Pat Torrey didn’t set out to start a company…he got pulled into a mission he couldn’t ignore.

In 2001, while facilitating a team development day for staff at the Hemophilia Foundation of Oregon’s summer camp, Pat encountered a community that would change the trajectory of his life. The staff, many of them living with bleeding disorders themselves, were hilarious, deeply committed, and showing up year after year to support kids navigating the same condition.

Then he learned the full story.

He came to understand the devastating history of the bleeding disorders community, including the loss of more than half its members in the 1980s and 90s due to contaminated treatments. And at the same time, he saw something else emerging..a new generation with access to safe, effective therapies. For the first time, these kids could run, climb, explore, and push their limits in ways that had never been possible before.

But the culture hadn’t caught up.

Many were still being raised inside patterns of fear and overprotection, understandably so, but limiting what they believed was possible for their lives. Pat saw a gap that no one else was addressing: what if these young people could learn how to trust their bodies, take smart, positive risks, and build the confidence to fully engage with their world?

That question became GutMonkey.

Founded in 2005, GutMonkey is an experiential education company that designs and delivers adventure-based programs for people living with chronic medical conditions, their families, and the professionals who support them. Since then, the organization has served more than 30,000 participants across 47 states, with a growing reach into rare and complex disease communities nationwide.

Pat brings a background in environmental studies, therapeutic wilderness programs, and challenge course facilitation, and has a knack for translating research on resilience, growth mindset, and positive psychology into experiences that feel like camp, not classroom. His programs are built around play, reflection, and real-world application, helping people walk away not just inspired, but equipped.

Under his leadership, GutMonkey has developed a range of programs, including Leading Edge, Pathfinders, Caregivers Compass, Leading X Expeditions, Generation IX, Leverage, and Camp Ellellbee, delivered in collaboration with national organizations, regional teams, and healthcare partners. His work shows up everywhere from community weekends to leadership intensives to staff trainings, all centered on self-efficacy, personal responsibility, and meaningful connection.

Pat is also a sought-after speaker, known for highly interactive keynotes that get people out of their seats and into the experience. He has presented at major national and regional events including the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation Conference, Hemophilia Federation of America Symposium, Coalition for Hemophilia B Symposium, the Hope Conference, and the North American Camping Conference of Hemophilia Organizations, where he has helped open the conference for more than two decades.

But ask him what he’s most proud of, and it’s not the numbers or the stage.

It’s the team.

GutMonkey is intentionally small and deeply committed, with leaders across the country who bring the mission to life every day. Together, they create spaces where people can step outside the limits they’ve been handed and start to rewrite what’s possible.

Whether he’s working with a young person learning to trust their body, a caregiver navigating uncertainty, or a professional supporting others, Pat’s focus is the same: help people get out of their comfort zones, take ownership of their lives, and discover they’re capable of more than they thought.

At the core, his belief is simple: growth doesn’t come from staying safe..it comes from learning how to take the right risks.