Delivering Adventure

Chris Kaipio & Jordy Shepherd
Delivering Adventure

This is the podcast for people who want to share adventure like a pro – with their friends, family, or as a profession. Each episode explores a different aspect of adventure delivery with top experts to get their best stories, insights, and trade secrets. Learn what it takes to deliver epic experiences to yourself and others, from the mountains to the office, and beyond. Go farther, become better and achieve more. Chris Kaipio and Jordy Shepherd explore the essential skills and techniques that adventure industry experts use to delivery personal growth. Listen as adventure guides, managers, and promoters share their best advice on leadership, managing risk, coaching, and how to achieve experiences worth remembering. Topics include risk assessment, decision making, leadership, emergency response, crisis management, trip planning, memory building, marketing, capturing experiences, teaching new skills, improving performance, overcoming challenge, resiliency, communicating risk, and experience delivery. Whether you are leading people up the corporate ladder or to the tops of the world’s highest peaks, Delivering Adventure can help you to take yourself and others farther.Visit www.deliveringadventure.com to learn more.

  1. How to help people through adversity with Jill Wheatley

    JAN 28

    How to help people through adversity with Jill Wheatley

    How can we help others when they are experiencing distress? We have all been in situations with friends, family or clients who are experiencing distress due to adversity. These challenging moments can come when people have suffered an injury, illness, or are working through physical or mental discomfort. When we find ourselves in these situations, knowing what to say, what to avoid saying, or how to act can be difficult regardless of how well intentioned we are. In this episode we are joined again by Jill Wheatley who is going to walk us through some strategies that we can use to help people through distress and adversity. Jill Wheatley is no stranger to experiencing distress herself. Jill experienced a freak accident while on a teaching assignment that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. This resulted in her losing 70% of her vision as well as a life-threatening eating disorder. More recently, Jill’s resiliency has been tested once again when a fall ice climbing last winter led to multiple breaks in her leg and ankle. Jill reflects on the lessons learned on climbing expeditions in the Himalayas and recovering from injury on how we can help others when they are suffering. This is the second episode with Jill, and she continues to be candid and remarkable. Key Takeaways How can we help people through distress whether it be from injury, illness, discomfort or challenge: Be empathetic: This means putting yourself on their position and trying to see the situation through their eyes Recognizing Empathy Versus Sympathy: Empathy is understanding what someone might be going through while sympathy is feeling sorry or pitying them. Leading with empathy is a far more effective strategy to help people than sympathy. Listening can be a Very Powerful Tool: We can often want to try to solve people’s problems when simply listening to what people have to say would be far more beneficial. Sometimes people just want to share their pain, stress and discomfort and be heard. Acknowledge Reality: Acknowledging that people are suffering can also be beneficial. As Jill pointed out, when we are in a weakened state, we don’t necessarily want to hear that we are fragile, or under-performing. We also don’t want to hear that everything is fine. Everyone is Different: When it comes to dealing with people, there is really no one size fits all strategy. Guest Bio Following a traumatic brain injury that resulted in life threatening complications and 70% vision loss which required 26 months spent between 7 different health care facilities in 3 countries, Canadian Jill Wheatley was dropped at Denver International Airport with no direction. The only sign she could see pointed to mountains. Despite such compromised eyesight, Jill chose to spend one year alone with Mother Nature in an attempt to find light on life’s trail. Her search led through 13 different massifs and upon running in the Annapurnas in Nepal, she knew that she wanted to spend more time among Himalayan giants. Essentially she has gone from being bedridden, to a wheelchair, then on to walking, navigating hospital parking lots to hiking, trail running, mountain running and skiing before climbing 5, 6, and then seven 8000 m peaks and spending the past 5 years based in Nepal.  In a story made for movies, Jill’s trail has recently connected to another type of climb when she had a lead fall ice climbing in February 2024 not long after shifting home from the Himalayas to the comforts of Canmore in the Canadian Rockies. With multiple breaks in her leg and ankle, she is committed to a full recovery and getting back to breaking down the stigma associated with brain injury, vision loss and eating disorders while encouraging and helping others get out to do wild things in wild places.  Guest...

