton. It aims to uncover diverse human perspectives by connecting with 100 remarkable people worldwide, linked through six referral-based chains.

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Project Horizon’s mission is to capture the wide range of perspectives and stories of interesting people around the world. It’s also about demonstrating the power of human networks.

In late December 2024, I decided I wanted to connect with 100 different, interesting people. I’ve long been interested in how humans think and act, so this project felt like it sat right in my sweet spot.

After a decade in two of the most ‘alpha’ environments imaginable –  rugby union and the military – I was also becoming increasingly aware of how my professional surroundings may have narrowed my lens on the world. To avoid echo chambers and broaden my thinking, I knew I couldn’t just pick who I spoke to. Left to my own devices, I probably would have gravitated towards people who look, think and behave like me. I guess that’s just human nature; we like people who are like us.

Aware of this bias, and in order to give the project some guide rails, I gave myself some rules. These were:

1. I would start by speaking to five people I already knew and ask them to refer me on to someone they thought was interesting. These people were my mom, my best friend, and three amazing people I’ve met through travelling, professional sport and elite military respectively.

 (NB: I was enjoying it so much I added a sixth absolute legend, from the world of fitness.)

2. Whomever I was referred to would (hopefully) then refer me on to someone they thought was interesting, but who they thought might offer a different perspective to themselves.

3. I could not ask for a certain type of person to be referred to. The referrer was judge, jury and executioner. I was in their hands.

4. I must bring an attitude of curiosity to all conversations, remaining conscious that I am bringing a lifetime of biases, preconceptions and unconscious prejudices with me.

5. To maintain a healthy tempo to the project, I would conduct all conversations via Zoom.

6. Each conversation should be roughly 60 minutes long. This would be enough time to establish rapport, understand the person and generate insights, but not so long that people are reluctant to commit.

7. I must spend time capturing my written reflections after each conversation, looking at what I’ve learnt about the other person, the world, myself and the mechanics of the project itself.

8. If I hit a dead-end (i.e. no referral or getting ‘ghosted’), I must go back up the chain to the previous connection and ask for another referral.

This was it. I got going on the 23rd of December. My first conversation was with Greg, a then 33-year-old software engineer whom I met in Rome when I was Interrailing around Europe. When our 8-person dorm room had become infested with bed bugs, we got allocated a double room together (to Greg’s initial dismay). Naturally, being in close proximity, we got to know each other well and agreed to stay in touch when we parted ways. We didn’t expect to bump into each other in Vienna a week or so later. This called for a bromantic trip to the opera to mark our second chance encounter. The serendipity of our meeting(s) were a kind of fuel for this project.

Also providing inspiration for this project were a number of connections I made during the dark days of COVID. We were all (or, at least, all those who were furloughed) online, distracting ourselves from the misery of lockdown by engaging in as much professional development as we could squeeze into the day.

I had been reaching out to a whole host of contacts to develop my knowledge and skills. At the end of each call, I had developed the habit of asking “Is there anyone you would suggest I speak to next?”. Invariably, this led to another interesting connection, which reinforced the habit. After watching a great webinar hosted by Cody Royle and Fergus Connelly, I reached out to Cody and asked if he would be open to connecting.

He was, and he was a real gent. (Check out his work here.) He passed me on to a former All Blacks rugby coach, before also introducing me to the US ice hockey coach of the year. Long story short: the coach gave me a consultancy role and I’m now approaching my sixth season supporting that ice hockey team now, whilst continuing to work with the coach on a one-to-one basis as he has progressed his career.

So, whether it is stumbling into unexpected friendships or discovering exciting professional opportunities, I felt I had developed a blueprint for expanding my horizons: let go of control and put myself out into the world.

The question was: which amazing people would I connect with this time?

*List accurate at the time of writing.

• Software engineer from Vancouver, Canada (Chain 1 Starter)
• Special education needs teacher who also happens to be my lovely mother (Chain 2 Starter)
• Senior civil servant in the UK Cabinet office and my best friend (Chain 3 Starter)
• A serial traveller and conservationist working as a carbon credits analyst
• Traditional Polish singer and special needs music teacher
• Another serial traveller who’s also an Auditor at EY
• Head Coach of an American ice hockey team (Chain 4 Starter)
• A Polish musician in the British army
• Brazilian education tutor and psychology student
• World record holder (most weight deadlifted in 24 hours), sea kayaker and S&C coach for the elite military (Chain 5 Starter)
• Retired American oil investor
• Polish software tester who’s passionate about plants
• Lawyer who offered interesting perspectives on working with wealthy people
• World record sea kayaker and instructor
• Sea kayak manufacturer and adventurer
• Rum distillery owner and lover of all things ‘taste’
• Brazilian in Brasilia focused on education policy reform
• 70-year-old American female CEO of a manufacturing company who gave great relationship advice
• Chief Financial Officer and passionate physicist
• Only Fans model manager
• Northern Irish military combatives expert (Chain 6 Starter)
• Female model with insights into sexuality and adult content industry
• Brazilian post-doctoral researcher in education policy, living in Japan
• Author/ghost writer for famous personalities (and who’s living with Parkinson’s)
• Chinese PhD researcher in marine conservation, living in Japan
• American female executive coach
• Bangladeshi PhD researcher in marine conservation, living in Japan
• Retired businessman with many leadership lessons
• Ex-Army and current MMA instructor who has recently connected with God
• Commercial property developer
• Free-spirited yogi and artist with no fixed abode
• Christian pastor who likes to experiment with hobbies
• Web designer, artist and (I would say) modern-day philosopher
• Indian CEO of a games designing company, passionate about personal development
• Bangladeshi medical researcher living in Germany
• Retired British Navy captain who does loads for charity
• American Mormon who’s a director of a manufacturing business
• Ex-special branch police officer who’s seen more life than I ever will
• Photographer who is trying to reconnect with their passion
• A humble guy who, upon seeing the list of people above, described himself happily as ‘just a dad’… there’s perspective for you
• A suspended teacher who’s trying to carve out a new career
• 18-year old Indian, studying in LA, who’s done more thinking than most adults
• Chartered accountant who’s been on 20 stag do’s and has a story for each one
• A female movement therapist who’s passionate about supporting women through life transitions
• Female Russian engineer, living in the UK
• A female physiotherapist dealing with a busy family life
• 22-year old Indian who built a business whilst at university
• Liverpool’s first female Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt (also an accountant)
• Serial business founder and CEO
• Former UFC fighter, doorman and philosopher
• Co-founder of a luxury creative agency who’s breaking the mould

That’s a total of 51 conversations so far, with 3372 minutes spent on Zoom, and many more organising and reflecting upon these special connections.

So, that’s what Project Horizon is, why I’m doing it and who I’ve met so far. Moving forward, on a weekly basis, I will be releasing a series of journal articles titled ‘5 Connections, 5 Insights‘ in which I will share what I’ve learnt.

Stay tuned.