In our final episode, we reflect on our magical journey, key moments from the podcast, and we say thank you. The Obstacle Course never ends which is why we plan to keep the conversation going online in our Obstacle Course Community on Facebook. Thank you for listening. Keep pushing through those obstacles!

For our final Obstacle Course interview, we're excited/sad to share the second part of our conversation with Josh Dueck. In this episode, Josh shares his current obstacles and dreams for the future. This! Has Been Obstacle Course. Thanks for listening!

In this incredible interview, we sat down with gold medalist, Josh Dueck. In 2004, Josh broke his back while attempting a ski jump rendering him paralyzed from the waist down. As devastating as this was, Josh didn't give in to despair and rose up to Paralympic gold including becoming the first person in history to perform a back flip in a sit ski. In Part One of this epic conversation, we talk to Josh about the events that led to his accident and how it felt to land his iconic jump. In the introduction, John talks about the events that led to his recent cheese cutting accident and how it felt to land in the emergency room. This! Is Obstacle Course.

We're back in the studio and to kick off 2021, we sat down with Jeff Sorensen, creator of Breath Army. For decades, Jeff was trapped in a cycle of fierce addiction and lived a life out of control. This led to numerous near death experiences, crime (including time spent working in the infamous Sinaloa Mexican Cartel) and many stints in prison. At rock bottom, Jeff chose life over death and discovered the one thing he could control and would never fail him. His breath. Join us for this remarkable story. It's a matter of life and death! In the introduction, John and Andrew discuss the 75HARD challenge.

Today we speak with the remarkable Kara Robinson Chamberlain. When Kara was only 15 years old, she was kidnapped in broad daylight by a serial killer who stuffed her into a rubber maid container and took her back to his apartment where he sexually assaulted her repeatedly over an eighteen hour period. We talk to Kara about her will to survive and how she found the courage and resourcefulness to escape her restraints and help the police track down her captor. We also talk about the importance of sharing your story and how social media platforms like Tik Tok can actually make you happy. This! Is Obstacle Course.

Hey! You've made it to episode 80 and whether this is your first, 28th or 80th listen, we're glad you're here! This episode is one of the most timely and important conversations we've ever had. We sat down with Chris Wilkinson to discuss his grief in the light of his father's death but then our conversation takes a hard right turn and we plunge into a passionate and emotional discussion on toxic masculinity! We discuss men, emotions, repression and why phrases like "man up," and "don't be a pussy," are offensive. Best of all, we chart a new path forward. This episode is a must listen as it will help you better understand yourself and your tendencies as well as the tendencies of all the men in your life. More importantly, this episode is a call to action. And now that we know better, we can do better! This! Is Obstacle Course.

For episode 79, we continue our trend of hosting political discussions. We're pleased to welcome Dr. Valerie D'Erman, Instructor of Political Science at the University of Victoria, to the podcast. In this discussion, we were reminded that most things in life are not black and white, not the least of which is politics. We discovered the importance of having a neutral perspective as it helps us understand all sides of any discussion. We took on World Politics including the EU, Brexit, and the upcoming votes in North America. We also tackled the danger of Populism, the importance of democracy, and if Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a good idea. This! Is Obstacle Course. Let's Go!

British Columbia has called a snap election and so we have responded with a snap election episode! We're thrilled to welcome the Leader of The Green Party, Sonia Furstenau, back to the Podcast. Last fall, we learned why Sonia got into politics and this conversation we learn how she stays grounded, why authenticity and empathy matter and for the first time in our history we have an Obstacle Course exclusive as Sonia shares a behind the scenes story from Debate Night. You won't believe what happened to her. This! Is Obstacle Course. Let's vote!

Sex and intimacy tend to be taboo subjects that aren't talked about even though they are often both lacking in relationships. This is why we decided to reach out to Dr Cheryl Fraser. Dr Cheryl is a world renown sex therapist, psychologist, speaker and the author of the popular book, Buddha's Bedroom. Dr Cheryl cuts through all the awkwardness and bullshit and talks about why great sex begins in the head, why so many of us struggle, how we can be better lovers and why Nipple Nipple Crotch Goodnight is often a sign we're being lazy lovers. If you're ready to take your sexuality to the next level, you've come to the right place! Be sure to check out the show notes to take advantage of an excellent opportunity with Dr. Cheryl! This! Is Obstacle Course. Let's get it on!

We're excited to share our incredible conversation with local rock star, Jesse Roper! We discuss the journey to the peak, the job of the artist, what it means to be authentic and what makes a good musician. We also talk about Jesse's music videos, his newest song and his trip to Toronto for Canadian Music Week. This! Is Obstacle Course. Rock On!

For our landmark 75th episode, we hit the road to Trailblazers Estate in Nanoose Bay and sat down with Isabelle Mercier Turcotte and Margarita Romano – the powerful women behind LeapZone Strategies. This inspirational, energetic, and hilarious conversation begins by discussing the role fear plays in achieving excellence and the process required to prepare for a TED talk. From there we discuss Isabelle and Margarita’s business and life partnership as well as their amazing connection with their horses. Their story of love and connection is stunning and will have you inspired to do as they do and focus on the beauty within – free of labels. This! Is Obstacle Course. Let’s Go!

For episode 74, we brought back not one but three elite athletes to discuss the state of fitness, sport and competition in today's COVID world. Gold Medalist Adam Kreek, Ironwoman Champion Sara Gross and Fitness Guru Simon Young come back to the Podcast to share tips on how they stay motivated, the future of competition and the importance of sweat. There's so much energy in this episode you may even hear a faint buzz in the background. This! Is Obstacle Course.

In episode 73, we continue our conversation with the great Jon Williams. Jon is a former host of The Zone 91-3 and current host of Victoria's newest radio station, What Was That? We talk about the origin of Jon's new show, why he left he Zone, his hopes and dreams for What Was That? and the importance of facing our own darkness. What Was That? is now LIVE. Look after yourself. Have fun. And for goodness sakes, smile.

For our 72nd episode, we sat down with Jon Williams, formerly of The Zone 91-3 and present host of Victoria's newest internet radio station, What Was That? In Part 1 of our conversation we talk about the violent sexual abuse Jon experienced as a 10 year old growing up in England, how he has learned to find his true voice, the importance of vulnerability and the key to a great interview. This fast moving conversation is sure to entertain and inspire you as you seek to discover your own voice. In Part 2, Jon opens up about why he left The Zone and started his own radio station. This! Is Obstacle Course.

In the final part of our conversation, Tonya shares how she was able to endure this unimaginable trauma. She points to self care, spirituality, exercise, connecting in community and most importantly, her kids, as the life preservers that prevented her from drowning in grief. She also highlights the importance of calling 911 if you or someone you love is on the edge. Isolation is deadly and we must be militant in maintaining strong connections in our families and our communities. Thank you for listening and sharing these crucial conversations.

For our landmark 70th episode, we continue our conversation with Tonya Kilmer. In Part 2, we focus on the details surrounding the case. For years, Vancouver Island has sought closure around what went wrong with Ben Kilmer - a strong, local, family man. Many people are still convinced foul play had to be involved as they can't imagine Ben could have taken his own life. Rather than chase conspiracies, we asked Tonya to share once and for all what she learned from the police reports, phone records, Ben's vehicle and his final resting place by Chemainus River. We also asked Tonya to address the people who were making up the conspiracies. The result is another epic example of courageous story telling. We remain thankful to Tonya and Ben's family for trusting us to host their story. This! Is Obstacle Course.

This story begins with a beautiful dream at the top of a mountain. Ben Kilmer had purchased a 9 acre property on the Malahat and standing with Tonya by his side, he popped the question. "Can you see our life here?" The dream commenced but sadly, it was never realized. Ben became trapped in a nightmare from which he couldn't escape. On May 16, 2018 Ben went missing and after a 5 month search, his body was discovered near the Chemainus River. We sat down with Ben's wife Tonya to ask 2 key questions. What happened to Ben? How can we prevent this from happening to somebody else? What resulted was over 3 hrs of courageous conversation. This first episode focuses on Ben before he went missing. This! Is Obstacle Course.

We had local artist and painter, Coco Jones, in studio and we discussed her process, how pain informs her compulsion, the healing power of psychedelics and the power of the artist to transform. This conversation could be described as a work of art. We started with a blank canvas, added some colourful conversation and by then end we had a striking creation that should stand the test of time. This! Is Obstacle Course. Let's go!

For our 67th conversation, we sat down with three powerful young women and the organizers of Victoria's most recent BLM peaceful protest - Pamphinette Buisa, Vanessa Simon and Asiyah Robinson. In this hope filled conversation we discuss racism in all its forms, why silence is complicit, what BLM is and isn't and how we can all learn to become anti-racist. All Lives can't matter until Black Lives Matter. This! Is Obstacle Course. Vic sees. Vic hears.

Episode 66 is another transformative conversation as we sat down with the amazing Lindsay Knazan. A student of Eastern Philosophy and teacher of every day buddhism and yoga practices, Lindsay is a wealth of wisdom! Like all gurus, her training has come via her own pain and suffering. If we can learn to embrace these difficult emotions, we discover a freedom and strength we never knew we had. We also discuss shame, anxiety, learning to love ourselves and the importance of PLAY. This! Is Obstacle Course. Let's Go.