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Ed Stafford is a British explorer, television presenter and author who holds the Guinness World Record for being the first person to walk the entire length of the Amazon River, and he has also survived 60 days alone and naked on a desert island amongst many other adventures. In this conversation, we talk about: - How adoption trauma shaped who he became as a man - Why he never felt like he belonged as a captain in the British Army - What led to him spending his 50th birthday in an underground bunker in America - Why he sold everything in England and moved to Costa Rica with his family to reject materialism - What he would tell his 27 year old self about money, the housing ladder and what actually makes you free Ed Stafford’s website is here: https://edstafford.org/ Find Ed here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ed_stafford/?hl=en Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuhWbavmdpho8aKJ0Q0M7SA Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/edwardjamesstafford/?locale=en_GB My conversation with Levison Wood is here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1FDBzPGBZDfeejsMmTo0Bg?si=82e26d243f8c42af Thank you

Sarah Williams is the founder of the Tough Girl Podcast and Tough Girl Challenges, who launched both after leaving corporate banking at 32 and has since grown the podcast to over 870 episodes and millions of downloads, making it one of the most listened to adventure podcasts in the world. In this conversation, we talk about: Why she walked away from a corporate banking career at 32 to champion women in adventure How overtraining for the Marathon des Sables caused severe burnout and what she learned from it The loneliness and guilt of running a solo enterprise nobody warned her about Why the people who project their fears onto your ambitions are the ones you should ignore How to find your passion when you have no idea where to start Sarah is the Founder of Tough Girl Challenges: Website - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/ Sarah is the Host of the Tough Girl Podcast: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4YeO1EN1L4Qk0IvSiO9kG3?si=8bd03ff04de94aa1 Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/tough-girl-podcast/id1024977070 You can find Sarah here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/?hl=en Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@toughgirlchallenges Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/?locale=en_GB Thank you

Jenny Tough is an ultra endurance athlete, solo expedition runner, bikepacker and author who has crossed mountain ranges solo and unsupported on every continent, including a 1,000km crossing of Kyrgyzstan entirely alone. In this conversation, we talk about: - Why solo expeditions forced her to stop people pleasing and start backing herself - Developing PTSD after nearly drowning in the Rockies and how she recovered - How an eating disorder and exercise dependency nearly ended her career - How to build a remote career in your twenties that funds a life of adventure - Why declaring your ambitions and applying anyway matters more than feeling ready Jenny Tough’s website is here: https://www.jennytough.com/ You can find Jenny here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jennytough/?hl=en Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jenniferjtough/?locale=en_GB Thank you

Lena Drapella is a professional climbing photographer and the first female photographer for World Climbing who recently sailed from Iceland to East Greenland to climb a new route on the third largest wall in the world. In this conversation, we talk about: How discovering rock climbing at university derailed a perfectly good plan to study furniture design in Paris How she built a career photographing the world's best climbers and why the industry is brutal What a world-class adventure photographer is actually looking for when she takes a photo Why pursuing your own dream can start to feel selfish and what to do when it does Why leaving the city for North Wales was the best decision she ever made Find Lena’s website here:https://www.lenadrapella.com/ Find Lena here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lenadrapella/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-drapella-131112136/?isSelfProfile=false  Thank you

Emily Penn is a sailor, ocean advocate and founder of eXXpedition, which runs ocean-focused research missions and all-women sailing expeditions to study plastic pollution across the entire world's oceans. In this conversation, we talk about: How sailing from Europe to Australia and finding plastic 800 miles from civilisation changed the course of her life Why 29 out of 35 UN-banned toxic chemicals were found in her own blood How she traded a career in architecture for a life at sea by pitching her skills rather than her experience Why bottled water contains more microplastics than tap water Why she spent her twenties gaining experience with no salary Apply to join an all-women crew here: https://exxpedition.com/apply/ Emily’s website is here: https://www.emilypenn.com/ You can find Emily here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/missemilypenn/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilypenn/ Thank you

Ann Daniels is a polar explorer and world record holder for being part of the first all-female team to walk to both the North and South Poles, who went on to conduct Arctic scientific research for NASA and the European Space Agency. In this conversation, we talk about: Responding to an advert for ordinary women to walk to the North Pole while going through a divorce with triplets at home How to take the first step when you feel completely stuck in life Carrying on after a teammate was evacuated with frostbite and gangrene on day 47 How she negotiated a wage when nobody was paying explorers, to fund her expeditions as a single mother Why you do not need to be the best in the world to live a life worth being proud of Ann Daniels website is here: https://www.anndaniels.com/ You can find Ann here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anndanielsgb/ Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anndanielsgb/ Thank you

Leon McCarron is a writer, filmmaker and adventurer from Northern Ireland who has walked across the Gobi Desert, lived in Iraq and now lives in Beirut, Lebanon. In this conversation, we talk about: - Why deciding which life you want to live comes down to which regret is easier to live with - Cycling from New York to Hong Kong at 23 with almost no money and no experience - Why Western media gets places like Iraq and Syria completely wrong - Building the Zagros Mountain Trail through Iraq and why a hiking route can change an entire region - The time Leon met grave robbers searching for buried treasure in Nicaragua Leon’s website is here: https://www.leonmccarron.com/ You can find Leon here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leonmccarron/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonmccarron/ Thank you

