Podcasts about Polar Medal

  • 34PODCASTS
  • 48EPISODES
  • 39mAVG DURATION
  • ?INFREQUENT EPISODES
  • Jan 15, 2025LATEST
Polar Medal

POPULARITY

20172018201920202021202220232024


Best podcasts about Polar Medal

Latest podcast episodes about Polar Medal

Women Emerging- The Expedition
148. Jill Heinreth Navigates Hostile Environments in Deep Sea Caves

Women Emerging- The Expedition

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2025 33:02


In the third episode, Julia is joined by Jill Heinerth, a cave diver, underwater explorer, and filmmaker. Jill dives into her unique experiences navigating literal and metaphorical hostile environments beneath the Earth's surface. She shares how she confronts fear, the strategies she uses to remain calm under pressure, and the critical role of teamwork in life-threatening situations. "Fear is not the enemy; it's my friend. It sharpens my focus and reminds me of the respect I must have for the risks I take," said Jill. Jill emphasises the importance of empowering team members by creating a "charter of communication" and ensuring all voices are heard. She also reframes failure as “discovery learning,” highlighting its essential role in driving progress and innovation. Listen to this episode to find some powerful insights on leading; whether you're leading a team, facing challenges, or diving into the unknown, Jill's experiences will inspire and empower you to reframe success and failure. About the Guest: Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran with over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, a recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.

Don't Stop Us Now! Podcast
Pursuing the Unknown - Jill Heinerth

Don't Stop Us Now! Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2024 44:10


Our guest this week is the most pioneering woman we've ever had on the show. Canadian Jill Heinerth is arguably the world's greatest cave diver and underwater explorer. She's also a writer, photographer and filmmaker. Jill literally goes places no human has ever gone before. She's swum past the graves of more than 100 of her friends, as well as having some pretty close calls herself. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, she's also a recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal, and a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. To put it simply, Jill's life story is extraordinary. In this episode you'll hear: Why Jill chooses to chase fear not run from itHow Jill has learnt to develop and combine different skills in order to make her cave diving and exploring career sustainable What happened after she dived in the crevices of an iceberg in AntarcticaHow Jill thinks about putting a team for a new expedition together, andHow she feels being the star of a new, award-winning documentary about her career, called Diving Into The Darkness.*Jill Heinerth is an amazing storyteller so enjoy this fascinating conversation with the intrepid and eloquent Jill Heinerth.* P.S. If you're in Sydney don't miss the chance to see screenings of the documentary during the first week of October with Jill attending in person along with Director Nays Baghai.Useful LinksJill's website - https://www.intotheplanet.com/The Documentary - Diving into the DarknessOfficial Website: https://divingintothedarkness.com/Australian Screening Dates with Jill Heinerth & Director Nays Baghai: https://divingintothedarkness.com/ditd-week/Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/divingintothedarkness/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/divingintothedarkness/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@divingintothedarknessYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@DivingIntoTheDarknessWatch the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIjdVAdpTnQ&t=139s Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spectator Radio
Table Talk: Sir David Hempleman-Adams

Spectator Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2024 26:06


Where to begin with Sir David! An English industrialist and explorer, he was the first person to complete the ‘Explorer's Grand Slam'. This means he has completed both North and South Poles as well as traversing the seven highest peaks across the seven continents. He has received the Polar Medal twice, from Queen Elizabeth II and now King Charles, the first person to do so under two monarchs. This June, David is attempting to cross the Atlantic by hydrogen balloon and break several more records in the meantime.  On the podcast he takes Lara and Liv through what he packs for an expedition, discusses the art of hydrogen ballooning, and explains why the best meal he has ever experienced is simple egg and chips. 

Table Talk
With Sir David Hempleman-Adams

Table Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2024 26:06


Where to begin with Sir David! An English industrialist and explorer, he was the first person to complete the ‘Explorer's Grand Slam'. This means he has completed both North and South Poles as well as traversing the seven highest peaks across the seven continents. He has received the Polar Medal twice, from Queen Elizabeth II and now King Charles, the first person to do so under two monarchs. This summer, he is attempting to cross the Atlantic by hydrogen balloon and break several more records in the meantime.  On the podcast he takes Lara and Liv through what he packs for an expedition, discusses the art of hydrogen ballooning, and explains why the best meal he has ever experienced is simple egg and chips. 

Let's Take This Outside
Jill Heinerth - Cave Diver and Underwater Explorer

Let's Take This Outside

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2024 28:50


Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club. Watch the trailer for Jill's new film: www.DivingIntoTheDarkness.com  The world premiere is at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 10! Jill's Website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Terra Incognita: The Adventure Podcast
Explore 006: Camp Life, Polar

Terra Incognita: The Adventure Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2024 46:37


The sixth episode of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, continues our Camp Life mini series, where we speak to a single individual about a specific type of expedition terrain. In this Polar episode, our guest is Felicity Aston. You may recognise her from our Five P's episode. In this episode, Matt talks to Felicity about polar accessibility, navigation, managing water, avoiding injuries, and her tips and tricks for dealing with extreme temperatures. Felicity is a British polar explorer, author, speaker and student research scientist. In 2012 she became the first woman to ski alone across Antarctica. Starting out as a Meteorologist with the British Antarctic Survey, her expeditions have included the first British Women's crossing of Greenland, a 6000km drive to the South Pole, a 36,000km drive to the Pole of Cold, and leading international teams of women on ski expeditions to both the North and South Poles. In 2015 she was awarded The Queen's Polar Medal and was appointed an MBE for services to polar exploration.You can find out more about the Royal Geographical Society and access advice and support for field research and scientific expeditions by visiting www.rgs.org/in-the-field or follow them on @rgs_ibg.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gringo Gone Wild
Canadian cave diver and underwater explorer Jill Heinerth

Gringo Gone Wild

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2023 42:37 Transcription Available


JILL HEINERTH is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, a recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal, and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club. Show Sponsor:  www.LaShamanaFaby.com

Heroes, Action, Adventure, Extreme Sports - Profiles in Courage - The Creative Process
Highlights - JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Heroes, Action, Adventure, Extreme Sports - Profiles in Courage - The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2023 12:11


“If I die, it will be in the most glorious place that nobody has ever seen. I can no longer feel the fingers in my left hand. The glacial Antarctic water to see through a tiny puncture in my formerly waterproof glove. If this water were one-tenth of a degree colder, the ocean will become solid. Finding the knife-edged freeze is depleting my strength, my blood vessels throbbing in a futile attempt to deliver warmth to my extremities. The archway of ice above our heads is furrowed like the surface of a golf ball, carved by the hand of the sea. Iridescent blue, Wedgewood, azure, cerulean, cobalt, and pastel robin's egg meld with chalk and silvery alabaster. The ice is vibrant, right, and at the same time ghostly. The beauty contradicts the danger. We are the first people to cave dive inside an iceberg. And we may not live to tell the story.”Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Heroes, Action, Adventure, Extreme Sports - Profiles in Courage - The Creative Process
JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Heroes, Action, Adventure, Extreme Sports - Profiles in Courage - The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2023 53:05


Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.“If I die, it will be in the most glorious place that nobody has ever seen. I can no longer feel the fingers in my left hand. The glacial Antarctic water to see through a tiny puncture in my formerly waterproof glove. If this water were one-tenth of a degree colder, the ocean will become solid. Finding the knife-edged freeze is depleting my strength, my blood vessels throbbing in a futile attempt to deliver warmth to my extremities. The archway of ice above our heads is furrowed like the surface of a golf ball, carved by the hand of the sea. Iridescent blue, Wedgewood, azure, cerulean, cobalt, and pastel robin's egg meld with chalk and silvery alabaster. The ice is vibrant, right, and at the same time ghostly. The beauty contradicts the danger. We are the first people to cave dive inside an iceberg. And we may not live to tell the story.”www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Film & TV · The Creative Process
JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Film & TV · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2023 53:05


Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.“So if I'm managing a complicated life support device while I'm shooting stills or video underwater, there's a dual thing going on. The creative side of my brain loses all track of time, just as anyone that would ever sit down to paint or draw or even play on the computer. Time is just gone. But that left side of the brain has to keep track of time and constantly be monitoring my life support status. So there's a very present sense of time and forcing my brain back into keeping track of that, but these places that I swim through are timeless in the sense that many caves that I'm swimming through are like museums of natural history that inform us about things that happened in very ancient times on planet earth. So I'm swimming through this temporal portal to have a peek at ancient history.It's such a privilege swimming through these places. And I almost feel like I'm getting a secret peak into the body of the planet and that's a very precious and almost a sacred kind of collaboration where I get to experience this, I get to see this, but if I'm going to take these insanely challenging risks I need to make it worthwhile and share what I've seen so that other people have the benefit of understanding, a better conception of our connected planet. Both in the short term and in the long term scale as well. The sense of time can be warped by what's going on in my brain, so I do have this dance between left brain and right brain. Left brain pragmatic, right brain creative.”www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Film & TV · The Creative Process
Highlights - JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Film & TV · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2023 12:11


“So if I'm managing a complicated life support device while I'm shooting stills or video underwater, there's a dual thing going on. The creative side of my brain loses all track of time, just as anyone that would ever sit down to paint or draw or even play on the computer. Time is just gone. But that left side of the brain has to keep track of time and constantly be monitoring my life support status. So there's a very present sense of time and forcing my brain back into keeping track of that, but these places that I swim through are timeless in the sense that many caves that I'm swimming through are like museums of natural history that inform us about things that happened in very ancient times on planet earth. So I'm swimming through this temporal portal to have a peek at ancient history.It's such a privilege swimming through these places. And I almost feel like I'm getting a secret peak into the body of the planet and that's a very precious and almost a sacred kind of collaboration where I get to experience this, I get to see this, but if I'm going to take these insanely challenging risks I need to make it worthwhile and share what I've seen so that other people have the benefit of understanding, a better conception of our connected planet. Both in the short term and in the long term scale as well. The sense of time can be warped by what's going on in my brain, so I do have this dance between left brain and right brain. Left brain pragmatic, right brain creative.”Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Spirituality & Mindfulness · The Creative Process
Highlights - JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Spirituality & Mindfulness · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2023 12:11


“I wrote a book called The Aquanaut for kids. I realized that our best hope for humanity is to ignite the imagination of kids. There were lots of things I was afraid of when I was a little kid. I was afraid of the dark. I was afraid to go down the basement stairs, and yet now I live most of my entire career in the dark, in places that would make people feel terrified and claustrophobic. So a lot of those young life experiences that I had I actually turned into my superpowers. And I want to encourage children to know that anything they dream of that they can make it come true with hard work and dedication. I talk all the time to groups, big and small, and I still get asked by people, 'Do you believe in climate change?' And I'm like, it's not a question of belief. It's science. It's happening. And although I might feel frustrated, I try to never communicate that frustration. I recognize that for whatever reason, someone just doesn't have the knowledge. So maybe it hasn't been taught at school. Maybe they've become subjected to the very strong voices of a political entity that has steered them away from believing in climate change. And so I try to take people at wherever they are and try to just very carefully and without judgment share what I've seen and my experiences and try to gently guide them towards better information sources because we can't just be polarized. We can't just call each other names when we don't understand. We have to help people to understand, put out a hand, and, hopefully, bring them onto our side, onto a better understanding of the science of what's occurring.”Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Spirituality & Mindfulness · The Creative Process
JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Spirituality & Mindfulness · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2023 53:05


Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.“I wrote a book called The Aquanaut for kids. I realized that our best hope for humanity is to ignite the imagination of kids. There were lots of things I was afraid of when I was a little kid. I was afraid of the dark. I was afraid to go down the basement stairs, and yet now I live most of my entire career in the dark, in places that would make people feel terrified and claustrophobic. So a lot of those young life experiences that I had I actually turned into my superpowers. And I want to encourage children to know that anything they dream of that they can make it come true with hard work and dedication. I talk all the time to groups, big and small, and I still get asked by people, 'Do you believe in climate change?' And I'm like, it's not a question of belief. It's science. It's happening. And although I might feel frustrated, I try to never communicate that frustration. I recognize that for whatever reason, someone just doesn't have the knowledge. So maybe it hasn't been taught at school. Maybe they've become subjected to the very strong voices of a political entity that has steered them away from believing in climate change. And so I try to take people at wherever they are and try to just very carefully and without judgment share what I've seen and my experiences and try to gently guide them towards better information sources because we can't just be polarized. We can't just call each other names when we don't understand. We have to help people to understand, put out a hand, and, hopefully, bring them onto our side, onto a better understanding of the science of what's occurring.”www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Art · The Creative Process
JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Art · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2023 53:05


Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.“It's interesting because I'm an artist, a citizen scientist. I think of myself primarily as an artist, where many scientists that I work with are very pure applied scientists. And so when you are working for an academic institution, there's a very strict sort of chain of events, and protocols for observation, research, and writing for a peer review publication takes a long time. And at each step of the way that peer applied scientist needs to be quite specific and careful with their language. So they're not saying anything that can't be immediately and fully defended otherwise they might harm their reputation. Where an artist is really encouraged to sort of paint and imagine and just throw crazy ideas out there and brainstorm. So we might say things that are like, ‘Oh my gosh, did you see that skull? It's got silver teeth on it. Gee, I wonder if they were hiding their valuables inside this skull? Or whether that was a decorative application or whatever?' So we could throw out these crazy ideas, and the scientist is constantly going, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's wait. We need to get evidence, research... And so we kind of temper each other in that yin-yang sort of way. But I would propose the planet doesn't have time for some of that traditional science anymore, and we need to put a little bit more effort into involving artists and citizen scientists in contributing to that data stream and the idea stream that can be synthesized into solving some of the planet's greatest issues right now, like water issues and climate change.”www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Art · The Creative Process
Highlights - JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Art · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2023 12:11


