Episode 116: The Explorer’s Disease with Justin Fornal
“Being afraid and going forward is one of the best feelings in life.”
In this episode, we’re joined by Justin Fornal, an international explorer, cultural detective, filmmaker, award-winning writer, and the host of Unexplained and Unexplored on the Discovery and Science Channel. Listen in as he shares the incredible story of completing the first long-distance swim of the Nares Strait in history. Justin also discusses:
2:20 - The Great Arctic Swim
7:00 - Getting to the Arctic Circle
9:50 - Scary moments during their trip
14:45 - Landing the plane and logistics
16:20 - Traveling by boat
17:40 - Weather conditions he experienced
23:30 - Swimming across the Nares Strait
28:10 - What was going through his mind during this swim
31:50 - The risk of death during his swim
32:30 - Wrestling with fear
35:40 - Being curious about fear
37:30 - Pushing boundaries
39:00 - Hypothermia and the challenges it brought
44:00 - What it meant for him to complete this adventure
45:40 - How he became this adventurous person
50:20 - The explorer’s disease
53:00 - The best way for people to keep track of his latest adventures
54:50 - What stops people from going on adventures and advice to overcome this
56:20 - Who is going to play him in a Hollywood movie about his life?
You can learn more about Justin by following him on Instagram @justin_fornal or his website justinfornal.com. To learn more about his swim across the Nares Strait, be sure to visit his site greatarcticswim.com.
You can learn more about his non-profit, the History, Arts, & Science Action Network (HASAN), a non-profit organization that focuses on relic repatriation, historic justice, and documenting vanishing cultures by visiting hasanworldwide.org.
See below for photos Justin shared from his adventure.
Watch the Full Behind The Scenes Episode
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