The Perspective Project Podcast

"A lot of the hikers I deal with have done pretty much all of the hikes in the country. I don't think I have ever heard anybody say there is a more tough one. It is the toughest. But everybody who does it says it's the best one they've ever done too."

Quick request: I'm looking for short cell-phone audio recordings (1 minute to 1 min 30 seconds) where you speak about your perspective-broadening stories. What happened, and how did it broaden your perspective? Send these to [email protected] and they may be incorporated into the start of the podcasts. 

Dan Cornick and I met up in Hogsback and had a conversation about the astoundingly beautiful (but tough) Amatola Hiking Trail, his backpackers (aptly named Away With The Fairies), his Amatola Trails business (which services the hike), the beauty of the mountains, an interesting fairy experience he had at the backpackers, and meditation and mindfulness.

Visit the backpackers site at Away With The Fairies

Visit the Amatola Trails site at Amatola Trails

Support the podcast: www.perspectiveproject.co.za

In this episode (originally recorded in January 2018 and re-released mid October 2019), Rudi Engelbrecht and I have a conversation about his well-established meditation practice (Vipassana style), as well as his 4500+ km walk around South Africa that ended when he and his walking friends handed a signed South African flag to Nelson Mandela. We also touch upon several different themes and topics during the conversation.  

Check out the walking journey that Rudi was a part of: Feet4Feat

Contact Rudi via email: [email protected]

Support the podcast by taking me up on one of the services listed in the menu or by sending the links to friends; by becoming a patron; and by sending your short 1 to 1-and-a-half minute audio recording an your perspective broadening experience to [email protected] 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

"It was very important to just create a space where you have a sense of what it is that you want to do, but you have to let every single participant configure that space in the way that they see it, and then contribute what they contribute. And in that way if you don't manipulate and control and try to offer people a narrative of this thing, you end up with such a rich diversity of responses."

My friends and colleagues, Prof. Andrea Hurst and Dr. Belinda du Plooy, sat down with me to discuss the unique and ground-breaking university engagement event that we call a water pilgrimage. An eye-opening discussion in that it shows how dynamic things can be in the university context – we end up referring to the 'the Sacred', and contextualise it a manner that might seem unusual but also appropriate considering the need across contexts to re-connect with each other and our environment.

There will be an exhibition at the Nelson Mandela University's Bird Street Campus in Port Elizabeth, from 18 - 22 November, where contributions from the 33 pilgrims will be displayed. Performances and presentations will occur on the opening evening. 

Andrea is the South African Research Chair for Identities and Social Cohesion in Africa, hosted at Nelson Mandela University – see here.

Belinda manages the Engagement Office at Neslon Mandela University – see here.

At the time of posting this podcast, I am a Post-doctoral researcher working with the Chair – see here.

Support the podcast by visiting www.perspectiveproject.co.za and taking me up on one of my services. If they are not for you, then please send the links to someone who may be interested.

Business consultant and blockchain evangelist Sean Martin kindly shared his extensive knowledge of blockchain with me. Very informative for newbies to the topic of blockchain (like me), as well as to blockchain and technology enthusiasts, and business-minded people in general. Considering the inevitability that blockchain will eventually be integrated into so many aspects of our technologically-mediated lives, this episode is a must-listen.

"If we lived in a world where blockchain was around much earlier, we would live in a world where banks are very differently modeled. I think that banks still have a future. I think that financial institutions add value in many areas. But the very area where they are utilized the most is where they are least valuable. They should be adding value in ways that improve our wealth position, and that is certainly an area in which they can continue to play. But needing them for the conventional wallet-transfer-balance scenario is less important."

"It is important to distinguish between intermediaries that add value and those that are there for the purposes of trust. If they are only there for purposes of trust, they are at risk of disintermediation. If they are an intermediary that is in some form a processor, someone that adds value to the process through the supply chain, that's not a disintermediation scenario. … It does keep the actors in the supply chain more more honest due to the transparency that comes along with [blockchain technology]."

Visit Sean's business website at www.arktree.io

Support the podcast: Patreon.com

www.perspectiveproject.co.za

Gary K is an open-water long-distance swimmer, Chairperson of Algoa Bay's WESSA branch, Herald newspaper column writer, patient activist, pragmatic idealist, PhD candidate studying questions about race, and more!  

He was kind enough to have a recorded conversation with me in my studio on a day when the temps hit 37 degrees. We cover a wide range of topics, some of which are: how to work out the questions that will lead us to a better place, some of the opportunities that exist in the Nelson Mandela and Algoa Bay Port Elizabeth region, some historical background to the area, the proposed fish farm, bunkering, and more. 

See Gary's column at the Port Elizabeth Herald: LINK

Gary on Twitter: LINK

Visit www.perspectiveproject.co.za to support the podcast. 

Thanks to Mike for a great conversation about the passion project that is Green Renaissance.

"We are a passionate collective of four creatives, on a journey to share positive stories. We make films that excite us – we call these our passion projects. Everywhere we look, we see a world filled with inspiration. Sometimes it's capturing a conversation with someone who appreciates the true beauty in the world. Other times it's meeting interesting people who are inspired by nature. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. With your help, we will be sharing at least one new film each week".

Check out the amazing short films at greenrenaissance.co.za

Support Green Renaissance at Patreon.com  

Support the podcast by visiting www.perspectiveproject.co.za

Anton joined me on the podcast to chat about some ideas he has after his time working for the United Nations. We start with his thoughts in this regard, and branch quite far out from there. 

Read more at www.perspectiveproject.co.za

Perspectives on exercise from a guru of body movement

On this episode of The Perspective Project Podcast, Body Movement Guru Les Albrecht discusses her journey from professional dancer to full-time body-conditioning, Pilates, and yoga teacher. 

The primary focus is on the illusive pelvic floor muscle, its importance, and how to use it. We branch out from there and discuss a variety of exercise-related sub-topics. 

Les has worked with people from all walks of life dealing with all sorts of situations: professional athletes needing to up their physical performance, people who have had an operation and need to be rehabilitated, dancers who need to improve their form, to name but a few scenarios. 

She has taught body-conditioning classes, Pilates, and Yoga, for several decades, accruing the most excellent of reputations as a master of movement. 

More recently she has given presentations on the importance of the pelvic floor muscle, and on how to use it. 

She now works with people mainly online. 

Contact her on email: [email protected] and find her on facebook.