#61 Chris Bertish Is All In: Paddling the Atlantic Solo, and Fear, Failure & Finding Strength in the Unknown

Ageless Athlete - Chris Bertish
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[00:00:00] Imagine this. You are alone in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. No land in sight. Just an endless horizon of rolling swells. Your arms are burning, your body exhausted after paddling 15 hours straight. The sun is relentless during the day and at night. The darkness is absolute. You hear the creak of your board, the howl of the wind and the distant crash of waves.

There is no rescue team, no one to call. It's just you. Thousands of miles from shore pushing forward stroke by stroke day after day. What would it take to keep you going? Welcome friends. This is the ageless athlete podcast, and this is your host, Kush [00:01:00] Khandelwal, bringing you another amazing story, in this week's episode, we meet Chris Burtish.

Chris Burtish knows exactly what it takes. He's a big wave surfer, world champion stand up paddler. endurance athlete and ocean pioneer. He was the first person to paddle solo and unsupported across the Atlantic, 4, 600 miles over 93 days. Just wrap your head around that for a second. 4, 600 miles over 93 days alone, paddling across the Atlantic.

Chris also won the Mavericks big wave. Invitational surf contest, one of the most prestigious big wave surfing trophies. [00:02:00] And he did that after 42 hours of travel, zero sleep, and with boarded gear. But his journey isn't just about defying the ocean. It's about defying the odds. Chris grew up in South Africa, far from the power hubs of the surf industry.

He had no elite sponsors, no easy way in. For 10 years, he fought to get a spot at Mavericks, battling not just the waves, but the unspoken gatekeeping of the sport. And yet, time and time again, he found a way. Resilience and sheer belief. He carved his own path into the world's most extreme challenges. But this episode isn't just about records.

It's about mindset. We dive deep into a masterclass on visualization, [00:03:00] how Chris mentally blueprints his success long before he takes action. So let's dive in. Make sure you listen and focus on that part because I found that visualization piece really compelling. He talks about what it really means to go all in, to remove hesitation and bet fully.

on yourself. Then the fine line between courage and recklessness and how to know when to push forward or step back. And then maybe my favorite, which is how he continues to navigate life as an outsider, as somebody who's new to this country, as somebody who's somewhat still considered as an outsider, and how he's turning setbacks.[00:04:00] 

Into fuel for his biggest wins. This isn't just another interview. It's a storytelling experience It's raw, it's unfiltered and, uh, it's immersive. Chris, he spoke transparently and he spoke with his heart and he doesn't just talk about his adventure. He brings you inside them. So whether you are an athlete or an adventurer or someone facing your own version of the unknown, this episode will challenge you to rethink what's possible.

Let's dive in.


Kush: ~Chris, I always like to start with this question, which is, uh, where are you right now? And what did you have for breakfast this morning?~

Chris: ~So ~ I am in some dodgy little hotel in, uh, northern Florida, um, in probably an area around, uh, West Palm beach area. Uh, I literally flew in last night from, uh, Northern California where I was doing the [00:05:00] opening keynote for the PayPal's 2025 sales kickoff conference for them. Um, which is what I do to pay the bills.

~And I'm very fortunate that I get invited by some of the biggest companies in the world to be able to, um, inspire them and connect, um, passion, purpose. Um, and productivity together and, um, help people overcome obstacles, challenges, change, and achieve the seemingly impossible. That's sort of what I speak on.~

So, but, um, yeah, it's just a life on the road all the time. At the moment I've been on the road for the last six months without. without stop. So being in a different place almost every day or every week has been a challenging. I won't lie. Everybody is like, Oh, it's amazing. You get to travel all the world the whole time.

And yes, it is. But when you're in a different hotel motel place every week for six to eight months without fail traveling around the country and around the world to different places, it's get quite testing. And I won't, I won't lie. It's, um, I'm probably at the end of my tether right now. Um, and I've still got to, I've still got to drive in three days time up to Virginia to go and meet my new expedition craft, which is arriving that then I put on a [00:06:00] trailer and I drive it across the whole of America back to California stopping in Phoenix for another speaking engagement that I'm doing there and then carry on driving to Northern California, then drop off the craft there. Um, for the build, the rest of the build out on that side. And then I jump on a plane and fly to South Africa where I'm doing a keynote in some remote game reserve, um, surrounded by the big five wild animals for another company. And then I literally fly back the next day, arrive in, in back in Northern California, and then fly to Boston for the outdoor expo.

So it's like, this is what my life is like the whole time. It's pretty. Nuts and crazy and the logistics are just exponential. ~But guess when you love what you do and you do what you love, it's, not work, even though it's passion and purpose driven, but it, it is quite intense. I won't lie.~

Kush: Indeed. ~And what did you have for breakfast this morning?~

Chris: ~Uh, no breakfast yet. I think I've had~

Kush: ~Okay,~

Chris: ~couple sips of coffee, but, um, yeah, there's so many logistics right now for the expedition that, uh, yeah, uh, to try and get any sort of routine is super challenging. Um, you know, I got in at whatever, seven o'clock yesterday evening, I went to, um, the gym that I signed up for for a month just so I could go. for, uh, run and I went for a run and then I was going to go for to do swim training and I just ran out of time. I ended up working at the gym until 10 o'clock until they closed. Then I came back and then I was doing logistics and answering emails with the, um, partners that I'm and potential sponsors that I'm dealing with in South Africa until like one o'clock this morning.~

~And then I woke up and, got some stuff done this morning before getting on with you. ~

~An hour later and it's 9. 15. So that's pretty much what most of my days look like. It's pretty nice.~

Kush: Chris, you lead quite the life on the road. For an athlete, ~like you have this career now that you have~ you have a hard won career that you have put together But you still are you still are an athlete. How do you keep your mind? [00:07:00] body in prime shape. what are some things you're still able to do despite your, the challenges of your schedule that you, that keep you sane?

Sure.

Chris: Kush. ~And I've been, you know, I've written a couple books and I'm working on, uh, two others at the moment. And one of them is, is really about how to It's called, it'll be called Unstuck, which will only come out in a couple of years time, but I've been working on it for probably about three years already. And that's really about how to get unstuck from moving through challenges and change, whether it be depression or, or adversity or whatever difficulties you're going to, still maintaining a positive mental attitude and a positive Mental, physiological and physical space. So you can keep on moving forward in the right direction.~

And I think a lot of the times when I'm traveling on the road like this, it's very, very difficult because the one thing you need to be able to keep physically, mentally, and emotionally in check and in. in sync with yourself and deliver the best version of yourself is to be physically fit, which breeds mental confidence and mental acuity that allow you to be the best versions of yourself.

So it's a combination between, physical exercise, um, sun, nature, rest and nutrition. and recovery. And those like are the keystones for success in anything. And you've got to have that balance between all of those aspects in order to be able to the best version of yourself. ~So figure out like, what is, how do I create the ingredients, uh, for, to deliver the best version of myself each and every day in some small way. So I always look at it like a checkbox.~ So think of yourself as a smoothie. [00:08:00] Okay. If, if you're going to be the best version of yourself as a smoothie, what are the ingredients? go into making you the best version of yourself. So I know that know my, there's a famous quote by Rumi that says, know thyself.

~I'm very fortunate that through the journeys that I've done in the multiple different sports and ~ ~that I've done, and I've spent a lot of time alone out there in the ocean, in some expeditions that I've got to know myself very well and what makes myself tick and what makes and delivers the best version of myself the world around me, for myself and for the world and the way I show up. And if you think of yourself as like the perfect smoothie of yourself, what are the ingredients make you the best smoothie of yourself and create that smoothie every single day, because you know the recipe of success for yourself. So I know what I need personally. I need sunshine. I need exercise.~

I need nature. I need rest and I need good nutrition. So going back to your question, being on the road like I am at the moment is incredibly challenging and difficult to create a routine and a structure to allow me to be able to do that. And that's why I have to be super vigilant to try and, create some sort of rough structure and routine to be able to help me deliver on that.

