MISSION & APPROACH
Is success really that different than failure?
Our podcast invites reflection and dailogue following outdoor & experiential education incidents. Why do we normally succeed, and sometimes fail? What can we learn from successes, near-misses, or incidents?
Through non-judgmental analysis, we uncover lessons to build a safer future for our community. Rather than blaming and shaming, we try to see things from our guests' perspective, asking different questions: How did this happen, what went well, how did your actions make sense to you at the time, and what can we learn from this for the future?
We invite our listeners to imagine themselves in our guests' situation, and to explore the sometimes fine line between lucky and good.
Episode 1: Overcoming Fear on the Colchuck Glacier
Guest: Tamara Walker
A climber's terrifying solo climb down steep ice, and what she learned from this experience.
Discover a deeply personal story of mountain climbing that explores the interplay of luck, skill, and psychological resilience.
This episode offers valuable insights into managing fear, decision-making under pressure, and how past experiences shape our responses in high-stakes environments.
Was she lucky, or was she good?
Episode 4: Avalanche Professional Gets Caught
Guest: Dan Veenhuizen
What happens when highly trained avalanche professionals get caught in an avalanche of their own?
What were the factors that set them up to fail, and what were the good habits and practices that helped to mitigate the impact?
Join us for a curious, humble examination of the lessons learned from this incident - and how we might apply these lessons in other aspects of our lives and outdoor adventures.
Were they lucky, or were they good?
Episode 7: Listening to Weak Signals
Guest: Gareth Lock
Our first live and on-location episode, from the Island of Vis, Croatia!
In this episode, Gareth Lock (from The Human Diver) shares a powerful personal story about a near-fatal cardiac event and explores how vulnerability, systems thinking, and recognizing weak signals can improve safety in outdoor and diving environments.
Gareth is a leading voice in human factors in diving, and this episode explores concepts that can be applied to almost any experiential learning environment, and beyond.
The Latest Episodes
Episode 4: Avalanche Professional Gets Caught
Episode 2: How do Outdoor Educators Define Success?
Guest: Norm Eckman
Ever felt overwhelmed by student behavior during courses? Here's a new way to measure success.
Instead of evaluating courses based on uncontrollable student behaviors, focus on what you can control: structure, supervision, and involvement.
These elements empower you as an instructor and can reduce burnout and enhance learning. Reflecting on your role can transform how you view success in outdoor education.
Are we letting someone else determine if we are lucky, or good?
Episode 5: Five Steps to Adjust for Climate Change
Guest: Shana Tarter
This episode explores how outdoor and experiential education organizations can proactively manage climate-related risks.
Guest Shana Tarter discusses the impact of climate change, risk assessment models, and strategies for resilience to pursue safety and mission continuity.
Rather than reflecting on something that has already happened, Shana offers five steps organizations can take to perhaps avoid being a case study on a future edition of this podcast.
We don't need to rely on luck, we can be good instead.
Episode 3: Snow Shelter Collapses on School Group
Guest: Deb Ajango
What happens when a seemingly benign activity, one that has been done many times before, drifts into riskier terrain than usual? And how do some decisions and factors that occurred earlier on the program amplify the impact of this unexpected event?
Join outdoor risk consultant and author Deb Ajango, who shares the story of an incident she was brought in to review with a school that experienced a snow shelter (quinzhee) collapse on some of their participants.
What role did luck and other factors play in this unfortunate event?
Episode 6:
Failing Forward
Guest: Jaime Overmyer
In the world of adaptive outdoor education, the balance between safety and adventure is tenuous. One common challenge that many organizations face is the fear of failure among staff, especially in high-consequence situations. In this post, we’ll explore insights shared by Jaime Overmeyer of the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center on how to transform the stigma of failure into a powerful tool for growth, confidence, and innovation. By creating a balance between clear policies with trust and flexibility for innovation, Jaime describes how she has built an organizational mindset of "failing forward" on the pathway of continuous improvement.