'Tales of Adventure' by Hiatus.Design

In this episode, we talk to Rachel Smith, a medical doctor, mountaineer, and all-round powerhouse aiming to become the first woman with type 1 diabetes to summit Mount Vinson in Antarctica, later this year. We hear about the realities of managing diabetes at high altitude, what it was like to summit Kilimanjaro, Lobuche East and Aconcagua, her training and preparation to summit Mount Vinson,  and how she’s supporting research to help find a cure for type 1 diabetes.w.

In this episode, we talk with Kate Jamieson, an intrepid maritime historian who recently returned from an extraordinary trip to Antarctica, retracing Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary journey! In addition to exploring Antarctica, Kate has summited Kilimanjaro, lectured at the US Naval Academy and recorded with the BBC, all while championing the importance of history through her work with The Society for Nautical Research, the 1805 Club, and The Navy Records Society. https://katejamieson.co.ukhttps://www.thetalesofadventure.com/podcast/kate-jamiesonProduction, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

In this episode, we speak with Glyn Sadler, a former Royal Marine turned ‘adventure rower’ and spearfishing enthusiast, who founded Adventures Per Mare, a one-of-a-kind adventure rowing company based in Norway. He shares his experience rowing across the Atlantic, where he received shoutouts from none other than James Corden and His Royal Highness, the Prince of Bhutan. We also discuss how his team secured over £100,000 in sponsorship, coming back from a life-altering injury, his preparation for the first-ever full coastal row of Norway next year, and how combining two sports has unlocked a whole new level of adventure for him.https://www.adventurespermare.co.ukhttps://www.thetalesofadventure.com/podcast/glyn-sadler-adventure-rowing

In episode 22, we talk to Julian Davies, a father and business owner in his fifties, who recently cycled over 550 kilometres across Iceland’s mid-ocean ridge  fault  line   in a self-directed bikepacking project he called the ‘Iceland Divide’. We talk about how his time as an officer in the British Parachute Regiment helped him craft the fundamentals of personal resilience, the concept of ‘Future water’ adapted from kayaking, the unique challenges of mixing katabatic winds with glacial rivers, and how Scottish author Nan Shepherd encouraged him to embrace sensory experiences and take a slower, more contemplative approach to personal adventures.Production, Design & Artwork by ⁠Hiatus.Design⁠https://www.thetalesofadventure.com/podcast/julian-davies-bikepacking-across-iceland

In episode 21, we talk to Christine Dennison, a female pioneer in extreme ocean exploration. She co-founded Mad dog expeditions in the US and is the first woman to dive and document the remote regions of Canada's Northwest Passage and the Rio Negro in the Brazilian rainforest. She has been championing remote adventure travel for over 20 years, whilst also mentoring young women, advocating for environmental protection, leadership and participating in ground-breaking expeditions like skiing to the North Pole and finding lost submarines.For this and her other incredible work, she has been awarded a Fellowship at the Royal Geographical Society and International honours from the Brazilian Navy and The Gold Leadership Award by the USA Girl Scouts Organisation.Find out more:https://tiburonsubsea.comhttp://maddogexpeditions.comhttps://www.girlscoutsnyc.org/en/support-us/fundraising-events/gold-achievement-gala/christine-dennison.htmlhttps://www.thetalesofadventure.com/podcast/episode-21-christine-dennison-female-pioneer-in-extreme-ocean-explorationProduction, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

In episode 20, we talk to to Cat Burford, aka ‘The Molar Explorer’, a Dentist aiming to ski 700 miles solo and unsupported to the South Pole, to fundraise for charity and increase the depth of women’s health data in Polar exploration, later this year. We discuss the role models that inspired her to take up this epic challenge, the difficulties in getting it funded, the scientific studies it’ll be adding to, the expeditions she’s used to prepare herself for it, and the many lessons she’s learned along the way.Find out more: Web: https://www.themolarexplorer.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themolarexplorer/ X: https://x.com/molarexplorer Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-burford-91a89531/https://www.thetalesofadventure.com/podcast/episode-20-cat-burford-aka-the-molar-explorerProduction, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

In episode 18, we talk to Harry Amos, a former Army officer and one quarter of the ‘Brothers N Oars’ ocean rowing team that successfully rowed 4,500km from California to Hawaii in 39 days.  We discuss how he had to speak to over four hundred leads to get the expedition funded, how ‘it will pass’ became the team mantra, the unique weather challenges of rowing the Pacific Ocean, breaking the rudder, deploying the para-anchor 3 times and being hit by Storm Calvin!https://www.thetalesofadventure.com/podcast/episode-19-harry-amosProduction, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

