Episode 187 of The Adventure Podcast features scallop diver, seaweed farmer, author, writer, and father, Guy Grieve. Guy spent a year off-grid living in a cabin he built in the Alaskan wilderness. In this episode, Guy talks to Matt about his past and what made him the man he is now. He tells stories of his time in the Alaskan wilderness, why he left his family behind in the UK, and what happened while out there. It's an emotional episode, and Guy is one of the most gracious, genuine, and grounded guests we've ever had on. Fair to say it's one of our favourite episodes ever recorded.

This episode is available in-vision on our substack channel, The Adventure Podcast+ ; www.theadventurepodcast.substack.com.

This episode is brought to you by Chimney Fire Coffee; a Certified B Corp™️, committed to the highest social and environmental standards. What sets Chimney Fire Coffee apart is their dedication to ethical sourcing. They pay their producers on average double Fairtrade prices, building direct, personal relationships. Plus, they give back by supporting Re-Cycle, donating to refurbish and send bikes to rural Africa.

They have 10 responsibly sourced house coffees from around the world, so there's definitely something to suit your taste and your brew method. And if you’re extra keen you can head out to Surrey to join their weekend tours and experiences to learn more about the journey from farm to cup. Head to chimneyfirecoffee.com/tap and 15% off your first order will be automatically applied. 

Photographer credit: Glenn Dearing

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In the second episode of our new series The Far Reaches, our guest is Emma Linford. Emma is an outdoor professional with a number of different strings to her bow. She’s a mountain instructor, international mountain leader, outdoor education and is heavily involved in the Right To Roam movement in the UK, as well as the Stars Are For Everyone movement that is campaigning to defend the right to wild camp on Dartmoor. This conversation is far reaching. Matt talks to Emma about her early life and inspirations, how she became an outdoor facilitator and why she started travelling overseas. She also speaks about her social and political views and their relevance to the outdoors, before discussing the right to roam movement in a little more detail.

The Far Reaches is a new long-term series where we speak to guests about subjects related to our planet and our place on it. These episodes will dig a little deeper, perhaps enter the realm of armchair philosophy, and will tackle some more existential questions surrounding adventure and exploration.

This episode is brought to you by Chimney Fire Coffee; a Certified B Corp™️, committed to the highest social and environmental standards. What sets Chimney Fire Coffee apart is their dedication to ethical sourcing. They pay their producers on average double Fairtrade prices, building direct, personal relationships. Plus, they give back by supporting Re-Cycle, donating to refurbish and send bikes to rural Africa. They have 10 responsibly sourced house coffees from around the world, so there's definitely something to suit your taste and your brew method. And if you’re extra keen you can head out to Surrey to join their weekend tours and experiences to learn more about the journey from farm to cup. Head to chimneyfirecoffee.com/tap and 15% off your first order will be automatically applied. 

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Episode 179 of The Adventure Podcast features one of the world's best rock climbers, Tommy Caldwell. Tommy has set endless climbing records, made the first free ascents of several major routes on El Cap, and is the subject of multiple feature films and books. In this episode, Tommy talks to Matt about how he initially fell in love with climbing, and his motivations and propulsion to rock climbing celebrity. He also opens up about his fateful expedition to Kyrgyzstan, where he was kidnapped by rebel militia, and the lasting impact that had on him. He speaks about balancing family life with adventure, his involvement with the brand Patagonia, and how environmentalism and activism have been a side of his life just as important to him as rock climbing. Matt worked closely with Tommy on an expedition to Alaska in 2023, building up a rapport and trust with each other. This episode is a real personal insight into one of the climbing worlds' major names.

Photo: Bret Lowell

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Episode 104 of The Adventure Podcast features English fell running legend, Joss Naylor. We recorded this conversation in November 2021, but delayed its release due to Joss suffering a stroke just before Christmas. He is now back home in Wasdale, but is on a huge road to recovery. Apparently he’s in good spirits and is still ‘same old Joss’. We’ve been in touch with his friends who have sought permission to release this episode, as obviously the conversation happened before such a radical change to Joss’s life.

But the conversation is still extremely relevant and poignant. For those of you who need an introduction, Joss is, and we use this word extremely specifically a ‘legend’ in the fell running community. Hailing from the remote Wasdale Valley in the Lake District, Joss has been not just a pioneer of fell running, but also one of its most infamous athletes.