“It's interesting because I'm an artist, a citizen scientist. I think of myself primarily as an artist, where many scientists that I work with are very pure applied scientists. And so when you are working for an academic institution, there's a very strict sort of chain of events, and protocols for observation, research, and writing for a peer review publication takes a long time. And at each step of the way that peer applied scientist needs to be quite specific and careful with their language. So they're not saying anything that can't be immediately and fully defended otherwise they might harm their reputation. Where an artist is really encouraged to sort of paint and imagine and just throw crazy ideas out there and brainstorm. So we might say things that are like, ‘Oh my gosh, did you see that skull? It's got silver teeth on it. Gee, I wonder if they were hiding their valuables inside this skull? Or whether that was a decorative application or whatever?' So we could throw out these crazy ideas, and the scientist is constantly going, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's wait. We need to get evidence, research... And so we kind of temper each other in that yin-yang sort of way. But I would propose the planet doesn't have time for some of that traditional science anymore, and we need to put a little bit more effort into involving artists and citizen scientists in contributing to that data stream and the idea stream that can be synthesized into solving some of the planet's greatest issues right now, like water issues and climate change.”Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Feminism · Women’s Stories · The Creative Process
JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Feminism · Women’s Stories · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2023 53:05


Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.“It's such a privilege swimming through these places. And I almost feel like I'm getting a secret peak into the body of the planet and that's a very precious and almost a sacred kind of collaboration where I get to experience this, I get to see this, but if I'm going to take these insanely challenging risks I need to make it worthwhile and share what I've seen so that other people have the benefit of understanding, a better conception of our connected planet. Both in the short term and in the long term scale as well. The sense of time can be warped by what's going on in my brain, so I do have this dance between left brain and right brain. Left brain pragmatic, right brain creative.So if I'm managing a complicated life support device while I'm shooting stills or video underwater, there's a dual thing going on. The creative side of my brain loses all track of time, just as anyone that would ever sit down to paint or draw or even play on the computer. Time is just gone. But that left side of the brain has to keep track of time and constantly be monitoring my life support status. So there's a very present sense of time and forcing my brain back into keeping track of that, but these places that I swim through are timeless in the sense that many caves that I'm swimming through are like museums of natural history that inform us about things that happened in very ancient times on planet earth. So I'm swimming through this temporal portal to have a peek at ancient history.”www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Feminism · Women’s Stories · The Creative Process
Highlights - JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Feminism · Women’s Stories · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2023 12:11


“It's such a privilege swimming through these places. And I almost feel like I'm getting a secret peak into the body of the planet and that's a very precious and almost a sacred kind of collaboration where I get to experience this, I get to see this, but if I'm going to take these insanely challenging risks I need to make it worthwhile and share what I've seen so that other people have the benefit of understanding, a better conception of our connected planet. Both in the short term and in the long term scale as well. The sense of time can be warped by what's going on in my brain, so I do have this dance between left brain and right brain. Left brain pragmatic, right brain creative.So if I'm managing a complicated life support device while I'm shooting stills or video underwater, there's a dual thing going on. The creative side of my brain loses all track of time, just as anyone that would ever sit down to paint or draw or even play on the computer. Time is just gone. But that left side of the brain has to keep track of time and constantly be monitoring my life support status. So there's a very present sense of time and forcing my brain back into keeping track of that, but these places that I swim through are timeless in the sense that many caves that I'm swimming through are like museums of natural history that inform us about things that happened in very ancient times on planet earth. So I'm swimming through this temporal portal to have a peek at ancient history.”Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Education · The Creative Process
Highlights - JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Education · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2023 12:11


“I wrote a book called The Aquanaut for kids. I realized that our best hope for humanity is to ignite the imagination of kids. There were lots of things I was afraid of when I was a little kid. I was afraid of the dark. I was afraid to go down the basement stairs, and yet now I live most of my entire career in the dark, in places that would make people feel terrified and claustrophobic. So a lot of those young life experiences that I had I actually turned into my superpowers. And I want to encourage children to know that anything they dream of that they can make it come true with hard work and dedication. I talk all the time to groups, big and small, and I still get asked by people, 'Do you believe in climate change?' And I'm like, it's not a question of belief. It's science. It's happening. And although I might feel frustrated, I try to never communicate that frustration. I recognize that for whatever reason, someone just doesn't have the knowledge. So maybe it hasn't been taught at school. Maybe they've become subjected to the very strong voices of a political entity that has steered them away from believing in climate change. And so I try to take people at wherever they are and try to just very carefully and without judgment share what I've seen and my experiences and try to gently guide them towards better information sources because we can't just be polarized. We can't just call each other names when we don't understand. We have to help people to understand, put out a hand, and, hopefully, bring them onto our side, onto a better understanding of the science of what's occurring.”Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Education · The Creative Process
JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Education · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2023 53:05


Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.“I wrote a book called The Aquanaut for kids. I realized that our best hope for humanity is to ignite the imagination of kids. There were lots of things I was afraid of when I was a little kid. I was afraid of the dark. I was afraid to go down the basement stairs, and yet now I live most of my entire career in the dark, in places that would make people feel terrified and claustrophobic. So a lot of those young life experiences that I had I actually turned into my superpowers. And I want to encourage children to know that anything they dream of that they can make it come true with hard work and dedication. I talk all the time to groups, big and small, and I still get asked by people, 'Do you believe in climate change?' And I'm like, it's not a question of belief. It's science. It's happening. And although I might feel frustrated, I try to never communicate that frustration. I recognize that for whatever reason, someone just doesn't have the knowledge. So maybe it hasn't been taught at school. Maybe they've become subjected to the very strong voices of a political entity that has steered them away from believing in climate change. And so I try to take people at wherever they are and try to just very carefully and without judgment share what I've seen and my experiences and try to gently guide them towards better information sources because we can't just be polarized. We can't just call each other names when we don't understand. We have to help people to understand, put out a hand, and, hopefully, bring them onto our side, onto a better understanding of the science of what's occurring.”www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

The Creative Process Podcast
Highlights - JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

The Creative Process Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2023 12:11