In episode 18, I talk to Hugh Keir, a former Parachute regiment sniper, host of the H-Hour podcast and organiser of cool group expeditions that bring people together.We discuss the importance of community and how group expeditions can widen our personal and professional networks, making the stresses of life more manageable, what ‘Zillennials’ are, and how these things keep us sane when we pass 40.Around a ton of laughs, there is genuine ideas on how to get out of a rut if you’ve found yourself in one through life pressures. How to find him: Web: https://charliecharlieone.com X: https://x.com/HughKeir Insta: https://www.instagram.com/hhourpodcasthttps://www.thetalesofadventure.com/podcast/episode-18-hugh-keir-group-expeditionsProduction, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

In episode 15, I interview Jo Bradshaw, a mountain guide and Everest summiteer who’s one mountain away from completing the Seven Summits challenge to fundraise for ‘Place2Be’, a children’s mental health charity. In the episode, she tells me how she started her adventures on a bike ride in Peru in 2004, when she cycled over 500km from Lake Titicaca to Machu Picchu in Peru, to having just one climb left to join the Messner group of those that’ve stood atop the seven summits (the highest peak on each of the continents)! Having just got back from a successful summit of Toubkal in Morocco, and Antarctica before that (to strip and repaint Damoy Hut, aka “the world’s most southerly waiting room”!)  she shares her story of how she transitioned from a life as a business advisor in Buckinghamshire, halving her salary, selling her fancy 4x4, and renting out her house to move to Wiltshire, to join a small adventure consultancy in midst of the 2007 / 2008 global financial crisis (GFC). How to find her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jobradshaw/ Website: https://www.jobradshaw.co.uk Place2Be https://www.instagram.com/_place2be/ https://www.place2be.org.ukhttps://www.thetalesofadventure.com/podcast/episode-15-jo-bradshaw-everest-summiteer-and-expedition-leader-with-just-one-mountain-left-to-complete-the-seven-summitsProduction, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

In this episode, I talk to Sam Sidiqi, now the first Afghan mountaineer to summit Everest! After interviewing him on Episode 11 of the Tales of Adventure podcast (which you can listen to here), his remarkable determination and achievement serves as an inspiring message to the youth of Afghanistan, encouraging them to believe in their own capabilities and strive for greatness. Motivated by his passion to foster mountain sports in Afghanistan, Sam embarked on his Everest expedition with the aim of raising awareness and generating funds for the development of skiing and mountaineering particularly in the remote highland regions. Through his charitable trust, Afghan Peaks, Sidiqi seeks to unlock the immense potential of Afghanistan's breath-taking mountains. Reflecting on his monumental summit, Sam expressed his desire to empower Afghan boys and girls, instilling in them the belief that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to. Despite the challenges that Afghanistan has faced over the past decades, Sam believes the country possesses boundless potential for growth. Through hard work and unwavering determination, he aims to pave the way for a prosperous future. Links:1.     https://www.afghanpeaks.org 2.     https://www.instagram.com/afghanpeaks/ 3.     https://www.facebook.com/AfghanPeaksProduction, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠ 

In episode 16, I interview Hari Budha Magar and Justin Oliver Davies, a pair of adaptive athletes aiming to summit Mount Everest! In the episode recorded in 2021, they tell me about their experience climbing Kilimanjaro, the narrow bosses ridgeline on the way to the Mont Blanc summit, the difficulties of finding prosthetics for mountaineering, and how they plan to tackle the challenge of summiting Mount Everest! Special thanks to Alec Seaman and Darren Coventry for helping to record the audio for this interview.  How to find them https://www.haribudhamagar.com https://www.justinoliverdavis.comProduction, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

In episode 14, I talk to Wendy Searle, who in January 2020, became the 7th Woman in history to ski solo to the South Pole. Now, she’s a polar expedition leader, speechwriter, an inspirational speaker on adventure and mental resilience, and also a mother of four.In the episode, Wendy highlights she had a relatively ordinary existence until 2015, when she met a team going to Antarctica. Afterwards, she began to wonder if someone with no experience, time, or money, could successfully complete a Polar expedition. An almost impossible challenge.Her story is one of the highs and lows of training with the dedication of an Olympic athlete, how she completed a fully unsupported crossing of Greenland, raised tens of thousands of pounds to fund the trip, and juggling the commitments of everyday life.She also offers insight into how to cope in the most difficult of situations, how to build mental resilience, and offers life lessons from the edge of existence.Image credit: Richard Grassie / Compeed / ShackletonSocial media:https://www.instagram.com/betweensnowandsky/https://twitter.com/betweensnowsky?lang=enWeb:https://southpole2020.comhttps://shackleton.com/en-ee/blogs/articles/wendy-searle-she-who-dareshttps://www.chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/wendy-searle/Production, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