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Episode 103 of The Adventure Podcast features Kenyan mountaineer, whitewater kayaker, mountain biker and outdoor instructor, Schaniela Wright.

Ella is a former professional hockey, water polo and athletics player, who moved to the UK (after some solid advice from none other than Reinhold Messner) to get her outdoor qualifications. In this conversation, host Matt Pycroft and Ella talk about overcoming fear in the mountain, the culture shock of moving from Kenya to the UK, and the ultimate goal; to stand on top of the world’s highest mountain.

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Episode 102 of The Adventure Podcast features Adventurer and Award Winning documentary filmmaker, J.J. Kelley. J.J is best known both for his work with National Geographic and his coverage of stories about environmentalism and conservation. His career began when at age 19 when he had the thought that there has got to be more to life and he loaded his pickup truck up with camping gear and drove to Alaska. From there, life only got more interesting…

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Episode 101 of The Adventure Podcast features athlete, adventurer, activist, and author, Ana Zirner. Ana grew up in the Bavarian foothills of the Alps and is a former theater director turned mountain guide. 

Once a year, Ana takes on a big adventure in the outdoors. In 2017, she crossed the Alps on foot from east to west, followed in 2018 by the Pyrenees in the same direction. In 2019, she walked and packrafted the Colorado River from its source in the Rocky Mountains to the ocean in Mexico. In 2022, she set off on a crossing of the High Caucasus on horseback (while pregnant).

In this episode, Matt and Ana dive deep into topics like slow and sustainable travel, the effect social media has on the outdoors and becoming a parent.

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In episode 100 of The Adventure Podcast, host Matt Pycroft sits down with Vaughan Smith. Vaughan introduces himself, but in overview he’s a conflict journalist at heart. He’s also the founder of The Frontline Club, a charity he set up to support freelancers in honour of the many friends and colleagues he lost doing the job he has done. Please do listen this conversation with Vaughan, and if the story resonates with you then please do donate to the #straightfromthefrontline campaign here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/frontline-ukraine-support-courageous-reporting

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Episode 099 of The Adventure Podcast features ultra-endurance cyclist, Lael Wilcox. Her story is jaw dropping. She tells it brilliantly herself so we’ll leave her to it, but suffice to say Lael doesn’t seem to have anything in her head holding her back. She just seems to get up and get on with whatever she feels like doing next. We loved this conversation, mostly because it’s a rip roaring adventure story of a woman who found long distance adventure by chance, accidentally became a competition winner, and has now gone on to inspire a whole new generation of cyclists.

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Episode 098 of The Adventure Podcast features two world class rock climbers and alpinists, Renan Ozturk and Freddie Wilkinson. In terms of quick intros, both Freddie and Renan are world class rock climbers and alpinists. Freddie is also a historian and writer and Renan is a filmmaker, photographer and artist. They are currently on their PR tour for their latest film 'The Sanctity of Space’.

"More than eighty years after Brad Washburn first photographed Denali in Alaska, climbing buddies Renan Ozturk and Freddie Wilkinson look at some of Washburn’s images and have this crazy idea: rather than go up, their dream is to go sideways — across the range’s most forbidding peaks, the Moose’s Tooth massif. It’s a decidedly new school way to explore the same landscape Washburn first discovered.

As they pioneer the route over the course of two expeditions, enduring freezing bivies, cut ropes, and rockfall along the way, their desire to be the first to complete the audacious line grows into an obsession."

It's a wonderful and really authentic piece of filmmaking. Find out where you watch ‘The Sanctity of Space’ on their website: https://www.thesanctityofspace.com/

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Episode 097 of The Adventure Podcast features climber and alpinist, Thomas Bukowski. We first stumbled upon Thomas when we were on the hunt for stories to tell for Pertex, one of our outdoor brand clients. We worked really closely with photographer Ted Hesser to find and then shoot a story based in the US and Thomas was the subject of that story. You can read that article here: https://pertex.com/2022/01/28/visibility-matters/. 

Thomas does a brilliant job of introducing himself but to quickly outline who he is, he is predominantly a rock climber and an alpinist. He currently lives in his van full time but at the time of recording this, he was down in Patagonia on a climbing trip. He grew up in Hong Kong and in this episode he tells me about how his life has being shaped and changed by not being from the place he now calls home, as well as by being a gay man. We dig into the philosophy of all I’ve just mentioned fairly seriously and despite the sketchy connection and background noise of the cafe he is in, it’s a great chat. 

