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gwunspoken
We know that now more than ever, there is a growing disconnection between parents and their teens, corporates and their employees, and human interactions in general.
This can cause stress, frustration and many arguments within families and the work environment.
gwunspoken looks at the challenges people of all ages have in their relationships with one another and provides experience and advice, allowing all parties to have a voice.... and feel heard.
Join us to hear corporates, parents, educators, teens and the latest advice of how we can in fact live the life we love, in making authentic interactions, because we know... authentic connection is everything.
gwunspoken
Up, Up, and a-Whoopty: Adventures at 3,500 Feet
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to conduct a podcast interview while soaring 3,500 feet above the ground? That's exactly what happened in this extraordinary episode of gwunspoken, where we literally elevate our conversation during a tandem hang gliding flight.
Meet Lisa, a veteran hang gliding instructor with 27 years of experience whose inspiring journey began after a devastating accident that ended her multi-sport career. When a vehicle ran her over and took away her ability to run, Lisa discovered that "one door shuts, another one opens" – a philosophy that would become the cornerstone of her remarkable life. Rather than dwelling on what she lost, Lisa embraced new opportunities, first in paragliding and then hang gliding, eventually becoming an instructor and buying the very school where she trained.
What makes Lisa's approach so compelling is her genuine passion for creating meaningful experiences. "I want to make you happy," she explains, describing how she tailors each flight to fulfill her customers' dreams, whether they want thrilling aerobatics or peaceful floating. This dedication to customer experience extends to only flying in optimal conditions – like the perfect day of our interview – ensuring each person gets the magical experience they've imagined.
Between reflections on her parallel career mentoring teachers, her love for animals, and the importance of living without regrets, Lisa delivers wisdom as refreshing as the air currents carrying us through the sky. The episode concludes with an exhilarating landing, complete with a "little whoopty" spin that perfectly captures the joy and freedom Lisa has found in her second-chance career.
What dream are you putting off until "someday"? This episode might just give you the push you need to stop waiting and take flight toward your own passion. Subscribe to gwunspoken for more conversations that challenge you to think differently about life's unexpected journeys.
www.in8code.com
Welcome to another edition of GW Unspoken, where we discuss stuff we don't typically talk about but probably should. And we are in the most incredible position right now and I'd like to introduce lisa to the show. How are you, lisa?
Speaker 2:I'm good thanks um what? The hell is going on here, lisa explain to our listeners what's going on so right now we are up at 3 500 feet in the sky on a tandem and got it together it's insane.
Speaker 1:It's um a birthday present for my lovely wife, rach, and it was definitely interesting coming up, I thought I'd be a lot braver than I was, but at least it made it feel very comfortable. Lise, how long have you been doing this for now?
Speaker 2:So I've got to think I'm getting older now. So 27 years I've been doing it for.
Speaker 1:I want to know. That's amazing 27 years.
Speaker 2:Okay, first of all, what got you into this, like? What got you into this crazy adrenaline junkie stuff? So it's a bit of a long story but I'll cut it short. Um, I was right into um, outdoor multi-sport and everything. Yeah, I was out training one day and I actually got run over by a vehicle and it took off my leg and dislocated so I couldn't run anymore. I'll do multi-sport so, but you know, one door shuts, another one opens, um. So I got run over by someone that used to fly and then they took me for a tandem when I could walk and, oh, it was the best thing ever. So sometimes you can't look at the negative. You've got to think maybe that door's shut and there's something else out for me, out there.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and then I took up paragliding first, and then I wanted to fly more because hang gliding can fly in more conditions. Yeah, and then I got into hang gliding and then I just, you know, I worked really hard at it, you know. So you know, people say you're natural. No, I say I do a lot of it and I worked really hard at it to get there. And yeah, and then another door opened. Sometimes if you're just nice in life, you get opportunities. And my instructor gave me the opportunity to train as an instructor, because I'd already trained as an outdoor instructor for a lot of youth at risk rock climbing and kayaking and whitewater kayaking. And then so I couldn't really do that anymore because you need to be the strongest in the pack, you've got to carry more and I couldn't do that. So then I was natural at teaching hand gliding and power gliding. So I got into that and then a year into that I got the opportunity to buy the school. The guy goes I don't want anyone else to have it. You've got passion.
Speaker 1:And I said I want else to have it. You've got passion and I said I want you to have it, so let me pay it off, let me pay all the gear off. I had no money. Yeah, um and um, yeah, so, yeah, so really awesome. Yeah, I just love how you say stuff like. You talk about your passion. You talk about opportunities. One door closes, another opens. Love how you talk about investing in other people like, and obviously giving people the thrill of their life up here too. Have you have had some really strange people panic up here or go crazy? You must have seen something in your 20 years or 27 years experience.
Speaker 2:No, not really because I think I'm pretty chilled as a person and I think people kind of trust me because, look, I'm not out there to prove anything to anyone. I want to make you happy, okay, and I'll do what you want. So if some people want to aerobatics, I'll do it. I'll do it. Some people want to float around, I'll do it. So it's more like I do what the people want and make their dreams come true, because they want to dream about it all their life. So I want to make that dream come true. That's why we only pick the best days to fly. We don't fly in shit and sometimes it's just not meant to be, and when it is like today is probably one of the best days of the year and I'm not kidding you, it is. You know, this is what we fly on, you know, because it's meant to be what you dreamed about. I don't want to take you on a day where it's you know it's raining.
Speaker 1:It's windy and rainy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's shitty. And you go, oh, this isn't what.
Speaker 1:I want Won't do that again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. And so on the horizon, you want to do okay, so yeah, my passion no 100 flying. I love it. So I do this more on the weekends and then I do normal work. Okay, yeah, because this doesn't pay the bills, um, so, even though you know you earn good money but you don't fly all the time because you need to fly, perfect conditions, yeah, um, the other thing is I love animals as well, so I've just started to get into horse riding again. Look, I'm not you. All I want to be is one with you know, and just being with an animal sometimes they understand everything you know, and and and certainly it makes you more grounded and you can't be in a rush with animals, you know. Same with flying. You can't be in a rush with flying, neither you know. You've got to do all your yeah, so, yeah, so yeah, I'm still doing. I want to do stuff. I don't want to live with regret.
Speaker 2:No, it's lovely I want to, and that's the thing I keep going. I'm going to do it when I'm 45. I'm going to do it, and I realised I was 46 before I got into it.
Speaker 1:I thought I've got to do it now or it's not going to happen yeah.
Speaker 1:I love how you say that, because I've been teaching for 27 years and I actually out now and actually mentor other teachers to connect teachers to kids better. I think there's a big like a big separation there. A lot of kids don't get, I guess, the quality from home these days and also maybe from their mentors who are teachers who are struggling and I think turning 50 was the thing going okay. It's time to go now. It's time to do something different.
Speaker 2:I love that word opportunities that you said, so it's so cool hey and tell you what I had an amazing teacher at school and he was like a father to me actually and he actually I had an amazing father as well, yeah, but, um, 100%, he was a real mentor to me and he gave me a lot of good advice and that I still live by now. And it's really important and I think teachers, when they've got passion and they can help you, that they do so much for a student yeah they don't realize it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love what you're doing I think it's awesome, really awesome I think it's like you said you often I heard someone say this like you never know the impact you actually have on people, but like even yourself in this business, like it's just a, it's a memory you won't forget and I try and tell it to the kids. You can get so many different presents um, for christmas and that but it's experiences, especially with family. If you've got that closeness, that really counts and no doubt you've got those connections with people as well.
Speaker 2:A hundred percent, because you're going to have everything in the world, but these are the ones that you'll talk about when you're old man. You'll be like, oh my God, when I flew and I flew with the birds. That's it, right, we're going to hoon in a land soon. Are you ready?
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, here we go. I knew there was going to be something crazy happening.
Speaker 2:Okay, so what we'll do is I'll do a little wee whoopty with you, yep, and then we'll come in nice and fast. Okay, all right, so we won't do too much of a one, I'll just do a little weight burst and then we come in, coming fast like that.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's nice, Do you feel it? Yeah, I love the spin. That's so good. I got a little whoopty as I was going.
Speaker 2:Then we're gonna do a nice turn around here, and then we're gonna land a little bit further along the runway because we're coming like a plane.
Speaker 1:Beautiful, we're coming to land. I want to thank Lisa for coming on the show, something unique, no doubt, for you. I appreciate you Awesome.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I say do what you love, man. Yeah, awesome.
Speaker 1:Oh, nice landing baby that was so cool.
Speaker 2:Thank you, hey, well done. Happy birthday from the other day. Thank you, thanks very much. Thanks for being on the show too.
Speaker 1:It was awesome. Outro Music