Episode 98: The Highs and Lows of Adventure with Adam Herzog

“There was certainly the thought that paddling might be over forever...but that’s not the case.”

— Adam Herzog

In this episode, Adam Herzog, an Elite Whitewater Kayaker and Trauma Nurse, joins us a second time to share his story of successfully achieving a lifetime goal of navigating the Mount Everest of kayaking and suffering an injury soon after by falling 45 feet from an indoor climbing wall. This is a story about learning from our mistakes and the power of resilience. Adam also discusses:

2:10 - A recap of his journey
4:30 - The Mount Everest of kayaking
6:35 - What was it like to accomplish a lifetime goal
9:05 - How long it took him to complete the 60 miles
11:20 - His fall and the injuries he suffered
14:00 - His experience as a patient
16:00 - What was it like once he came to
17:20 - What recovery was like on his end
20:30 - The stages of grief and if he experienced them
21:50 - His ability to sustain this injury and survive
24:30 - The irony of his accident
25:00 - His article about the day of his accident
31:00 - Flow state while climbing
32:45 - How has the recovery been recently
35:10 - Where was his head in terms of kayaking at this point
36:30 - Entering a race after the accident
38:00 - How it felt to win the race
39:50 - What it was like to receive help after years of helping others
40:50 - What’s next for him
44:00 - The best way for people to learn from Adam
44:55 - Advice he hopes people take away from this episode
46:25 - Risk-taking and advice for his kids
48:55 - Who would play him in a Hollywood movie

You can learn more about Adam by following him on Instagram @ZogTraining or Facebook. If you’re interested in getting kayaking lessons from Adam, please visit NOLILearn.org.

You can also read the article he wrote about the mistakes that led to his accident here.

See below for photos Adam shared from his adventures.