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Episode 096 of The Adventure Podcast features whitewater kayaker, James Shimizu. This episode is a return to our rarely featured dispatches. The dispatches are our shorter form episodes that usually focus on one particular story, a moment or a theme. 

In this episode, we chat to James about a recent experience getting knocked out in a kayak in tricky white water and the ensuing rescue that changed his life. We got the idea for the episode after seeing the video of James' encounter that went kind of viral on instagram. You can watch the video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CaAUh9Gpv8T/ .

We also dig into a bit more detail and talk about James' childhood in Asia and how that influenced the person he is today. Enjoy!

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Episode 095 of The Adventure Podcast features Donna Carpenter. Donna was one of the founders of Burton Snowboards, alongside her husband, Jake Burton. It’s not overstating things to say that as a pair, Donna and Jake are responsible for launching the modern snowboard and turning a largely unknown hobby into a mainstream sport.

Donna has spent her entire career building, shaping and growing the business they founded in 1977, and she eventually took on the role of CEO, leading the company to become the icon that it is today.

In this episode we talk about Donna’s origins and how it was she turned from a young rebel into a Forbes listed power woman. We discuss what she’s learnt along the way, and what makes the business special, as well as the tragic story of Jake passing away from cancer in 2019. 

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Episode thirteen of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, focuses on an often overlooked part of expeditions, coming home. In this episode, Matt chats to Dr Sophie Redlin about the importance of decompression as you transition back from your expedition to everyday life, how to re-engage when you get home, and how to find and give support post-expedition. They also discuss how to answer the 'how was your trip' question. 

Sophie Redlin FRGS is a Medical Doctor, Mental Health Researcher and Trainer. Her clinical focus is General Practice with a special expertise in Mental Health and Wellbeing. She also has extensive experience in Expedition and Remote Medicine, supporting predominantly young people in wilderness settings.

You can find out more about the Royal Geographical Society and access advice and support for field research and scientific expeditions by visiting www.rgs.org/in-the-field or follow them on @rgs_ibg on socials.

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Episode 094 of The Adventure Podcast features freight train rider and author Ed Davis. Ed began his writing career over forty years ago, pausing in boxcars, under street lamps, and in hobo jungles to record the beats and rhythms of the road as he caught freight trains and vagabonded around the Pacific Northwest and Canada. If you’re a fan of the words of Kerouac or Steinbeck or ‘suffer’ from wanderlust, you’ll love this episode.

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Episode 093 of The Adventure Podcast features the founder of TDA Global Cycling, Henry Gold. The son of a Holocaust survivor, Henry was born in Czechoslovakia and moved to Canada at 16 years old . After years spent managing an international NGO that delivered humanitarian assistance to disadvantaged communities in Ethiopia and Sudan, he set up Tour d’Afrique (a Cairo to Cape Town cycle expedition) at 50 years of age. Tune into this riveting episode for stories of empathy, immigration, identity, civil disobedience and so much more.

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Episode 092 of The Adventure Podcast features the founder of the London climbing community, Clmbxr, Rotimi Odukoya. Rotimi grew up in London, and spent the majority of his childhood outdoors, albeit within the confines of the city, as well as playing traditional sports to a high standard. Rotimi took up climbing a couple of years ago and almost accidentally created a club that has grown into a community of black rock climbers. In this episode, we talk about Rotimi’s childhood growing up in inner city London, his exposure to the outdoors and how it was that he discovered and ultimately fell in love with rock climbing.

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Episode 091 of The Adventure Podcast features Dave MacLeod. It’s hard to summarise who and what Dave is, but if you had to condense it into three words, he’s a climber, a filmmaker and an author. 

Dave was born in Glasgow but now lives in the Highlands where he spends as much of his time as he can climbing in one way or another. What separates Dave from most climbers is his ability as an all rounder. He spends just as much time adventurous traditional rock climbing at an elite level as he does winter climbing, bouldering, sport climbing and running in the mountains of Scotland. 

He’s incredibly well travelled, but as time has gone by Dave has found that Scotland gives him practically all he needs, and as you’ll hear in this episode he feels like there are multiple lifetimes of unclimbed rock to work with. We also touch on environmentalism in the highlands, and how his outdoor pursuits have led Dave to a wider understanding of the world around him.

