About this episode
Returning for his fourth appearance on the podcast, Colin O'Brady is here to elaborate. Longtime listeners are well acquainted with Colin's story from burn victim to boundary eclipsing adventurer. Even if you're new to the podcast, chances are stumbled across his story by way of his appearances everywhere, from the Today show to the Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. If you missed our previous conversations ( RRP#207 , RRP#235 and RRP#439 ), they're an excavation of Colin's origin story growing up on a commune. How he survived an almost lethal burn accident that left him unlikely to walk again. His phoenix-like transformation into a professional ITU triathlete and Olympic hopeful. And how he morphed into a mountaineer with the audacity to attempt such incomprehensible feats of adventure athleticism is well worth the time invested. Today we pick up where our ongoing series last left off. Note : we recorded this conversation many months ago on January 18. My initial plan was to share this episode on February 9. However, on February 2, National Geographic published an article entitled The Problem With Colin O’Brady - a 7,000 word take down that accuses Colin of embellishing his accomplishments. It’s an upsetting piece that left me confused. I’ve known Colin for many years. I’ve spent quite a bit of time with him and his wife Jenna. I consider him a good friend. And myself a decent judge of character. However, in light of this development, it also felt tone deaf to release the podcast as scheduled. So I put a pin it. Two weeks later, Colin published a thorough, 16-page point-by-point refutation of the National Geographic article. I thought it only fair to provide Colin an opportunity to comment on the allegations. So, on March 8 (still pre-pandemic), we sat down again for a subsequent conversation to discuss the controversy particulars. Today I share both conversations. First, the original interview we conducted in January. It's an exploration the hows and whys behind The Impossible Row. The intention behind his new book and the process of birthing it. And a deep dive into human potential and the infinite love that fuels his. Immediately following this initial exchange is an additional 30-minute discourse specific to the National Geographic scuffle appended to the audio version of the podcast and viewable as a stand-alone piece here & below. The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube -- where we separated the main podcast conversation and Colin’s thoughts in response to the article into two distinct videos. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. As Colin and I are both fond of repeating, we all sit atop mountains of untapped potential. May this conversation help you tap yours. Peace + Plants, Rich