    43 min
  2. How to be More Adaptable with Wells Jones

    JAN 2

    How to be More Adaptable with Wells Jones

    An essential adventure and life skill is the ability to be adaptable. Being adaptable allows us to adjust to change and to keep our cool when we find ourselves in adverse or stressful situations. In 2005, Wells Jones set out to retrace the path of the famous soldier and adventurer TE Lawrence - also known as Lawrence of Arabia. The goal of this trip was to prepare for an acting role. On that trip, Wells and his friend Miles went through 39 border check points, trekked through the desert by camel and dared to go where few westerners were willing to travel in the wake of 9/11. All the while they had to vigilante to avoid being kidnapped. Wells and Miles have recently released a book that they wrote based on this trip called A Line in the Sand. In this episode, Wells shares his philosophy of adventure in a candid and at times deeply personal and intense way as well as key strategies that we can use to increase our adaptability. Key Takeaways How we can increase our adaptability: You are More Adaptable Than you Think: All of us are already adapting to many different situations that we may take for granted. Yes, I Can Mindset: When you are faced with a situation that pushes you outside your comfort and challenge zone, and you aren’t sure whether you can adapt, it can be really helpful to adopt a mindset where you say to yourself, yes I can do it. Focussing on success instead of failure, and believing in yourself can be the difference makers between adapting to new and challenging situations and potentially overcoming adversity - and giving in. Prepare to Relinquish Control: Adapting to new situations may require you to let go of control. Trying new things requires us to go against status quo bias where we may choose familiar patterns where we feel we have control. This can require us to have an open mind and simply embrace the adventure. Embrace change. Adopt an Adaptable Mindset: An adaptable mindset is one where we embrace even the difficult moments in a way that allows us to find value. Happy people find value in every moment, while unhappy people tend to go looking for problems. To adapt, we need to look for value. Guest Bio Wells Jones started his career as a US Navy Antarctic Pararescue Team Member. This included precision skydiving, technical training mountain/glacier/crevasse rescue, Antarctic survival, advanced to instructor. Wells went on to graduate from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. He has since worked in plays, commercials, TV series and films. His acting name is Tad Jones. In addition to acting, Wells has also worked as a producer and director. In 2005, Wells and his friend Miles Spencer set out to retrace the steps of TE Lawrence through the Middle East. The goal of this trip was to prepare Wells for an acting role. On that trip, Wells and his friend Miles went through 39 border check points, trekked through the desert by camel and dared to go where few westerners were willing to travel in the wake of 9/11. All the while they had to vigilante to avoid being kidnapped. Wells and Miles have recently released a book that they wrote based on this trip called A Line in the Sand. A Line in the Sand is an excellent read and can be found on Amazon. Guest Links A Line in the Sand: Available at Amazon Here Follow or Subscribe Don’t forget to follow the show! Share & Social Links https://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure a...

