Another Mans Shoes
Skydiving, Summits, and Saving Elephants: The Extraordinary Journey of Holly Budge
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Episode notes
What drives someone to leap out of planes and conquer the world's highest peaks? In this thrilling episode, we sit down with the extraordinary Holly Budge, an adventurer and conservationist whose life story reads like an epic novel. From being expelled from school at just four years old to representing Great Britain in triathlon events and then finding her passion for professional skydiving in New Zealand, Holly's journey is a testament to the unyielding human spirit. On World Female Ranger Day, she opens up about the resilience, teamwork, and passion that have fueled her incredible adventures and conservation efforts.
Join us as Holly recounts some of her most exhilarating skydiving experiences, including the wildly unique Funny Farm festival in Australia. We share practical tips for aspiring skydivers, from training in Spain to overcoming initial fears, and delve into her transition into filming skydives, showing how passion can take you to new heights. Holly also takes us high into the Himalayas, detailing the thrill and peril of skydiving and mountaineering in some of the world's most challenging terrains, with gripping tales of media attention and the daunting Skydive Everest event.
But the excitement doesn't stop at extreme sports. Holly also discusses her innovative "mirror step" technique for summiting 8,000-meter peaks and the transition from self-funded expeditions to securing sponsorship for Everest. We then pivot to her impactful conservation work, focusing on the alarming rates of elephant poaching in Africa and the efforts of "How Many Elephants" in supporting female rangers on the front lines. Discover the significance of World Female Ranger Day and Holly's passion for journaling through her adventures, offering a raw, inspiring glimpse into a life dedicated to both adventure and making a difference.
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