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Episode 090 of The Adventure Podcast features Colin Prior. Colin is known as one of the world’s most respected landscape photographers. He was born in Glasgow, his ability to get out and into the Highlands is definitely what shaped his passion for the outdoors and fostered his interest in photography. 

His photographs are sensational, and capture real sublime moments of light and the landscape, which, as you’ll find out in the episode, are the result of meticulous planning and preparation and often take years to achieve. Colin is a photographer who seeks out patterns in the landscape and the hidden links between reality and the imagination. 

In this episode we talk about his origins as a photographer, how his craft has taken him around the world, and discuss his latest project in the Pakistani Karakoram.

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Episode 089 of The Adventure Podcast features world-renowned British mountaineer, Victor Saunders. The 71-year old IFMGA guide has completed each of the Seven Summits, summited Everest six times and ticked off many first ascents including the North Pillar of Spantik.

In this episode, Matt and Victor discuss climbing partners, the rules of mountaineering, and quitting your stable job as an architect at 46 to become a mountain guide. It’s a philosophical one and opens up the floor for some interesting discussions around the current state of mountaineering.

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Episiode 088 of The Adventure Podcast is features ex royal marine sniper, turned adventurer, explorer and TV rigger and safety specialist, Aldo Kane. This is Aldo’s third time on the podcast and there’s a reason we keep inviting him back. In this episode, we talk about his latest expeditions and experiences as well as adapting to fatherhood and the inevitable changes that being a parent brings.

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Episode 087 of The Adventure Podcast features author, illustrator and outdoor adventurer, Teddy Keen. Creator of the magical and intrepid children’s books, The Lost Book of Adventure and Journey to the Last River which follow the journey of the mysterious Unknown Adventurer. In this episode, host Matt Pycroft and Teddy chat about Teddy’s own adventures, growing up in a family of explorers, ex-military and storytellers, and living a life of interest.

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Episode 086 of The Adventure Podcast features 19-year old Alishba, who grew up in inner city Manchester under difficult circumstances and was introduced to the outdoors and hill walking by a local youth group. She went on to lead others as part of the same group as well as excelling both academically and in various sports before eventually becoming head girl at her school.

Her story is unbelievably inspiring and host Matt Pycroft spent the whole thing awestruck and gobsmacked at how much one young woman could achieve in such a short space of time and with so much working against her. There’s no doubt that Alishba is a self starter that has carved her own way in this world but she’s also the first to acknowledge that the support and mentorship of others has been a huge factor in her life, particularly when it comes to her discovery of an adventurous and outdoor life. This conversation digs into some harder details. We talk about whether the outdoors really is as accessible as many of us think it is. Do people from ethnic minorities believe that to be the case and how much can we who take that unchallenged access for granted do to help others feel include. It’s an eye-opening, educational and ultimately hopeful episode.

Listen for determination, resilience, passion and hope.

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Episode 085 of The Adventure Podcast features the legendary British rock climber and mountaineer, Paul Pritchard. Paul dominated the climbing scene of Britain and beyond in the 80s and 90s, until Friday the 13th of February 1998 when everything changed. A fallen boulder on The Totem Pole in Tasmania left Paul facing the prospect of never walking or speaking again. This conversation between Matt and Paul is a powerful one, retracing Paul’s life from a wayward youth trying to find his path in life to the thriving ‘rock and roll’ climbing scene of North Wales where he found solace, to the day when everything changed. It’s a story of mortality, resilience and optimism.

Listen for inspirational, heavy-hitting but hopeful stories of disability and climbing.

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Episode 178 of The Adventure Podcast features wildlife pilot, Denise Joi. Denise is one of four pilots for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, where she flies a small Cessna aircraft in rugged terrain conducting wildlife surveys and carrying out fish drops. In this episode, Matt talks to Denise about her life as pilot. She lets us into her past, and explains how she was drawn to flying as a means to escape early trauma. Denise talks about her life outside of work, and her love of trekking to the lakes she’s stocked from the air to actually go and fish them. They also discuss what a wildlife pilot does, and the challenges involved. This is a raw and sometimes difficult conversation to hear, but one that is full of meaning and purpose. It also gives a fascinating insight into a whole different style of adventurous life in the air.

