Chasing Lights—an Alaskan Childhood

What if leadership requires kindness? The world can not be controlled. That is an obvious understatement, as human beings are far too small and powerless to have total control. It is challenging to keep that simple truth in mind, especially if the world asks you to be a leader. The Chasing Lights story reminded me just how much I have been buffeted about by a much larger world. That reminder continuously changes my approach to leadership, and helps me learn to get better at it (I hope). Ultimately, I believe that good leadership does not control, but perhaps it can assist with navigation? In a conversation with Henry Chamberlain, former CEO of BOMA, we explored what it means to become and perform as a leader.

The book version of Chasing Lights will be released in early 2026. It tells the story of his childhood under the Northern Lights in Alaska where the small things, the ordinary lives lived in an impossibly big world under the Lights are what really matter. Chasing Lights Conversations explores how different people chased their own lights and what they have learned along the way. Joshua Harris sat down with Gunnar in August of 2025 to discuss his own life journeys in New York City and rural Florida, and how it has shaped his way of seeing the world.

Part of the Chasing Lights Conversations podcasts, I sat down with a good friend and colleague Zeb Bradford. In his work life, he is Metzler Real Estate's Chief Investment Officer, but outside of work he has led a fascinating life in places around the world. Zeb described what it feels like to be a foreigner and how he learned to adjust. We shared notes on connecting in a fragmented world, about long form media and reflection, and on the way that all people are more alike than we realize...even if we irritate each other. It was a wonderful conversation. I hope you enjoy it.

What are your Chasing Lights Stories? After finishing the podcast of Chasing Lights and as the book version is prepared for release in early 2026, author Gunnar Branson sits down with Marc Royer to ask him about his Chasing Lights Journey from France to rural California, Spain, Miami, and other spots in between.

Why did I write a story about childhood "under the lights"? The reasons are complicated, but the stories are interesting. Find out why.

I didn't start life in Alaska, but I ended up there pretty quickly. How? Listen here to the story of how my family went north for the first time.

How much can you escape what you left behind? How much does it follow you? The family starts their life as Alaskans.

What does it take to get through winter? Tough for everyone, Alaskan winters are especially difficult on the body and the soul...but there are moments that fill the darkness.

What is Spring like in Alaska? It's so different that Alaskans don't call it Spring.

When does the light come back? When can I trust the warmth to stay? Summer finally comes and "the real Alaska" outside of Anchorage beckons.

Why is there so much garbage? Even if one leave's civilization behind, the trash just follows you. But is that a bad thing?

What about the other road out of town? Instead of just the Kenai Penninsula, the family started to explore the country to the North of Anchorage, and even the Bush.

What is it like to live in the Bush? It is not always what one might expect. Of all the experiences of the Bush, the most challenging and most beautiful may be the silence.

What about hunting and fishing? A big part of life in Alaska, it's never as simple as it seems and learning to understand and accept violence can be a lifetime journey.

How long before someone belongs in Alaska? It's surprising, where someone turns around and realizes that all that strange and frightening stuff is now normal. Normality creeps up, even as one complains about things being different from the way they were.

What is it like to fly? People fly alot more in Alaska than elsewhere. What is it like to take off in a blizzard or land next to a mountain? What is it like to fly 4,000 miles away for the first time alone?

What is hip? The question asked by Tower of Power in 1973 was on my mind as I started two amazing jobs my senior year in high school.

Life is unfair. What can we do about it? There wasn't that much more time before I left Alaska. Like alot of people about to start life on their own, the inequities of life became more apparent to me.

How do you know that change has happened? Months away from my last days in Alaska, everything had already changed.

Is there a good way to say goodbye? Is it even possible to say goodbye to Alaska?

I left Alaska but it never left me, and I keep saying goodbye to the end.