    1h 3m
  3. How to Increase Physical Durability with Dr. Leslie Desrosiers

    12/10/2024

    How to Increase Physical Durability with Dr. Leslie Desrosiers

    When it comes to adventure sports, one of the best ways to manage risk is to ensure that you are as physically durable as possible. Being physically durable allows you to withstand physical challenges, mistakes and mishaps like falls.  In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Leslie Desrosiers. Dr. Leslie is the founder of ACL Strong. ACL Strong is a comprehensive online strength training and exercise program. While the focus of ACL Strong is on preventing knee injuries through targeted exercises and stretching, it encompasses a full body approach. Dr. Leslie shares some of the keys to improving our physical durability from warming up properly to being more efficient with our training. Increasing our physical durability doesn’t have to take long. Dr. Leslie tells us how we can work smarter, not harder! Key Takeaways: Diversify Training: This includes neuromuscular training, cardio, stretching and strengthening. Strengthening includes weight training to build your muscle mass. Cross training and using training programs will help to prevent injuries and enhance performance.  Time Commitment: It doesn’t have to take long if you are efficient. Using the right exercises and stretches and doing things correctly can save you time. Whole Body: Because your entire body works together, you need to work on your whole body to improve durability. Many outdoor activities focus on specific muscle groups, while training programs offer a wider benefit. Insurance Policy: Increasing your durability is like an insurance policy that will reduce your chance of injury and will increase your chances of enjoyment. Avoiding Flare ups: If you feel stiff or things don’t feel right, address it early. This can help to reduce the chance of an overuse injury. It is easy to ignore inflammation or discomfort and try to work through it, but this isn’t a very good long-term approach. Aging Bodies: The older we get, the more important all of this becomes. Guest Bio: Dr. Leslie Desrosiers, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Specialist, currently residing and operating a private physical therapy practice in San Marcos, CA. As an injury prevention specialist, Dr. Leslie and her team developed ACL Strong, an ACL injury prevention program, helping athletes and active people protect their knees and prevent major ligament injuries so they can excel in sports and add years to their career. She is a mom of two, enjoys an active lifestyle, and loves helping people with her knowledge and expertise. Guest Links: ACL Strong: www.aclstrong.com ACL Strong Membership: https://training.aclstrong.com/membership-pricing Follow or Subscribe Don’t forget to follow the show! Share & Social Links https://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure https://deliveringadventure.com

    46 min
  4. How to Prepare for Big Adventures with Cyril Derreumaux

    10/29/2024

    How to Prepare for Big Adventures with Cyril Derreumaux

    How to Prepare for Big Adventures with Cyril Derreumaux What does it take to prepare for a really big adventure? One of the main reasons people get themselves into trouble and have a misadventure is a lack of preparation. You can have all the skills in the world, the best equipment and the best intentions, but if you aren’t prepared, you may quickly find that what you thought was a perfect plan has a gaping hole in it. Joining us is Cyril Derreumaux. Cyril is a long-distance solo kayaker, adventurer and speaker. Cyril is a two-time World Record holder. He has paddled his specially built kayak unassisted from California to Hawaii. This trip took him two attempts and 91 days to complete. Using that experience, Cyril is about to embark on another trip in a bid to cross the Atlantic. He hopes this trip will take him from the Canary Islands to Martinique. This is a distance of 4800 kilometres. Cyril shares with us how he prepares for his epic trips operationally, logistically, physically, and emotionally. We look at how we can apply the lessons learned preparing for big expeditions to adventures of any length. Key Takeaways How to prepare for big adventures: The Key to Success is Preparation: Cyril was extremely prepared. He spends more time preparing than the length of the actual trip. If you want to ensure you succeed you need to be prepared to put on the time and energy beforehand. All in Approach Beforehand: Small trips provide practice for longer more challenging excursions. Practicing skills, taking courses, and preparing for emergencies are all important steps that contribute towards success. Family Members: It is important to remember that family members share the risk when people are on adventures. There are often sacrifices and compromises made by both the adventurer (or person delivering adventure) and their families. On the Adventure: It is important to maintain rhythm and routine as much as possible. On some trips it is easy to have routine during an approach. But then when we are on the route or in more difficult or hazardous parts of the trip, we need to break the routine and move quickly. But we must still remain vigilant and make good decisions. As Cyril said, an injury can easily result in rescue and mark the end of the adventure. Reflect and Learn: Most adventurers and those delivering adventure strive to become consciously competent, as Cyril has done. This requires us to reflect on our experiences in a way that allows us to learn and develop. As Mark Twain said: "Good judgement is the result of experience and experience the result of bad judgement." Follow or Subscribe Don’t forget to follow the show! Share & Social Links https://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure https://deliveringadventure.com Cover Photo by Tom Gores

