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Chris sits down with Brazilian conservation biologist Letícia Benavalli to talk about her work protecting jaguars in the Cerrado — one of the world's most biodiverse yet overlooked biomes. From growing up in São Paulo to founding the Pro Onça Institute, Letícia shares how a childhood fascination with nature led her to track some of the rarest cats on the planet, including melanistic (black) jaguars. She also opens up about the importance of community-led conservation, empowering women and young people in rural Brazil, and her ambition to create wildlife corridors connecting isolated jaguar populations across biomes.

Chapters

00:00 Tracking Melanistic Jaguars
04:43 From City Life to Conservation Biologist
07:10 The Cerrado: Saving Brazil's Biodiverse Savanna
14:47 Learnings from Oxford University & African Wild
22:53 Rare Black Jaguar Encounter in the Wild
27:07 Survival Story: Lost Alone in the Brazilian Jungle
36:38 Jaguar Hunting Threats & Landowner Conflicts
40:58 Pro Onça Institute: Conservation & Community Empowerment
47:02 Women Leadership in Ecotourism
1:00 Urban Jaguars in Brasília National Park
1:06 Rolex Explorers Club Grant & Future Goals
1:14 Call to Adventure: Climbing Brazil's Serra do Cipó

Guest Bio

Letícia Benavalli is a conservation biologist and founder of the Onça Institute (Instituto Onça), an NGO dedicated to jaguar conservation in Brazil's Cerrado and Atlantic Forest. She has worked across multiple Brazilian biomes — including the Pantanal, Caatinga, and Amazon — studying large carnivores and developing community-based conservation programmes. Letícia is a Rolex/Explorers Club grant recipient and a member of the IUCN's Wildlife Conservation and Protected Areas group. She presented her research at the Explorers Club in New York and is preparing a PhD focused on jaguar density, diet, and the genetics of melanistic jaguars in the Cerrado.

Key Topics Discussed

1. Growing up in São Paulo & finding conservation — How a city kid from Latin America's largest metropolis ended up dedicating her life to wildlife, sparked by a childhood visit to the zoo and a love of nature documentaries.
2. The Cerrado: Brazil's forgotten biome — Why this vast savanna is critically important for biodiversity but receives far less attention and protection than the Amazon or Pantanal.
3. Black jaguars and the Onça Institute — Letícia's face-to-face encounter with a wild melanistic jaguar, the rare genetics behind black colouration, and the founding mission of her NGO to connect isolated jaguar populations.
4. Community-led conservation & empowering women — Why conservation cannot succeed without involving local and rural communities, particularly women and young people, and how traditional knowledge strengthens scientific work.
5. The Rolex/Explorers Club grant & global ambitions — Winning the gra

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Ricardo Kaljouw is a Dutch adventurer and mountaineer from Flushing (Vlissingen) in Zeeland, Netherlands — a province that sits below sea level, making his obsession with the world's highest volcanoes all the more fitting. By day he works in military shipbuilding, constructing frigates for governments around the world. By adventure, he has just become the first person from the Benelux to complete the Volcanic 7 Summits — a challenge so rare that only around 68 people in the world have ever achieved it.

Chapters

• 00:00 – Introduction: A Dangerous Encounter
• 01:28 – Welcome to The Adventure Diaries
• 01:50 – Meet Ricardo Kaljouw: Volcanic Seven Summits
• 04:35 – Growing Up Below Sea Level
• 06:39 – Navy Life: Battling Pirates in Somalia
• 09:13 – Inspiration: Climbing Kilimanjaro
• 12:16 – Inside the Crater: Virunga's Lava Lake
• 17:19 – Mount Damavand: Winter Climbing in Iran
• 23:41 – Mountaineering Lessons: Snow Blindness
• 28:04 – Papua New Guinea: Jungle Trekking Challenges
• 31:49 – Close Call: Mistaken for a Witch
• 33:07 – Survival Story: Stranded on Ojos del Salado
• 41:00 – Romance on the Peak: Pico de Orizaba
• 42:33 – Antarctica: The Ultimate Expedition
• 45:40 – Landing on the Frozen Continent
• 1:00:25 – Summiting Mount Sidley: A Historic Feat
• 1:13:26 – What's Next: The Volcanic Grand Slam
• 1:17:16 – Book Launch: A Million Steps on Lava

