Colin O’Brady & Jenna Besaw: Become the Hero of Your Own Destiny

How do you break free from the patterns holding you back? How do you rewrite the limiting beliefs etched into your psyche?

Here to offer you a prescription is world-record setting adventure athlete and New York Times bestselling author Colin O’Brady, returning for his fifth appearance on the podcast—this time alongside wife and partner in all things Jenna Besaw.

Longtime listeners are well acquainted with Colin’s long list of accomplishments as a ten-time world record-breaking athlete, arctic explorer, and expert on high performance and empowering others to reimagine the limits of human possibility.

Colin’s feats include the world’s first solo, unsupported, and fully human-powered crossing of Antarctica, speed records for the Explorers Grand Slam and the Seven Summits, and the first human-powered ocean row across the Drake Passage—topics mined in our previous conversations: RRP 207, 235, 439 & 519.

In addition, he’s a mainstay on the public speaking circuit; he’s been featured in every prominent media outlet across the world; he is a co-founder of the 29029 Everesting series of endurance events that you have heard me talk about here many times; and his first book, The Impossible First, was a New York Times bestseller.

But none of this happens without Jenna—the powerful engine behind everything they have accomplished together—which is why I’m so excited to introduce her to all of you today.

The occasion for this conversation is Colin’s new book, The 12-Hour Walk, based on an idea Colin cultivated during the 2020 Covid lockdown when everything stopped—and like many, he found himself lacking purpose and direction. On a whim, Colin decided to just go out on a walk. No phone, no direction, no destination in mind. He returned 12 hours later a different person. Struck by the power of that experience, and the potential it held to empower others.

So today we talk about that of course,  including his 12-Hour Walk Movement, which invites all of us to join him on September 10th 2022 to do our own 12-hour walk, which you can learn more about at 12hourwalk.com.

We also discuss Jenna’s critical role in all of their expeditions, and Colin & Jenna’s more recent expedition to Everest with friend of the pod Mike Posner.

This podcast is long, but I encourage all of you not to skip the last hour, which chronicles the the trauma, grief and loss incident to Colin’s absolutely harrowing experience on K2.

In addition to incredible stories, today’s episode is packed with actionable insights on tackling limiting beliefs, adopting what Colin and Jenna call the possible mindset, and reframing the limits of your own potential.

The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. As always, the podcast streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

I hope you enjoy this exchange as much as I was thrilled to host it.

Peace + Plants,