Humans of the Tribe: Elle, Jack & Baby Reuben

Our first contact was in 2022, ahead of only the second-ever Tribe Experience. She reached out casually - just checking details for a trip she believed she was booked on, around six weeks before departure.

What I didn’t yet know was that she was in the middle of a difficult separation, and that her ex-partner had not only cancelled the trip without her knowledge, but had also taken the money she paid for the trip, from her.

She’d paid for that experience. She believed she was coming. And suddenly, she found out she wasn’t.

It was awful. At that stage, The Tribe was tiny and as much as every instinct in me wanted to fix it, I couldn’t.

What I didn’t expect was what came next.

She rebooked. She paid again. From scratch and in full. And she joined us on the next Uganda experience.

That was the first time I met Elle in person - and from that moment, she had an impact on me that I don’t think she even realises to this day.

She is effortlessly authentic. Wild in the very best way. Warm, honest, open. I’ve always been drawn to people with a wild side. From my experience, it usually means creativity, depth, truth. Elle carries all of that. There’s no performance. No ego. Just a very real, deeply authentic, human being - beautiful inside and out. 

Somewhere along the way - without any need to announce it - it became clear that she was also a seriously successful businesswoman. That didn’t surprise me in the slightest.

The Tribe Uganda Experience, February 2023, was exceptional and Elle was one of the standout characters of that trip. That experience marked the start of a relationship between Elle and The Tribe that went on to change my life, as much as it did hers.

Elle had the time of her life in Uganda, so she booked onto our Christmas and New Year Zanzibar experience, 23/24. And it was there that she met Jack.

Jack is one of those people who radiates deeply good energy - quietly, without trying. Watching them together felt natural. Like two people who didn’t need to become anything else to fit. They just did. 

My son, Kaine, was on that trip too and soon formed a close connection with Jack, Elle and their individual friends who were also on the experience.

Watching my son build genuine friendships with people like Elle and Jack makes me feel content. These are the humans you want around the people you love most - the ones who show up with honesty, know how to have a really good time and always radiate the right energy.

Jack and Elle joined The Tribe Experience again in Uganda the following February, now as a couple. 

And then in February 2025, came Kilimanjaro.

Elle is a warrior. Strong, fit, determined. And yet, she was unexpectedly struggling. At the time, we put it down to altitude, exhaustion and all the challenges that come with climbing a mountain as immense as Kilimanjaro.

What we didn’t know - until after we were home - was that Elle had been carrying some extra baggage! Our very own superwoman reached the highest point in Africa ten weeks pregnant.

That’s who she is.

At the end of 2025, baby Reuben arrived. And as soon as I could, I went to meet him - the original Tribe baby. A continuation of a story that began with resilience, honesty, and choosing to keep going when things fall apart and today sits with the formation of a new relationship, new friendships and a new life!

Elle, Jack, and Reuben are some of the things I am most proud of to come out of The Tribe Experience to date. Elle often talks about the impact The Tribe has had on her life. But what matters just as much is that she knows the impact she has had on mine.

During some of my toughest moments - when it would have been easier to change direction - people like Elle gave me strength without ever knowing they were doing it. Simply by being who they are. By showing up. By reminding me why The Tribe Experience matters. 

They make it all worthwhile. And I know, without question, that they are part of mine and Kaine's lives, forever.

That’s what Humans of the Tribe really is. It's about so much more than the experience. It's the stories about people coming together for a moment in time and making that moment count for always. 

It goes without say Elle is joining our biggest ever experience in November 2026 as we take on the mighty Himalayas and it will come as no surprise to anyone who knows her, that it's Jack who will stay at home with baby Reu! 

I can’t wait to watch Elle, Jack, and Reuben take on the world, create their own magic, and carry the spirit of The Tribe forward.

There is no one else I could have started this series with.