Key Topics Covered

• Growing up in the flattest country on earth and joining a walking club as a kid
• Serving in the Royal Dutch Navy, including an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden in 2010
• How a safari to Kenya and a first glimpse of Kilimanjaro sparked a lifelong obsession
• The Virunga documentary that sent him to the Democratic Republic of Congo — and sleeping on the rim of Nyiragongo, home to the world's largest lava lake
• Climbing Damavand (Iran) in winter and going snow blind on the descent
• Surviving near-starvation and a machete encounter in the jungles of Papua New Guinea
• Getting stranded alone at 6,600m on Ojos del Salado (Chile/Argentina) in whiteout conditions
• Mount Elbrus (Russia, 2017) — his first experience on glaciers, roped teams and crampons
• Carrying his proposal ring to the summit of Pico de Orizaba (Mexico) and the Aztec legend behind it
• The full Antarctica chapter — flying to Union Glacier, a 1,000km internal flight to Mount Sidley, two weeks in a 10-metre safe zone, a guide evacuated with pulmonary oedema, and a last-gasp summit window in minus 42°C
• Reflecting on what it means to finish a multi-year, multi-continent challenge

Lessons from the Mountains

• You're only at 70% when you think you're at 100% — but know where the real limit is
• The descent is where most accidents happen; the summit is only halfway
• Always use

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What does it actually feel like to sleep alone in a West African rainforest — the noise, the insects, the pitch-dark uncertainty? In this Season 5 opener, Chris sits down with Jude Kriwald, adventure filmmaker and cyclist, to unpack Alone Across Gola — Jude’s solo ride across West Africa, including a remote jungle crossing in Liberia/Sierra Leone’s Gola region.

Connect with Jude

• Book Jude For Your Next Event: https://JudeKriwald.com/Speaking
• Follow On Insta: https://www.instagram.com/judekriwald
• Need Mentoring? AdventureMentor.org

Alongside the on-the-ground stories (heat, hydration, kit failures, and a few genuinely sketchy moments), Jude shares a thoughtful take on neurodivergence (autism + ADHD), why “analogue adventures” matter, and how we can build a life that’s more honest to who we are.

What You’ll Learn

• What jungle nights are really like — and why the soundscape is unforgettable
• How Jude manages risk when travelling solo (and what satellite SOS can’t solve)
• Why ADHD/autism traits can be powerful outdoors: hyperfocus, pattern-spotting, rapid problem-solving
• The “stepping stone” approach to confidence and route planning
• Why rest days aren’t optional on long bike trips

Chapters:

• 00:00 Exploring the Unknown: A Journey into the African Rainforest
• 01:45 The Call of Adventure: Jude's Formative Years
• 06:49 The First Big Expedition: Cycling to India
• 11:58 Navigating Life's Gaps: The Lost Decade
• 17:34 Harnessing Neurodivergence: ADHD and Autism as Superpowers
• 22:45 Adventure Mentoring: Leveling the Playing Field
• 28:26 West Africa: A New Frontier for Exploration
• 29:44 Exploring the Unknown: Journey to West Africa
• 31:19 First Night in the Jungle: A Personal Experience
• 34:59 Planning and Preparation: The Adventurer's Mindset
• 36:30 Camping and Rest: Balancing Adventure and Recovery
• 38:05 The Trusty Bike: A Companion on the Journey
• 41:29 Hydration and Health: Navigating the Jungle's Challenges
• 43:46 Self-Reliance and Communication: The Importance of Preparedness
• 47:16 Cultural Interactions: Bridging the Gap
• 51:19 Understanding Poverty: A Lesson in Empathy
• 54:29 The Gola Rainforest: An Adventurer's Discovery
• 57:25 Navigating the Unknown: The Adventure of Exploration
• 58:37 The Art of Filmmaking: A Journey into Storytelling
• 01:02:54 Reflections on Courage: The Impact of Adventure
• 01:05:31 Creating a Platform: The Power of Sharing Stories
• 01:08:14 Paying It Forward: Supporting Future Adventurers
• 01:12:25 Embracing Analog Adventures: A Call to Dis

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The Adventure Diaries Podcast also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering

Listen Now: AdventureDiaries.com/Story

Reaching the North Pole wasn’t just about distance—it was about whose work could survive the ice. For over 20 years, Matthew Henson led expeditions where others failed, mastering indigenous travel and keeping teams alive through the harshest conditions on Earth. Yet when history was written, his role was reduced to the margins.

This is the story of how polar exploration actually functioned, and why recognition followed authority rather than effort.

Listen to the full immersive story of Matthew Henson in our premiere episode of the Adventure Diaries Exploration series.