“If I die, it will be in the most glorious place that nobody has ever seen. I can no longer feel the fingers in my left hand. The glacial Antarctic water to see through a tiny puncture in my formerly waterproof glove. If this water were one-tenth of a degree colder, the ocean will become solid. Finding the knife-edged freeze is depleting my strength, my blood vessels throbbing in a futile attempt to deliver warmth to my extremities. The archway of ice above our heads is furrowed like the surface of a golf ball, carved by the hand of the sea. Iridescent blue, Wedgewood, azure, cerulean, cobalt, and pastel robin's egg meld with chalk and silvery alabaster. The ice is vibrant, right, and at the same time ghostly. The beauty contradicts the danger. We are the first people to cave dive inside an iceberg. And we may not live to tell the story.”Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

The Creative Process Podcast
JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

The Creative Process Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2023 53:05


Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.“If I die, it will be in the most glorious place that nobody has ever seen. I can no longer feel the fingers in my left hand. The glacial Antarctic water to see through a tiny puncture in my formerly waterproof glove. If this water were one-tenth of a degree colder, the ocean will become solid. Finding the knife-edged freeze is depleting my strength, my blood vessels throbbing in a futile attempt to deliver warmth to my extremities. The archway of ice above our heads is furrowed like the surface of a golf ball, carved by the hand of the sea. Iridescent blue, Wedgewood, azure, cerulean, cobalt, and pastel robin's egg meld with chalk and silvery alabaster. The ice is vibrant, right, and at the same time ghostly. The beauty contradicts the danger. We are the first people to cave dive inside an iceberg. And we may not live to tell the story.”www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

One Planet Podcast
Highlights - JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

One Planet Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2023 12:11


“If I die, it will be in the most glorious place that nobody has ever seen. I can no longer feel the fingers in my left hand. The glacial Antarctic water to see through a tiny puncture in my formerly waterproof glove. If this water were one-tenth of a degree colder, the ocean will become solid. Finding the knife-edged freeze is depleting my strength, my blood vessels throbbing in a futile attempt to deliver warmth to my extremities. The archway of ice above our heads is furrowed like the surface of a golf ball, carved by the hand of the sea. Iridescent blue, Wedgewood, azure, cerulean, cobalt, and pastel robin's egg meld with chalk and silvery alabaster. The ice is vibrant, right, and at the same time ghostly. The beauty contradicts the danger. We are the first people to cave dive inside an iceberg. And we may not live to tell the story.”Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

One Planet Podcast
JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

One Planet Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2023 53:05


Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.“If I die, it will be in the most glorious place that nobody has ever seen. I can no longer feel the fingers in my left hand. The glacial Antarctic water to see through a tiny puncture in my formerly waterproof glove. If this water were one-tenth of a degree colder, the ocean will become solid. Finding the knife-edged freeze is depleting my strength, my blood vessels throbbing in a futile attempt to deliver warmth to my extremities. The archway of ice above our heads is furrowed like the surface of a golf ball, carved by the hand of the sea. Iridescent blue, Wedgewood, azure, cerulean, cobalt, and pastel robin's egg meld with chalk and silvery alabaster. The ice is vibrant, right, and at the same time ghostly. The beauty contradicts the danger. We are the first people to cave dive inside an iceberg. And we may not live to tell the story.”www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Books & Writers · The Creative Process
JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Books & Writers · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2023 53:05


Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.“If I die, it will be in the most glorious place that nobody has ever seen. I can no longer feel the fingers in my left hand. The glacial Antarctic water to see through a tiny puncture in my formerly waterproof glove. If this water were one-tenth of a degree colder, the ocean will become solid. Finding the knife-edged freeze is depleting my strength, my blood vessels throbbing in a futile attempt to deliver warmth to my extremities. The archway of ice above our heads is furrowed like the surface of a golf ball, carved by the hand of the sea. Iridescent blue, Wedgewood, azure, cerulean, cobalt, and pastel robin's egg meld with chalk and silvery alabaster. The ice is vibrant, right, and at the same time ghostly. The beauty contradicts the danger. We are the first people to cave dive inside an iceberg. And we may not live to tell the story.”www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Books & Writers · The Creative Process
Highlights - JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Books & Writers · The Creative Process

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2023 12:11


“If I die, it will be in the most glorious place that nobody has ever seen. I can no longer feel the fingers in my left hand. The glacial Antarctic water to see through a tiny puncture in my formerly waterproof glove. If this water were one-tenth of a degree colder, the ocean will become solid. Finding the knife-edged freeze is depleting my strength, my blood vessels throbbing in a futile attempt to deliver warmth to my extremities. The archway of ice above our heads is furrowed like the surface of a golf ball, carved by the hand of the sea. Iridescent blue, Wedgewood, azure, cerulean, cobalt, and pastel robin's egg meld with chalk and silvery alabaster. The ice is vibrant, right, and at the same time ghostly. The beauty contradicts the danger. We are the first people to cave dive inside an iceberg. And we may not live to tell the story.”Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Sustainability, Climate Change, Politics, Circular Economy & Environmental Solutions · One Planet Podcast
JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Sustainability, Climate Change, Politics, Circular Economy & Environmental Solutions · One Planet Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2023 53:05


Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.“If I die, it will be in the most glorious place that nobody has ever seen. I can no longer feel the fingers in my left hand. The glacial Antarctic water to see through a tiny puncture in my formerly waterproof glove. If this water were one-tenth of a degree colder, the ocean will become solid. Finding the knife-edged freeze is depleting my strength, my blood vessels throbbing in a futile attempt to deliver warmth to my extremities. The archway of ice above our heads is furrowed like the surface of a golf ball, carved by the hand of the sea. Iridescent blue, Wedgewood, azure, cerulean, cobalt, and pastel robin's egg meld with chalk and silvery alabaster. The ice is vibrant, right, and at the same time ghostly. The beauty contradicts the danger. We are the first people to cave dive inside an iceberg. And we may not live to tell the story.”www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Sustainability, Climate Change, Politics, Circular Economy & Environmental Solutions · One Planet Podcast
Highlights - JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

Sustainability, Climate Change, Politics, Circular Economy & Environmental Solutions · One Planet Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2023 12:11


“If I die, it will be in the most glorious place that nobody has ever seen. I can no longer feel the fingers in my left hand. The glacial Antarctic water to see through a tiny puncture in my formerly waterproof glove. If this water were one-tenth of a degree colder, the ocean will become solid. Finding the knife-edged freeze is depleting my strength, my blood vessels throbbing in a futile attempt to deliver warmth to my extremities. The archway of ice above our heads is furrowed like the surface of a golf ball, carved by the hand of the sea. Iridescent blue, Wedgewood, azure, cerulean, cobalt, and pastel robin's egg meld with chalk and silvery alabaster. The ice is vibrant, right, and at the same time ghostly. The beauty contradicts the danger. We are the first people to cave dive inside an iceberg. And we may not live to tell the story.”Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

The Creative Process in 10 minutes or less · Arts, Culture & Society
JILL HEINERTH - Explorer, Presenter, Author of “Into The Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver”