You can watch Denise's documentary here: https://www.gnarlybay.com/fight-or-flight.

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Episode 084 of The Adventure Podcast features big wave surfer Andrew Cotton. Back in August, Coldhouse teamed up with Sidetracked Magazine on a rather exciting project for Porsche featuring Andrew Cotton. At the end of the week, Matt Pycroft sat down with Andrew to dig a little deeper. What followed was quite a lot of introspection and rumination to discover what is the appeal and motivation to do this sport and what it will take to sate that voice in your head that constantly shouts ‘you can do better’.

Listen for introspection, inspiration and stories of commitment and dedication.

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Episode 83 of The Adventure Podcast features the Founder and Executive Director of Plastic Tides, Christian Shaw. An avid water man and professional kiteboarder with a mission to inspire and catalyse action toward a plastic-free future through adventure, education and youth empowerment.

In this episode Matt and Christian discuss living life in a way that causes less harm, the ocean plastic pollution crisis and how adventure can be used as a tool for change.

Listen for passion, perseverance, and activism.

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Episode 082 of The Adventure Podcast features Chris Dyer,  a Crofter/Archaeologist/Historian/Firefighter, who lives on a smallholding on the Shetland Isles off the coast of Northern Scotland. 

We met Chris while working on a project in the Shetlands for Best Made Co. He moved there from England some time ago and has built a life for himself amongst the once derelict stone walls of Garths Croft, the property he bought and has since renovated.

In this episode, Matt talks to Chris about his life on the island, the traditions of the place and why living a quieter, simpler, deliberately harder life might be the way forward.

Listen for stories of island life, living in harmony with the land, and escapism.

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Episode 081 of The Adventure Podcast features one of the world’s elite alpinists, Conrad Anker. Some of Conrad’s achievements in the world of mountaineering include summiting Everest without the aid of supplemental oxygen, a first ascent of Meru’s “shark fin” route, numerous Antarctica expeditions, and multiple ascents of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He’s much more than just a climber though, he’s an activist, a mentor and a family man.

In this episode, host Matt Pycroft hands the stage over to Conrad to discuss topics and issues important to him. What ensues is a meaningful, rather thought-provoking conversation between two friends touching on everything from long-debated topics like footfall on Everest to mentorship to living up to people’s expectations. They talk about the accessibility of the mountains, how mountaineering has changed over the years, and reflect on the stages of life. It's Conrad Anker as you've never heard him before...

Listen for tales from a legend, an insight into the inner workings of the world of mountaineering and Conrad's views on the world.

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"In a humanitarian context, in war zones or on a ship rescuing refugees, I think it is very important to really show the people that amidst this great, great suffering that you are a fellow human and that you are with them."

Episode 080 of The Adventure Podcast features Slovakian human-rights journalist Sara Cincurova. Sara’s work focuses on migration, human rights, humanitarian issues and women’s rights. Her work has been featured in The Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera, and Huffington Post.

In this episode, Sara and host, Matt Pycroft, discuss finding the balance between acting as a passive observer to difficult and often tragic situations and showing compassion to people who are suffering. They discuss the term ‘adventure’, ethics and the human psyche, in this intense and riveting episode of The Adventure Podcast.

Listen for humanitarian stories, migration, refugees and current affairs journalism.

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At a young age, Gail was diagnosed with muscular-skeletal issues; she was told she’d likely be in a wheelchair by the age of forty. Chronic illness dominated her life for fifteen years and almost destroyed her, yet she never lost hope. Since 2019, she has thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, the South West Coast Path, the Continental Divide Trail and the Tour Du Mont Blanc and she is just getting started. This is her story...

Listen for overcoming adversity, emotional rollercoaster, uplifting and heartwarming.

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Sean Conway is an ultra endurance adventure athlete who is keen to champion the athletic side of adventure. Born in Zimbabwe, his childhood was spent in the bush and chasing elephants out of his garden. Sean has swam the length of Britain, cycled across Europe and came second in the famous cheese rolling competition - all this while breaking world records and pushing himself to the absolute limit. 

In this episode Sean explains how he strives to lead a unique and interesting life, plus have enough stories to bore the grandchildren.

Listen for breaking records, pushing the limits and embracing the extraordinary.

