Down on life and battling severe depression, Brock Tully embarked on a 16,000-km bike tour around North America in 1970. That feat, he says in retrospect, was a chance to find himself, to reconnect with his core values of living authentically, in community and with joy – things he believed were long-lost.

He would finish two more bike tours in 2000 and 2009, collecting numerous stories along the way.

Today, Tully is a motivational speaker, author of nine books and has his own foundation aimed at creating a kinder world. He is also founder of the World Kindness Concert and frequently visits schools for bullying prevention initiatives.

Tully was invited to present a talk in Sylvan Lake last night, as part of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day programming.

He shared nuggets of wisdom he gleaned during his bike rides -- playful quips and turns of phrases about authenticity, following dreams, showing compassion and personal empowerment, all recorded in one of his books, Reflections.

A man of many talents, speaker Brock Tully juggles for the audience at Sylvan Lake's Family and Communitiy Centre on June 15.

The key refrain of his speech was about getting back “in touch with your heart.”

“In my head are all my fears and paranoias and judgments and people’s voices saying, ‘You can’t do this or that.’ Whereas in my heart, I believe there’s one voice there that connects all people,” Tully said.

Tully said he did just that on his first bike ride, where he experienced kindness from strangers.

In his three rides, he said that many people are missing community.

“We become very separate by age, colour and style and people need to come together more,” he said, adding that more emphasis should be put on teaching empathy to children.