The Creative Process in 10 minutes or less · Arts, Culture & Society

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2023 12:11


“If I die, it will be in the most glorious place that nobody has ever seen. I can no longer feel the fingers in my left hand. The glacial Antarctic water to see through a tiny puncture in my formerly waterproof glove. If this water were one-tenth of a degree colder, the ocean will become solid. Finding the knife-edged freeze is depleting my strength, my blood vessels throbbing in a futile attempt to deliver warmth to my extremities. The archway of ice above our heads is furrowed like the surface of a golf ball, carved by the hand of the sea. Iridescent blue, Wedgewood, azure, cerulean, cobalt, and pastel robin's egg meld with chalk and silvery alabaster. The ice is vibrant, right, and at the same time ghostly. The beauty contradicts the danger. We are the first people to cave dive inside an iceberg. And we may not live to tell the story.”Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography, and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, written several books and is a frequent corporate keynote speaker. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada's prestigious Polar Medal and is a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. In recognition of her lifetime achievement, Jill was awarded the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration from the RCGS and the William Beebe Award from the Explorers Club.www.intotheplanet.comwww.creativeprocess.info www.oneplanetpodcast.org IG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Access to Inspiration
85. Myrtle Simpson: An adventurous life Part 2 - Rainforests

Access to Inspiration

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2022 19:53


Legendary adventurer Myrtle Simpson talks to Sue Stockdale about her life in the second part of this interview (episode 84 featured her adventures on Ice and  Mountains). Myrtle shares her recollections of how she lived for three months with a tribe in the rainforest in Surinam and more recently attended the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.Simpson was awarded the Polar Medal in recognition of her arctic achievements, and National Geographic named Myrtle as one of four women 'who defied expectations and explored the world'. In 1965 Myrtle crossed the Greenland ice cap on skis and four years later attempted to reach the North Pole, setting the record for the farthest North reached by any unsupported expedition at the time. Her adventures have been immortalised in an award-winning documentary "A Life on Ice" that premiered in 2019, winning several awards for 'Best Exploration and Adventure film' at film festivals around the world.Read the transcription for this episode on www.accesstoinspiration.org and connect with us:Twitter www.twitter.com/accessinspirat1 Facebook www.facebook.com/accesstoinspiration Instagram www.instagram.com/accesstoinspiration LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/access-to-inspiration/Sign up for our newsletter http://eepurl.com/hguX2b Read our Impact Report https://bit.ly/3hElalv Sound Editor: Matias de Ezcurra (he/him)Producer: Sue Stockdale (she/her)

Access to Inspiration
84. Myrtle Simpson: An adventurous life Part 1 - Ice and Mountains

Access to Inspiration

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 32:53


Legendary adventurer Myrtle Simpson talks to Sue Stockdale about her life.  In part 1 of a two-part interview, Myrtle recalls her North Pole expedition attempt in 1969, and some of the adventures that she has undertaken with her husband and children. In January 2017 Myrtle was awarded the Polar Medal in recognition of her arctic achievements, and National Geographic named Myrtle as one of four women 'who defied expectations and explored the world'. Born in 1930, Myrtle Simpson began her early life in India, and then returned to Scotland after the war where she developed a love of climbing.  Myrtle travelled to New Zealand and began working as a radiographer, spending weekends learning about climbing high peaks. After Mount Everest had been conquered in 1953 and the Himalayas became more popular and expensive for climbing expeditions, Myrtle and two friends decided to travel to Peru where they climbed numerous virgin peaks including a new route on Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru at 6768m.After getting married and having children, Myrtle continued to travel along with her husband, Professor Hugh Simpson, a scientist and pioneer of breast cancer research, whose research took him to many remote places.  Hugh and Myrtle crossed the Greenland ice cap on skis in 1965, and four years later attempted to reach the North Pole, setting the record for the farthest North reached by any unsupported expedition at the time.Myrtle's adventures have been immortalised in an award-winning documentary "A Life on Ice" that premiered in 2019, winning several awards for 'Best Exploration and Adventure film' at film festivals around the world. She has also written several books including Due North, White Horizons and Home is a Tent.Key Quotes'We put the very last of our fuel into our Primus and realised that if the sea didn't freeze that night, we'd had it'.'My very first memory was sitting on a mule in a basket'.'In those days, you could find unclaimed peaks and it was just absolutely magic to be a climber at the time'.'We had just a magic trip to Peru and climbed numerous virgin peaks, including a new route on the highest mountain in Peru'.'My daughter Rona was three and there was another local girl of three. And the two girls didn't have a word of each other's language but they never stopped talking to each other for three months'. 'Early women explorers were nearly all botanists because that was something women were allowed to be, back into early Victorian times'.'I would find ordinary suburban life excruciatingly boring, but you don't have to walk far into nature to really suddenly you feel yourself becoming alive'.This series is kindly supported by Squadcast –the remote recording platform which empowers podcasters by capturing high-quality audio and video conversations. https://squadcast.fmRead the transcription for this episode on www.accesstoinspiration.org and connect with us:Twitter www.twitter.com/accessinspirat1 Facebook www.facebook.com/accesstoinspiration Instagram www.instagram.com/accesstoinspiration LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/access-to-inspiration/Sign up for our newsletter http://eepurl.com/hguX2b Read our Impact Report https://bit.ly/3hElalv Sound Editor: Matias de Ezcurra (he/him)Producer: Sue Stockdale (she/her)

Outdoor Gear Chat
Episode 24: Kit Lists - Polar Travel

Outdoor Gear Chat

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2022 38:33


Cathy and Wayne are joined by British Antarctic Field Operative Catrin Thomas who gives a fascinating insight into managing clothing systems in the harsh polar environment.Catrin was awarded the UK Polar Medal in 2019 and describes her wealth of experience in keeping warm and dry among the many climates of the Antarctic continent - a lot of which is surprisingly similar to Scottish winter!Learn how a mix of synthetic and natural fibres works best, why you can never have too many socks, how to keep your gloves warm when they're not on your hands, why glasses are good when you're working with Penguins, why goggles are better when you're working with Gannets and.............how to go to the loo when you're effectively living in a freezer.Listen ,learn, laugh and if you are able, please consider donating to our chosen charity: Community Action NepalTo learn more about our FREE Expedition Events please click here:Expedition Event - Capel Curig 29th - 30th October — The Climbers Shop / Joe Brown Blog (theclimbersshopjoebrownblog.co.uk)To learn more about this weeks topic please click below:Homepage - British Antarctic Survey (bas.ac.uk)Polar Medal winner Catrin Thomas and 17 Antarctic trips - BBC NewsJoe Browns and the Climbers ShopJoe Brown Outdoor Academy

Motivated to Lead Podcast - Mark Klingsheim
Episode 157: Leadership Lessons from the Edge, Robert Swan (Replay)

Motivated to Lead Podcast - Mark Klingsheim

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2022 44:50


This week we revisit our conversation with Robert Swan, who is the first person to have walked to both the North and South Poles. His leadership and determination made his 900-mile journey to the South Pole the longest unassisted march in history. He was awarded the Polar Medal by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and is a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Youth. Robert is a polar pioneer, a leader in energy innovation, and the founder of the 2041 Foundation. This story of unbelievable spirit will take you on a journey of inspiration, courage, and humility. Robert committed to his dream at the age of 11, achieved it with a team after 22 years, and is now, on a 50-year mission to help preserve Antarctica.

