British explorer Ben Saunders has broken more records in extreme conditions than most people "sitting on their sofas eating crap" could ever imagine. He's led more than 11 expeditions across the tundras, both solo and as part of a team. And in 2014, Ben and his explorer teammate Tarka L'Herpiniere, completed the expedition that defeated both Edward Shackleton and Capt. Robert Falcon Scott: 1801 miles from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back. On foot. Naturally, they faced extraordinary challenges on the way: adverse weather, hypothermia and near-starvation. Unsurprisingly, Ben experienced almost transcendent moments of self-realisation. But he has since discovered that the ultimate expedition of his life wasn't to break this record, but to come to terms with the inner and outer silence he's experienced upon his return. What happens when you achieve the ultimate goal, but the world continues around you as if nothing's happened? That's the story in this episode of The Resilient. The Resilient is a podcast about powerful people, like you and me. It’s an eavesdrop session on their toughest times, and what they’ve done since then. It’s about life transitions, difficult decisions and unexpected twists and turns. Because life happens. It's brought to you by FlowerApp.com and is produced and presented by Dr Aleks Krotoski and Pillowfort Productions. It is mixed by Katie McMurran. Ben's photo was taken by Andy Ward.