What is the key to achieving the extraordinary? Is there a secret recipe for going beyond the normal limits of what we can do? Do we all possess Extraordinariness? These are the questions that Jo and Jon try to answer through discussions with people who have done just that. We uncover the amazing feats that our guests have accomplished and see if we can come to understand how we all might be a little more extraordinary.
Extraordinariness is a podcast about adventure, health and fitness, self improvement and the mental life hacks to help foster performance. Through our guest stories we try to build a mental toolkit, our ’extraordinary toolkit’ so that we can all try to push the boundaries in our own lives. Along the way we get to hear amazing stories from ordinary people. That is people, with jobs, families, commitments. These are people just like you and me.
Adapting and Overcoming: Kyle Evans' Ultra Marathon Journey
In this episode of the Extraordinariness Podcast, Jon catches up with Kyle Evans, who shares his resilient journey from battling drug addiction to running ultra marathons. Kyle discusses his experience at the Ice Ultra in the Swedish Arctic, highlighting the challenges he faced when arriving in the Arctic circle to find his airline had lost all his specially selected kit. Through perseverance and adaptability, he learns invaluable lessons about strength of mindset, the importance of preparation, and the necessity to embrace discomfort for personal growth. Kyle's story is not only about his race but also his life transformation and the community he has built to help others improve their resilience.
15 Jul 2024
Beyond The Ultimate Ice Ultra; Running 230km through the Arctic Circle
Join us for a captivating episode where we follow an extraordinary journey through the 230-kilometre Beyond the Ultimate Ice Ultra in Northern Sweden. The narrative begins in a quaint Chinese pub in London, where discussions of future challenges set the stage for an unforgettable adventure. The episode takes you through the rigorous preparations and the gruelling stages of the Ice Ultra race, featuring breathtaking but harsh Arctic terrain, from Birch forests and frozen lakes to snowy plateaus. Experience the highs and lows, the camaraderie, and the fierce internal and external competition as our narrator battles through freezing temperatures, kit checks, and physical and psychological challenges. This tale of endurance, resilience, and the intrinsic motivation to 'run your own race' offers a deep dive into the mind of an ultra runner, showcasing the relentless pursuit to overcome obstacles and achieve personal triumph.
8 Jul 2024
Returning to the Legendary Marathon des Sables with Freddie Maher
Join us on the Extraordinariness Podcast as we dive into an exhilarating conversation with Freddie Maher, who ran the legendary Marathon des Sables (MDS) in 2024. Freddie reflects on his journey, from an entry inspired by a touching family story to experiencing the race's changes due to its new ownership this year. Listen to stories of camaraderie among tentmates, battling extreme heat, and pushing through physical and mental limits. Discover how Freddie's MDS adventure reshaped his perspective on challenges and endurance. Tune in for an inspiring tale of determination, adaptation, and the unbreakable human spirit.
10 Oct 2023
The DNA of Success: Insights from Top Performers with Scott Radford
In this captivating episode of "Extraordinariness," we sit down with Scott Radford, a seasoned airline pilot, high-performance coach, and the host of the renowned podcast "Performance Hackers." Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of high performers and uncover the secrets they hold.
Scott shares invaluable insights gained from interviewing top-level high performers, unveiling the common attributes that set them apart from the crowd. Discover what drives these extraordinary individuals to achieve greatness and how you can apply their principles to unlock your own potential.
If you're ready to supercharge your personal and professional life, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the traits that define success and learn practical steps to propel yourself toward your goals. Don't miss this chance to elevate your journey to extraordinariness!