The GearJunkie Podcast
Embrace the Elements: Polar Expert Jerry Kobalenko

The GearJunkie Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2022 48:37


You might not expect a polar explorer to hold the secret to true love. But that’s because you haven’t met Jerry Kobalenko. According to Jerry Kobalenko, there are two kinds of people: “those of us who live our lives very logically and methodically, and those who are victims of our obsessions.” By his reckoning, he falls in the latter category. Recipient of Canada’s esteemed Polar Medal, Kobalenko has fallen prey to an Arctic obsession. But in tandem with his numerous multiday subzero expeditions, he has honed his skills as a raconteur and scribe. He’s worked to retrace some of the most iconic polar routes in history. Along the way, he’s stumbled onto some of the most interesting stories north of the 66th parallel (like how polar explorers helped broker a deal to get McDonald’s into Moscow). Kobalenko has also spearheaded outstanding journalism in the world of altitude mountaineering — like news of the first winter ascent of K2. His opinions on gear, travel, and adventure have been the subject of an array of books, and he now oversees GearJunkie’s sister site, Explorersweb. Oh — and his devotion to Arctic adventure may just hold the keys to finding true love.

Historaholics Podcast
Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Part III: Rescue

Historaholics Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2021 131:26


Join your host C.J. and special guest Zak as they discuss the final leg of the odyssey of the crew of the Endurance. They talk about the landing of the James Caird on South Georgia, the trek through the mountains, and the eventual rescue of the men on Elephant Island. They also discuss the Ross Sea party and the cultural context of the Transantarctic expedition, as well as finally getting to the bottom of why four of the crew were not put up for the Polar Medal.

A Voyage to Antarctica
Epic Endurance

A Voyage to Antarctica

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2021 36:15


Alok Jha talks to legendary explorer Felicity Aston about what endurance means to her. In 2012, Felicity became the first woman to ski solo across the Antarctic landmass, a journey of over 1000 miles that took her 59 days and earned her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Felicity has gone on to organise and lead numerous expeditions to remote places around the world, but particularly to the Polar Regions. Her expeditions have included the first British Women’s crossing of Greenland, a 6000km drive to the South Pole and leading international teams of women on ski expeditions to both the North and South Poles.She has been appointed MBE for services to polar exploration and awarded the Polar Medal for services to the Arctic and Antarctic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The John Harris Podcast
#7 - Myrtle Simpson: A Life On Ice

The John Harris Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2021 68:47


Myrtle Simpson is affectionately known as the Mother of Scottish Skiing, is one of 9 women to receive the Polar Medal, and was the feature of a recent film: Myrtle Simpson – A Life On Ice.

Motivated to Lead Podcast - Mark Klingsheim
Episode 92: Leadership Lessons from the Edge, Robert Swan, OBE

Motivated to Lead Podcast - Mark Klingsheim

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2021 44:44


This week we welcome Robert Swan, who is the first person to have walked to both the North and South Poles. His leadership and determination made his 900-mile journey to the South Pole the longest unassisted march in history. He was awarded the Polar Medal by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and is a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Youth. Robert is a polar pioneer, a leader in energy innovation, and the founder of the 2041 Foundation. This story of unbelievable spirit will take you on a journey of inspiration, courage, and humility. Robert committed to his dream at the age of 11, achieved it with a team after 22 years, and is now on a 50-year mission to help preserve Antarctica.

The Legendary Leaders Podcast
Paul Rose - The Value of Honesty in Leadership

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2020 46:22


  Do you have the right qualities to lead your team, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic? Did you know that you don't need a designated hierarchy to be considered a leader in a setting? Leadership requires you to demonstrate the best behaviours which include honesty and giving people room to innovate and explore.   Paul Rose is an experienced TV presenter, radio broadcaster, adventure explorer, speaker and has been working (among other places) in the Antarctic and Greenland for over 25 years. He helps scientists unlock and communicate global mysteries in the most remote and challenging regions of the planet.   Paul recognizes the importance of trusting your instincts even in the classic work environment and being a leader that allows people to explore, develop and innovate.   Listen in to learn about the things that COVID-19 has brought to light, like the importance of protecting nature and the needed changes to do so. You will also learn about the qualities of a great leader in both - a setting of broader leadership of others and in self-leadership.   Key Takeaways: The importance of honesty in leadership, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. How to be serious about protecting nature which will in turn protect people's health. Learning how to accept where you are and giving yourself to something as part of self-leadership. How not to overcomplicate things and instead help your team members to accept things as they are during hard times.     If you enjoyed this episode, check out the video show notes and SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST on Apple Podcasts.   Episode Timeline: [0:42] Intro [7:29] How Paul and Cathleen met, and the leadership inspirations he left Cathleen with as a result of this encounter. [9:06] Paul describes his childhood and early adult life where he did a lot of outdoor activities and learned many skills that still have a major impact in his life. [15:11] Why we should learn to trust our instincts in the classic work environment. [17:23] How to be a leader that gives people room to explore, develop and a chance of innovating. [18:32] The importance of displaying company and people's values. [20:57] The challenges and opportunities the pandemic has exposed that need change to make the world a better place. [24:22] Paul talks about the book that he just wrote (in 3 months!). [26:53] Learning to be honest with what you can control (and not control) as a leader. [35:12] Why you don't need to be the designated hierarchy leader to be a great leader in any setting. [37:30] Learning to allow your team members to have their emotions without you analyzing them. [39:31] Paul describes his most difficult internal journey of his life. [42:50] He explains how he pauses in life and the last time he did so.   Standout Quotes: “COVID has sharpened up my focus and I expect sharpening up the focus of most likeminded individuals and organizations.”- Paul Rose [23:31]   “You can't do much about the storm, but what you can do is control the things you can control.”-Paul Rose [27:16]   “It's just beautiful to see how many wonderful new ideas are coming out of this crisis.” Cathleen Merkel [32:14]   “Don't worry too much about hierarchy or anything like that, just show the best leadership behaviors you can and be real.”- Cathleen Merkel [37:04]   Connect: Find | Cathleen Merkel At cathleenmerkel.com On Instagram: @CathleenMerkel On Facebook: @CathleenMerkelCoaching On LinkedIn: @CathleenMerkel     Find | Paul Rose Website On Facebook On Instagram On Twitter National Geographic Pristine Seas Find Paul though Impact International     SUBSCRIBE TO THIS PODCAST On Apple Podcasts.     Do you want to learn more about how to become a Legendary Leader, then download my FREE Guide which shares 5 Proven Ways To Gain Confidence As An Inspirational Leader Without Overwhelm - Simply Click Here       About Cathleen:     As a Thought Leader in the Mindset & (Self-) Leadership space, Cathleen supports high achieving, but worn-out women create a more content & balanced life without sacrificing their hard-earned success. Following a simple 6 step framework, she helps you not only reconnect with your inner feminine side; Cathleen also supports you to rediscover your REAL YOU!    Cathleen focuses on women who lost their sense of purpose, who feel they are running in a hamster wheel, trying to please everyone but themselves. She helps you to turn your careers, your social connections and personal life around so that you will start feeling fulfilled and excited again about the days to come.      At the end of the process, Cathleen's clients will feel healthier, happier, energised and clear about their future.        With over 15 years of leadership experience in Retail, Media & Broadcasting, Engineering and Property Investment, Cathleen has not only experienced the challenges and opportunities of a female leader herself, she has also been leading and supporting various leadership development initiatives within large, complex, multinational matrix organisations.   Only by deeply experiencing her very personal life challenges – ‘hitting a wall experiences' –Cathleen was able to redefine her own purpose, deciding to bring ease and content to as many women as possible on the planet!     Tune in here:  iTunes Spotify     About Paul Rose:     A man at the front line of exploration and one of the world's most experienced science expedition leaders, Paul Rose helps scientists unlock and communicate global mysteries in the most remote and challenging regions of the planet.   Former Vice President of the Royal Geographical Society, Paul is Expedition Leader for the National Geographic Pristine Seas Expeditions.   The Royal Geographical Society has awarded Paul the Ness Award and the Founders Gold Medal.   A broadcaster, published author and journalist, Rose presents BBC television programs on current affairs, science and the environment.   He is Ambassador for the UN Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.   Paul was the Base Commander of Rothera Research Station, Antarctica, for the British Antarctic Survey for ten years and was awarded HM The Queen's Polar Medal. For his work with NASA and the Mars Lander project on Mt Erebus, Antarctica, he was awarded the US Polar Medal.    A mountain in Antarctica is named after him.   Website  

A Voyage to Antarctica
Professor Dame Jane Francis: Clues to the Climate Crisis

A Voyage to Antarctica

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2020 31:12


Antarctica is at the front line of the global climate crisis; in this episode Alok Jha talks to Professor Dame Jane Francis about the history of the continent, and the extraordinary climate research happening there.Professor Dame Jane Francis is a geologist by training, and a palaeobotanist at the British Antarctic Survey. Her research interests include ancient climates and fossil plants from the Arctic and Antarctic, which she uses to decipher ancient polar climates. She was awarded the Polar Medal for her contribution to British polar research and was appointed as Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George for services to UK polar science and diplomacy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Polar Conversations
Polar Conversations - Dr John Dudeney, Former Director British Antarctic Survey ('BAS'), Research Scientist and Polar Historian

Polar Conversations

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2020 60:46


Conversation with Dr John Dudeney. John joined the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in 1966 and worked for BAS in a variety of roles: research scientist in the field of ionosphere/magnetosphere physics, research leader, science manager, head of a science division and finally (until retirement in early 2006), as deputy director.John was awarded the Polar Medal in 1976 and clasp to the Polar Medal in 1995. In 2004 he was honoured by the award of an OBE for services to science.

Access to Inspiration
Paul Rose: at the front line of exploration and adventure

Access to Inspiration

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2020 21:57


Sue Stockdale talks to Paul Rose about his life at the front line of exploration. Having spent 10 years as Base Commander in Antarctica, Paul talks about some of the skills he has learned in extreme environments that help him navigate modern life.Paul is one of the world’s most experienced science expedition leaders. He helps scientists unlock and communicate global mysteries in the most remote and challenging regions of the planet. Former Vice President of the Royal Geographical Society, Paul is Expedition Leader for the  National Geographic Pristine Seas Expeditions.  The Royal Geographical Society has awarded Paul the Ness Award and the Founders Gold Medal. In addition, as a broadcaster, published author and journalist, Rose presents BBC television programs on current affairs, science and the environment. He is Ambassador for the UN Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.   Paul was the Base Commander of Rothera Research Station, Antarctica, for the British Antarctic Survey for ten years and was awarded  HM The Queen's Polar Medal. For his work with NASA and the Mars Lander project on Mt Erebus, Antarctica, he was awarded the  US Polar Medal.   A mountain in Antarctica is named after him.  For more info on Paul www.paulrose.orgRead a transcription of this podcast on our website www.accesstoinspiration.org Connect with us on Twitter @accessinspirat1 or Instagram @accesstoinspiration

Arctic Canada - The Culture Cure
A Delta Man - Dog Musher, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Member, Proud Indigenous Elder, Arctic Ambassador - Gerry Kisoun

Arctic Canada - The Culture Cure

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2019 73:47


Gerry Kisoun was born on the land in the Mackenzie Delta of the Northwest Territories in the Canadian Arctic, the second largest delta in North America. At a young age, his family moved from the trapline into the town of Inuvik. He grew up running dog teams and shifted between several jobs before heading to Regina, Saskatchewan and graduting from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (R.C.M.P.) Depot Division as a regular member of the force. After postings in Alberta and the Yukon, Gerry returned to the Northwest Territories, stationed in Tuktoyaktuk on the coast of the Beaufort Sea and his home town of Inuvik. After a stellar 25 year career, Gerry retired. He worked in visitor services with Parks Canada passing his knowledge and love of the Delta on to tourists and youth engaged in on the land programs. Gerry was appointed to the position of Deputy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories from 2011 through 2017, and served as interim Commissioner for a year when the position was vacant. Gerry was awarded the Polar Medal which recognized him as a respected elder who worked tirelessly at strengthening the awareness of Northern Canada and its peoples. In this highly entertaining episode we discuss Gerry's birth on the land, his unique cultural background, his experiences growing up running dogs, his career in the R.C.M.P., climate change, and his desire to keep teaching others about the Western Arctic and Beaufort Delta.