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Anna McNuff is an adventurer, speaker and self proclaimed ‘’mischief maker’’. Anna has run the length of Britain in bare feet, cycled the 50 states of the US and run the length of New Zealand (amongst many other achievements). Anna’s energy is infectious; raised by two Olympians she explores how this has shaped her outlook and forged her never-quit attitude. 

In this episode Anna is honest about how hard it is to follow your dreams and how these things take time. She tells Matt what adventure means to her, the sacrifice it takes and how having a baby changes all that. 

Listen for motivation, inspiration and positivity. 

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Lara Maiklem is an author with an obsessive hobby: Mudlarking. Also known as the ‘London Mudlark’ she spends hours searching the Thames foreshore for items left behind by the river from the past 2,000 years. Strictly never using a metal detector she patiently hunts for what the river chooses to reveal. From discarded engagement rings, to a glass eye and even a tudor shoe. 

In this episode Lara tells Matt about her fascination with these objects, the indescribable excitement of finding items which link us to the past and the human connection they bring. Listen for hidden treasures, local adventure and perspective.

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Episode twelve of our specialist series Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, focuses on communicating scientific discoveries. In this episode, Matt speaks with Dr Heidi Sevestre about why science needs communicators, what science communication can look like, how to select your audience, and ideas for teaming up with other specialist communicators. They also talk about the importance of understanding your own science in order to communicate your findings effectively.

Dr Heidi Sevestre is a glaciologist, working at the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme and teaches at The University Centre in Svalbard. She is an avid science communicator and has led numerous field research expeditions from tropical glaciers to the depth of the polar regions. Her focus is on science policy and outreach. Heidi recently featured in the National Geographic series, Arctic Ascent, where she collected crucial climate data whilst on a climbing expedition. 

You can find out more about the Royal Geographical Society and access advice and support for field research and scientific expeditions by visiting www.rgs.org/in-the-field or follow them on @rgs_ibg on socials.

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Megan O’Neill is an Irish Singer-Songwriter who has opened for Sir Tom Jones as well as performing with the Lighthouse Family and Jamie Cullum. Her love of music has led her on numerous adventures from arriving in Nashville fresh out of university to performing at private Oscars parties in L.A. 

In this episode Megan tells Matt how pushing herself physically is integral to her song writing - she is always exploring her limits whether it’s trial running or writing her next album. Listen for alternative adventure, running and music. 

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Emily Penn is a Skipper and an Ocean Advocate. During a sailing trip around the world, Emily was having a swim and surfaced to find she was surrounded by plastic - from lighters to toothbrushes. Since this moment Emily has dedicated her career to solving the issue of plastic pollution. 

In this episode Emily tells Matt about how we’re all contributing to the plastic problem and the impact it is having on us. Emily shares some sobering facts about the plastic crisis whilst offering a message of hope, ‘’it’s just about everybody doing something’’. 

Listen for a ‘green’ education, solutions and hope for the future.

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Episode 072 of The Adventure Podcast sees a return of our dispatches - shorter form content where we delve into a specific subject, issue, idea or story. 

In this episode Matt speaks with Sophy Roberts (who featured in Episodes 50 and 51). Sophy is an author and journalist, currently in isolation in Portugal having just been evacuated from Nepal due to the rapid spread of the Indian variant of COVID 19. In this dispatch Sophy offers commentary and opinion on the situation on the ground in Nepal, and from the valleys below Mount Everest. Sophy explains how the last 12 months may have changed travel forever.

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Corin Smith is a fly fisherman, photographer and salmon farm campaigner. Born in the highlands of Scotland, Corin's working life has taken him from a tech startup in London to fly fishing in the Seychelles. He's never been one to sit still. Now back in his homeland, Corin has taken up the role of ‘activist’, exposing the harsh realities of salmon farming. 

In this episode Corin talks about the high and lows of remote fly fishing across the world, his complicated relationship with alcohol and his determination to fix salmon farming.

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Robert Martineau has many strings to his bow, most recently adding ‘author’ to his list of achievements. His book ‘Waypoints - A Journey on Foot’ is about his 1,000 mile walk across West Africa. Robert is also the co-founder of Tribe, a natural nutrition company, running community and charity which fights human trafficking. 

In this episode Matt and Robert talk about his trip but quickly delve into the reasons we’re drawn to wander. From religious pilgrimages to just putting one foot in front of the other - we’re talking flow states, spirituality and the beauty of exploring on foot.

