Quo Vadis - A Pilgrim's Journey
Quo Vadis is a reflective podcast about following your calling — and what happens when you step into the unknown.
Drawing on myth, psychology, spirituality, and lived experience, the podcast explores the inner journey behind outer adventures. Each episode moves through themes such as transformation, surrender, purpose, fear, and meaning, inspired by Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.
Hosted by pilgrim, writer, and long-distance hiker Uffe Sveegaard, Quo Vadis weaves personal storytelling with conversations and reflections on what it means to live a life guided not by achievement, but by calling.
While the journey often unfolds through wilderness trails like the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, Quo Vadis is ultimately about the terrain within and how we return home changed.
This podcast is for listeners who seek depth, meaning, and the courage to walk their own path - even when the way forward is unclear.
Quo Vadis - A Pilgrim's Journey
Why Do We Give Up Halfway?
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Why do some people push through… while others stop when it gets hard?
In this episode of Quo Vadis, I explore a fundamental question on the journey of following your calling:
Why do we give up halfway?
Inspired by a young boy one morning in Nuuk fighting on his bicycle uphill I experience a living metaphor for perseverance. As he climbs a steep hill where most people give up, something unexpected unfolds.
Along the way, I reflect on stories and perspectives that challenge what we think we know about talent, effort, and endurance:
- Can greatness be created, or are we born with it? The remarkable experiment of László Polgár and his daughters suggests one answer.
- What happens when discipline replaces passion? The story of André Agassi reveals a different truth.
- What carries us through when desire fades?
- And what does it really mean to “love your fate” — amor fati?
Drawing on the lives of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Viktor Frankl, this episode explores how meaning — not talent, not even passion — may be the deepest source of endurance.
Because when everything becomes difficult, what is it that keeps you going?