And sometimes I don't get it right, especially when I'm in like an expedition build phase, like I am at the moment where I'm traveling all the time, but I'm dealing with so many different logistics, um, and moving all the time. [00:09:00] So I have to be incredibly vigilant. Like I'm not really a gym person at all. I have registered with a gym in Florida, um, just so I can have a place to swim, train, or train at night when it's either raining, um, or it's off to dark and I'm not able to get the exercise that I need, but there's a gym that I can go to where I might be able to either run or swim or get one of the two ingredients that I need of 10 that will keep me in the best possible frame of mind. ~Does that make sense?~

Kush: Yeah, right on. And hey, uh, for those of us who don't know you as well, can you take a second and tell us, Chris, who are you and what do you do?

Chris: So my name is Chris Burdish. I'm from sunny Cape town, South Africa. Um, I live currently in the USA, even though I wouldn't say that I live in the US. Well, I guess I do. I just live everywhere. I'm sort of a global nomad, but mostly focused. the States currently, but I speak [00:10:00] all over the world. So I bounce out from wherever I am to different speaking events all over the planet. And, um, yeah, I'm a, uh, surfer, sailor, uh, big wave surfer, ocean pioneer, keynote speaker, best selling author. foldmaker. Yeah, I do a lot of different stuff, help on, you know, give back on philanthropy. I run my own nonprofit, um, called Chris Burdish Foundation, which gives back to education, conservation, um, and sustainability. mentor a lot of kids and disadvantaged groups all over, all over the world. Um, yeah, and I try and use my, well, I do, I use my expeditions to be able to inspire people to believe in themselves and what's possible, to guard and have a positive impact on the world around you. ~Use them to be able to lift other people up and inspire positive change and be an example and a role model for positive change for the world and then use their expeditions to be able to give back and help a plethora of different sets of people around the world, mostly kids in, education, conservation, and sustainability. ~That's what I am and what I do.

Kush: Absolutely, Chris. ~No, you do, uh, a lot of things. ~You have done things that most people cannot even imagine. Yeah, um, surfing, [00:11:00] huge waves all over the world. And then a few years ago you paddled across an ocean by yourself. So, uh, here's a fun question. Let's flip it for a second. And, um, what is, what is one totally normal thing that you're terrible at? 

Chris: There are probably a lot of things that I'm terrible at. Um, I think, you know, when people are acutely focused on certain, um, aspects of life to excel and be the best in the world, they often lack in, in many other areas. And I think, um, you, like everything, you can't be good at everything, even though I'm good at many things. I'm definitely absolutely horrendous at anything to do with admin. administration, stuff, accounts, um, keeping up with that kind of stuff. It's, it's probably my, it's probably my pet hate and that's probably why [00:12:00] I find it so challenging. I'd rather wrestle a great white shark than do paperwork.

So that's, that's, um, yeah, one of my, well, definitely one of my weak points. ~I'm sure I have,~

~On them all each and every day.~

Kush: Sure. Yeah. Fair enough. Fair enough. So yeah. Okay. So, uh, admin stuff is not one of your gifts, but. Yeah, clearly when it comes to pushing limits of human possibilities, you have figured something out of all the challenges you have taken on, Chris. So maybe a bigger question, which one tested you the most? 

Chris: Oh, hard to pin everything down. So I guess, I was at school, I was getting into surfing bigger waves. what I really enjoyed were from surfing bigger waves was that the, field just became exponentially large, but the amount of people that were in the water became less and less the bigger the waves got. And [00:13:00] I don't really like surfing in crowds.

So The bigger the waves, the less people. So I just, every time I saw really large waves, always looked like a really open landscape with not many people there to bother me and to get in the way. ~And it seemed like a blank canvas that I could my magic on. And like on land, there are not a lot of. There's so many rules and regulations on land or what you're allowed to do and not allowed to do. And even in small ways, there's so many people and you sit for so long and you're jostling with everyone else.~ And in big ways and being out in the ocean in a really large, um, vibrant landscape, which is sort of deadly volatile and constantly changing, you learn to adapt and be very efficient. Otherwise you come off second best and you will suffer dramatic consequences. So it taught me a lot of preparation and learning about myself ~and how I could ~ ~explore my own limits, borders and boundaries and for myself what was possible and then also discover far I could push it. And~ I really enjoyed exploring that space.

~And I realized that not a lot of other people were exploring that realm and that those borders and boundaries in the same way. manner that I sort of had learned to do. So really focusing on the physical aspect, because I believe that physical fitness breeds mental confidence, and then having a background in water, ocean safety and rescue and planning and preparation for some of the other solo things that I've started getting into, it gave me an enormous sense of. of preparing myself to be completely self sufficient. so I always thought of like, I try and work through all the different worst case scenarios and make sure that I'm completely self sufficient to be able to eliminate or minimize the risks so I can proceed with confidence and get the outcomes and the results that I'm looking for without having to include, no, that's not probably the right word, to without having to rely on other people.~

Kush: ~Sure.~

Chris: ~be self sufficient and not put myself in danger that I'm not able to remove myself out of without requiring outside assistance. So that no matter what situation you get into, you can get yourself out of it. Um, and then preparing for that in every single way, shape or form. So when I, when I talk about that, it would be making sure that if you go into whatever environment that you are prepared that no matter what happened, you can get yourself out of it from a safety perspective, from a, from a swimming perspective.~

~If you lose your board, your leash or whatever else, or there's no one else there to be able to rescue you, you can, you can self rescue and, and get to the beach no matter what. And also have multiple different options and exit plans just in case things go wrong, which most people don't really look at things like that.~

~And. I've learned that through being in the ocean in various different shapes, ways or forms to be able to set up for that.~ And I guess that's how I got to the point of, you know, then going over to California and trying to start surfing the big, big waves in Hawaii, ~but then also realizing that I was also doing.~

~A lot of very unique training that no one else was doing at the time, breath hold training and, and setting myself up for success in that way. And then I just wanted to try and see if it was possible to surf all the three big wave spots or on the same swell, which people had talked about doing, but no one had ever done.~

~And I ended up studying the weather, studying the three different locations, studying the different patterns, studying the different way the weather systems were moving to allow me to be able to do that. And then on that. myself with no like fanfare, not telling anyone else about it. Just went over to a wide sort of giant swirl coming.~

~I'd just come from the Caribbean where I'd been working whole race season there. I'm saving up enough money to be able to go over to Hawaii for weeks, which is what I'd worked out that I could afford spending the whole season in the Caribbean racing and saving up money. And while I was racing, I was before work in the morning. I would jump off my, the yacht that I was on with a backpack on my back, paddle on my surfboard to the island wherever we were, go and do like a five to 10K run, go and do like half an hour of underwater training and then pack everything back into my backpack, put it on my back and then paddle on my surfboard back to yacht that I was working on. The whole day on the yacht doing whatever we're doing, going from wherever we're whatever race we're going to. And then that evening I would do the same thing at wherever I was. And I was doing that twice a day, every day, though I wasn't surfing at all for that six months. So that when I left to go to. Hawaii and Northern California to go and do this big wave mission. I was super fit and super focused. I might not have surfed for five months. I was in like the peak possible, um, shape for, to execute on what I had planned and prepared for, which no one knew what I was just about to do. And it just so happened that in the 10 days, whatever, 10 days after I arrived in California, there was a giant storm that was going to hit Hawaii.~

~I flew over to, Hawaii, arrived like the night before, ended up surfing Waimea Bay that day, um, as big as it gets, um, then got on a flight that evening and then flew over to. Mavericks arrived in Mavericks just before the same swirl that I turfed the night before. Um, arrived in, in Northern California, um, got all my boards and stuff off the plane, did the red eye over and then got there just before the swell was going to arrive, surfed Mavericks like, I don't know, 20 feet plus that day, probably the biggest waves that I'd ever surfed, then got out of the water that afternoon, surfed all day, Got out the water that afternoon, check the forecast for the swell to see that it was going to do what I was hoping, packed up all my boards into a rental car, then got as many, um, and soy lattes and Red Bulls that I could fit into my glove compartment and then drove by myself through the night through Northern California, Central California and Southern California, got to, Um, meet my friends down at the border in Mexico the following morning at six o'clock.~