    1h 13m
  5. Building Expedition Teams with Colby Brokvist

    10/15/2024

    Building Expedition Teams with Colby Brokvist

    What does it take to build an effective expedition team? In this episode, we are joined by master guide, guide trainer and author Colby Brokvist to discuss what goes into building successful expedition teams and how we can apply some of these lessons to any group of people we may find ourselves leading. While groups of people are each made up of a collection of unique individuals, there are commonalities to the way groups themselves develop. Colby shares some of his key strategies for team building and some of the challenges he has faced. Colby Brokvist is a professional guide who leads worldwide expeditions for some of the most acclaimed companies in adventure travel. He has guided trips around the world including in Greenland, Antarctica, Africa, and Patagonia, as well as throughout the United States and Canada. Colby currently serves as the Chair of the Polar Tourism Guides Association. Using his expertise and extensive experience, Colby has written The Professional Guides Handbook – How to lead adventure travel trips and expeditions. This is a great resource for anyone leading others. Key Takeaways What goes into building an effective expedition team? Forming: This is when people first meet for the first time. Keys to success are enabling everyone to feel welcome and to align expectations early. Storming: This is when people are working to find their place in the group. Keys to success are to make everyone feel included and to model the behaviours that a leader needs to see from everyone. Norming: This is when people have found their place in a group and are starting to perform. Keys to success include having the leader continue role model behaviours and recognize good practices.  Performing: This where the group can start to take on risks as a team. Key to success is to ensure everyone is able to follow all the steps. Adjourning and transforming: This is where a group is reflecting on the experience together. Key to success is being able to connect everyone to what they have accomplished. Unmet needs: We all have needs that must be met if we are to become an effective member of a team. If people have unmet needs, it becomes very difficult for them to perform at their best. Identifying and meeting these needs are a key to success for a leader. Guest Bio Colby Brokvist is a professional guide who leads worldwide expeditions for some of the most acclaimed companies in adventure travel. He was inspired to pursue guiding as a career during a through-hike of the Appalachian Trail in the summer of 2000. Since then, he has led hundreds of adventure travel departures as an Expedition Leader, ranging from backpacking and trekking adventures to mountaineering and rock-climbing trips, sea kayaking and sailing voyages, and wildlife safaris. His work has taken him to destinations as far-flung as Greenland, Antarctica, Africa, and Patagonia, as well as throughout the United States and Canada. His current basecamp is Boulder, Colorado. When not actively leading trips in the field, Colby assumes a variety of managerial, operational, and consulting roles within the adventure travel sphere. His work centers on developing and facilitating guide training courses and programs as well as trip program consulting and field-based guide team management. Colby also serves on the board of directors for the Polar Tourism Guides Association and is a certified Senior Polar Guide through the same organization. Guest Links The Professional Guides Handbook – How to lead adventure travel trips and expeditions - https://www.guideshandbook.com https://linktr.ee/colbyoutdoors Follow or Subscribe Don’t forget to follow the...

    43 min
  6. Building Resilient Teams Through Adventure with Brenna Kelleher

    10/01/2024

    Building Resilient Teams Through Adventure with Brenna Kelleher

    How can you build a resilient team? Building effective teams is an art in itself. Building teams that are resilient enough to withstand the challenges that come with adventure, takes this art to another level. When it comes to adventure, teams can come in many forms. They can be a group of guided guests, friends on a trip together, families, or a group of guides or instructors who are working together. In this episode, we are joined by Brenna Kelleher to explore what it takes to build resilient teams out of groups of individuals from the mountains to the office and beyond. Brenna currently teaches and guides advanced women’s and youth-specific skiing clinics at Big Sky Resort. She is a former member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America’s (PSIA) National Alpine Team and is a PSIA course examiner Brenna has also coached and competed in freestyle kayaking, she has guided horseback trips in Yellowstone, and she has led a group of girls on a semester program in Africa. Brenna taps into her extensive experience as a team member and team leader to share how we can build and develop teams that can perform well in the face of challenge and adversity. Key Takeaways How to build resilient teams: Communication: This needs to happen often. It also needs to happen in a way that helps people to feel safe to express how they are feeling. Building trust: This needs to start early. Organization: This needs to take into consideration what role each team member is going to play in a way that allows everyone to compliment each other. Allowing others to shine: Sometimes we can all be guilty of wanting to hog the limelight. A good strategy for leaders is to use opportunities to let others spend time in the spotlight. This means allowing others to take the lead, give briefings, lead meetings, and potentially take the credit. Top Reasons Teams can Struggle: People didn’t feel they had a chance to express their concerns or fears. Leaders were not able to keep their egos in check. The goals that were set may not have been realistic or attainable. When there were issues, they may not have been dealt with early enough. This caused negativity to spread through the group. People may have felt they were being micromanaged. Resilient teams: Trust each other, share in each other’s success, and these two things together allow everyone to feel valued. When people feel valued, they will be better positioned to perform at their best. Guest Bio Brenna Kelleher has developed a highly successful career as an outdoor athlete, instructor, guide and realtor. She has been an NCAA ski racer for Montana State University and claimed the 2001 Junior World Championship as a freestyle kayaker.  She has guided horseback trips in Yellowstone Park and has coached freestyle kayaking. Brenna has traveled to Africa leading a group of high school girls, as an educator in a semester abroad program. She has been a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America’s (PSIA) National Alpine Team. In addition to being a PSIA Examiner, Brenna is a ski instructor and guide at Big Sky Resort where she leads advanced women’s and youth-specific clinics. Guest Links Brenna’s website: www.bigskybrenna.com Instagram: @brennakelleher Follow or Subscribe Don’t forget to follow the show! Share & Social Links https://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure https://deliveringadventure.com

