Sam Gash Podcast

"There is a value doing work where you are able to support one person or are able to shift the landscape in the tiniest way and move a millimetre in the right direction. You have to believe wholeheartedly in what you are doing or you will lose your mind."

Stephanie Case is a human rights lawyer and women's rights advocate with expertise in conflict settings and humanitarian emergencies. Starting her career as a corporate lawyer in NYC, the Global Financial Crises offered her an opportunity to take a year off. She did a series of international law consultancies before accepting her dream job - a volunteer position for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in 2012. Since then her career has taken her to some of the world's most vulnerable populations. She has done multiple deployments for the UN in Afghanistan, the International Rescue Committee in South Sudan, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Kyrgyzstan, and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Gaza, Palestine.

As Covid-19 broke out, Steph was in Kabul, working for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan as the. Head of Protection of Civilians and Child Protection.

Steph has witnessed first-hand the harmful effects of conflict and the disproportionate negative impact on women and girls. She founded not-for-profit organisation Free to Run to use the power of sports to transform lives and communities in the places where it's needed most.

An accomplished ultra trail athlete for over a decade, Steph has found a way to continue her training while many would have been resigned to the complexity whilst living in situations of conflict. She's logged laps on a treadmill and around the UN compound in Kabul and hitched helicopter rides to train in the mountains in Western Afghanistan.

Steph has won or placed in a number of international running events, ranging from 250 km multi-day desert races to 200-mile non-stop mountain races. Stephanie is a passionate advocate for women's rights, and a TEDx speaker.

This impactful conversations discusses:

•Her path from corporate law to humanitarian lawyer for the UN.

•How she's learned to package her emotions through experiences that have extended her.

•The subjective nature of suffering yet her approach to placing personal suffering into perspective.

•Insights on pathways into development and the ethics of volunteerism.

•The process to establishing Free to Run - the why, how, challenges and iterations.

•Pivotal life & death situations that Steph has experienced from her time in South Sudan, Afghanistan and on a mountain top in the Italian Alps.

•How she's coped with trauma and her path to recovery.

•Her empowering stance that her personal journey & timeline is uniquely HER OWN. Something that makes her happy, which is the most important thing.

To discover more about Steph you can follow her on

instagram: @theultrarunnergirl

Personal website: https://ultrarunnergirl.com/

Free to Run website: https://freetorun.org/

How to get involved with Free to Run: https://freetorun.org/get-involved

Thank you for your support with this podcast throughout 2020... don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast and I cannot wait to bring you some stellar tales of adventure in 2021!!

This is PART 2 of my conversation with Rich Roll - jump back to episode 32, if you haven't heard PART 1.

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It's with great pleasure that I release two episodes (Part 1 & 2) with the thought provoking and thoughtful Rich Roll. Episodes which I believe will serve those who know and do not know his story. Rich is an explorer of ideas and he has mastered multiple mediums in which to share these insights from his wildly popular Rich Roll Podcast, one of the top 100 podcasts in the world with over 100 million downloads. He is also a best selling author and host of wellness retreats around the world.

Rich is named one of the "25 Fittest Men in the World" by Men's Fitness and "The Guru of Reinvention" by Outside. Rich is a globally renowned ultra-endurance athlete, wellness advocate, bestselling author, husband and father of four. Rich shares his inspirational story of addiction, redemption and optimal health in his #1 bestselling memoir Finding Ultra and the cookbook & lifestyle guides The Plantpower Way and The Plantpower Way: Italia, which he co-authored with his wife Julie Piatt.

Rich has been featured on CNN, on the cover of Outside magazine and been profiled everywhere from The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal. His latest book, Voicing Change, features timeless wisdom and inspiration from the Rich Roll Podcast.

This conversation discusses:

•the 2020 shift in the Rich Roll Podcast

•personal advice through his experiences on the path towards healing, redemption and wholeness

•the importance to invest in yourself and look for opportunities during periods of chaos.

•how to create new neural pathways

•his position on 'seeking balance'

•what it looks like to have commitment to continual growth

•what it looked like to hit 'bottom', and his slow path of enquiry and work to figure out who he was and the path he was best suited to pursuing

•the trauma created when you are ask people to fit into a limited set of parameters.

•advice when you don't feel as though you belong

•what was needed to tackle his addiction: personal willingness, humility and letting people in

•how Rich has channeled his intensity in productive ways

•the place he learned to 'listen, be present, be empathetic and reserve judgment'

•his practice of self care

•partnership with his wife Julie

•the stories of those who have influenced his life

Rich has just released his beautiful hardcover book Voicing Change - timeless wisdom and insights from 50 podcast guests. You can purchase a copy via his website.

To discover more about Rich you can find him on his website (richroll.com), instagram (@richroll), youtube.

"I didn't change my diet and become an endurance athlete to stay there. These are tools for growth. That growth continues, it's ever lasting. You should always be committed to iterating and growing - so whats next. If I was so blind about how i was living in certain ways, I am still blind to so many things now. How can I pull the blinders off. What other areas of my life needs redress right now.. Let's go there, let's see what that's about."

It's with great pleasure that I release two episodes (Part 1 & 2) with the thought provoking and thoughtful Rich Roll. Episodes which I believe will serve those who know yet also do not know his story. Rich is an explorer of ideas and has mastered multiple mediums in which to share his insights. From his wildly popular Rich Roll Podcast, one of the top 100 podcasts in the world with over 100 million downloads. He is also a best selling author and host of wellness retreats around the world.

Rich is named one of the "25 Fittest Men in the World" by Men's Fitness and "The Guru of Reinvention" by Outside. Rich is a globally renowned ultra-endurance athlete, wellness advocate, bestselling author, husband and father of four. Rich shares his inspirational story of addiction, redemption and optimal health in his #1 bestselling memoir Finding Ultra and the cookbook & lifestyle guides The Plantpower Way and The Plantpower Way: Italia, which he co-authored with his wife Julie Piatt.

Rich has been featured on CNN, on the cover of Outside magazine and been profiled everywhere from The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal. His latest book, Voicing Change, features timeless wisdom and inspiration from the Rich Roll Podcast.

This conversation discusses:

•the 2020 shift in the Rich Roll Podcast

•personal advice through his experiences on the path towards healing, redemption and wholeness

•the importance to invest in yourself and look for opportunities during periods of chaos.

•how to create new neural pathways

•his position on 'seeking balance'

•what it looks like to have commitment to continual growth

•what it looked like to hit 'bottom', and his slow path of enquiry and work to figure out who he was and the path he was best suited to pursuing

•the trauma created when you are ask people to fit into a limited set of parameters.

•advice when you don't feel as though you belong

•what was needed to tackle his addiction: personal willingness, humility and letting people in

•how Rich has channeled his intensity in productive ways

•the place he learned to 'listen, be present, be empathetic and reserve judgment'

•his practice of self care

•partnership with his wife Julie

•the stories of those who have influenced his life

Rich has just released his beautiful hardcover book Voicing Change - timeless wisdom and insights from 50 podcast guests. You can purchase a copy via his website.

To discover more about Rich you can find him on his website (richroll.com), instagram (@richroll), youtube.

I hope you enjoy!!

"To pretend that we didn't know people were burning out, becoming dysfunctional and most likely that was collectively happening across the Command - was at the best naive and at the worst it was intentional neglect."

Mark is a registered Psychologist and over the past 20 years has worked in some of the strangest, harshest and least 'clinical' environments on the globe. This includes working as a former SAS regimental psychologist who deployed to Afghanistan six times and now founder of 'Psyched Up' - an industry psychology leader supporting individuals, organisations and communities in extreme environments.

This conversation is an inside look into the minds of combat soldiers. Mark discusses how war can fundamentally change a human. Moreso how repeated combat can impact one's moral fabric and lead to a challenging transition when a veteran returns home from deployment.

Not exclusively we discuss:

•the value of listening to our returning warriors

•the consequence of a lack of purpose and clear strategy

•The stigma of mental health in the military

•Moral injury & the impact of heavy deployment

•Rights of passages across the military and reality TV world.

Other areas of Mark's work include:

•Debriefing wintering expeditioners for the Australian Antarctic program.

•Designing and implemented local recruitment and induction programs in Papua New Guinea for oil companied.

•Establishing culture change programs.

•Assessing and recruited indigenous youth into mining jobs in North Western Australia.

•Managed cast and crew of reality TV shows (where we first met!)

You can follow Mark on instagram @markmathieson_psychologist & www.psychedup.com.au

For episode 30, I have interviewed a man I consider to be the best TRANSFORMER I know. Someone who has gone from the being a Troop Commander with the SAS, a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, Consultant at McKinsey & Company, starting his own tough luxury fashion label 'Kill Kapture', compelling and in demand Keynote Presenter and Author.

He also happens to be my husband and we recorded this podcast after spending over 100 days in stage 4 lock down in Victoria and on the final day of a 2 week quarantine in Perth. So that is a lot of intense time in each other's company. I am not going to lie, we are both worn - physically and mentally from this year. We also have discovered so much about each other and our conversations have deepened through this period of uncertainty.

Mark grew up in the red dirt of West Australian mining towns in the Pilbara. After deciding he wanted to join the SAS in high school, he embarked on a career in the Australian military that would eventually lead him to the battlefields of Afghanistan. As a Troop Commander in charge of 30 elite soldiers, Mark's role was to lead combat missions against senior enemy commanders, deep behind enemy lines. Through this unique and harsh environment, Mark developed his skills in leadership, teamwork and high performance. Undoubtedly he encountered high stress situations where personal and team performance means the difference between life and death.

Transitioning out of the military he went back to the bottom of the totem pole as a student at the Wharton School of Business. Both a fish out of water and well out of his depth, his humility and capacity for growth grew rapidly in this environment.

This conversation discusses:

•His early wanderings as a quiet dreamer and laser focused on joining the military.

•Early deployments to East Timor & the Solomon Islands.

•The tragedy of losing his Mum at 23 years old.

•Realising that time might not be plentiful or on your side, so you need to put aside your fear & ego to pursue what you want.

•Training for selection & transforming himself

•What SAS selection was really like: 'mission & team'

•Shared values creates trust

•The pitfalls of mission creep without a clear strategy

•Afghanistan - 4 back to back deployments

•Coping with trauma.

•Realising he had PTSD and his ongoing road to recovery

•The humiliation and humility of being the rookie again.

Warning: in the final 10 minutes there is a sensitive discussion around a historical sex abuse incident.

"You can increase your chances from remote to good by the accumulation of tiny incremental efforts over the years and focusing on what you can control."

"The minute you get to the top of your game the clock is ticking for your obsolescence."

You can discover more about Mark via his website (markwales.com.au) and instagram (@mark.a.wales).

"Your mind can have so much control over your body when you don't want to do something."

Megan Hine is a British survival expert, consultant, adventurer, climber, television presenter and expedition leader - taking celebrities and TV crews into uncharted territory.

She is widely known for her work alongside Bear Grylls on TV shows including Running Wild, ITV's Bear Grylls: Mission Survive and Bear Grylls: The Island, as well as a wide range of TV shows all over the world. She has taken TV crews into some of the harshest places on earth - literally holding the ropes for some of the toughest men on TV.

Her book 'Mind Of A Survivor' examines the human ability and instinct for survival. Megan shares and dissects life tools she's used in the wild for survival, showing how they can as easily be applied to more domestic everyday life - from careers to relationships.

This conversation looks at (not exclusively)

•her pathway into adventure

•her leadership style in high pressure and remote environments

•the importance of having uncomfortable conversations

•identifying your stress triggers and the impact of accumulated/chronic stress.

•how to reset through reconnecting with a routine.

•her approach to tackling the fear of the unknown.

•releasing our childhood mechanisms for safety as an adult

•providing opportunities for our youth to lead and experience accountability & the consequence of one's actions.

•creating space for failure in a success driven environment

•the female adventurer journey - perceived barriers; challenges and how to work through them and own your path.

You can follow Megan via:

instagram @megan_hine

website meganhine.com

facebook https://www.facebook.com/officialmeganhine

"I feast upon the challenge that is presented to me"

Mindy is an Emmy Nominated Casting Producer for Shark Tank (United States) and has been with the show throughout its 12 seasons. We caught up whilst she was working on the show 'in a bubble' in Los Vegas. She is also the Competitor Relations Director for the World's Toughest Race for the Amazon Prime Video (doco -series), adventure race - hosted by Bear Grylls.

Many people title Mindy "The Gatekeeper". I also perceive her as 'the pitch master', a high performing/no nonsense/heart charging organised weapon. On top of that Mindy is a lot of fun!

We discuss:

•what the world of casting really entails

•the power of the zigzag versus the linear

•what are skill traits helpful in casting

•how she successfully leads her small team

•the influence from her parents

•her life changing experience on the World's Toughest Race in Fiji

•her work-in-progress approach to self care.

You can follow this powerhouse on socials @mindycasting

If you enjoyed this conversation or found it to be of value please don't forget to subscribe, rate and review - it means so much!!! Don't forget to share the conversation via your socials & tag @mindycasting and @samgashpodcast

Dean is the OG of ultra marathon running and the epitome of someone who has had the time, breadth of adventure and ability to intellectualise the running experience.

Dean is the reason that many people know what an ultramarathon is and the instigator for many people to give one a try. TIME magazine named him one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World." Men's Fitness hailed him as one of the fittest men on the planet. Stan Lee, of Marvel Comics fame, called him, "A real superhuman." An acclaimed endurance athlete and NY Times bestselling author, Dean Karnazes has pushed his body and mind to inconceivable limits.

This conversation highlights his humility, deep refection, self awareness and empathy. We discuss the effect on covid-19 to the running community - for race organisers; runners and outdoor brands: the bad, good and hopeful. Dean generously shares his fears and the disappointment in not being able to see his family in Greece and Australia.

We explore -

•how "running is his salvation"

•the benefit & how to engage your family in your personal pursuits

•how he copes with critics

•having a growth mindset

•First Known Time versus Fastest Known Time

•creating a movement through movement.

Among his many accomplishments, he has run 50 marathons, in all 50 US states, in 50 consecutive days, he's run 350 continuous miles, foregoing sleep for three nights. He's run across the Sahara Desert in 120-degree temperatures, and he's run a marathon to the South Pole in negative 40 degrees. On ten separate occasions he's run a 200-mile relay race solo, racing alongside teams of twelve. His long list of competitive achievements include winning the World's Toughest Footrace, the Badwater Ultramarathon, running 135 miles nonstop across Death Valley during the middle of summer. He has raced and competed on all seven continents of the planet, twice over.

You can follow Dean via:

instagram: @ultramarathonman

website: www.ultramarathonman.com

If you enjoyed this conversation please don't forget to subscribe, rate, review and share!!! It means so much!!

""Are you on auto pilot or are you choosing the path you are on?"

This week on the podcast I am interviewing one of my nearest and dearest Sarah Davidson (formerly Sarah Holloway). A lady who I certainly consider to be in my inner tribe, quite literally the smartest person I know, fellow lover of verbose responses, 'lawyer turned funtrepreneur' (podcast host + author + entrepreneur) and the Queen of Quotes. This conversation is a reflection of our 12 year relationship, that includes both our willingness to ask the challenging conversations and our spark of joy when we are with each other.

We met as eager beaver law students 12 years ago and our paths lined up as corporate lawyers in top tier law firms... before I abandoned the coup to run & speak.... One year later Sarah & her now husband Nic Davidson started Matcha Maiden - an organic matcha green tea company. The brand sky rocketed through the use of social media and Sarah's amazing ability and connection. Within 6 months it gained the attention of US retailed Urban Outfitters - which was the trigger for Sarah to leave her job in law to jumped head and feet first into the business.

She is the co-founder of Matcha Mylkbar - a vegan inspired cafe

The host of globally renowned podcast Seize the Yay

And most recently an author to Seize the Yay.

This conversation discusses (amongst many things):

•How Sarah revamped her metric of 'success'

•How she's reignited the inner child.

•Her strengths and weaknesses, including anything confrontational!!

•Creating a brand as a reflection of the most authentic representation of her

•The learnings from writing her book, including the uncovering of why she's struggled to self manage and say NO to opportunities

•Learning how to create milestones and celebrate the small successes

•Her mantras of 'Dreaming Big but Planning Small', 'Done is better than perfect'

•How to change your default settings

Sarah is a huge lover of life, all things yay, flexible thinking, spontaneity and she is a GEM.

You can follow Sarah:

instagram - @spoonful_of_sarah

website - https://www.spoonfulofsarah.com/

If you enjoyed this conversation or found it to be of value I would LOVE for you to subscribe, rate and review the podcast!! Thank you for your support xo

" There isn't one thing that is at the end of the journey, there are going to be multiple lines of income. Find what you are good at, what works for you & what is the lifestyle you want to live." Brian Finestone hails from Whistler Canada and he is your all round adventure man & guide.

** If you have ANY ISSUES with the audio from this episode, please re-download the episode and it will work (relevant to subscribers to the samgashpodcast prior to 9 Sep)**

This conversation looks at the concept of risk, yet also how you need to reinvent yourself to continually be living in your dream job. He wears many hats that include writer, photographer, fly fishing guide and Race Coordinator for Eco Challenge - the World's Toughest Race.

Brian studied the Business of Adventure and his career has seen him as a ski patroller in Canada & the Swiss Alps, carrying 20kg of explosives for avalanche control. He was the Whistler Mountain Bike Park Manager for over a decade - bringing together his risk management prowess to construct trails that allowed riders of all levels to be challenged, without the consequence of not walking again if you made a mistake. He's has been the co-author of six guidebooks to skiing, mountain biking and hiking in Whistler BC - selling hundreds of thousands of copies.

Currently Brian is the Director of Operations at Whitecap Risk and Safety Consultants, a company that specialises in ambitious projects in both sets and remote wilderness settings.

He is part of the race management team for Eco Challenge - the World's Toughest Race. Excitingly he was in Patagonia earlier this year (pre-Covid) setting the new World's Toughest Race course!! We do a recap on his experiences in Fiji and some early thoughts of Patagonia.

During this global pandemic Brian's experience in risk management and operations is being utilised as he creates 'Covid Exposure Control and Risk Management' for the Television and Film Industry.

Brian is someone who believes 'motion is lotion'. He fully commits to the experience of living. This attitude has clearly rubbed off on how he parents his son Finn.

I found his story inspiring and I hope you do too.

You can follow Brian:

@finestonephoto - instagram

@BrianFinestone - twitter