~Drove across the border, then rented a boat to be able to take us out over 20 kms out to Todos Santos Island to surf that same swell that I'd surfed in in Hawaii two days before, then Northern California, and then Todos Santos. And it just so happened to be the same swell. probably the biggest swell of the decade. Um, and I ended up winning the XXL award for the biggest wave paddle into, at Toto Santos that day on an 8'8 which is the smallest board that anyone had ridden, way bigger than 20 feet, which so happened to be a 60 foot plus wave that won me the, the XXL award for the biggest wave paddle into that year on zero hours sleep after traveling for over 72 hours, becoming the first person to be able to travel as well across three different big wave spot locations on one swell, which had never been done before. And, and that was very unique. And then heard about that. And, um, obviously I've got some, um, yeah, I've got some, you know, People taking a lot of photos and a whole lot of articles that were written on that. And then people started like wondering who this guy was. And then I think they also didn't realize it that, that, I think that same two weeks I'd ended up, um, going over and paddling into Jaws, which was the first anyone had paddled into Jaws and any size that was documented. So~

Kush: ~Chris, may I stop you for one quick second?~

Chris: ~sure,~

Kush: ~So let's jump into that.~

Chris: ~but you can't jump into that without missing like the going from jaws in 2001. ~And then [00:14:00] deciding to try and be one of the best big wave surfers in the world. Uh, the, the journey that that next 10 years of trying to get into one of the big wave events, which was either the Eddie or the Mavericks big wave invitational, which I couldn't get into the Eddie, no matter what I did.

And it seemed like it was a very much a boys club and unless you had the right sponsors and everything else, you just never got in. So I ended up going to try and go to Northern California and trying to go there every year or two or. Whenever I could to try and make an impression to be able to get an invite into the Mavericks event and that took me 10 years of trying to focus on getting in there.

It's not like I'm from America So I couldn't be there for every swell. I could only get back there if I was lucky for six to eight for four to six weeks every year. If I saved up enough money with us living in Northern, in, in, um, the UK or South Africa at the time, trying to allow myself the time and the money to be able to do that.

And it took me 10 years to get that [00:15:00] invitation. then when I did get that invitation to the Mavericks big wave invitational, which was the top 24 in the world that only got invited by invitation only, was the only one that was in South Africa. ~When we got the call, most people are from. California or Hawaii.~

~So they just literally drive up or they fly over quickly. And it took 42 hours for me to get there.~ I was in the middle of a Crocs appointment, trying to pay the bills when I got that phone call. And it takes 42 hours to literally get to, to Northern California from South Africa. If you, if everything goes well, and I ended up going straight from that appointment straight to the airport, getting the only last Seat that existed on the only flight that was gonna get me there in time with four different flights, not even knowing if the event was gonna run. Um, and I had no money, so I borrowed money from multiple different people, friends, family, to be able to get that ticket to be able to fly over there. Arrived after flying for 44 hours, arrived. o'clock in the morning, zero hours sleep, freezing cold. None of my boards, none of my bags and our wetsuits, nothing arrived.

Arrived at six o'clock in the morning with nothing. [00:16:00] Shirt on my back, ended up getting a lift down to Half Moon Bay, borrowing a board and a wetsuit and everything else from the hotel. Um, Jeff Clark, I'd left a widget there just as a Thank goodness. Ended up being the first heat of the day, an hour and a half or two hours after getting off that flight or five different flights and ended up then getting caught inside within the next first 10, 10 minutes of the day by a 60 foot wave that broke feet in front of me and dragged me over. Kilometre underneath the water in the space of 58 seconds to the point of almost drowning and not being able to use my arms and legs and be able to speak. And that was within the first 10 minutes of my day, on borrowed, completely borrowed equipment. And then ended up not giving up and managing to just get through that heat. And then the heat after that, and the heat after that, until I ended up, the waves just getting extraordinary large. And by the time we got to the final, they were the biggest waves. still I think [00:17:00] ever seen in the history of big wave surfing at the time and ended up winning the event on borrowed equipment after training for 42 hours some of the best paid professional athletes on a day that and changed big wave surfing forever and I think that was quite a pivotal moment that sort of made me realize That if you have a goal, a vision and a dream and you take daily steps and actions towards it consistently over time in a bubble else you persevere and never give up that you can literally achieve. ~And that also made me start realizing that I could apply those same principles of facing my own fears in the ocean, but apply those same principles to everything on land because I wasn't really applying them in the same way. So to that same philosophy that was very successful that I was applying the ocean to everything on land. decided to, um, my three greatest fears, which at the time was to, um, make a film, write a book and become an inspirational speaker, which were my three greatest fears. I was absolutely terrified of in public from as long as I can remember. So, um, I ended up. focusing on that. And, um, even though I was working full time, I was doing that on the side.~

~Um, and I was running with my own agency at the time and I had a couple of staff members, so on that, but I also ended up starting to get into standard paddle boarding and starting to cross over into other sports because I ticked off for myself, I'm a very goal oriented person. So I ticked off all the boxes of what I wanted to achieve at the time.~

~And I think at the time ~

~I was running my own agency. sports agency, but I was also competing on the big wave world tour and on the stand up paddleboard world tour at the same time. Um, which I was the only athlete that was competing on two different world tours in the top five in the world. but wasn't a paid professional athlete, but it was also working full time, which when I look back now, I seem a little crazy, um, which is half the reason why I almost had a mental breakdown when I was trying to make the film, um, write a book, um, competing on two different world tours and running a business at the same time, which, um, yeah, uh, I'm not surprised why almost everything came tumbling down, but I managed to pull off everything.


~ 

Kush: Wow, Chris, thank you for walking us through all that. You went from being a total outsider to winning the most prestigious big wave award of that time. Yeah, quite a hero story. And, uh, I can see, yes, that there has been a lifetime of focus and preparation right from the early to make [00:18:00] you the ocean athlete that you are.

Uh, moving forward a little bit, out of the many things you have done, this particular one that absolutely boggles my, my imagination is your unsupported solo crossing of the Atlantic in a paddleboard. So yeah, would love to have you walk us through that story. 

Chris: Um, ~And I ~ think at the time , getting to stand up paddle boarding more seriously and then taking everything I'd learned through my sailing and ocean knowledge and the big wave surfing experience into starting to do longer world records and six hour, 12 hour, then 12 hour Guinness world record. And then I started realizing that I could use the media. from that to be able to give back and help others. So I started attaching charity, objects to the journeys that I was doing and raising money and helping lots of people. And that's sort of when the penny dropped for me in [00:19:00] regarding to how I could use these expeditions or these micro events to be able to have more money.

enormous impact. So then it became very, very purpose driven and it wasn't just about achieving goals. Then it was about how can I use these and these goals that I'm doing to be able to give back and help others. ~And that's when like everything changed from you. Cause when you are driven by passion and pied by a purpose greater than yourself to be able to give back and help others, then suddenly you're. Goals become extraordinary purpose driven, very clear, and you realize that what you're doing can have enormous impact and that sort of changed everything for me. And then I did the 12 hour world record, Guinness world record, 24 hour record.~ And then the I did the first like 350 kilometer unsupported journey up the wild west coast of Africa. Unsupported doing like 50 to 80 kilometers a day. And that was pretty challenging taking all my gear on my board and all my comm systems or my water, my hydration, my food, my everything. got blown out to sea multiple times, got shipwrecked. like areas where there's no one else around in giant surf, lost half my equipment, almost got, yeah, I mean, it was just crazy.