    51 min
  7. Designing Adventure Experiences with Chris Winter

    08/30/2024

    Designing Adventure Experiences with Chris Winter

    How do you design adventure experiences for success? It is easy to plan big adventures but getting them to be epic for the right reasons isn’t always as easy as it looks. This is especially true when we are building experiences to deliver to paying clients, our friends or family. Designing experiences that have the right pacing of adventure, and the right flow, can be the difference between epic disaster or exceptional experience. Joining us to explore what it takes to design the perfect adventure experience is Chris Winter. Chris is the owner or Big Mountain Adventures which offers mountain bike adventures in 14 countries around the world. Chris also teaches and guides steep skiing clinics for Extremely Canadian in Whistler, BC. Chris shares some of his experiences and insights into how we can structure amazing adventure experiences that we are delivering to others. He also shares some very funny stories along the way. Key Insights Designing amazing adventure experiences requires us to: Know our audience: Who are you actually building your experiences for? What are their needs, interests and capabilities? Align expectations early: This means ensuring everyone knows what they are getting themselves into. This includes aligning goals, identifying risk tolerance, addressing needs and so on. It has to be about them: There are experiences that guides, instructors and companies may want to deliver and there are experiences that people want to experience. These two things are not always the same thing. If you want to be successful, build experiences that people want to do. Get the Right Pacing and challenge: We want to ease into it, build in the challenge in the middle and finish with flow. This allows people to warm up and then consolidate their experience at the end. Remember the Purpose: The goal of adventure is to push ourselves outside our comfort zone. Adventure is important and sometimes we can forget why it is so valuable. Yes, adventure is often fun, but it serves a pretty important role in our lives. This makes the ability to deliver adventure a key life skill to have. Guest Bio Chris Winter is a former ski racer. Level IV CSIA ski instructor, level III high-performance ski coach, celebrated technical skier, sponsored big mountain skier featured in magazines and films. Currently teaching steep skiing clinics at Whistler Blackcomb for Extremely Canadian. Chris is the Owner and Founder of Big Mountain Adventures. Chris founded Big Mountain Adventures in 2002. During this time, he has built his tour company into the leader in guided mountain bike travel featuring award-winning adventures in 14 countries. Check out their new eMTB trips! Chris is also the owner of the Bralorne Adventure Lodge. Ready for a boutique mountain experience? Step out the door to spectacular wilderness & endless adventures…then recharge at our backyard spa. In addition to operating adventure-based businesses, Chris has also created and developed Zero Ceiling. This is an innovative and respected registered non-profit that hosts disadvantaged youth to the slopes of Whistler Blackcomb. From local First Nations to street youth to youth from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, participants benefit from a day of snowboard lessons, or if chosen to participate in a year-long program that teaches them to become employees at Whistler Blackcomb and give them life-long life skills. Guest Links Big Mountain Adventures: https://www.ridebig.com Bralorne Adventure Lodge: https://www.bralorneadventurelodge.com Zero Ceiling: a href="https://zeroceiling.org/" rel="noopener...

    50 min
  8. Case Study: Planning for Mishap with Will Gadd

    08/07/2024

    Case Study: Planning for Mishap with Will Gadd

    Adventures have risks. It doesn’t matter how much you plan, or how well you manage situations, if you are having an adventure, something can go wrong. It is impossible to make adventures 100% safe. If they really are safe, then there isn’t any risk which means they aren’t going to be adventures! For this reason, planning for mishaps, emergencies and surprises is another essential step when it comes to delivering adventure. In this episode, we share a story from ACMG Alpine Guide and professional athlete Will Gadd to highlight the importance of planning for mishap. Will’s story takes place on the Fuhrmann Ledges in Banff National Park and is an excellent example of the value of planning for mishaps, even when you think there is a low risk of something going wrong. Will Gadd has a long list of accomplishments including first ice climbing ascents of Niagara Falls and on Mt. Kilamjaro, winning three gold medals at the X Games, and setting the paragliding world distance record twice. Key Takeaways Here are a few things that Will did very well: Communicating the Risks: This includes Will communicating what could happen to his clients and himself. In this instance it’s a given that Will would have had his clients sign a waiver and would have talked to them beforehand about the risks they could face. Discussing the Plan in the Event of a Crisis: This put the idea in their heads that rock fall could happen. More importantly it helped to prepare them for the moment when it actually did happen. If you fail to plan you plan to fail. Being Situationally Aware: Even though Will felt that there wasn’t a high probability of rockfall, he still went through the process of preparing everyone, looking for signs that rockfall had occurred recently, and encouraging his clients to do the same. Five Hazardous Attitudes: At least one of the Five Hazardous Attitudes that is always present in human caused accidents. They are Anti-Authority, Impulsivity, Invulnerability, Macho and Resignation. Guest Bio Will Gadd is a professional sponsored athlete and ACMG Alpine Guide. Among many of Will’s feats are first accents ice climbing Niagara Falls, Helmcken Falls, Icebergs and many other ice climbs around the world including on the top of Mt Kilimanjaro. Will is also a world-class white-water kayaker and paraglider. He has twice set the world record for the longest paragliding flight. As an elite athlete and professional guide, Will is extremely experienced when it comes to evaluating risk and making decisions that could have serious consequences for himself and the people he is leading or working with. This makes Will one of the perfect people to talk about the power of judgment. Guest Links Contact Will to be your Guide, Instructor or Speaker: https://willgadd.com/ Instagram: @realwillgadd The Last Ascent, Kilimanjaro: https://www.redbull.com/ca-en/films/the-last-ascent-will-gadds-return-to-kilimanjaro A Fun Ted Talk: Three Simple Tools to Manage Risk, Fear and Children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTdFkPTTnsA Follow or Subscribe Don’t forget to follow the show! Share & Social Links https://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure https://deliveringadventure.com/

    17 min

Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

This is the podcast for people who want to share adventure like a pro – with their friends, family, or as a profession. Each episode explores a different aspect of adventure delivery with top experts to get their best stories, insights, and trade secrets. Learn what it takes to deliver epic experiences to yourself and others, from the mountains to the office, and beyond. Go farther, become better and achieve more. Chris Kaipio and Jordy Shepherd explore the essential skills and techniques that adventure industry experts use to delivery personal growth. Listen as adventure guides, managers, and promoters share their best advice on leadership, managing risk, coaching, and how to achieve experiences worth remembering. Topics include risk assessment, decision making, leadership, emergency response, crisis management, trip planning, memory building, marketing, capturing experiences, teaching new skills, improving performance, overcoming challenge, resiliency, communicating risk, and experience delivery. Whether you are leading people up the corporate ladder or to the tops of the world’s highest peaks, Delivering Adventure can help you to take yourself and others farther.Visit www.deliveringadventure.com to learn more.

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada