The Pin Drop Podcast

Damian Brown was a professional rugby player  for 16 years. More recently he has turned adventurer, high performance athlete and now content creator and  international keynote speaker.

Damian has undertaken some of the most demanding physical and mental challenges on the planet, including the The Marathon des Sables, rowing solo and unsupported, across the Atlantic Ocean (both directions) from La Gomera to Antigua and most recently New York to Galway. This latest endeavour took him on a 5,000km journey over 112 days - with the most unimaginable set backs along the way.

Damian has also made an attempt on Mt Everest which was aborted at Base Camp due to a covid outbreak. He is a multi-time Irish indoor rowing champion, holding all-time, all-category records for the 500m and 1000m distance. 

I discovered Damian via his podcast, 'Deep Roots'. Which I listened to while I was training for my Pacific row. It gave me some incredible knowledge bombs for some of the technical aspects of ocean rowing, but more than that, inspiration to keep going with my journey and some invaluable insights into the mental tests that I would face.

Damian also shares my fear of water and says he can't swim more that 20 meters without sinking. Not ideal for a solo ocean rower.

Damian's mental resolve and the extremely high standards he holds himself accountable to are what I was really interested in though.

Damian's introductory statement in his Tedx talk is “I refuse to let myself rot away in comfort.” He refers to his  ‘internal witness’ being the thing that keeps his standards high. Being honest, authentic. Having no ego. Holding yourself accountable.

And he leaves us with the best piece of advice, when we doubt our capabilities; look inside. Lean into it.

I can't wait for you to listen to this.

Follow Damian here:
Instagram @auld_stock
TikTok @auld_stock
Damian's Website
Deep Roots Podcast 

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Thanks for listening!
Vicki 

Jenny Wordsworth is a Lawyer, entrepreneur and extreme endurance sports athlete. 
She has most notably completed a 700 mile solo ski to the South Pole from the Antarctic coast, where she had to be medically evacuated due to a condition called 'polar thigh' which nearly had extremely grave consequences. 

Jenny has also raced the Marathon de Sables, the Arctic Ultra, the 250km Iran Silk Road Ultra Marathon and run 800km through the Scottish Highlands. Most recently she participated in a gruelling bike-packing race in Kyrgyzstan which ended in a dramatic crash and internal bleeding.  

Jenny was very nearly a member of the Girls Who Dare crew when Vicki asked her to join the team following the postponement of the 2020 Great Pacific Race. Jenny found out only the day after accepting the offer that she was pregnant with her little girl Ophelia.

They made a pledge to undertake a challenge together one day and are currently busy building their campaign to set a new record for a Female Four in the Race Across America in 2024.

Alongside her expeditions, Jenny is a Lawyer and Founder of Ovum, a doctor-led fertility wellness brand focused on reproductive health. 

Jenny fiercely supports female participation in sport and works with several charitable causes to inspire women and girls all over the world to participate in physical activity, whilst creating exposure for positive female role models in sport. She is adamant that anyone can follow in her footsteps to experience the elation of achieving a goal, however big or small it might be. 

Listen in for Jenny's best advice on how to get started in adventure, what she always relies on in the face of adversity and why being labelled the 'sensible' one is the best compliment she's received recently!

Find out more about Jenny here
Follow Jenny on Instagram @jennywordsworth 

Don't forget to share, rate/review, download and subscribe to the Podcast, this helps us to continue growing the audience and continue to secure incredible guests to inspire you to be a little more...intrepid.

Thanks for listening!
Vicki 

Vicki first met Tom in the Arctic. 

They were both undertaking a 250km Ice Ultra in one of the northernmost remote parts of Sweden. 
Tom was running a very different race to Vicki and would arrive at the stage finish line  each day several hours ahead of her. So regrettably, they didn't get to spend a huge amount of time together. But Tom stood out - always with a beaming smile on his face the next morning, eager to get going. Keen to help others with their kit and with words of encouragement. 

Nearly two years later, Vicki & Tom finally get to have that much promised catch up. 

Not only is Tom an accomplished endurance runner, he is also the Founder & CEO of Create Group; the Middle East’s leading and award-winning strategic digital communications agency that spans 4 international offices, with 200 team members. 

Tom takes inspiration from his adventures and applies those life lessons to leadership, mindset & personal development, allowing those principles to permeate the culture at his agency - recognized as having one of the region’s leading work cultures. 

Tom has twice completed the 250km Marathon Des Sables. But his 'sketchiest' moment was scaling mountains in the UTMB OMAN, a 137km single stage race, over 42 hours of non stop racing, sleep deprived and completely alone.
 
Tom's  TEDx talk; ‘The power of adventure’, covers a cancer diagnosis he had some years ago and how it brought about a pivotal mindset shift & journey to relentless discovery. 

Tom lives by the motto:

‘Don’t Let Your Excuses Today Become Your Regrets Tomorrow’

And urges others to to seek out adventure, be true to themselves, show authenticity, and have the courage to truly be happy.

He reminds us that often in life, the thing that looks like it’s on fire isn’t the problem. 

And his best piece of advice? Don’t complain. At least not to anyone who can’t help you...

Watch Tom's TedX talk here
Follow Tom on Instagram @tomotton
Find out more about Create Group here

Don't forget to share, rate/review, download and subscribe to the Podcast, this helps us to continue growing the audience and continue to secure incredible guests to inspire you to be a little more...intrepid.

Thanks for listening!
Vicki 

Louise McCullough is a Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon, NHS Grampian and Albyn hospital, a Fitness Coach and Artist. But you are perhaps more likely to know her as the first female to pass selection on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins. 

Louise and Vicki both participated in Series 4 of the show, reaching the final stages and getting through 11 days of brutal physical exertion and mental interrogation. Louise continued for 10 hours more on the course than Vicki, to pass selection after a total of 18 hours in the interrogation phase. 

Louise, originally from Northern Ireland, is the epitome of resilience and strength. One of twins, with twin brothers, she grew up with a deep sense of competitiveness with her siblings and a stubborn drive to discover her own identity. 

She states her superpower as 'never giving up' and talks to Vicki about the mental strategies she has used in her career, the perspective she has gained and how these have helped her achieve phenomenal success outside of work too, in running, boxing, weight training and Muay Thai.

Vicki and Lou trade stories about their time in SASWDW, battling altitude, near-death experiences in cold water and of course, Ant Middleton's shoes...

Find out more about Louise here
Follow her on instagram @lmccullough230
And discover her incredible talent for art, which she sells to raise charitable funds here

Don't forget to share, rate/review, download and subscribe to the Podcast, this helps us to continue growing the audience and continue to secure incredible guests to inspire you to be a little more...intrepid.

Thanks for listening!
Vicki 

Over the last 15 years David Silver has conducted over 20 thousand private physiotherapy and wellness consultations becoming one of the most sought after clinicians in london and the south east. 

I first met David through a shared passion for movement, namely rehab in barre fitness. The programme we developed together focused on our mentality to pain and how we can overcome barriers to movement with a better understanding of how our brains process discomfort and alert us to danger.

This knowledge, and working with David also served me extremely well during the various testing endeavours I have take on, especially 'SAS: Who Dares Wins'.

Alongside his work within sports and musculoskeletal medicine, David also presents to a variety of businesses on the corporate circuit about research on pain & neuroscience.

If you're curious about pain, our perceptions of pain and how they are linked to our performance and potential, listen in. Amongst a variety of fascinating anecdotes and stories, David tells me about his sketchiest moment, a time he truly went to the edge - and proof that your mental capacity can far outperform your physical ability, sometimes with life-threatening results!

Follow David @davidsilverphysio

Don't forget to share, rate/review, download and subscribe to the Podcast, this helps us to continue growing the audience and continue to secure incredible guests to inspire you to be a little more...intrepid.

Thanks for listening!
Vicki 

Victoria Rush is an Activist/Campaigner, a Film director, and former rugby player. 
But more than that, she is a game-changer.

 Victoria shot to fame  through her #iamenough campaign in response to the unfair representation of women in the infamous Canterbury Ireland rugby kit ad campaign.  Where the female players had model's heads super-imposed onto their bodies. 

Her outrage and quick-witted response went viral, globally, over night. Canterbury retracted the advertising and lessons were learned but acutely aware of the vast amount of injustices facing women in sport, Victoria Rush's work was not yet done. 

During lock down in 2020, Victoria dreamed up the idea to create a documentary that could have a much further reaching effect and not just in the echo chamber of women's rugby. 'No Woman No Try' was born and snapped up by Amazon Prime. It brilliantly showcases the realities of being a women’s rugby player, from top tier to grassroots, an honest confronting look at the barriers facing women in the game. Featuring high profile players such as Shaunagh Brown, Stef Evans, and commentary from Ugo Monye and Sue Anstiss.

Victoria's mantra is 'If you can't see it, you can't be it'
Showing us a different side to 'being INTREPID,' Vic's dedication to breaking down barriers in sport, destroying systematic bias, promoting diversity and inclusion is incredible.
Not only has she shown fearlessness in pursuing a dream, with no prior experience of directing films, but she reminds us that equality isn’t about one side attacking another, but by all sides coming together.

That sense of community and solidarity is what We Are Intrepid is all about.

Watch 'No Woman No Try'
Follow Victoria @victoriahrush (Linked In, Instagram)

#breakingdownbarriers #inclusion #celebratingdifferences #dream #dare #do #ifyoucantseeityoucantbeit #leadbyexample #community #believeinyourpower #rugby #nowomannotry

Don't forget to share, rate/review, download and subscribe to the Podcast, this helps us to continue growing the audience and continue to secure incredible guests to inspire you to be a little more...intrepid.

Thanks for listening!
Vicki 

Ben Fennell is an advertising and branding legend who spent over a decade running advertising agency BBH London as CEO, helping some of the world's biggest businesses and brands to grow.
He has more recently set up 'The Growth House', an innovative consultancy that helps high performance team go faster and further together. Vicki is one of Ben's rostered key note speakers on some of The Growth House's Teamship, Leadership and Wellbeing programmes.
Ben is also co-author (with Will Greenwood) of 'World Class: How to Lead, Learn and Grown like a Champion'.  A best-seller packed with insights about what gives the World's best leaders (in and outside of sport) the edge.
Ben has also become an (almost) world-class indoor rowing champion in the 2km Men's 50 race and has trained over the years with Mel to be able to undertake multiple 24-hour rows for charity. 

We're not sure 'Intrepid' actually covers it on this occasion! 

Ben, thank you for joining us and we hope you enjoy the chat. 

What Ben doesn't know about hard graft, taking risks and mental strength isn't worth knowing. 

Listen up!

Don't forget to share, rate/review, download and subscribe to the Podcast, this helps us to continue growing the audience and continue to secure incredible guests to inspire you to be a little more...intrepid.

Thanks for listening!
Vicki