26 Sept 2023
Rowing Beyond Limits: Conquering the Atlantic Solo with Miriam Payne
Embark on an extraordinary journey with us as we sit down for a chat with Miriam Payne, the 23-year-old trailblazer who shattered records in the gruelling 3,000-mile Talisker Whiskey Atlantic rowing challenge. Join us as Miriam unveils the triumphs and tribulations of her solo 59-day odyssey, where she battled unforgiving elements and pushed the boundaries of human endurance. From setting sail in the Canary Islands to conquering the finish line in Antigua, Miriam's story is a testament to unyielding determination and the pursuit of a daring dream. Discover how this remarkable young woman transformed solitude into strength and turned the vast ocean into a canvas of courage. Tune in for a voyage of inspiration, resilience, and the remarkable power of the human spirit.
19 Sept 2023
Resilience, Motivation and Appreciation: Jen Price’s Bucket List Year of Extreme Challenges
Jen Price was at a crossroads in her life. What better to do than try and tick off all the extreme challenges on her bucket list in one year. 12 months, 12 challenges of a lifetime.
We caught up with Jen and found out what she learnt, about resilience, motivation, appreciation, ditching the fear of failure, and not worrying about what other people think.
Here is a complete list of the challenges:
XC Ski Marathon (50km)
Jurassic Coast Ultra (64km)
Paris Marathon
Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race (125 miles)
Lands End to Jon O Groats Cycle (874 miles self supported)
Summit Kilimanjaro (a Seven Summit Climb)
Iron Man Vitoria - Gasteiz
Hadrians Wall Hike (self supported) (84 miles)
Swim Marathon (10km)
Multi Stage Ultra-Marathon (Jordan) (250km)
Channel SUP (moved to 2023)
Summit Cerro Aconcagua (a Seven Summit Climb)
12 Sept 2023
Campaigning for Suicide Prevention: How 3 dads walking in memory of their children turned into something much bigger
www.3dadswalking.uk
https://www.papyrus-uk.org
This week Jo caught up with Mike, Andy and Tim, otherwise know as 3 Dads Walking. They set of to walk 300miles between their homes in memory of the daughters they sadly lost to suicide. What began as a memorial walk ended up turning into something much bigger.
5 Sept 2023
Conquering Oceans and Beyond: The Remarkable Story of Lee Spencer, The Rowing Marine
Welcome back to Extraordinariness for the first episode in Season 2.
This week Joanne spoke to Lee Spencer, AKA the Rowing Marine. Lee was in the Royal Marines for 24 years but his life changed after he was injured, losing his leg, whilst helping at the scene of an accident on the M3 in Surrey in 2014.
In 2015 Lee set-off to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in just a rowing boat. The Row2Recovery team of four injured veterans had just 3 legs between them. In February 2016, some 46 days, 6 hours and 49 minutes later they rowed into Antigua and the record books as the worlds first physically disabled crew of four to row any ocean.
Following this, Lee became the world’s first physically disabled person to row from mainland Europe to mainland South America solo and unsupported. Lee Spencer, The Rowing Marine, broke the able bodied record by an astonishing 36 days and also broke the record for the longest solo and unsupported ocean row by a physically disabled person, a total of 3 Guinness World records.
Lee’s next challenge is The Triathlon of Great Britain, the Rowing Marine, will embark on his toughest challenge yet. He will swim the English Channel, cycle from Lands End to John O’ Groats and climb the three highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales (including a full Marathon) – combining the three classic challenges in Britain into one enormous challenge.
22 Jun 2023
Season 2 of Extraordinariness Coming Soon!
We hope you enjoyed our first series of Extraordinary conversations and we are please to announce that we will be back soon with more. In season 2 we talk to more ordinary people about their extraordinary accomplishments! Coming Soon...
16 Aug 2022
The Toughest Footrace on Earth - Jon Harman talks through Marathon des Sables
The Marathon des Sables is a 250km footrace, running through the Sahara Desert, carrying everything you need to survive for a week on your back in the harsh desert environment. Heat, sand, wind and exhaustion conspire to make you quit...
This week Jo talks to our very own Jon Harman. We talk through his experience of the race, how he was able to use some of the tools learnt from our previous interviews in this series, and we find some new lessons learned along the way.
9 Aug 2022
”A Post Event Adrenaline Junkie” - Everest Mountaineer - Rob Casserley
Rob Casserley is a doctor and mountaineer and has been to the Everest summit eight times. He holds a record as the first Westerner to twice double-summit Everest in one week, once in 2007, then again in 2010, and has rowed across most of the Atlantic Ocean.
He was on Everest during the 2015 avalanches and has directly saved the life of at least one other fellow mountaineer.
Join our talk with Rob as he tells us how he ended up in high altitude climbing and passes on some of the skills he has learnt along the way.
1 Aug 2022
Around the World in 263 Days... by Tandem - Cat & Raz
In 2020 Catherine Marsden and Rachael Dixon circumnavigated the globe on a tandem bicycle, finishing in 263 days. Dealing with the monsoon, bad coffee, and racing covid across a continent, they now hold the world record for the fastest time.
What is it about these two ladies that make them such a tandem cycling machine. Teamwork, leadership and being chased by pandemic lockdowns feature in their uplifting story.
In this episode we find out what it took to achieve such an extraordinary feat and continue to add to our extraordinary toolbox.
25 Jul 2022
Getting Knocked Down... And Getting Up Again - Andy Ibbott
Andy Ibbott was MD of the California Superbike School, a highly skilled martial artist and had a starting place on the legendary Marathon Des Sables.
All that changed when he suffered a stroke in 2011... Or did it?
Andy talks us through the events that set Andy's life in a different direction, the challenges of aphasia and having to re-learn to use his body. Andy is the embodiment of resilience, teaching us to keep moving forward, even if it is just once step at a time.
This week Andy Ibbott tells us his inspirational story of being knocked down and getting back up again. Along the way we find a few more tools to add to our Extraordinary Toolbox.
18 Jul 2022
The Transcontinental Bike Race - Jonathan Rankin
The Transcontinental Race, or TCR for short, is an unsupported race across Europe with riders having to grab sleep and food whilst the clock is ticking. We spoke to Jonathan Rankin, a former rower and 2 time competitor in the TCR to hear about what it takes to enter such an event.
Could you cycle continuously for several days, stopping only for a few hours a day to eat and sleep? How would you even begin to train for such an event? Jonathan tells us about the role of habit in training for such a gruelling event and the mental tricks he used along the way to keep going.
His story is a fascinating insight to the role of ultra endurance cycling, and the extreme lengths people will go to complete a race most people have never heard of.
12 Jul 2022
A Record Breaking Row around the British Isles - Nick Dennison
This week we add to our extraordinary toolbox by speaking with army doctor and rowing record holder Nick Dennison. In 2010 Nick, along with his team mate Hamish Reid became the first pair to row unsupported around Great Britain.
It's a long way around Great Britain, 11,000 miles, depending upon how you measure it. This weeks story is about the first pair to row that distance, and the courage and grit required. Nick tells about the challenges they faced, such as punishing winds, deadly waves and the psychological and physical assaults the seas provided them, and how support from those around them gave them the belief that they could accomplish such a phenomenal adventure.
Through Nick's story we add a few more things to our Extraordinary Toolkit.
5 Jul 2022
From Refugee Camp to Pioneering Flight Around the World - Shaesta Waiz
In our first episode we speak to pioneering aviator Shaesta Waiz. Born in an Afghan refugee camp before moving to the United States as a child, Shaesta became the 8th woman, and at the time youngest, to fly solo around the world in a single engine aircraft. We hear about her extraordinary accomplishment.
Flying a Beechcraft Bonanza around the world is no mean feat. Shaesta had to deal with the cramped space, due to retrofitted internal fuel tanks, as well as headline picked up somewhere along the way. Not all the challenges were physical though. Flying through such varied culture meant that the very fact Shaesta was a woman was a problem form some.
Shaesta's story is about the dreams we all have, and what happens when you decide to break out of the societal norms expected of you and make those dreams a reality.
www.extraordinariness.co.uk
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