Advertise on podcast: The Deep Joy Podcast

Today I'm speaking with Daniel Droste, a South African freediver and coach who grew up in Asia and swam competitively into his twenties. He discovered performance freediving in Egypt in 2020, progressed fast, then stalled at 70m. Adaptation training changed everything, letting him dive much deeper with ease. His approach focuses on finding joy in the dive, building a nervous system that feels safe underwater, and developing mental and physical adaptations on shallow dives. Now based in Portugal, Dan runs Kelpshark Freediving, an online coaching studio. Using adapted mouthfill and alternative breathwork strategies, he has helped dozens of divers add many meters to their PBs without simply "training harder." Follow us on instagram @deepjoypodcast @kelpsharkfreediving @carospitzer

Today I'm speaking with Viktoria Urbanek, a freediving instructor and competitive athlete, and founder of One Breath Austria. She holds several Austrian national records and has competed at multiple world championships. Though landlocked, Austria's lakes offer excellent training conditions, and Viktoria is building a freediving community around them, because for her, the sport only truly works within a strong, well-functioning community. Follow us on instagram @deepjoypodcast @viktoriaurbanek @carospitzer

In today's episode I'm speaking with Gen Morris. Living through the elements to find balance. Gen uses freediving to drop into the fluid stillness of water, climbing to connect with the raw strength of the rock, and kitesurfing to dance with the power of the wind. For over a decade, she’s been guiding people into the world of adventure sports, sharing how a deep conversation with earth, air, and water can ground the mind, build true resilience, and restore equilibrium to everyday life. Follow us on instagram @deepjoypodcast @gen.in.motion @carospitzer

Today's episode is the third and final episode of the little mini-series called "Why Depth?" For this series, I invited three different freedivers and asked them the exact same questions. Everyone comes from a different background, has different experiences, and their own relationship with depth. I was curious to see what would come up. Maybe these conversations will encourage you to reflect on your own reasons for diving. I don't think there's one right answer, but I do think understanding your answer can completely change the way you experience the sport. The third conversation is with Stefan Randig, a freediving athlete, multiple national record holder, Instructor Trainer, and coach with over 20 years of experience. And if you'd like to hear more from Stefan beyond this short conversation, make sure to check out his full episode previously recorded on the podcast.

Today's episode is the second of a little mini-series called "Why Depth?" For this series, I invited three different freedivers and asked them the exact same questions. Everyone comes from a different background, has different experiences, and their own relationship with depth. I was curious to see what would come up. Maybe these conversations will encourage you to reflect on your own reasons for diving. I don't think there's one right answer, but I do think understanding your answer can completely change the way you experience the sport. The second conversation is with Mickael Piccard, a French freediving and mental coach who works with divers at every level—from beginners to competitive athletes. And if you'd like to hear more from Micka beyond this short conversation, make sure to check out his full episode previously recorded on the podcast.

This week's episode is going to be a little mini-series called "Why Depth?" For this series, I invited three different freedivers and asked them the exact same questions. Everyone comes from a different background, has different experiences, and their own relationship with depth. I was curious to see what would come up. Maybe these conversations will encourage you to reflect on your own reasons for diving. I don't think there's one right answer, but I do think understanding your answer can completely change the way you experience the sport. The first conversation is with David Mellor. David has been freediving for 13 years and competing for the last six. He's a multiple World Record holder, and the first 60-year-old to dive to 100 metres in competition. And if you'd like to hear more from David beyond this short conversation, make sure to check out his full episode previously recorded on the podcast.

Today I’m speaking to Andrea Marengo, an Italian freediving instructor and deep safety diver based in Dahab, Egypt. He works mainly as a deep safety diver for competitive athletes and in competitions, while also teaching safety courses and beginners. In this episode we dive deep into the safety aspect of Freediving and making the link to Andrea's past experience as a rafting guide and safety. Follow us o instagram @deepjoypodcast @andrea_marengo.9 @carospitzer

Stefan is a freediving athlete, Instructor Trainer, and coach with 20 years of experience. He is passionate about exploring our potential through breath, movement, and water. He believes in freediving not only as a sport, but also as a sustainable activity that can bring calm, health, and joy at any stage of life. Follow us on instagram: @deepjoypodcast @stefanrandig @carospitzer

Amira Khalil is a competitive Freediver and AIDA Instructor who believes that growth happens beyond comfort zones. After representing Egypt at the AIDA Pool World Championships, she continues to inspire others through teaching, coaching, and sharing the lessons learned both in and out of the water. Follow us on instagram @deepjoypodcast @amira.a.khalil @carospitzer

Today I’m speaking to Mickael Piccard, a French freediving coach who works with divers at every level—from beginners to competitive athletes. One thing that runs through all of his coaching is the importance of relaxation and learning how to access deeper states of calm. Which is exactly what we’re diving into in this episode. Follow us on instagram @deepjoypodcast @micka.pi @carospitzer

This is the second episode with Kimberley Houghton, a Peak Performance Coach who has spent the last ten years training with some of the best organisations in the world. As a specialist in human behaviour, her training includes neuroscience, flow states, and mindset. Kimberley works with athletes and leaders, and her specialist training in trauma allows her to work at a much deeper level with her clients. She has been freediving for the past few years and quickly recognized the important role our nervous system plays in our diving and has since then been passionate about sharing this information with other Freedivers.

Today I'm sharing another solo episode where we are talking about Freediving burnout - how we drift into it, why it happens and how to gently find our ways back to joy. I really want to start doing more solo episodes so if there is a topic that you would like me to explore, please reach out and let me know. follow me on instagram @deepjoypodcast @carospitzer

Ahmed Bambino is An Aida instructor trainer, the founder of One Breath Academy and a high-performance freediving coach. He has guided athletes to national records using his6 years experience combining deep expertise in technique, CO₂ tolerance, and nervous system control. Praised in reviews for his supportive, results-driven coaching, Ahmed helps divers reach new personal and competitive depths safely and confidently.  Based on his experience as an Aida competition organizer and Judge. follow us on instagram @deepjoypodcast @one-breathak @carospitzer

Jindřiška is a Czech freediving athlete, instructor, and swim coach. She is a multiple national record holder and a pool WCH medalist. Thrown into the pool by her parents in early childhood, she has remained in the water ever since, pursuing and sharing her passion for freediving. follow us on instagram @deepjoypodcast @jindriskazajacova-freediver @carospitzer

Michele Usai is an Italian Freediver from Sardinia. In recent years, he has committed himself fully to freediving, embracing the discipline, physical conditioning, and mental strength that he believes are essential to excel in this sport. Since entering depth competitions last year, he has achieved top-level results, becoming an Italian Champion, freshwater World Record holder in CNF, and Vice Italian Champion in CWT. He has reached depths beyond 100 meters in several disciplines. follow us on instagram @deepjoypodcast @michele.apnea @carospitzer