In episode 12 of Rise To Your Everest, Adam sits down with Gabriel Middleton, at just 17 years old, the youngest British person in history to summit Mount Everest.

But this isn't just a story about a mountain. This is a story about a 13 year old with a dream, a father who backed him every step of the way, and a family that went all in together.

Gabriel opens up about the years of preparation it took to get Everest-ready, what summit day actually felt like, and the moment he discovered that on the other side of real pain and suffering, there can be extraordinary elation.

We talk about his father Ant Middleton, former SBS operator and one of the UK's most recognisable faces, and what it meant to watch him lead by example at 8,848 metres. We talk about family values, about resilience, about what it takes to keep moving when everything in your body is telling you to stop.

We also sit down together at Millfield School — where Gabriel is a current pupil and where Adam himself was a student twenty years ago — making this one of the most personally meaningful episodes of the podcast.

Gabriel is 17. He is humble, grounded, and quietly extraordinary. And his story is only just beginning.

If you're a parent, an athlete, or anyone with a big dream and a mountain of your own to climb — this episode is for you.

📬 Get in Touch:

https://www.instagram.com/adamclayton.apex/

https://www.instagram.com/apex.officialuk/

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165 days at sea. 8,000 miles of open Pacific. One nine-metre boat, and no way off.

This week I'm joined by Jessica Rowe and Miriam Payne — the first women's team, the first pair, and the youngest team ever to row the Pacific Ocean non-stop and unsupported, from Peru to Australia. Along the way they raised over £120,000 to help young people find their own version of a challenge like this.

We get into all of it: the snapped rudder 300 miles offshore that nearly ended the whole thing before it began, the broken watermaker held together by nine repairs and a fair bit of ingenuity, the weeks spent running as a "ghost ship" with the power down, and what it actually takes — mentally, physically and financially — to point yourself at the biggest ocean on the planet and row.

But the record is the least interesting thing about these two. What stayed with me was their grit, their humour, and how honest they were about the highs, the lows, and the strange quiet that comes after you've done the biggest thing of your life.

Whatever your own Everest looks like, this one will make you believe you can start.

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Follow Jess: @wild_rowe
Follow Mims: @mimsinthewild

The team: @seastheday2022

https://www.seasthedayoceanrowing.com/

Support The Outward Bound Trust via their site.

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https://www.instagram.com/adamclayton.apex/

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In Episode 10 of Rise To Your Everest, Adam sits down with adventurer, author, and former Marine Paul Harris, also known as The Warrior Walker.

Paul’s story is one of relentless curiosity, mental resilience, and a refusal to quit. Best known for walking two full laps of the UK, Paul has spent years testing his physical and mental limits, not just in pursuit of adventure, but as a way of understanding himself and finding peace.

In this raw and honest conversation, Paul opens up about the deeper battle behind the miles: mental health, the challenge of simply sticking around, and the role that purpose, discomfort, and the outdoors have played in keeping him moving forward.

From lessons in resilience and teamwork during his early years, to what walking thousands of miles has taught him about the human mind, Paul shares why he believes we are all capable of far more than we think.

This episode is a powerful reminder that resilience isn’t always loud, sometimes it’s simply choosing not to quit.

🧭 Topics Covered

• Walking two laps of the UK
• Mental health and staying in the fight
• Adventure as therapy
• Building resilience through discomfort
• The “one more” mindset
• Identity, courage and stepping into the arena
• Finding peace through challenge

🌐 Connect with Paul

Instagram: @thewarriorwalker

Book: The Warrior Walker

🎙 About Rise To Your Everest

Rise To Your Everest explores resilience, mindset, and personal growth through honest conversations with people who push beyond comfort and keep climbing through life’s toughest challenges.

📬 Get in Touch:

https://www.instagram.com/adamclayton.apex/

https://www.instagram.com/apex.officialuk/

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