Scotland Outdoors
Myrtle Simpson

Scotland Outdoors

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2019 29:40


Mark and Helen meet Myrtle Simpson who in her 80s was awarded the Polar Medal.

simpson polar medal
Curiosityness
019 Cave Diving in Icebergs, Lava Tubes & Other Crazy Stuff, Jill Heinerth of Into The Planet

Curiosityness

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2018 66:25


Jill is freaking awesome and was so fun to talk to! She’s been cave diving in some of the most incredible places on earth.  We talk about her explorations, the future of 3D mapping and AR, finding new animals hidden in underwater caves, the dangers of cave diving, and so much more! Here’s what her about page says about Jill: "More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the places Jill Heinerth has explored right here on earth. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world with National Geographic, NOAA, various educational institutions and television networks worldwide. She is the inaugural Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada’s prestigious Polar Medal and the diving world’s highest award from the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences, the NOGI. As a motivational speaker, Jill Heinerth educates and inspires people about our fascinating underwater world. Partnering with Penguin Random House in Canada and Harper Collins in the US, Jill will soon be releasing four new major-market, non-fiction and children’s books.”   Follow Jill Heinerth at: http://www.intotheplanet.com On Instagram: @jillheinerth And on YouTube: youtube.com/jillheinerth     Connect with Curiosityness... Instagram:@curiositynesspodcast Website: curiosityness.com Facebook: @curiosityness Twitter: @curiositynesstv

Tough Girl Podcast
Dr. Ghazala Ahmad-Mear - Surgeon for the NHS, Adventurer and only woman who walked with Robert Swan on the South Pole Energy Challenge in January 2018.

Tough Girl Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2018 57:12


Ghazala, was born in 1963, in Lahore, Pakistan, when still a baby, her family moved to London and she grew up in Twickenham. She has led an active life, being involved in rock-climbing, mountaineering, running, skiing and swimming, both in the UK and abroad. She loves the outdoors and now lives in the beautiful Derbyshire Peak District. She is married to the mountaineer Roger Mear, who in 1986, with Robert Swan and Gareth Wood, made the first unsupported walk to the South Pole with the expedition ‘In the Footsteps of Scott’. For this achievement, all three members were awarded the Queen’s Polar Medal.   In 1996, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and had a year off work for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Focusing on the positive aspects and being determined to be well, both physically and emotionally, helped her through that year. Having been a keen long distance runner, and never accepting that she would be anything other than recovered after her treatment, the following year with a 30% reduction in lung function, she ran the Sheffield Marathon. The whole experience, despite the difficulties, was positive for Ghazala and it enabled her to develop resilience, determination, humility, compassion and patience. During this podcast we learn more about Ghazala, her life, the decisions she’s made to get to where she is and what she’s learned along the way. Show notes Living in the beautiful peak district and working as a surgeon in Sheffield Who is Ghazala and why she loves fitness Becoming an environmentalist Having 2 sons - 14 and 10 years old Having to adjust her life after children Loving to swim in the open air swimming pool Growing up in Twickenham with 3 brothers Joining the mountaineering club at University and getting into walking and rock climbing Meeting her husband on the summit of the Matterhorn  Being at a crossroads in her life Getting access to the mountains Taking on big wall climbing - Angels Landing Ice climbing in Scotland  Balancing life as a surgeon, with climbing and children Keeping up running after her first child Getting help with the children Being 3 stone overweight after the birth of her first child and getting back into fitness 1996 being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Learning patience and having gratitude  Going on a healing course and working through personal issues Deciding to love her tumour Setting a new challenge after chemo  Completing the Sheffield Marathon and being able to move on from the illness Building her confidence back up  A big road/climbing trip The South Pole Energy Challenge - to walk the final 60 miles (the final degree) 2041 Foundation  The significance of 2041 Step by step helping to raise awareness and raising funds for the challenge Par helium and wanting to see it Tips for fundraising and getting sponsorship Being on the ice for 2.5 weeks - getting hypothermia and how she dealt with it Taking the positives from a negative situation  Final words of advice Why music plays a big part of her life Social Media Website - www.stepbystep.scot   Twitter - @ghazala_mear    

Desert Island Discs: Desert Island Discs Archive: 2016-2018

Professor Dame Jane Francis is the Director of the British Antarctic Survey. She is no stranger to surviving in extreme conditions, because for much of her career her research has taken her to the Polar Regions. Travelling with her fossil hammer, her principal interests are in palaeoclimatology and palaeobotany. She specialises in the study of fossil plants, and how they shape our understanding of climates in the distant past, when Antarctica was much warmer. In 2002 she received the Polar Medal, for her outstanding contribution to British polar research, and in 2013 she became the first woman to head the British Antarctic Survey. Presenter: Kirsty Young Producer: Sarah Taylor.

Desert Island Discs
Professor Dame Jane Francis

Desert Island Discs

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2017 35:12


Professor Dame Jane Francis is the Director of the British Antarctic Survey. She is no stranger to surviving in extreme conditions, because for much of her career her research has taken her to the Polar Regions. Travelling with her fossil hammer, her principal interests are in palaeoclimatology and palaeobotany. She specialises in the study of fossil plants, and how they shape our understanding of climates in the distant past, when Antarctica was much warmer. In 2002 she received the Polar Medal, for her outstanding contribution to British polar research, and in 2013 she became the first woman to head the British Antarctic Survey. Presenter: Kirsty Young Producer: Sarah Taylor.

Midweek
Ava Astaire, Michael 'Mini' Cooper, Franc Roddam, Doug Allan, Ewan Clayton

Midweek

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2013 42:10


Libby Purves meets Fred Astaire's daughter, Ava; wildlife cameraman Doug Allan; writer Michael 'Mini' Cooper with filmmaker Franc Roddam and calligrapher Ewan Clayton. Doug Allan is a wildlife photographer and cameraman. Twice winner of the Polar Medal, he's worked on a range of BBC series including Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet. David Attenborough has described him as 'the toughest in the business.' Doug is touring the UK with his personal recollections of filming in some of the most inhospitable places in the world. Michael 'Mini' Cooper is the author of Mini and Me, a book about his life in care and his relationship with filmmaker Franc Roddam. Mini was a troubled child. At nine he set fire to the family home and spent 38 years in and out of jails, secure mental health units and halfway houses. In 1975 Franc directed a BBC documentary featuring 11-year-old Mini which was the start of their enduring friendship. Mini and Me is published by Ziji Publishing. Former monk Ewan Clayton is a calligrapher and professor in design at the University of Sunderland. He is also co-director of the International Research Centre for Calligraphy. His book, The Golden Thread, tells the history of the written word from simple representative shapes to record goods and animals in ancient Egypt to drop-down menus on a macbook Pro. The Golden Thread is published by Atlantic Books. Ava Astaire McKenzie is the daughter of Hollywood legend Fred Astaire. She pays tribute to the musical Top Hat which is based on the RKO feature film. The most successful film of the nine RKO movies Astaire and Ginger Rogers made together, Top Hat premiered at the Radio City Musical Hall in 1935. The new stage musical includes Irving Berlin classics from the film such as Cheek to Cheek, Isn't It a Lovely Day to be Caught in the Rain and Top Hat, White Tie and Tails. Top Hat is at London's Aldwych Theatre.