My latest grand expedition was back in September in the Arctic. I spent most of the month with Lindblad-National Geographic exploring several of my favorite places: Norway, Greenland, and Iceland. Oddly enough, although I grew up in Southern California, I’ve always been drawn to higher latitudes—the Arctic in the north and Antarctica in the south—and my expedition with Lindblad-National Geographic was a great opportunity to go far north again and get back to some of those favorite places.

In this episode, you’ll hear about my voyage in the High Arctic with Lindblad-National Geographic. I describe our voyage through the far north of Norway and the volcanic Jan Mayen island. I discuss the spikiest summits I’ve ever seen and explain how frost-shattering weather rocks into jaggy mountains. I describe my fellow passengers on the expedition—including bestselling thriller novelist Lisa Gardner—and their fascinating, diverse backgrounds. You’ll also learn how I conducted an experiment inspired by this podcast’s theme—Spaceship not required—and the characteristics that make an explorer.

“Spaceship not required—nor a certain job title, nor a certain percentage of your working hours; if you’re curious, going, testing, and learning, you’re legitimately an explorer.” - Kathy Sullivan

This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:

●     Sailing among witches’ hats: our voyage through the far north of Norway

●     The awe-inspiring Jan Mayen island

●     Our time at the Northeast Greenland National Park

●     The spikiest summits and craziest mountainside I’ve ever seen

●     Iceland—a true marine geologist’s paradise

●     The site of the first democratic parliament in the world

●     My fellow passengers, their diverse backgrounds, and my mini experiment

●     “Doing” versus “being,” and the things that make an explorer

Our Favorite Quotes:

●     “The peaks are the result of frost shattering the rock into tiny little bits, so you get absolutely jagged 6,000-foot-tall mountains right above.” - Kathy Sullivan

●     “I think you’re exploring if you’re tuning in to this podcast, even a little bit, and I hope you keep exploring.” - Kathy Sullivan

Spaceship Not Required

I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.

I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.

In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are--spaceship not required.

Welcome to Kathy Sullivan Explores.

Visit my website at kathysullivanexplores.com to sign up for seven astronaut tips to improving your life on earth and be the first to discover future episodes and learn about more exciting adventures ahead!

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