Got followed by sharks. I mean, it was just adventure on a normal ocean standard paddleboard. But when I arrived, even though I'd burned my [00:20:00] corneas really badly and I couldn't see straight and I had blisters all over my face, I realized I arrived that, If I wanted to carry on doing these kind of expeditions, I needed to find ways to be able to get out of the sun and the elements, which were pretty severe. Um, but I also learned through that journey that if I wanted to do those expeditions, I needed to take all my food and my water with me, um, and be completely self sufficient and be able to get out of the elements, build a way to be able to get out of the elements. ~But I think it had such an enormous impact for me because I would raise a whole lot of money to be able to feed like 150 kids and pay for like five operations and that. sort of set me up for the next expedition where I thought, well, if I could build the right craft that I could get out of the elements and I could take all my stuff with me, then I could not only just paddle up a coastline and change hundreds of people's lives. I could paddle across an ocean and change the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids. ~that's when I decided to do the transatlantic, which no one had ever paddled more than 350 miles at that time. And I was planning on paddling than three and a half thousand miles. So it wasn't like you're just 10x ing stuff. You're like 100x ing. ~And I think that like the best way to explain that to people is that I think my forecasting, routing, guru, a guy called Levin Brown, who's from Scotland, who's one of my greatest friends and companions that holds multiple Guinness world records in the row, um, rowing team. He's sort of explained it best. He's like, well, I only realized how challenging it was going to be when Chris asked me to be part of this expedition to help him be part of the team. he told me what he was going to do was like, the only way to describe it was it's like someone planning to climb to the top of Everest when no one on earth had ever even got to base camp. And that's sort of what I was trying to achieve. I think that's a good way of summarizing because trying to put together an expedition craft to build something that didn't exist to do something that no one had ever done.~ Seemed completely beyond what was possible. ~But I've been very fortunate in life that I've had multiple different goals that I've set for myself that I've been so far beyond what been done before, that you've gotta have like an incredible confidence and self-belief in your vision and your mission. Um. that you're completely undeterred by no matter what anyone else says.~ I just have this deep inner knowing, um, like with every fiber in my being that I know that I can do it. And no matter what other [00:21:00] people say, I just, it's completely irrelevant. Like nothing sway me from my belief in myself and what I know is possible. Um, and it doesn't matter that people say that it's not possible that I'm going to die or whatever. I just, when I have those super honed belief in a goal or purpose. It's almost like my every fiber and cell in my body knows that I can achieve it. And that's just in my head, it's already done. So I, I visualize really profoundly. In a way that's quite difficult to explain what I call it, it's like visualization on steroids. It's like what I call visual blueprinting. So when I visual blueprint something, visualize it to the, to such a powerful state that it's not just like you see it in your mind's eye. You once you see it, then you visually populated with, [00:22:00] um, movement, color, taste, smell. and emotion. And once you can do that, what you're doing is you're populating your mental space and you, you, are creating a visual, mental, moving, emotional blueprints. And when you can do it and you can add emotion and all the other visual senses, then what you're doing is you're tricking your mind into believing that it's real.

And when you can add movement, color, and, movement, color, audio, and, and senses to it. Then your mind, um, from a neuroscience perspective, cannot and distinguish the difference between reality and what you're doing. So all you're doing is you're pulling that into reality. And when you, when you can populate it to the point that you can watch it in full 4k color HD, and you can smell the smells, you can taste the, The, the, the, the visual [00:23:00] senses and you can hear the seagulls and see the visuals expressions on people's faces and you can feel the emotion to the point that it can bring yourself to tears when you're watching that movie, then you've, you've created the future before it actually exists and all you're doing is you're pulling it into reality as long as you have a purpose greater than yourself, so it's not just about it. a goal, you're doing it for multiple different reasons. What I call my layer cake, as in the layers of the reasons why you're doing it, that, that drive you and inspire to overcome obstacles. It'll help you overcome any obstacle and challenge and help you achieve something which most people think is impossible. And that's how I those kinds of things together. And. And then bring them into reality and then fulfill them. It's, and then just put in extraordinary amounts of planning and preparation to be able to [00:24:00] minimize those risks and minimize all the possible things that can possibly go wrong, and then put in Multiple different options and backups of a backup of a backup of every single different, tool so that when things go wrong, you've already anticipated, you've already gone through it physically, mentally and emotionally six months to a year beforehand in your own brain, and you're prepared for those scenarios.

So then you're never in a reactive panic state. You're always in a positive, proactive state. So you can immediately act with a sense of proactive urgency and deal with things and implement the tools where other people would be in a, in a panicked reactive state. You can deal with it with a dramatic sense of urgency, implement those tools and get the outcome that you want, which is normally first of all, to stay alive. And then second of all, to be able to get the outcome that you're looking for in order to be able to thrive in that scenario or just survive it to the point that you can get to the next stage, which [00:25:00] whatever next challenge that you need to deal with, you know, with a dramatic sense of urgency in a pyramid version of staying alive from a red zone into a blue zone into a green zone. I don't think I ever got into the green zone. Maybe if, maybe like three or four times, which was just enjoy being where you are here. And now most of the time, it was just dealing with multiple different challenges in order to just stay alive.

Kush: Yeah, Chris, uh, thank you for taking us through all that. And yeah, particularly, um, yeah, so many things that, um, I, I loved this. visualization masterclass that you just put us through. I use some of that when I'm rock climbing, but, being able to literally, feel all those sensations through all your senses.

I think that is next level skill. And I'll be thinking about this, talking about being able to 

[00:26:00] feel, imagine, and do things. I would love to spend a minute on the trance Atlantic paddle. And, uh, perhaps you can take us into day one.

Chris: Okay.

Kush: So, uh, so what was going through your mind as you pushed off the coast of Morocco?

Chris: ~So do you know the answer to this because you've already read All In or?~

Kush: ~No, I, I, I have not. Uh, so I did not get a chance to read all in. So,~

Chris: ~You're going to~

Kush: ~and, and yeah, no, I haven't read all in. I did look up your journey. And I looked up some of those points and, uh, I just tried to think of like, uh, you know, some of those things that you probably had to, uh, encounter, overcome, feel.~

Chris: ~Well, I think you're right. And I think that's why the, that second book that I've done is called All In, because that's how I live my life. And I think a lot of people just use it as a tagline. Oh yeah. I'm all in, but most people don't really know what that means. All in is really about being a hundred percent in on all different levels.~

~And you've, you've given everything to that opportunity. You've given everything to that particular goal and you've. Prepare to put everything on the line for what you believe in, like everything, whatever, across all different levels of your life, from your finances to, to your life, to your everything for what you believe in.~

~Like, do you believe in what you're doing and why you're doing it with every fiber in your being to the point that you are? able to know that you might be putting your life on the line for that reason. And are you prepared to give your life for that cause or that, that belief system? And if you believe in it with a hundred percent surety, and you're prepared to everything for what you believe in, then you are all in.~

~And you know that you've left no stone unturned. You've put every single bit of. and preparation in order to be able to have a successful outcome. You've done everything in your power to be able to make it successful. So no matter what happens, you can never look back on that situation in five or 10 years time and say, well, I never gave it everything that I had. And if you everything that you do in life with that mindset, I believe that you cannot fail. There's no such thing as failure in life, only a failure to try. And when you try something and you've adopted that philosophy on life, then you've given everything else. So if it doesn't work out in your favor, then all you got to do is say, well, I gave it everything.~

~So that was meant to be the result. And what did I learn from that experience? And how does that help me move forward in all areas of life? So you always winning, and there's no such thing as failure. And think when I got to that point of starting that journey, there are so many things that people don't understand besides when you read the book were happening. ~ 

When I started that journey, I was in Morocco, I'd been, we had run out of money for the project because of the, the conditions were really difficult. Um, so I couldn't leave because there were storms that were hitting the Moroccan coast line. So we would have been there for a month. The craft had been sent to the wrong country.

Then it got sent somewhere else. Um, we still have no idea why it got sent to another country. Cause like literally that shouldn't be possible because on the bill of lading, it got on the ship, it got. said that it was meant to be going to, this [00:27:00] one location in Morocco, but it somehow I did, and it sort of derailed the whole project, and it was almost like there was someone trying to sabotage the entire project starting, hence the reason why I was actually Um, on the dock by myself, my team had flown home. I told that if I didn't leave that morning, I was going to get put in jail because my visa had expired. Um, there was no one on the dock because I couldn't tell anyone where I was leaving from, because we had had a whole lot of issues with, um, safety and security of myself for me starting the expedition, it was like someone was trying to stop me from forward with it.

So I couldn't tell anyone where I was. So I left. On that dock, from that dock, completely alone at five o'clock in the morning, no friends, no family, no team, no one on the dock. Um, and to push out in the pitch black.

Kush: Wow. So definitely no send off party.

Chris: yeah, I was my own [00:28:00] send off party. And when you're doing something like that, a foreign country with no one else around, no support, no team, nothing. It was the most terrifying moment of my entire life to do something, to push off in the sheer blackness out into the Atlantic, to do something that everyone told you impossible. And another guy that had tried six months before me that had only lasted 30, not even 18 hours before to get rescued by the Coast Guard. I mean, it was Yeah, it was, it was, it was incredibly poignant and testing physically, mentally, and emotionally for me and how you push through your fears and adversity and keep yourself in a positive mental framework when you're Everything around you is telling you not to go, but you have to override that and still proceed forward and just take that first stroke and that [00:29:00] first paddle stroke and push through your fears. And I think it's a great example of life. You know, you, you've got it. You've got to move through your fears and you've got to take that first step, um, and overcome it because it's what's beyond your fears and what's beyond your comfort zone. That's actually where your greatest potential lies and your greatest self lies is beyond your fears. And there's an amazing quote that I heard somewhere quite recently that says that is only, it's a mile wide, but it's only an inch deep. And I think it's a beautiful quote and terminology for framing fear in a positive way. you've just got to just dive right in and you've got to go ahead first into it.

And when you do that, it's never, once you move through that first initial state, you know that you can overcome it, but you've got to, you've got to take that leap when everything's telling you not to. And I've been very fortunate that I've learned those lessons through Big [00:30:00] Wave Surfing that I've applied through all other areas of my life as well, is that fear is, is, is, Is debilitating for most people, but I've learned that fear is actually one of the greatest tools be able to help you enhance yourself and overcome great adversity.

And also your greatest version of yourself lies beyond your fears. So every time you have fear that is trying to misguide you to not move forward 99. 9 percent of the time, that actually should be the point that actually drives you to continue forward through the obstacle and the challenge that is ahead of you that you're facing because that's actually the path.

So this famous quote by by the Stoics that that says whatever stands in your way becomes the way is actually a the greatest line that will help direct you on your path [00:31:00] to discovering your greatest self, because it is when you have an obstacle and a challenge and adversity or a goal in front of you that seems terrifying, that actually should remind you that you're on the right path and that you need to keep on moving forward through challenge because yeah, whatever stands in the way becomes the way.

So whatever challenge is facing you, that is giving you the, the fear, that's actually, it should be reminding that you are on the right path and you need to keep on going, which for most people is completely opposite. For most people, it's like, People go, Oh, it's a sign that I need to stop and not move forward. And all these things are happening because it's a sign that I mustn't be moving forward in this direction. No, no. the sign that you are on the right track and you need to keep on pushing through that because that's when most people give up and stop. That's when you need to keep on going and push through because. That's where your greatest magic and potential lies [00:32:00] beyond that fear. And that's where you learn the most of your, from yourself and you grow the most and that's where all your greatest goals and, and self lies beyond those fears. Be the bison, as I say. The bison is the only animal that actually runs towards a storm.

Did you know that?

Kush: Sure. Yeah. ~No. And, and Chris, you, um,~

you, yeah, yeah, no, I, I, I think I read about the bison, maybe even I was researching, your book and your story. So just, you know, putting a pin on that, on that journey. Yeah. Pushing off the coast of Morocco by yourself after having faced incredible hurdles just seems so overwhelming.

Not only did you not survive the first 18 hours, you went on to complete this historic battle. And I feel like the, ordinary person, you know, they, um, [00:33:00] they're here 93 days and alone at sea. And they, I think they don't actually grasp what that means. So maybe you can describe a typical day.

What did survival look like?

Chris: Well, survival is different almost every single day. I mean, the first three, three to five days of that journey were horrendous. Um, everything you can imagine. Could possibly go wrong, went wrong and a whole lot more. I mean, even though I had a backup of a backup of a backup, I had wind instrument stopped working, my autopilot stopped working, my watermaker stopped working, my, um, all my solar systems went down. Um, and then I was paddling between 12 and 15 hours a day. So the only way I can put that into perspective for most normal human beings, it's like doing a full Ironman every single day. Um, Um, without having the luxury of being able to, um, change your muscle groups [00:34:00] to other sports, and also being able to then refuel after you've done your full Ironman for the day to go home and then eat all the stuff that you want to eat to refuel and then rest for whatever, uh, nine to whatever, eight, seven to 12 hours after doing a full Ironman, that every day on freeze dried food and not enough on three to four liters of water a day, where I should have been on six to ten liters of water a day, and then not having more than an hour and a half to three hours sleep and doing that every day for, 93 days.

But most people talk about 93 days and they're like, Oh, okay. 93 days. It's not too bad because you just at night, then you go home and you turn off the lights and you jump into bed like you normally would. And you wake up the following morning, 18, whatever, seven to nine hours later. Well, I never had more than an hour and a half sleep. two two stints of probably 45 minutes at a time. And I didn't have enough food to be able to [00:35:00] like replenish what I was putting that I was taking out of my body every day. And in the first three to five days, I realized that even when I was not paddling, there was actually a current that was taking me back onto land.

So the only solution I had to not get shipwrecked on the coastline was to on paddling. So I ended up paddling between 20 and 22 hours a day. Okay. Um, and then not sleeping pretty much. So it's just, I didn't get shipwrecked down the coast. Cause there was no one that was going to be able to help me or support me.

There was no team, there was no friends, there was no family, there's no coast guard, there's no one that you could call. So if I got shipwrecked down there, that was it, game over for me. Um, so only solution I had was to not sleep and get enough further away from the coastline so I didn't get shipwrecked down the coast. And that was in the first five days. And then after that, I was pretty. Impressed and happy with myself that I hadn't died yet. So I sent out a message to say, well, if I can get through the last five [00:36:00] days, then I can get through anything. And I pushed send, managed to get a signal. And when I sent that mail, what I didn't realize what I sent out to social media was that the incoming email. Information that I got back was the weather forecast, which was that I was just about to get hit by probably the biggest storm of the entire journey, which most people don't really understand when you're on a craft. That's only not even a meter wide and this much above the water. You got water coming over you all the time.

I got hit by, I don't know, 10, 15 foot wave that hit me from the side that knocked me off the craft. Just before dark that evening, thank goodness, my emergency tether engaged on the drag behind the craft, underneath the water for a couple of, 30 seconds before the craft slowed down and I pulled myself back up onto the deck. And then I realized it was too dangerous to be out on the deck in those conditions because if I got separated from my craft for more than like three and a half seconds or four seconds, if my snapped, my percentage ratio of survival wasn't like 50 percent or 20%, it was. [00:37:00] instantly game over because my craft would drift away from me faster than I could swim.

So don't get separated from your craft. Otherwise you're dead pretty much instantly. And that night was probably the most intense storm I've ever endured any on any journey. Um, I had 68 meter waves. I had 50 to 65 knots of wind, um, getting semi turned upside down in the middle of a storm in the middle of the night sounded like my little capsule was getting disintegrating around me and my capsule was only as wide as my shoulders and not as long as I can, as I'm long, so I couldn't really sleep and I was getting knocked around inside trying to, you know, make water on with a little boiling hot little lit stove to be able to make freeze dried food.

So you can, yeah, it was just a plethora of different challenges that hit me during that night. And then I've deployed the parachute anchor to be able to stabilize myself in the conditions. [00:38:00] then I had this creature that got stuck in the craft, in the parachute anchor that started dragging me through the top of these waves, into and through these, Crazy conditions.

And then I realized that I either had a whale or giant squid that was stuck in the parachute anchor, dragging me and my craft down through these giant waves. I had to try and release myself as I cut the line, then I got caught inside the line, and the craft rolled with me attached to it in the middle of the storm, in the middle of the night.