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Henry Fletcher is a facilitator, storyteller and maker. As a facilitator, Henry helps people immerse themselves in nature. As a storyteller, he seeks a positive narrative around our relationship with our surroundings and the environment. As a maker, he creates beautiful cairns – a pile of stones, which when carefully structured, can last centuries. In this episode Matt and Henry discuss concepts of freedom, our ‘eco-identity’ and how nature plays a vital role in finding meaning within our lives.

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An ultra-endurance cyclist, Emily Chappell started her biking adventures as a cycle courier in London before cycling from Wales to Japan. The cycling feats didn't end there and in 2016 Emily was the fastest woman home in the 2016 Transcontinental Race. In this episode Emily draws on her Masters in Gender Studies as she discusses the importance of not being defined by your gender and why it's now time for men to join the conversation.

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David Yarrow is a fine art photographer, conservationist and author. David is best known for his iconic monochrome wildlife photography, as well as for capturing celebrity portraits including Cindy Crawford and Cara Delevingne. David has many boasts, from taking the historic image of Maradona at the 1986 World Cup to his work in wildlife conservation. He calls himself  ‘an artist’ but is also emphatically a businessman, and his commercial success has been built on an earlier career in banking. In this episode Matt speaks to David about his life as a photographer, his process for generating ideas, and how failure has been an integral part of his work. 

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Reza Pakravan is an explorer, filmmaker and writer. In a past life Reza was working the 9 to 5 but today he documents his epic adventures. From travelling the full length of Africa via the Sahel region to earning a Guinness World Record for crossing the Sahara Desert by bicycle. In this episode Reza is incredibly frank about the commercialisation of exploration, his attitude to breaking world records and how he deals with the necessary risks associated with his work.

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George Butler is an award-winning artist and illustrator who specialises in documenting reportage and current affairs in ink rather than with a camera. In 2012 he walked into Syria from Turkey where he started to capture the war-damaged town of Azaz as a guest of the rebel Free Syrian Army. Since then, his work has taken him to Afghanistan, Ghana, Yemen, Belarus and Myanmar, and in this episode George speaks about the extraordinary moments he has witnessed, the pressure to get his art ‘right’ and how he struggles with the concept of bravery.

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Episode 177 of The Adventure Podcast features general outdoorsman, climber and skier, Robert Lester. In 2023, Rob canoed 1300 miles down the Columbia River. He had very little knowledge of canoeing prior to leaving for this expedition. He also decided to take his completely inexperienced cousin, Braxton, along for the ride. In this conversation, Matt talks to Rob about the whole process. Why do this? What was the motivation? How did they plan it, and of course what actually happened. They speak about some bigger picture stuff too, like Rob’s fascination with the changing landscape around them, and the fascinating environmental and conservation elements of their expedition. Rob also talks about why Braxton decided to join the expedition, the impact it had on Braxton's mental and physical resilience, and how he hopes he's given a gift to his cousin.

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Describing himself as a "biologist with a lot of other interests", Dr Niall McCann works on the frontline of conservation, and in his spare time has skied across Greenland, rowed the Atlantic and cycled through the Himalayas. In this episode Niall talks to Matt about the accessibility of adventure if you're willing to look for it, his recovery from a near fatal speed flying accident, and the importance of conservation for the future of our planet.

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Steph Jeavons is an author, journalist and adventurer from Wales. The first person to circumnavigate the globe and ride a motorbike on all seven continents, Steph has always led an unconventional and adventurous life, embracing even the ‘darker adventures’ from her youth. At the age of twenty she found herself in prison – looking out of her cell window and making herself a promise: get off drugs, get out of jail, travel the world. And that’s exactly what she did.

In this episode Steph talks to Matt about her round-the-world journey by motorbike, how to start again and what it means to travel alone as a woman.

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Leon McCarron is a writer, broadcaster and adventurer - originally from Northern Ireland, he now calls Iraq home. Leon’s championing of ‘slow travel’ has taken him across China on foot, walking through the Empty Quarter Desert and riding across Patagonia on horseback. Now based in Iraq, he uses storytelling to address the myriad misconceptions around this country and its people, and in this episode Matt and Leon get philosophical discussing what ‘home’ really means, the importance of relationships and the responsibility of telling someone else’s story.

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