naked-i

In this episode of the naked-i podcast, Will Bolsover sits down for breakfast with Tarquin Wood in Kenya for a conversation shaped by travel, experiences and the connections that make a journey memorable.

Coming from a family farm in the Maasai Mara, Tarquin has a deep-rooted connection to the land and the natural world. Against the backdrop of Kenya, their conversation offers an opportunity to explore Tarquin’s perspective on travel, the places that shape us and the experiences that stay with us long after we return home. Through a relaxed and personal exchange, they reflect on the value of taking time to connect with a place, its people and the moments that make travel truly meaningful.

In this episode of the naked-i podcast, Will sits down for a fireside chat with Alex Walker, founder of Alex Walker's Serian.

Alex explores his history with safari, growing up waiting for school to finish so he could explore the wilderness to now sharing that genuine passion for the African wild with guests in his own safari camps. As their conversation unfolds, Alex dives into the value of slower, real travel and how consumption of travel has shifted our mindset away from allowing yourself to just experience where you are.

In this episode, Will sits down with André Schoeman from Skeleton Coast Safaris, a family-run fly-in safari enterprise exploring Northern Namibia from above.

André explores his family history, the experiences that led him to join Skeleton Coast Safaris, what makes the Skeleton Coast unique and how education and community support are the key to protecting Namibia from the devastating impact of habitat loss.

In this episode of the naked-i Podcast, Will Bolsover sits down with Jamshyd Sethna, the visionary founder behind Shakti, to explore a remarkable journey through entrepreneurship, purpose-driven travel, and the evolution of luxury in India.

Jamshyd shares his unconventional path into the travel industry, from early days in Bombay and a fast rise through corporate travel, to taking a leap of faith and launching his own ventures. 

What follows is a story of resilience, bold decisions, and ultimately building some of India’s most influential inbound travel businesses.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation about entrepreneurship, culture, and the future of experiential travel.

In this episode, join Patrick Dykstra, a BAFTA award-winning wildlife cameraman, TV presenter, and expedition leader, as he delves into the world of blue whales and other ocean giants. Known for his work on Blue Planet 2 and his series Chasing Ocean Giants, Patrick has been at the forefront of blue whale exploration in Sri Lanka and orca behaviour research in Iceland.

With over a decade of experience filming the world's largest creatures, Patrick shares fascinating stories from his underwater expeditions, including the challenges of filming blue whales and the joy of seeing them in the wild. He discusses the importance of wildlife conservation, his personal journey from corporate lawyer to wildlife filmmaker, and how leading tours for Natural World Safaris has enriched his connection to these majestic animals.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation filled with adventure, passion, and incredible insights into the marine world.

Welcome to another exciting episode of our podcast! 

Join your host, Will Bolsover, as we embark on an extraordinary journey through Chad's captivating landscapes and rich cultural heritage. Today, we delve deep into the majestic Ennedi Mountains with our special guest, Rocco, a seasoned explorer with over three decades of experience in Chad.

Rocco was born into a desert-connected family and began exploring Chad at a young age. His family established a logistics base in Chad in 1992, promoting immersive travel experiences. With a background in guiding and a passion for nature, Rocco has dedicated his life to unlocking the secrets of Chad and promoting sustainable tourism.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy this captivating conversation set in the heart of the Ennedi Mountains. Whether you're an avid traveler, a conservation enthusiast, or simply curious about Chad's hidden gems, this episode is sure to inspire and inform.

Welcome to another episode from Naked Eye Studios. Join host Will Bolsover as he delves into the captivating world of visual storytelling with Keith Ladzinski, a National Geographic Photographer and Emmy-nominated director. From storm chasing to tranquil wildlife photography, Keith's tales transport us to nature's heart. Tune in for an inspiring visual journey filled with stories, insights, and the artistry of one of the finest photographers in the business.

In this Podcast, we talk to Steve Winter and Sharon Guynup. Steve is an award-winning National Geographic wildlife photojournalist best known for his photography of big cats such as snow leopards, cougars and jaguars. For the past two decades but his main focus has been tigers. Sharon is an award-winning journalist and editor covering wildlife, climate change, conservation and more, writing for titles such as National Geographic, The New York Times and The Washington Post. 
 
 Together they have done in-depth investigations into wildlife crime, including an exposé on tiger trafficking and how captive tigers in the U.S. outnumber those in the wild and the issues surrounding this. They spent time with individuals covered by the Netflix series Tiger King, detailing in-depth the issues surrounding the tiger entertainment industry.

In our hour-long chat, we talk about how they started their careers, and how they create opportunities where they can work together but also that have an impact and cause change. They share details on how Steve got his now-iconic image of a cougar under the Hollywood Sign which was instrumental in creating a $88 million dollar USD privately funded wildlife corridor. They discuss the value of a single jaguar through ecotourism in The Pantanal as a result of Steve's early images taken in the region and the importance of giving back. They also talk about all things tigers, a species on which their combined efforts have been focused for a number of years, including their in-depth investigation into the tiger industry in the United States. 

From a chance meeting in a bar in the far Arctic North, Will talks to Sergei Chernikov, a 30-year-old Russian living in Svalbard. From Moscow to Longyearbyen, Sergei speaks openly about why people shouldn't speak about nationality, but instead should look to his new word of "valuenality" to change perceptions and avoid stereotyping people based on where they are from.
 
 Their conversation also includes insights into life in Svalbard, including the political difficulties of Barentsburg, is the second-largest settlement in Svalbard, Norway with about 455 inhabitants, almost entirely made up of ethnic Russians and Ukrainians.

On the complicated and too often political world we live in, Sergi wanted to add, " I’d love to talk more and feel sad it was so briefly, especially about what’s happening in Russia now. It’s really a horrible and terrifying situation for me to see so many people just stuck in propaganda without any attempts to have a critical way of thinking and blindly supporting the evil or those saying they are “just living their lives”. It’s a huge crisis of the nation and I don’t see how it could be solved."

In our fourth episode, Will Bolsover sits down for a chat with the one and only Andy Mann! Marine  photographer, conservationist, founding member of Sea Legacy, family man and shark guru! Sitting down in Andy’s studio in Boulder, Colorado, we chat family, travel, conservation and interesting socks!