And I had, yeah, I mean, it was just. It was like so far beyond what you can possibly imagine. Realize that there was a giant squid that had actually got trapped in the parachute anchor that we tried to release. I got stuck underneath the craft when I got rolled while I was trying to release the giant squid.

And then got trapped underneath the craft, cut the line. When I cut the line, the line then ended up going through my finger and almost it down to the bone. Um, and then surviving that night, getting through to the following morning. Realizing that my main [00:39:00] steering system had been ripped off through the night, besides me almost losing my finger.

Only thing that stopped me losing my finger was that my gloves and my taped hands had sort of protected me from that. And then I got pushed into the shipping lanes and then almost got ran over by the police. between 20 and 30, um, supertankers as I got caught in like the busiest shipping channel in the world for 19 hours while I'd had no steering getting blown down the shipping lanes. and that was within the first like week, and then I, like I'd chosen the Islands to just as an exit plan to be able to escape just in case everything went to shit, which it did. um, and my watermaker still wasn't working. So I didn't know if I was going to have enough water for the journey.

Uh, my damaged a lot of my freeze dried food. So I didn't know I was going to have enough food for the journey. and then I couldn't use the Canary Islands as an extra strategy because the weather and the wind was too severe. So I couldn't go into any of the safe harbors [00:40:00] because I had no steering. I'd almost lost my finger. And I didn't have the steers to be able to get into the canary islands to be able to go in to get all the stuff And I knew if I did try and go in that I probably wouldn't be allowed to be able to leave because of everything that happened. So I decided to just carry on and I realized that I did the numbers on all the, all the different things that I still had food and water. And I figured out that it, if everything went correct after that, and I got into the. I got into the trade winds and everything moved faster and my craft got lighter that I would be a lot 30 percent lighter and then I should just have enough to be able to get to the other side. But that was a calculated decision, knowing of everything that had gone wrong and that if everything went as I was hoping, which it never does in the ocean, then I would get to the other side, one very skinny pirate oar. 

trying 

Kush: That sounds, [00:41:00] uh, yeah. Wow. Yeah, no, I mean, from the first few days to that night of pure hell to being able to continue completely unsupported and complete this, um, ocean crossing, Chris. Um, okay, here's a, you have already said that you're going to do a podcast.

shared the story in a few different ways. There's an amazing movie, I believe. And you have spoken about the story at public speaking events. For example, you were just at a corporate function. I'm just curious, what is the biggest takeaway? You want somebody listening to you, talk about that journey and talk about how you faced at times near death.

And not only did you come back, you were able to [00:42:00] complete this mission that you started.

Chris: Well, well, I think that the message in it, all of it is really that you can, we can all do and achieve far more than we can ever imagine. If we believe in ourselves and we have the courage to try, we can achieve extraordinary things. And I believe that there's a hero in every single one of us, and every single ordinary person can. and has an extraordinary ability within them. They just need to believe that and then have the courage and belief in themselves to try. Um, and we, you know, if you put in the planning and preparation, you build a great team, you have a purpose greater than yourself and you persevere and above all else, you never give up.

You can achieve literally anything, even the seemingly impossible. And that's what I think a lot of people just, they don't, they don't, They don't like to leave the comfort of their comfort zone. And we're not designed as humans to live in the comfort zone. all the magic in the world and all the greatest things and [00:43:00] experiences happen outside of our comfort zone.

And you can look at that in everything in business, in sport. In life, in love, you've got to be vulnerable. You've got to put yourself out there. You've got to take a chance. You've got to take a leap of faith and you've got to believe in yourself and believe in, in the potential of what's possible in everything in life. And if you don't, you're going to live a very vanilla life, not doing anything, but you're not going to live. You're going to live a copy, paste, repeat version of every day. Um, You know, I mean, when I went down to go and get a coffee, like downstairs in the motel lobby, there were a whole lot of people and they're like, Oh, what do you do?

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I didn't get into it with this person, but they're like, Oh, you travel a lot. Oh, that's so dangerous. I didn't hear that there's this person, this aircraft that just went down, um, last night and a whole lot of people died and stuff. It's very, you know, it's very, you know, Very dangerous. Don't you worry about that? And I was [00:44:00] like, well, you can worry about everything in life. And if you worry about everything, you'll never do anything. You'll just, the, the, the safest way to protect yourself is to not leave your home, but that's not what we designed to do. We're not designed to stay in a box and stay in our little, little home space and not go out and have adventures.

It's the same as the, know, the yachts in the Harbor, the every Harbor is filled with all these yachts. 90 percent of those yachts, I think the percentage is like 89. 2%, don't leave the harbor. They're just used as, for cocktails, but they They're not designed to sit in the harbor, like we're not designed to live in the harbor of the known.

We've designed to be able to go out of the harbor of the known and explore and have adventures and discover and create experiences and memories and learn about ourselves and learn about what's out there in the world and learn about what we're capable of. But we're [00:45:00] never going to learn that if we don't and we don't do it.

Try different things and learn different things and outside and not only just leave. I mean, it's the same as when we are born. We're born. We, we live in our little world in our home, surrounded by our parents. And as we get older, we, that little circle extends and expands and gets bigger. And some people never leave their own village or their town. In America, that's very prevalent. Most people don't even have a passport. They've never left their own town. if they have left the town, they're like, Oh, we went out to Mississippi or we went to, but they don't

Kush: Right. 

Chris: a passport because they've never 

left their 

own country. And it's like, there's so much more out there to see and explore and do.

There's so much to discover. You'll never learn about yourself and what's possible, what you're capable of and all the worldly things. If you don't go out and explore, and that's what we are all designed to do. And my life that I lead is just an extraordinary bigger version of that same concept.[00:46:00] 

Kush: Kris, one thing about your journey, your career, your life that I find particularly compelling, even beyond your athletic and your ocean pioneering pursuits is that you grew up in South Africa, far from the surf industry. Uh, power hubs. what barriers did you,

Chris: everything, 

all of them. 

Kush: I am an immigrant

in the U S trying to build something here.

You have been an outsider yourself. 

Chris: an outsider. 

Kush: how did you navigate that, Chris, and then perhaps maybe speak for a minute about the role of community that you spoke about earlier, that you built for yourself, this ecosystem that has also played a role in helping you succeed.

Chris: Well, I think you [00:47:00] know, as an immigrant yourself, how difficult it is. And I think a lot of people don't know and understand how difficult and challenging it is to leave your home. as an example, a good example of exactly what you're talking about, like, I got to the point where I was very, very fortunate to create and a following and create an audience and create a community that supported me that knew who I was become pretty well known in my own country. So for a lot of people, that would be enough. build your, your audience, you build a reputation, you build credibility, you build, notoriety, and you build, a reputation for being really good at what you do and being known in most places you go. and as a speaker, I got really well known in South Africa, um, for doing what I do and then to leave all that behind to step into a place where you are not [00:48:00] known at all, no one, very few people know who you are, what you've done, what you've achieved, and then start from scratch again is really, really difficult.

And I think when I say it really, really difficult, people have no concept of how difficult that is to leave your network, to leave your community, to leave your notoriety, to leave your credibility, all that behind and start from scratch in the most difficult market that I believe it exists in the world, which is America, where everything happens differently.

No one knows who you are. No one cares. And. To if you're not a Kardashian, you're not an astronaut, you're not a Olympic medalist, and you're not star, um, then you know it. Um, or if you're, unless you're a basketball player, um, NFL player, um, football star or baseball star, like that is America.

If you're not one of those things or a [00:49:00] Kardashian or an astronaut or Olympian, then you know one pretty much. So to leave that all behind is. Probably the most challenging thing that I've done, one of the most challenging things I've ever done in my life. And again, it goes back to that whole concept of, well, why would you do that when you could settle for just being successful in your own country? And I guess that goes down to exactly the same principle that we were talking about. It's like, you can settle for. Or you can on pushing and keep on challenging yourself and leaning into your fears, leaning into change, leaning into how do you grow? And that is, I think everything that I do is about leaning into your fears and keep on growing and keeping on evolving.

It's not the easy choice, but the easy choice is never the right choice. As we know in all areas of life, it's [00:50:00] like you want to pick the path of least resistance. Good luck. I don't think you, you probably going to go that far in life because you've always should take the easy option. never going to achieve extraordinary results in everything you do. It's about separating yourself from the rest and the difference between the best and the rest are, are believing in yourself and keep on leaning into having the courage to step out of your comfort zone and keep on evolving and challenging. And it means you're probably going to go backwards for a while and you're going to. You're going to worry that you've made the right decision and you're going to question your decision and you're going to go through huge amounts of adversity and challenges and change, but is that, um, is that enough to be able to make you give up? For a lot of people, maybe yes. And then you go back to the safe harbor of the known again, which would be my own country and my friends and my family and known wherever you go and all that kind of thing.

But. That's not the right choice. The right choice is to put yourself in an uncomfortable place, maybe go backwards for a couple of years and [00:51:00] find it really, really challenging. But that's what you learn and evolve. And you remind yourself all the things you take for granted when you are the definition of success and you keep moving forward and then you grow even more and then you grow into a new space.

And when you build notoriety and, and success in this environment, then you create that success in everything you do. Hopefully that's something that I'm creating over time and it's not easy and it's not, it's not the easy choice, but that's the decision that I've made, made all my life is to be able to take the, the bumpy road and the path less traveled and, and build, you know, Slowly and organically.

And if you, you persevere and you don't give up, you'll eventually achieve those goals. And all the expeditions that I'm doing at the moment and the ones going forward have extraordinary amount of impact and reach, and the only way I can do that is to be able to come here to America and get the [00:52:00] funding that I need to be able to get to that next level, which I wouldn't have been able to do in South Africa with the currency, the way it is, so it's not the easy choice. But I know it's the choice that I need to do and I need to, like the bison, you can just go put your head down, face your fears, face the storm, work your way through it, and know, just, just grind it out until you get to the point that you eventually gonna get the results that you need. And that's where I am at the moment, moving through the last journey, moving over to America, taking 15 years to be able to get to the point that I've finally got my green card now and I can start moving forward and getting a little place and building community and building knowing who you are and what you do.

But it takes time to do that. I had to do the, the. Trans Pacific project across the Pacific wing foiling across the Pacific in 2021 and 2022 and then have build on your reputation and your credentials so that you when you go [00:53:00] out and get trying to get sponsorship and funding and support people can see what you've done and you've got awesome Undeniable amount of proof that this is who you are.

This is what you stand for, this is what you do. So this is what you're going to do. And if you wanna get on board, that's awesome. If you don't, that's okay too, because it's still gonna happen. 

Kush: I know we're getting to the end of our time. one other thing that I want to, ask you is too many people, when they look at your journey, you know, they might see this, this, let's say gifted, extraordinarily

passionate individual who is on this crusade, you know, who's out there just, you know, getting what things done one after the other.

However, I sense that's true to some degree, but I don't know. The road to here has been, let's say, full of thorns, full of learnings, um, [00:54:00] full of things that you've had to teach yourself. So, looking back at everything that you've done, what's the one belief or mindset shift? That changed your life the most.

Chris: Well, there's so many things. I don't think you can narrow down to one thing, but perspective is everything. So it's about having the mindset for success. The mindset for resilience, the mindset to persevere when everything else tells you that you're not going to be able to succeed, you just keep on going. No matter what, and no matter how deep you get into debt, no matter what, like, yeah, it's just like, I just don't believe in failure and I don't believe in stopping. I believe that if you on working towards your goal, no matter what, if you don't give up, the only reason why you're not going to succeed is if you give up.

So if you know that, why would you ever give up? It's really simple. And then just to be able to learn to reframe things. Reframing is an important part [00:55:00] of everything. So there is no such thing as negative. There's no such thing as failure. There's no such thing as a negative experience. Everything can be turned into a positive.

And there's always a way to be able to see things in a way, something in a way that you can learn and evolve from it. And it's going to continue to add to your, tools that are going to help you get to where you want to go. And if you consistently keep moving forward in the directions of your goals and your dreams and your. Your mission and your vision. You always going to get there. no matter what, unless you give up and stop trying. So on earth would

you 

Kush: Chris. 

Chris: trying? If you know that, 

Kush: Yeah. Chris may ask how old are you?

Chris: just turn 50. 

Kush: 50.

years young. You accomplished many things and you had this like deep fire, you know, through your early years, [00:56:00] through your teenage, through, your surfing odysseys.

Chris: the fire go out. 

That's 

that's the key. 

Kush: Yeah. So I'm curious like, do you still have the same drive to prove yourself or has that 

Motivation changed.

Chris: Well, I think Kush, , the key part of that question is, um, do you still have that drive? Um, and I think that's the most important thing is just, you know, Never letting the fire go out is, is the key thing. Uh, be so passionate about what you do that you have a battery pack that never runs flat. I'm very fortunate that I'm very purpose driven and when you're driven by passion and powered by purpose, then never really have a battery battery pack that goes flat. It's just, you can constantly driven. And that's very, been very powerful for me and it's helped me on my journey. And whether, [00:57:00] whether it be being 25 or whether me being 50, it really doesn't change anything for me at all. Maybe I don't have much energy as when I had, when I was 25, but I still have the drive to be able to do what I do, because I know what I do impacts and inspires and changes the lives of others. And that for me

is 

everything. 

Kush: And Chris, this is such an important learning opportunity for us here as part of the theme of this podcast, which is being ageless. As we get older, that drive sometimes fades, right? And you have not let that fade. what can we learn from your journey? How can the rest of us who are not out there trying to do these expeditions, how can we not let that fire fade away into the night as we get older, as we let all of these other encumbrances of life [00:58:00] sidetrack us.

Chris: I think that's, that's different for everyone. I guess you've just got to, I think it's very important to keep on getting outdoors, getting outdoors in nature. Keep on moving. I think movement is an, is, is, What I've noticed is there's been a shift, um, in regarding to how to be able to stay fit and focused and on point and on purpose is now I have to work at it more than in the past.

It used to just come naturally. Now it's something that I work at on a continuous daily basis. And I, work out say work out, like I run, swim, um, surf, foil, whatever it is, sail. Um, I do that consistently because I'm, it's, it's. beneficial, if not more beneficial mentally than it is physically. And I know that I, if I don't train and I don't stay fit, one, it's really bad for me psychologically to mentally.

It also doesn't help my mental state. [00:59:00] Um, three, it doesn't allow me to be able to reset every day and keep up like a super positive mental attitude. and I think it's important. I've realized that When you don't stay fit when you get into your 40s Like 40s and late 40s, you lose your fitness and you lose your muscle really quickly.

And the most important thing that anybody that's studied neuroscience and studied physicality is that you don't lose it, if you don't use it, you lose it. So you've got to keep on, Utilizing your muscles and keep on, um, staying, staying fit because your physical fitness helps on your mental state dramatically. Um, and once you lose your fitness when you're in your forties and early fifties, it's very difficult to get it back. So it's about maintaining a very core, basic and a discipline. And a consistency to be able to keep, [01:00:00] physically and mentally sharp. And the way you do that is discipline and consistency in showing up each and every day and doing exercise, which is as important for your physical state as it is for your mental state. And that will help you. Um, and over and above that is filling your days and your months and your years with key goals that keep you moving forward on point and on purpose and keep on building memories and experiences that remind you of what's possible, remind you what's out there and remind you that life is worth living and you should keep on going out and having adventures because that's That's what life is all about.

Building memories, building experiences, building reminders in your daily and weekly and monthly and annual schedule of that life is an incredible gift that we should never take for granted. I always focus on having an attitude of gratitude each and every day. focusing on all the things [01:01:00] that we, most people take for granted and just being, being grateful that when you stand up and you get out of bed each morning, that is a gift. So if you're not using it and you're not going out and exploring and living your best life to your full potential, why are you even here?

Kush: Chris, you lead this extremely intense purpose driven life. And I'm curious if there is a simple or mundane habit that you may have picked up in the last several years, that. Keeps you grounded. that gives you outsize returns.