👉 Listen now: AdventureDiaries.com/Story

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The Adventure Diaries Podcast also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering

Support the Show: Join the new Patreon for exclusive after-shows, extended newsrooms, immersive short stories and meetups at adventurediaries.com/go

In this highlight reel from the Adventure Diaries Podcast, Chris W. revisits his conversation with explorer Katharina Kneip. Katharina shares the harrowing story of hitchhiking on a French sailboat to cross from Iceland to Newfoundland, battling 50-knot winds and ice in one of the most remote regions on Earth. She also discusses life under the eternal sun of Svalbard, camping near existing settlements to stay safe from polar bears, and offers a grounding "Call to Adventure" that encourages everyone to find exploration simply by walking out their front door.

FULL Episode With Katharina

Timestamped Chapters

00:00 - The Danger of Sailing: Hitchhiking from Iceland to Newfoundland
05:14 - Svalbard's Eternal Sun and Polar Bear Safety
07:01 - Comparing the Rough Beauty of Iceland vs. Svalbard
08:29 - Call to Adventure: The Simple Power of Walking
10:51 - Season 5 Launch Updates & Patreon Support

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The Adventure Diaries Podcast also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering

Support the Show: Join the new Patreon for exclusive after-shows, extended newsrooms, immersive short stories and meetups at adventurediaries.com/go

In this highlights episode, we revisit an inspiring conversation with Georgia Barker, who is on a mission to make birdwatching cool again. Georgia takes us back to her unconventional childhood growing up on a goat farm in Essex, complete with goat funerals and walking them on leads. She shares the pivotal moment she realized a standard office job wasn't for her—fearing that a two-week annual holiday was the only thing to look forward to—which spurred a one-way ticket to Australia.

Full Episode with Georgia

From working in rough Outback pubs to terrifying whitewater rafting adventures in Victoria Falls, Georgia recounts the transformative experiences of her travels. She also discusses her "Happiness Project," where she collected definitions of happiness from strangers, and reveals the quiet epiphany she had in a bird hide that changed her perspective on nature and life. Finally, Georgia shares her simple "Call to Adventure" for anyone looking to reconnect with the outdoors.

Timestamped Chapters

00:00 - Growing Up with Goats
02:50 - The Fear of a Two-Week Holiday
04:29 - Working in the Outback
06:52 - Rafting Victoria Falls
08:59 - The Happiness Project
11:31 - Birdwatching Epiphany
12:31 - Call to Adventure

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The Adventure Diaries Podcast also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering

Support the Show: Join the new Patreon for exclusive after-shows, extended newsrooms, immersive short stories and meetups at adventurediaries.com/go

In this highlight episode of the Adventure Diaries Podcast, we revisit the incredible journey of Ollie Treviso, who walked the entire length of the Andes—from Patagonia to Venezuela.

FULL EPISODE with Ollie

Ollie shares unforgettable moments from his expedition, including sailing across the Atlantic in a dilapidated boat, surviving a terrifying fall into a gorge, and experiencing the vast solitude of the salt flats. He also reflects on the surprising kindness he encountered at dangerous borders and the joy of being joined by locals for the final leg of his walk. The episode wraps up with Ollie’s "Call to Adventure," inspiring listeners to disconnect and experience the outdoors with a wild damp.

Chapters

• 00:00 Sailing the Atlantic
• 01:55 The Fall
• 03:31 Salt Flats
• 05:45 Border Kindness
• 08:12 Walking with People
• 09:15 Call to Adventure
• 09:54 Outro & Patreon Updates

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The Adventure Diaries Podcast also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering

Click Here > Join the Adventure in Uganda

Join us for the adventure of a lifetime! We are opening up limited spaces for listeners to come along on our upcoming 11-day, 250km human-powered expedition across Uganda this October. This trip involves hiking, cycling, and pack rafting across three national parks, including summiting volcanoes, exploring local lakes, and trekking through the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with a chance to spot mountain gorillas.

Timestamped Chapters

• 0:00 Announcement: 11-Day Uganda Adventure
• 0:22 Open Invitation for Listeners
• 0:45 What to Expect: Volcanoes, Lakes & Rainforests
• 1:09 Trip Highlights: Mt. Sabinyo & Gorillas
• 1:28 Finale: Descending the Birira River

Call to Action

Join the Adventure in Uganda

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Please visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO For more authentic stories of Adventure Exploration and the natural world

The Adventure Diaries Podcast also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering