Life’s Tough, Explorers Are TOUGHER!

About Life’s Tough, Explorers Are TOUGHER!

“Exploring is an innate part of being human.” Richard Wiese, spends 30 minutes every week with some of the world’s most compelling adventurers, explorers, and socio-environmental advocates, listening to their distinct adventures, unique discoveries, projects & goals, while discovering their multitude of challenges, surprises, triumphs and set-backs they encounter along the way. Join Richard as he pulls back the curtain on what it’s like to travel around the world and beyond; explore some of the most exotic and often dangerous places; and uncover what makes people, places and our planet so special.

Publisher

Richard Wiese

Category

science · science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Mar 2021

Latest episode

3 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 130 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   3 Jun 2026

   Andrew Budziak: Ice Diving for Science

   In this episode of Life’s Tough, Explorers are Tougher, Richard Wiese speaks with filmmaker, explorer, and ice diver Andrew Budziak about his project Freeze the Future — a conservation initiative studying the hidden ecosystems beneath frozen lakes. Andrew explains how scientists recently discovered productive algae communities growing underneath lake ice, reshaping assumptions about winter freshwater ecosystems. Through dangerous under-ice diving expeditions across Canada, his team is gatheri...

2. 

   20 May 2026

   Serena McCalla: Educator Who Built a Science Empire

   In this episode of Life’s Tough, Explorers are Tougher, Richard Wiese sits down with Serena McCalla — National Geographic Explorer, molecular scientist, educator, and mentor featured in the acclaimed documentary Science Fair. Serena shares her journey from growing up in a hardworking immigrant family to building one of the most successful high school science research programs in the country. She explains how curiosity, discipline, and sacrifice shaped her path, and how she pushed students bey...

3. 

   6 May 2026

   Hugues de Kerdrel: Mission to Save Whale Sharks

   In this episode of Life’s Tough, Explorers are Tougher, Hugues de Kerdrel joins Richard Wiese to share the story behind Mission William - a global initiative aimed at protecting whale sharks and the ecosystems they depend on. What began as a promise to a young boy evolved into a large-scale conservation effort focused on creating safe migration corridors across the Southeast Atlantic. Hugues explains how little data exists on these animals and how his team is working with governments, scienti...

Inside a recent episode

Brandi DeCarli: The Revolutionary Farmer

Published 14 May 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] We designed Farm from a Box. Let me give a description. So we know it's in a shipping container. We pre-install as much as we possibly can so that the system arrives basically locked and loaded. Every single unit is powered by off-grid solar, so it acts independent of any grid access and definitely works really well out in really remote locations. That powers a solar-powered pump that can adapt to whatever the water access point is, which in East Africa is a river or a bore well more often than not. We also have drip irrigation to be able to really sustain the crop throughout the entire year and really extend the growing season while also conserving water resources. […]

Who has been a guest on Life’s Tough, Explorers Are TOUGHER!

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Tia
• Susan Baur
• Brendan Hall
• JR Harris
• Chrissy Tracey

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

18 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 50 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

80

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

Contact Life’s Tough, Explorers Are TOUGHER!

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Life’s Tough, Explorers Are TOUGHER!