Chris: Um, I don't say, I don't think anything's like a mundane habit. I think it's really about discipline and consistency. And I think you, when you study any successful person in life, all areas of life, whether it be in business and life and sport, they'll talk about [01:02:00] discipline, consistency, showing up when you, when you don't want to, when you don't feel like it, when you're tired and building that into your daily, weekly, and monthly regime, as in show up and every day, make sure you've got a goal that you're working towards that you are passionate about make sure that then you take at least one or two daily steps and actions in order to be able to move forward towards making that happen. if you do that, You'll always be moving forward towards something that, that drives you, that inspires you, that keeps you passionate and keeps you on, on points and on purpose and moving forward in the right direction in life. And we've all got to have things that inspire us and that excite us and that make us excited to get up in each and every day.

And some days it's more difficult than others, like it is for me, but it doesn't mean you don't get up and you don't show up and you give it your best. So think of what you want to do. Take daily steps and actions towards it, get up each and [01:03:00] every day with a mission that you are excited about or that inspires you, that keeps you moving forward in the right direction, and then keep on using your mindset and your attitude in regarding to being grateful just to be alive and showing up. And keep moving forward in the direction of your goals and dreams and then use your gifts and your tools to be able to also show up for others and lift other people up and make a positive impact on the world because I believe that if you're not leaving the world better than when you found it, then you're not the best version of yourself as a human as you can possibly be. And like one of my first books always quoted, if you can dream it and you can see it and you truly believe it, you can achieve it. You can achieve in life. So go out there, have an adventure, stay focused, stay positive, stay proactive, keep a positive mental attitude, lift up others, help others wherever you can, and leave the world a better place than you found it.

Kush: [01:04:00] Chris, uh, we are over time, but I have to ask you this. Uh, you, your, your books, your talks, your message is, connecting with people and sometimes in profound ways. Do you have perhaps a, a fan story or a listener story where your message has gone across and has made a, uh, a big impact.

Chris: Yeah, I think that's sort of the moral of the story is just be kind. Be kind, help others wherever you can. Because when you do You know, you never know the ripple effect that you have on others and the world around you, and I'm very fortunate that, that as I've gone through life, I've often get people come up to me after I do a talk saying that, you know, what I said really impacted and struck a chord for them because of what they're going through in life, whether it be going through a divorce, whether going through some a divorce.

Physical illness where they're going through some mental illness or they've [01:05:00] lost someone, or all these different reasons that people come up to me and share stories with me. I mean, I get messages almost on a weekly basis from people around the world, whether it be through book, through them, reading one of my books like I. What, last week I got a message from someone that was, I don't know, like the oldest version of one of my books that I've ever seen, it looked like it's been passed down through 20 different people, and it was a friend of his that recommended that he should read it because he was going through a difficult time or he was at a crossroad in life, and it seems like my Stories and the way that I write my books are like a catalyst for change.

There are catalysts for people that are going through a difficult time or gone through adversity, challenge or change. And it is a catalyst for them to be able to go, well, if this guy's going through all this stuff and he's kept on going and he's done this and this and this, maybe I can too, maybe I can change my [01:06:00] life.

Maybe at this crossroads that I'm. in life, I can take a different road and I can take the path less traveled because he's shown me that through adversity comes great opportunity. If you're willing to take the, take that path less traveled or take that leap of faith and try a different option. And maybe I can persevere and I can get through this, or I can take this different road.

I, I hate this job that I'm in. Um, maybe I can take the plunge and take this different road, road, or, you know, can't believe he got through all this adversity when he was in hospital and he broke his knee and then he got through this and he carried on going and then he went and surfed these giant waves and won the event after he got told that he'd never be able to walk again or got told that like within the first week of his adventure on the transatlantic he thought he was going to die.

How did he carry on going? Well if he can do that then I can definitely get through this it gives people belief in themself and the courage to be able to take that leap. path. And [01:07:00] I've had so many people send me messages, like whether their parent was in hospital, like dying of cancer, that brought them back together, that like his son wanted him to read to him the stories out of my book when he was dying on his deathbed through cancer, that brought them back together.

They hadn't spoken to each other for 10 years. And that's what my book was, the thing that brought them back together, whether it was getting through cancer, whether it was the, the, the mother that, Never thought that they could do a 5k race that was doing their first 21k and was gonna about to give up in the middle of like the storm that in the last five k's of the race and she was in the middle of the storm going up this hill and was pissing with rain and she was just about to give up and then she thought of me on my the transatlantic in the book that she had read about me giving up through all the different things she was like oh if chris could give up Get through all this.

How am I even thinking of giving up and I've got [01:08:00] five kilometers to go and there's 21k that I never thought that I was going to be able to achieve. And that's a mother that never thought that she could do a half marathon kind of thing. Like, there's so many different areas of life that the story. And my journeys have touched that have helped people get through difficult, challenging times where they never thought that they could and what it does is it just inspires people to believe in themselves to carry on going when they never thought that they could to be able to either people the hope and the courage to get through adversity, challenge, change, learn. Change the direction in their life, get divorced from a partner that's abusive and take that leap of faith to be able to get out of, change the job, change your career, change your life, or get through whatever goals you've set for yourself. We all can. We have a well of courage and going beyond what we thought was possible, but we never know what we can do unless we try and then have the courage to carry on going when we [01:09:00] never think we can, because there's an untapped well of Power and courage and belief in ourself that we can endure if we just choose to and have the belief in 

ourself that we, 

Kush: Sure. 

Chris: that's really what it's about. ~And I ~

~think that's ~

Kush: ~No, I, ~

Chris: ~to end it off. 
~ 

Kush: ~yeah, Chris, no, that's,~ that's fantastic. And not only, I feel like these stories and these messages, they likely come back and reverberate with you as well in helping you stay fueled and powered. passionate about the work that you're doing, because it is making that impact. before we go, Chris, how can listeners find out about your next exciting project?

And then also, how can they be part of your journey and support you?

Chris: Yeah, thanks, Kush. That's great. So, um, I'm on Facebook on official Chris Burdish. then, um, on Instagram at Chris Burdish, all one word. uh, YouTube, same thing, and then just chrisbertish. com, B E [01:10:00] R T I S H, Bertish, chrisbertish. com. yeah, and then, um, yeah, at the end of the day, it's just, um, Anybody that wants to get involved and support any one of my journeys, We're always looking for sponsors and partners, so anybody is welcome to just send me An email at chris at chrisbirdish.

com or, or drop me a DM on Instagram. Um, yeah, I'm very available. And, you know, a lot of people just think on this, you know, all these figures that you put up on a pedestal, or you, you think of these unapproachable people, but, you know, I'm like everyone else. I'm just an ordinary guy. Um, That has a very strong passion and belief in, in giving back, helping others and, and inspiring people to believe in themselves and what possible and we all can do extraordinary things.

We've just got to have with the belief in ourself and the courage to try and go out there, have an adventure go and, um, Chase those goals and dreams because you never know what's possible unless you try and don't wait until next year [01:11:00] or the next year When this is right God and do it now because life happens without you knowing it and suddenly you realize you 55 or 60 and all the things that you want to do you now And not able to do or like throw something in your path or a health issue or something that changes in your life and don't wait until tomorrow. is not a given, it's a gift. So get out there and change and change your life and do the things you want to do now. Don't live someone else's life, live your own life and follow your passions, live your dreams. have one life to live. Make it right, make it happen, make it happen now.

Kush: ~Wonderful message, apt message to end this conversation with Chris. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.~

Chris: ~Kush. And thanks very much to the Aegis athletes. And, um, I hope everyone found it impactful, inspiring and insightful. If you want to go out and watch any of the films, the first film was called Ocean Driven. The second film was called Last Known Coordinates and the book is called All In. Uh, the.~

~Sub transatlantic crossing, and I'll be launching my other book called Stoked, which is the story of courage, determination and the power of dreams, which will come out at the end of the year, all available on Amazon and all those kind of other sources.~

Kush: ~We will put links to all of those in the show notes. Thank you, Chris.~

Chris: ~Kush, and thanks very much, audience. Have a great time. ​ ~ [01:12:00] [01:13:00]