Ben Aitken is a British travel writer, Sunday Times columnist, and author. His most recent book is called S****y Breaks, which celebrates the 12 least visited cities in the UK. In this conversation, we talk about: - Why adventure doesn't require an exotic destination or a big budget - How solo travel builds resilience and why talking to strangers is the antidote to anxiety - Why your phone is making modern life heavier than it needs to be - How to find a sense of departure without leaving your own city or even, your own bedroom - Why embracing boredom might be the most radical thing you can do right now You can find Ben’s book here: S****y Breaks - https://www.waterstones.com/book/s****y-breaks/ben-aitken/9781837730483 You can find Ben here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/benaitken85/?hl=en-gb Thank you

Niall McCann is a conservationist, adventurer, biologist, mountain rescuer and TV presenter. In this conversation, we talk about: - Surviving a spinal cord injury after a speed flying accident at 40mph - How Niall's disabled body carries 45kg for days on expeditions in freezing temperatures - Summiting a mountain his grandfather named in 1953 but never climbed - What it means to live up to a family line of explorers - The failure of large conservation NGOs in doing more harm than good Find Niall’s website here: https://niallmccann.com/ Find Niall here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/drniallmccann/?hl=en Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/niall-mccann-5805a4147/ Thank you

Hazel Findlay is a professional climber, mindset coach, founder of Strong Mind Climbing, and the first British woman to climb an E9 level of rock climbing. In this conversation, we talk about: - How to use fear as information rather than a barrier - The neuroscience of thriving under pressure versus simply coping - The pressure of climbing on TV with the likes of Steve Backshall and Alex Honnold - How she built a professional climbing career without a plan - Why having multiple interests protects you from burnout Hazel Findlay’s website is here: https://www.hazel-findlay.com/ You can find Hazel here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hazel_findlay/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLvaY1ewJWH444aMXsc7kRA Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazel-findlay-a59636135/ Thank you

Tommy Lewis is a running coach and content creator who left a career in sales and tech in London to build his own run coaching business and spent the last year living and running across Vietnam, Thailand, India, Egypt and the French Alps. In this conversation, we talk about: - Why the nomadic dream is harder than it looks from the outside - How running became a spiritual guide through his darkest moments - The hidden cost of building a business on social media - Quitting corporate life to build something of your own - Why hitting the "f*** it" button is better than waiting for the perfect moment Tommy is the founder and run coach of That’s Runnable: Website - https://thatsrunnable.com/ Tommy is the host of That’s Runnable Podcast: https://thatsrunnable.com/podcast/ You can find Tommy here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tommyrunpt/?hl=en LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlewisuk/ Thank you

Will Simpson is a serving British Army major and founder of Real Meal, a high performance nutrition bar with over 600 calories in - it's bloody good for endurance and expeditions. In this conversation, we talk about: - Managing a military career, a startup, and parenthood all at the same time - Dealing with personal branding as a private military guy - How fear of failure can be a more powerful motivator than chasing success - Building a business with no investment and 42 product iterations - Why hard work is the one variable entirely within your control Will is the Founder of Real Meal: Website - https://realmeal.co.uk/ Find Will here: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-simpson-54657b67/ Thank you

Preet Chandi is a four-time Guinness World Record breaker, British Army veteran and polar explorer. She has skied to the South Pole alone three times, sometimes for as long as 70 days carrying up to 120kg. In this conversation, we talk about: - What 70 days of complete solitude does to your mind - From the British Army to solo polar exploration with no skiing background - How anger can drive momentum without becoming the thing that controls you - Why failure on her second expedition built the resilience that made her third a success - How to take the first step into the expedition world Preet’s website is here: https://polarpreet.com/ Preet is here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/polarpreet/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/preet-chandi-mbe-5897a3199/ Thank you

Tom Livingstone is a professional climber, two-time winner of the Piolet d'Or and Founder of the Young Alpinist Group, a mentorship programme supporting the next generation of alpinists. In this conversation, we talk about: - How he turned climbing into a full-time career over ten years without a plan - Why he disagrees with awards in climbing - What life as a sponsored climber actually looks like - Why failure happens roughly half the time and why that is fine - His advice for young people who want to pursue an uncertain path You can find Tom here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tom__livingstone/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@tomlivingstone1154/videos Thank you

Oli Broom left a corporate career at 29 to cycle from England to Australia following the Ashes, ran a charity in Rwanda, and went on to found The Slow Cyclist, a business taking people on journeys through some of the most remote landscapes on earth. In this conversation, we talk about: - Quitting a corporate job at 29 with no guarantee it would work out - Cycling across the world on £5 to £10 a day - Building a business that survived Ebola, COVID and a war in Ukraine - How he dealt with the mental and physical impact of serious injury - Why your twenties are the decade to embrace uncertainty Oli is the Founder of The Slow Cyclist: Website - https://www.theslowcyclist.com You can find Oli here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/olibroom/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/oli-broom-a970922a/ Thank you