In episode 13, I talk to Nick Spicer FRGS, a father, disaster response volunteer, and founder of renewable energy company, YourEco, about his personal goal of completing the Yukon 1000, a race held in the remote backcountries of the US and Canada that ends inside the Arctic circle, and is completed in pairs using either sea kayaks, canoes, or stand-up paddleboard, in under 10 days.We discuss his experiences on other big endurance events (such as the Marathon des Sables, Brutal iron-distance triathlon, and ultramarathons), how he balances personal adventure goals whilst having a family and running a business, how to train when you’ve got a busy lifestyle, and what he plans to do to keep his life vibrant as he enters his forties.Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/yukon1000race/https://www.instagram.com/your_eco_/https://instagram.com/reduce_our_carbon_foundationWeb:https://www.yukon1000.orghttps://www.yourecouk.comhttps://reduceourcarbon.orgCharity fundraising page: https://express.adobe.com/page/9aYvoTiBt0zGc/Production, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

In episode 12, I talk to Sam Cox, a Royal Marines Major who will embark on a unique solo and unsupported crossing across Antarctica to set a world record in November 2023.Starting at the coast of Berkner Island and finishing at the base of the Reedy glacier, via the South Pole, this expedition will see him ski a total distance of 1,950km, in one of the last wildernesses - a pure test of physical and mental endurance.Joining the Royal Marines in 2010, he has tested himself throughout the globe’s harshest environments, from the humidity of the jungles in Brunei, the heat of Central Asia, to the depths of the iciest temperatures in Norway.Sam will be using this expedition to fundraise for Movember and Rock to Recovery charities, build a unique platform to highlight the power of human resilience and mental strength to engage with a global audience, and promote positive mental well-being.Production, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

In episode 11, I talk to mountaineering charity Founder, Sam Sidiqi, who’s embarking on a hugely inspiring world-first mountaineering endeavour in 2023.After unofficially becoming the first Afghan to summit the highest mountain in the US, Mount Denali (subject to official confirmation) in 2021, Sam will try to become the first Afghan to summit Everest in the spring 2023.The focus of his climb will be to raise awareness and funds for the Afghan Peaks charity to help in its mission of promoting skiing, climbing, and mountain sports in Afghanistan.He has degrees in economics and political science from MIT, and now shares his experiences growing up in Afghanistan, and how he wants to help grow mountain sports in this often-misunderstood country.I: https://www.instagram.com/afghanpeaks/F: https://www.facebook.com/AfghanPeaksW: https://www.afghanpeaks.orgProduction, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

In episode 10, I talk to Alice Morrison, an international author, explorer, and adventurer, known for her writing about her travels to and experiences in remote, challenging, and sandy locations in the Middle East and North Africa (‘MENA’).Often highlighted as the ‘Indiana Jones for girls’, she is the author of "Walking with Nomads", and "Dodging Elephants," which detail her journey through the Sahara Desert (where she stumbled upon dinosaur footprints and discovering a lost city whilst trying to avoid landmines, quicksand and deadly snakes) and her experience cycling across Africa, respectively.Alice has also notably completed the Marathon des Sables, cycled some 12,500km from Cairo to Cape Town in the Tour D’Afrique, completed the Everest trail marathon (a multi-day event covering 160 kilometres in the Himalaya), worked behind and in front of the cameras at the BBC, led and grown companies, and has a background in anthropology and archaeology. Her writing often explores themes of cultural exchange and understanding, and she is known for her ability to capture the warmth and humanity of the people she encounters on her travels, as well as conveying the beauty and majesty of the natural world.You can follow her on her adventures and see her work at:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliceoutthere1/Website: https://alicemorrison.co.ukFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/alicehuntermorrisonadventures/Twitter: https://twitter.com/aliceoutthere1/Production, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

Benjamin 'Bags' Simmons: co-founder of Bare Arms Hear how Bags' experiences in the British Army's Royal Tank Regiment - and deployments to Afghanistan - helped shape and inspire him to start his own business; 'Bare Arms' - an innovative and forward-thinking organisation teaching extras to use firearms on film and TV sets, safely and authentically.Production, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠

Toby Cronshaw: owner and designer of Mantis Tools; mountaineer; snowboarder; graphic designer; climber and speed-wing enthusiast.Hear how Toby’s experiences as a youngster helped shape him, his love of graphic design, 80’s adventure sport branding and the influences that inspired him to create an indoor ice climbing tool and how the demand has kept him on his toes (and in the laboratory!)Production, Design & Artwork by ⁠⁠Hiatus.Design⁠⁠