DDR 044 - Best of 2024: Fionna Pierce - Don't Die Rusty Podcast

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Well, hello, don't die.
Rusty nation.
I'm here with Ricky Brule tonight.
If you can believe that I'm back.
back with about a hundred more gray beard hairs.
Santa Claus over here.
All right.
You know, it's, it's been a while really.

(00:21):
And that we've, since we've had, haven't had you on here for a bit, but it's good to be,you know, we've been, we've been getting the job done.
Yeah, you're doing great.
You're doing fantastic.
So, but no, here's what we're gonna do.
We're going to do two of our favorite episodes, and I'm not saying that all the guestsaren't our favorite people, because they are, but I, you know, we had to pick two, because

(00:50):
we're gonna, over Christmas and over New Year's, I'm actually going to Alaska tomorrow,and Ricky's...
a little bit busy himself.
Yeah, we got a lot.
so we thought we'd enjoy the holidays.
Yeah.
And then we figure what, you know, let's let's let's give everybody our two favoriteepisodes, right?

(01:12):
Like let's for the for the new people here who haven't had the opportunity to go back.
We've got a couple of episodes that had the most engagement out of anybody, you know, themost curiosity and questions coming from people.
So I think that's what
really kind of help make the decision.
Yes.

(01:32):
So, you know, our first episode is going to come on the Tuesday, actually Christmas Eve.
They're going to be Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
So anyway, excuse me, but our first, our first episode is going to be our first episodewith a guest.
That's right.
It's going to be, it's going to be Fiona Pierce and she had quite a story.

(01:58):
And we, mean, it's interesting because it's one of our most popular and it was our firstone.
Yeah.
And, you know, and Fiona's story is kind of a Christmas story in itself.
Yeah, it is.
You know, it wasn't September.
It was, I mean, it wasn't December.
It was September.

(02:20):
But to save a person's life and to be in the right place at the right time.
There is some miracles working there, we'll just say.
Absolutely, absolutely, defied all odds without a doubt.
And then her outlook on life throughout the episode was just amazing too.

(02:48):
it not only affected me, and I know it affected Ricky, but it affected
people that were driving down the road and they said we were balling and the energy thatpeople gave was amazing too because I think you look at life and you say what would I do

(03:10):
in those situations?
And I hope I would try.
I don't know if I know everything to do but I mean I've taken CPR classes but I'm justsaying depending on what situation you're in.
So yeah, so, so Fiona is going to be our first guest on Christmas Eve.

(03:35):
So I don't know if we'd do a best that we call this the best of, but it's pretty doggonegood.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So definitely, jump in.
It's, it's an, it's an episode I'll never forget.
Obviously it was the first one, you know, so we were the, this, excitement, you know,going into launching our first episode was, was pretty exciting and

(03:57):
And you know, for it to be Fiona and it's still, think probably our most listened toepisode up to this point.
Although it is also the long, the oldest episode that we have.
So naturally it would be still right from the get go.
She had the most listens right off the bat.
So yeah, it's a great episode.

(04:18):
Definitely got to, got to check it out if you haven't heard it before and you know, giveus some feedback.
You know, send us a message.
Let us know how you feel, how it made you feel, if it had any impact on your life.
Let us know.
Yeah, you know, and you may say, you know, we're running a rerun here on hiatus orwhatever you want to call the holiday season.

(04:41):
But, know, these two episodes.
I listened to two or three times after we put them out and I listened to him two or threetimes.
before we put them out.
and they keep on affecting me because I, I, I'm one of these people that went, how did Imiss that?

(05:04):
Yeah.
Yeah.
You you listened to it so many times, but how did I, how do I miss that?
And it's just one of those amazing things.
And so, I mean, if you want to have a feeling, motivational, uplifting Christmas.
Episode Fiona is it because that story will touch my life for the rest of my life.

(05:32):
So anyway, I want to just say everybody have a Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, everybody.
And we will talk to you later.
Welcome to the Don't Die Rusty podcast.
I'm Rick Hansen and we will be talking about living, not dying.
We're all in this adventure together and we will be interviewing people who inspire us tolive our best lives.

(05:58):
People with various backgrounds who will walk us down the trails they took to not dierusty.
Adventure and life are many things to many people.
It could be a sprint or an endurance race, but with each adventure, we become a betterversion of us.
We hope you keep chasing those dreams, being the best you, and of course, don't die rusty.

(06:18):
My guest today is one that I met at
Total Archery Challenge in Bozeman.
I mean in Big Sky.
Big Sky.
Yes.
Big Sky.
She, my, friend Ashley said, I have this friend, can she stay in her room?
This, and then I said, yeah, that's, that's cool, you know?
And anyway, I'm interviewing Fiona Missy Pierce.

(06:42):
She's from New Zealand and she's just an all around adventurer and just cool girl.
Well, thank you.
Thank you for having me.
That's very nice of you to set it up that way.
I'm humbled to be here.
It's true.
I mean, and like I said, this is a podcast about positivity and you exude positivity.

(07:03):
Well, thank you.
Well, you're welcome.
I try to.
I think people are, I actually had this conversation with my colleague the other day inthe car.
think people, certain people are very sensitive to energy.
whether you believe in this or not, I'm a Pisces.
So I think, you I would like to think that I'm in tune with some emotional goings on, butI'm also very much an empath.

(07:27):
And I have had to later in life work through the understanding that I am just verysensitive to people's energies.
And I grew up with a brother who maybe was a little bit glass half empty.
And I find that that is very taxing on me.
I feel that I like.
absorb people's energy.

(07:48):
I too, I think, try to surround myself with people who have a glass half full mentalitybecause, I find negative energy, I take that on, I feel it very strongly.
And so I think I've had to learn that you're very conscious and cognizant of the peoplethat you surround yourself with.
And I think folks who exude positivity and try to look at any situation with that glasshalf full is very important.

(08:14):
Well, yes.
And I mean, I think that's why we connected.
know, I mean, it was like we were long lost friends and we just met each other.
You know what I mean?
You you came into the room like a ninja the night we wake up and there's a New Zealandaround the couch.
How did you get in here?

(08:35):
Well, I came in at midnight.
You didn't hear me.
I snuck right past you.
But I agree with you there because I've I've kind of.
started shedding friends that don't have that half full positivity because all it does isdrag you down.
You know, and, and I realize also, I realized not everyone is always going to be rays ofsunshine of positivity and exit.

(09:00):
Like I too go through Ibs and flows.
but I think it's, it's understood that if someone's truly not adding value,
You know, everyone goes through hard times.
Like I'm never going to cut someone because I think, you're having, you're in a bad mood.
You're having a tough time.
Like I, again, I'm very much an empath, but I think it's that long-term value and justpositive mindset and way you kind of like look at experiences and the situations.

(09:24):
And I like always try to find the silver lining in everything.
And I think that's important.
do too.
I really think that's important myself because like I said, I, I want to be aroundpositive people.
want to be around that.
exuding of energy that in it like getting to you since we become friends I see I see Imean we we it's this is funny because I think we were on the mountain and we were talking

(09:56):
about shadows or something yeah I have my little shadow play game yes and we were talkingabout that because I think I was taking a picture of a shadow myself and then we started
talking about shadows but it's interesting how you meet
people that see things like that.
And it's a small things in life.
then that's what I, you know, when I talked about in my, the, the, our one podcast that wetalked about what don't die rusty years, it's about seeing those little things.

(10:25):
And you know, and it's also about having fun and about seeing the positives and then
trying to pick people up, I try to pick people up.
mean, you had never shot with us until you got the picture.
I was the ring in.
I can't believe I was the ring in that was allowed the opportunity to shoot with such aVIP group and get first access to the mountain.

(10:51):
was welcoming.
I was very fortunate.
But do you remember how we were coming down the mountain and everybody's like gettingserious and that happens on like the second day because you you're running so hard to
you like to get everything in in such a little small amount of time because I want to talkto you.
want to talk to this person and that person.
We're coming down the mountain and Ashley says to me, she said, this is getting way tooserious.

(11:16):
And then I threw down my cap and started yelling and screaming and it kind of got peopleto lighten up a little bit.
And it was all in jest.
If anyone needs the video, have the video.
my gosh, Rick has lost his mind.
Something awful is happening.
He's throwing his hat.
Yeah, but you're right.
It broke the ice a little bit and reminds you that, we're out here having fun.

(11:36):
And honestly that, that, I don't know what you call it, that target, that shot that wewere shooting.
I feel like sometimes in it's, it's an important reminder in all things in life that likeyou took, took stock of that moment.
You're like, I'm skirting.
We were scared in the Yellowstone club, is possibly one of the prettiest areas in Montana.
And you look around and the wild flowers are blooming and you're walking like in areasthat, that.

(12:01):
Most people don't even go and you're like, man, like things are not that bad.
Like we're in this area right now with good people.
We're out enjoying like flinging some arrows, having fun.
You're right.
Like it's, it's important to not get too serious in some of those moments.
And actually just realize like, I'm having fun with really good people.
Phenomenal area.
And that's, I just hope people can see, you know, I, I, I preface this.

(12:27):
probably, I'll probably preface this in every episode I do, but
I'm a big believer in there is, there's, there's happiness, but there's joy and we can behappy, but the joy part comes with the people.

(12:47):
That's where I said the people I surround myself with is more joyful.
They make me happy, but they can take you to some joyful moments that you'll never forget.
So, and here's the one thing I want to get back into.
mean, we're kind of.
going off track here because I never even introduced you properly.
I'm just the ninja who snuck into your hotel room one night.

(13:10):
It's not that bad.
doesn't, it's not how it sounds.
And now you're the ninja that snuck into this podcast episode.
Jeez.
But, what do do now?
And can you give us a little biography of a short biography about where you've been andwhat you've done?
Sure.
Yeah.
I'll give you the abridged version of the 30,000 foot.

(13:31):
So
called me a Kiwi.
I'm actually half Kiwi.
I have a Kiwi mother born and raised in Los Angeles, California, actually.
until I was young, my grandmaster lives there.
but I think, you know, my brother and I were young kids and we were grown, we grew up inVenice beach, you know, which now is the cool area.

(13:51):
But at the time, like, I remember there was a kid who was like six or seven years old.
who was coming into school and got found with drugs on him.
And it turns out that he was dealing drugs in our elementary school for his older brotherwho was in a gang.
And it was just this whole weird moment where my dad was like, LA is not the place forkids to grow up.
Let's go, you're from New Zealand, you've got some family there, let's take the kids toNew Zealand and have them grow up there.

(14:17):
Which honestly, think looking back, like the lifestyle that it afforded us and...
the opportunity to get into the outdoors and do all those things and find that for myself.
I don't come from a family who's really interested in the outdoors.
Sometimes I'll tell them about an adventure I'm going on and they're like, what in theworld compelled you to do this?
This is not something, it's just interesting to me.

(14:41):
But yeah, so we moved over there when I was young and lived there until I finished collegeand then...
I had the intention of being a professional athlete through college and ended up injuringmyself before I could go on a scholarship.
And so now I'm a washed up wannabe athlete.
So went to college, did brand marketing, branding, again, growing up playing sport.

(15:07):
You see Nike is like the ultimate brand machine.
And I always used to joke that, one day I'm going to work for Nike and when they comecalling, I'll leave New Zealand.
And sure enough,
and

(15:50):
three years, two, two and a half years, working for Nike.
Loved the coast there, but wasn't involved in sort of like out-balls-y sort of industrythat I am now.
It wasn't until I moved to Utah for another job opportunity that I actually, part of whatI was doing was brand marketing and sponsorship and partnerships.

(16:14):
And one of the first meetings that I had in that role,
was on a Saturday morning, 8 a.m.
with Mr.
Sean DeGray.
Really?
Total Archery Challenge.
Yeah.
So we were coming on board as a title sponsor.
that's how I met the Total Archery and kind of got looped into the fold there and figured,well, hey, I'm doing all this archery stuff.

(16:35):
Like I'd love to take it up.
And the company that I worked for had an archery lane out back.
So it was kind of like a fun little lunchtime activity.
We'd all go out and take a break from our office and fling some arrows.
There was something quite meditative about that, but also quite social as well.
Again, you're taking a moment of reprieve and leaving your computer, which sometimes you.

(16:55):
It'll drag you in and you can be sitting in front of your desk, but there was a nicemoment where like, you know, we're going to take half an hour and we're all going to go
out and shoot arrows and do that as a group, which was, was really fun.
And, so yeah, been in Utah for coming out four years.
Holy moly.
And if you had told me before I moved there.

(17:16):
that I would live in Utah ever in my life, I would have laughed at you.
I was very naive and thought of Utah as like the five national parks, the red rocks.
I thought I'm an ocean kid.
I grew up like in the ocean, fishing, diving, all that sort of stuff.
I thought I'll do a year in Utah because it's a good job opportunity, it takes a box, I'llsay I did it.

(17:38):
I landed in a spot in Salt Lake City, right at the base of the mountains, the WasatchFront.
I just fell in love instantly with the mountains, which is something that I, or alandscape that I had never really spent time in.
yeah, bought a house and four years.
So again, if you told me I'd been there for more than a year, I would have laughed, butfour years.

(17:59):
And as I said, just fell in love with the mountains, hiking, backpacking, hunting, know,taking my dog up there, whole new appreciation for Alpine lakes and rivers.
So yeah, I've been here for, yeah, coming up seven years.
That's amazing because I grew up in central South Dakota where there are no mountains.

(18:20):
You know, and you grew up on the, on the ocean and it is amazing.
The different lifestyle when you get to those mountains, how they draw you in, you know,cause I live in this black Hills now, but I have, I'll tell you a funny story because I
went, I mean, you were giving me heck earlier about being in Australia, but

(18:40):
You know, growing up in South Dakota and then you watch the movie jaws.
was just about petrified to even put my toe in the ocean and I was on the Western side.
So it's just like that doesn't draw me.
The water doesn't draw me, but the mountains do.
There's something mad.
mean, I've there's a famous quote.
can't remember who it was.
know, the mountains are cooling and I must go.

(19:02):
I forget who.
In that line.
but I think there's something like.
truly in that, that yeah, I would have told you unequivocally, I was an ocean kid, likeabsolutely.
And I feel very much so that that has shifted.
I think there's something quite magical about being out in the mountains and backpackingby yourself and the solitude that you can have there.

(19:24):
But it's also very humbling, just the magnitude of those mountains.
I love flying slash driving into Salt Lake, because you have these enormous mountainranges at either side.
I think there's something special.
look out my back door every day and there's just the Wasatch Mountains there and that'sthe Mount Olympus and that's a view that, you know, every day, I don't get tired of that.

(19:46):
I love looking at it I love being able to get up out there and enjoy it.
And there's so much adventure as we were talking about that you can have.
So Fiona has, you got an award for, was it from the governor?
I got the governor's award and a sheriff's award in the same year.
This is quite a story and I hope you stay here and listen to this because Fiona, you justtell the story.

(20:12):
Sure.
If you will.
Yeah, absolutely.
Because I look at you, this is the other thing about positivity because I look, what wouldI do if a shooter walked into something or if something, what would I do in an emergency
situation?
Would you roll situations that you don't think of until like it presents itself?
You know, we're here in Vegas right now and you know, a couple of days ago there was a

(20:34):
mass shooting less than a mile from where we are now.
And it's these moments where you're like, oh yeah, shoot, what would I do?
Exactly.
And you got into a moment.
It is not a shooting, thank God, but I mean, it was an accident.
Literally everything changes.
It's so cliche, but in a moment.
So again, 30,000 foot view, I'll take it to top of the story.

(20:56):
my first hunting season last year, my first archery hunting season.
I took a week off work, I'd been scouting, I was gonna get my first archery buck, I wascommitted to backpacking way back in there.
So was in August of last year and we'd been doing a lot of hiking and we didn't have atremendous amount of luck seeing a lot of animals where we were.

(21:21):
And we thought, let's shift positions.
Like we'd seen some animals kind of go over this ridge and it would be...
a heck of a hike to push in from where we were, but there was a road that we could sort oflike come out of where we were circumnavigating and maybe find a better area.
So packed up everything, hike back to to my truck.

(21:43):
we're kind of taking this pretty rough dirt road, rocky mountain, mountainous road out.
And just so happened that as I kind of rounded this corner.
There was a rock and it must've been three or four inches just happened to be sticking outthe side of this little tune that just got the sidewall of my tire at the right area,

(22:05):
sliced it and my car just, you you hear the noise exactly.
was like, no.
so that was a real bummer.
went to change my spare and the, the, the one tool that I needed to get those nuts off wasmissing from the toolkit.
Really?
So again, I was.

(22:26):
annoyed and sitting there and we'd seen someone had their car parked at a differenttrailhead.
Anyway, waited hours for them to come out and luckily they had a breaker bar and kind ofhelp and put on my spare and kind of limped out slowly on a spare back into some area
where we had some service.

(22:48):
And as luck would have it, my tire size was special order.
So nowhere in this little town had the tires that I needed.
So had to call the trip halfway, unfortunately, limp back, as I said, down to Salt LakeCity to get them to order a tire.
And so they could switch my tire out the next day and come back out and try and finishthat second half of the week.

(23:13):
so at this point it's, it's frustrating.
It's annoying, you know, best laid plans thrown out the window.
get down there and my neighbor whom I was hunting with actually said, said, Hey, there'sanother area that is much closer than where we were.
never been up there, but we could drive up and scout around.

(23:33):
We've got the afternoon now.
Like let's, let's, could take my wife and two little babies and we can just go for adrive.
Great.
Let's load them up.
We've got, you know, we're waiting.
on the whole drive there, there was a series of about four or five things that happenedthat at the time were like,
minor inconveniences or like put us back like a minute or two.
Like the kids, we got somewhere and the kids wanted to go somewhere else.

(23:56):
Just little frustrating things that time.
You're like, that's kind of annoying, but all right.
Like, all right.
Time's ticking.
Whatever.
Anyway, all of this happens and we get out to Smith and Morehouse Reservoir, which is upin the hills of out of Salt Lake.
And it's a dirt road.
You're going way back past this reservoir.
There is no service.

(24:18):
And we're chatting away, laughing.
It's a beautiful day and we're going to get up and try and find some animals in itsbeautiful country and the reservoir.
And we're driving and we round this corner on the dirt road, which is kind of around wherethe boat ramp is at the reservoir.
And suddenly see this woman in the middle of the road on her hands and knees just wailing.

(24:41):
I thought, my God, what's going on?
And we pulled up slowly and she leapt up and.
slammed her hands on the front of the truck and said, help, help.
And I said, oh my God, like wind down the window.
And she says, help, does anyone know CPR?
And her reaction was, ah, shit.

(25:02):
I do.
Okay.
I thought, chat, like, you know, keep the kids in the car because he's got little kids.
like, I have no idea what I'm running into.
So also a little bit of background for five years, I was in the New Zealand coast.
So I was an ocean kid.
I forgot to mention that.
In New Zealand, the Coast Guard is not military.

(25:23):
It is here.
It's all volunteer run.
But we're an island, everyone's on the water.
So it's kind of funny that one of the busiest organizations in search and rescue for thewater is actually just purely volunteer.
But I joked that 50 % of the time we were the ambulance of the ocean, 50 % of the time thetow truck, because people are...

(25:44):
getting their anchor stuck or running out of gas or something.
And so we're towing them back in.
how does that work?
Cause like, you know, you have a volunteer fireman.
Do you like, they have a call for a boat or, mean, wreck.
And I'm of the generation that did not grow up with pages.
I said, what the heck am I supposed to do with this?

(26:06):
they did towards the time I was leaving, they went with a slightly less antiquated.
antiquated form of technology.
And we actually went to a, an app on our phones that was essentially a pager.
So yeah, if we got an emergency call out, our pages would all go off and we'd report likewho could make it.
And, know, I've walked out of a couple of business meetings where I said, sorry, I got togo and run and get on the boat.

(26:29):
So you just run and get on the boat and you're heading to the emergency.
Yeah.
We'll get the sit rep and find out where we're going.
so yeah, I'd done a Marine search and rescue for a lot of years and
done my work with the EMTs and done training there.
And so this woman says, anyone know CPR?
And I thought, ah, shit.

(26:50):
And I immediately go to my mom even told me, she's like, don't get involved.
You're in America.
They'll they might sue you if something goes wrong.
It's getting New Zealand.
You're not the people that sue people.
There's not that concern.
So she was always super worried.
Of course, you're you think, oh, my gosh, something's wrong.
I got got jump in.
So keep the kids like, don't let them see what's going on.
I have no idea what's going on.

(27:10):
I'm in my hunting boots.
I have no idea what's going on.
Run down to the boat ramp and see a bunch of people standing around crying and whatever.
see a guy in the water, probably about shoulder deep, and he's struggling to get out ofthe water.
Again, I have no idea what's going on.
And I jump in the water, run into the water, and I see he's pulling a body out of thewater.

(27:33):
And he was obviously exhausted, struggling.
I took over and I see that it's a kid.
It's a baby.
Really?
Not a baby, but like a little kid.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I don't want to be morbid or gross, but this, was a dead kid, like very dead.
And unfortunately I've been involved in a lot of water recoveries and you know whatsomeone who's been under the water too long looks like.

(27:58):
And I thought, gosh, this is awful.
The families beside themselves.
I don't want the kids to see there's nothing that I can do.
I think there's, checked pulse, you
Not breathing.
Blue, no heartbeat.
So I start doing CPR thinking that, I can only, this is all I can do until like someonecomes and calls time of death, but we're not sitting here with a family.

(28:23):
Like, I'm to do something to at least keep busy.
and I said, you know, God, what's happened?
What's wrong?
And he'd been under the water for 10 minutes.
Yeah.
so.
Another gentleman had been there before me, a kayaker.
guess what had happened, family was enjoying day on the reservoir.

(28:43):
Dad pulls the truck around with kids, goes to load the kayak in the back of the truck.
And he gets out and car rolls into the water down the boat ramp and goes out like 20 footand gets submerged.
my gosh.
They got two kids out, but this one kid got stuck in there.
he'd been under there for 10 minutes and this poor little baby was, you know,

(29:06):
blue as anything.
And so it was awful and dad's yelling like, oh, you got to save my kid.
Are you going to save him?
His mom's going to kill me.
And I was like, oh man, like I'm doing all that I can, but I'm not going to say it, butlike, this baby is gone.
So I yell out, I'm like, you know, thinking we've got to get the sat phone.
Somehow someone gets service, which never happens here.

(29:29):
First of all.
So they managed to call and they said, they're going to send an ambulance.
And I said, Oh my God, they got to send a life flight, like an ambulance on these dirtroads.
It's not telling them they got to send a bit of that.
Like they got to send a life flight.
Okay.
They're going to send it longest 20 minutes of my life.
I think, um, performing CPR on, this kid with the family around.

(29:50):
And at one point my
My watch on my hand.
I'm also still half in the water.
I pulled this kid out and put him on the boat ramp and just start doing compressions andCPR.
My legs are still in the water, but I was like, what are you going to do?
I, my, I still have a scar there.
My watch like started rubbing and like cut my hand.
And I told my buddy when he finally came down, he got his kids situated.

(30:12):
said, I'm gonna count you in.
I said, I need you to switch out with me.
Um, he said, I don't know how to do CPR.
said, I'll tell you, I'll count you.
I need to take my watch off.
I'm.
So anyway, count him in and he takes over for a bit and I sit in my watch there and atabout 10 minutes of doing this, like again, I feel this kid's ribs break.

(30:33):
You know, he's so small, but again, that's how you know you're doing it.
Yeah, right.
Yeah.
You know?
Um, so I'm horrified.
You know, this is so awful of a situation, 10 minutes.
And I start to see he had a little t-shirt on and he was so blue when he came out, but Istart to see color.
like move up his neck.
It's the weirdest thing.

(30:54):
And I kind of have this moment of like, oh my gosh.
And then it's this moment back in reality that, oh, you're just pumping.
You're physically pumping the blood around and just move it.
Like that's just color.
Like that's nothing.
At 20 minutes, and again, I have my watch there so I know, at 20 minutes I start to hearthe helicopter.
And I was like, oh, thank God.
Like this is like the longest, again, longest 20 minutes.

(31:16):
At that moment, the weirdest thing and the only way I can describe it is I kind of lookedup and I felt the dirt kick up and kind of go in my eyes and I looked away and I felt what
I can only describe as like a weird like suction, like a death rattle or something undermy hands.
And I looked down and I was like, holy smokes, I think this kid's breathing.

(31:38):
And I was like, no.
and checked his pulse and I again, excuse the vulgar language, but I yelled at these guysas they're pulling out of the helicopter.
was like, holy shit, you guys, I think I got a pulse.
And they're like, no, come over, put the machine on.
And they said, they're like, he's breathing.
This kid is like, he's got his heart rate back, which doesn't make any medical sense.

(31:58):
Like 10 minutes submerged in this, in his water, this kid's drowned 20 minutes of notbreathing.
That's 30 minutes of like, you know, no oxygen to the brain.
Anyway.
They load them up.
was all very quick and took the helicopter and left.
And I kind of had this moment where I thought, my gosh, we brought it back for at leastthe opportunity that this child will be able to then save perhaps seven other children

(32:24):
because they'll be able to maybe share his organs with other kids.
And that was kind of the solace that I could take from it, but it was so weird because yougo into that situation and it's all adrenaline and then they're gone.
In an instance, and we're just sitting on the boat ramp, kind of going, shoot.
We were just going to go look for deer.
I bet you're exhausted.

(32:44):
I mean, just because of all the adrenaline dump, like your body's exhausted.
And again, I, I, the kids had no idea.
It's amazing.
You put an iPad in front of them and these five year olds sit there and have no idea thatit's helicopters and ambulance, which was a miracle in itself.
But anyway, so we kind of go out of that situation.

(33:06):
It's a very quiet drive home because we're kind of like, trying to process what justhappened.
It was awful, you traumatic and don't want to talk about it in front of the kids who thankgoodness were oblivious and weren't scarred by it.
A little, another child.
and we kind of get home and, know, I pour very

(33:26):
very, very large glass of wine.
Because it truly like you went from an instance of like having fun and and like, you know,laughing and joking to like everything changing in an instant, like having to be on.
And I talk about like all of those instances that went into like prior for us being thereand being frustrating.

(33:48):
I'm not religious in any way.
I grew up Catholic, so I was really horrified that I say that.
I grew up Catholic too.
I'm bad.
I do believe that like in this whole thing, we, I truly believe that we were put there fora reason.
Like we went through all of those inconveniences, I would say, like my tire slashing.

(34:13):
I wasn't meant to be there.
There, there were so many instances that put us back like 30 seconds or a minute that ifwe'd been two minutes earlier or five minutes earlier.
We would have zipped right past them up on the flats out of service and have never haveseen them.
And there were like 10 people there, none of whom knew what to do.
None of whom knew CPR.

(34:33):
We just happened to drive by in the secluded area at the right time.
That's it's interesting that though, because I believe in that too.
And, and it's amazing.
Like you think about like those little things like when
Sometimes I stop and take a picture and then you drive down the road and like, I haven'tbeen in that situation like But there's other situations like if I would have been like 10

(35:00):
minutes earlier, I wouldn't have seen whatever I seen or I wouldn't have been able to helpthat person or whatever, you know what I mean?
And it's just interesting that, I mean, how timing works, how all that stuff works thatlittle things.
And you know, so that I'm like, man, I guess we were there for a reason.
I don't necessarily think that I'm religious, but I would say that I'm spiritual and I'veto think that like things happen for a reason anyway, to kind of round out that story.

(35:27):
Uh, it had been like sort of five, six days post that.
I struggled with it because I'd seen, know, you see a body and like it's a baby and likethe whole thing was very traumatic.
Did you know, did even that five or six days, had you heard anything?
Well, so I, the only thing that I knew was.
It was kind of big news.

(35:48):
like they would report on it.
And like I would every now and then see an update in the news, like, Hey, like, you know,he's in critical condition and he hasn't woken up.
And, it was, I think it was six or seven days later.
I got a phone call.
was working remote from home.
was sitting at my office desk and I get a phone call.

(36:09):
was late in the afternoon from a number I didn't know.
And it was the park city sheriff's office.
And I said, Oh, okay.
And he said, I just wanted to ring and tell you, I like get like chills.
He's like, I just wanted to ring and tell you this little boy's mother just called me andhe just walked himself out of the hospital.

(36:31):
Completely unaffected by anything unaffected, unaffected.
Thank God.
No knowledge of, of the situation.
Like had no memory, completely brain function, 100 % normal, just like a normal kid.
And I just kind of, think I froze cause I was like,
And he said, hello, are there?
You know, are you okay?
said, oh, there is never a moment in the last seven days that I thought I would ever getthis phone call.

(36:55):
Like there's no way that kid was dead, like a hundred percent.
And he said, you know, the family wants to meet you.
And it was really nice.
So, you know, a couple of days later, I went out to the sheriff's office and we walked inand there's this kid whom I'd seen in a very different state a week ago with his little
cousin throwing a ball.

(37:16):
running around with a little puppy because he just got a puppy.
And I immediately felt like a physical visceral reaction.
And my friend who was with me said, are you okay?
Oh, I, this, I, I know what it means now to feel like you've seen a ghost.
Like it was just a weird, I was like this kid, is no reason that he should be runningaround.

(37:36):
Chatted to the family.
And again, it was very generous of them to give me a life-saving award from the sheriff'soffice.
And that's kind of what we were up there for.
But again, I think I'm not religious, but I also in that moment think that I'm very muchspiritual because I believe we were put there for a reason to be able to help.

(37:57):
I believe that that kid's time, it was not his time.
Clearly, it was some guardian angel or something look out for him because he defied theodds of everything.
Even the EMT that spoke there said, I've never seen this like in 30 years of doing this,like a situation like this where someone can walk.
away seven days completely unaffected.

(38:18):
So.
Heck, you're getting me emotionally.
Yeah, mean, truly, like, I, you know, he has a second chance.
And again, I humbled that I was able to, I had no skin in the game, right?
His family were emotional.
I was just there.
luckily I had experience and training to be able to put that into practice.
And, you know, I was able to perform, I suppose, in that situation, highly stressful andtraumatic.

(38:44):
but like,
amazing to have been a part of it, as I say, humbled to like, hopefully give that child anopportunity to, I hope he goes on and changes the world.
that's where I was going to go with this because that's what I want Don't Die Rusty to do.
it's interesting to me because not only did you affect the people, the child, you affectthe people around you.

(39:08):
And that's what a Don't Die Rusty person is.
Being a good person, not worrying about yourself, jumping in and
that situation.
It's I don't think you affected.
Like I said, I don't think you affected just a kid.
I think you affected the people around it, of course, at that time.
And then, and then I kind of knew this story.
I mean, I've watched, you know, some of the your social media here and there and stufflike that.

(39:31):
But I didn't know the whole story.
And I didn't want to pry.
But then I walked up to you and said, I want to And look, it's it's that was August oflast year.
I think it probably took six months to
to be able to work, they'd be able to talk about without getting kind of emotional.
Cause it also didn't make sense to me.
And I'm a very type A person like to find reason and logic and everything.

(39:54):
And it took me a while to, actually realize that like, Hey, let go of that.
Like you're not going to find a reason for this other than it wasn't his time.
And you know, I hope he goes on and affects something and you were just meant to be there.
And I like to find a reason for things and logic as to why.
He survived.

(40:14):
this?
And I'm like, there is no reason.
Like you just have to let that go.
And, just, suppose have a contentment that, yeah, like you said, hope I'm incrediblyhumbled to have been able to hopefully positively impact a complete stranger in a way
that, you know, has changed the trajectory of his life.

(40:36):
And that's also like, we had to think of introspectively.
It's very strange.
And again, I try to make sense of it and I can't necessarily.
Like I said, it's hopefully by having, talking to you about this, that people listen andthey'll say, I'll jump in.

(40:56):
Cause like we were talking in the earlier parts of this podcast, we were talking about, Ikind of put myself in these situations now because I think
there's too many people that'll pull out their phone and video it, but they won't saythat, save anybody.
I, not that I hope to be in that situation, but you, it's kind of like archery in theaspect that I fo I visualize the shot.

(41:21):
Sure.
Yeah.
And I've, I feel like if you visualize something, because you had the experience in thecoast guard, I mean of knowing what to do, but I visualize things like, what would I do in
this situation?
And of stubbornness, not to stop.
Yeah, that is she because because I think that's like stubbornness and also I'm like, Oh,well, what are we going to do?

(41:42):
Just all sit around and like, you know, I like, this is the only thing that I can do foryou right now is just make an attempt.
You know, that is the only thing that I can do to try and provide something for you.
And it's a, it's a lot of stubbornness.
Well, I took, I mean, I took first aid classes for things in, you know,

(42:02):
We did it for two minutes and I was tired.
I can't imagine 20 minutes.
Seriously, days after I had muscles that I didn't even know I had, you you think that witharchery, you have your work muscles that didn't know you have.
That's another form of, suppose, physical exertion that I was like, I, the adrenalinedump, the physicality of it, I didn't go back out for the rest of my hunt after that,

(42:25):
unfortunately.
so, because I think it was, it was just.
physical like exhaustion as well from being part of that, that I thought, part of me nowkind of coming full circle, thinks that maybe it would have been really good for me to go
out and have some solitude in the mountains and reflection.
but I think at that time, I didn't think that was right for me.

(42:47):
And, and I wanted to kind of be at home and, and that's fine.
think now maybe I would potentially run to the mountains for, for some of that solitudeand ability to kind of think and,
But yeah, there's something special about the mountains and I think that, you know, it's,therapeutic now for me to be able to, mean, this year for opening season, opening of the

(43:09):
season, wouldn't you believe it?
I drew a tag for the exact same place.
And I really was like, shoot.
Am I, I struggled with like, am I going to want to even go out there?
Is it going to be trouble for me to like drive past that reservoir and see it?
But no, it was great.
I had a great time out there.
It wasn't very successful, but I had.
It was really special to kind of come full circle and actually get up in those mountainsthat I didn't get to explore the year prior because I just wasn't in a place that I

(43:39):
thought was going to be right.
Because it's interesting.
I mean, it's interesting because my mom died in October last year.
And it's funny because I was there when she died.
And then we did.
some funeral stuff, mean, preparing for the funeral.
And then I left and as soon as I got home, I climbed Crow Peak, was dark.

(44:05):
And I climbed, sorry about this.
I just am in this emotional person, I guess.
But I got home, I said, Cindy, I gotta go do this.
And I did.
And that's when I yelled at God or whoever.
And Bella and I had this little conversation, you know, but it was, it was one of thosethings that I needed to do just for the solace to ask questions.

(44:34):
did you get answers?
I think we're having a podcast now.
Yeah.
And I think the positivity that comes out of things, you know, I mean, I look at thingsI'm still a year and a half later.
But you know what I mean?
I climbed the mountain.
happened to be a full moon that night.

(44:56):
then six, well, it'd been like six, seven months later, I'm climbing again with Ears,Heather.
I mean, Ears and Ashley and those.
And Ashley got the picture of me on Crowpeak and Ears tells me your mom's watching you andproud of you.
And that was special.
But I don't know if they knew that.

(45:17):
I mean,
I got home and it was one of those things I said, and she said, go.
And that's a solitude of the mountains.
Sure.
I think it comes back to like that quote, the mountains are calling and I must go.
Like that's what I think when you're saying that you were drawn to it to kind of gothrough that healing and moment.
think that that's something I found from the mountains that I love being up there.

(45:41):
It's something special.
And it's funny because, know, I mean,
We can go the mountains and hunting and not be successful and still get fulfilled.
a hundred percent.
I think back to some of the hiking and I call it hiking rather than hunting because, man,I put in the miles and some elevation of a nasty country this year.

(46:02):
unfortunately my unit, turns out had a very high winter kill off and that was reallyevident.
And it's some serious type two fun, think some of these like, you know, six miles throughlike knee deep snow and freezing cold.
And I'm thinking, what the heck am I doing this for?
Like, this is kind of like a suffer fast, but then you get out to somewhere where you'resix, seven, eight miles back in the back country.

(46:26):
You've not seen any trash, which I think is so special because the mountains, I think it'sgreat in Salt Lake.
Like they're so accessible for people.
And I love that.
And I want people to experience that.
but humans are trash and they just leave a footprint.
Like, and you just all like hike out.
And by the end of it, I have a pack full of like trash that I'm picking up.

(46:46):
So some of these hikes again, hikes with my very expensive gear in the mountains, notseeing much.
there was no evidence of humans back there.
And this is so special.
Like how few people, I'm not arrogant enough to think I'm the only one who's hiked outthere.
but how few people have,
put in the effort in a world where immediacy and convenience is prioritized now to take awhole 10 hours of your day to hike way back in there.

(47:15):
Man, you come up to this area called Hell's Kitchen, we got up on this ridge, I think we'dsat at 7,000 feet, we got up to 10 and a half and the wind is whipping and it's freezing
cold, but you just look over this whole valley that so few people get to see and there'sbald eagles flying through the trees.
that's so special.
Like all of this time I thought it was an absolute suffer fest, but there's somethingabout it that again you find those moments and the positivity in it and you're like wow

(47:42):
this is actually really special.
like I mean I put on that there's no sunrises, I mean no sunrise is the same and it'sfunny because I'm out there sometimes some of them are suffer fest and some of them aren't
but they all fulfill you.
Sure.
You know and I mean it's like it's just one of those things that you've

(48:03):
I look at myself and I breathe in the, like in the morning when it's cold out and youbreathe in that fresh, cool, cold, whatever time of the year you're out there, fresh air,
you see the, my love is like the cotton candy colors that come out when the sun is noteven up yet.

(48:25):
Or any got the clouds above you.
But those things I'm saying, how many people have seen this stuff?
And how many people are right now and how many people have been to these places?
I've been to places like we're mountain men here or what Indians or whatever else wasthere, you know, and it's funny.
We talk about also.
This like the spiritual, the spiritual healing and I will.

(48:52):
I mean.
I don't think I've ever told you this, but the shadow play stuff after like my mom dying.
That kept me alive because I'm not really alive, but it kept my spirit alive because I'mgoing to post this shadow for Fiona because I see this right now.
And those are the cool things in life that with your friends you surround yourself with.

(49:19):
now how do you like, how don't you die rusty now?
How do you keep moving and what else do you have on your docket?
well, I'm living in Salt Lake, but I'm actually relocating to Bozeman, Montana, coming uphere pretty soon.
It's funny.
I've been manifesting.
I'm a big believer in manifestation.
I mentioned it a few times.
I did that with Nike and I've been saying I wanted to live in Montana for a number ofyears now.

(49:43):
And a job opportunity came up recently that's having me move out there.
So I'm thrilled about that.
So I'm excited for.
Maybe a little less winters in Montana.
hear they were a little rough last year.
Luckily I like, I like the snow.
I get a kick out of it.
I'm from Auckland and New Zealand where we didn't get snow.
I'm still a big kid when it snows, I get excited.

(50:06):
Um, so moving to Montana, um, you know, we, we mentioned shadow play and that wassomething that I started doing in COVID, like during COVID when we were kind of locked
down and feeling a little isolated.
And one of the things that I do is I'd at least walk my dog.
like get out and it was just us.
And I started to like realize that like I was hanging my head quite, you know, you get abit down.

(50:30):
I couldn't go home.
I didn't see my family in three years during COVID.
I'd always had this thought that, I've done the fight between New Zealand and America somany times.
It's 12 hour flight.
It's super easy.
But then all of a sudden, like if anything happened, I could get home.
All of sudden COVID hits and the world changes.
And I get told you can't see your family for three years.

(50:51):
I watched two nephews and a niece be born and grow up through FaceTime.
Man, this, this I like, I feel very isolated for the first time in my life.
feel truly isolated.
so that was tough.
And I realized as I was walking, was like, man, I'm like hanging my head a lot.
Like I'm down.
I'm very down.

(51:11):
And I kind of got a kick out of seeing that you can look down and then you see yourshadow.
But how cool it is that your shadow is so, so tall.
And like, was it my dog?
I'm like, man, sometimes there's something kind of cool about realizing by looking downthe actually you're like really tall, which sounds so cliche.

(51:33):
And I can't believe I've even saying it, but at the time, like that was something verymeaningful for me.
I was like, yeah, things aren't that bad.
have your self confidence.
You're a good put, you know what I mean?
Like you have a lot going for you.
Yes, it's really tough times and it's isolating, but like you're taller than you think,you know?
And as I said, it's very cliche, but that worked for me.

(51:53):
So I started playing this game of like shadow play every day.
I go out and like in a different area and like different kinds of like scenarios andpeople, think you might've been one of the first people to start joining in, like doing it
back and like shadow hashtag shadow play.
And now I have like a group, there's maybe like
15, 20 people who every now and then I joke, I'm like, welcome to the game because they'llpost a shot.

(52:17):
They've seen mine and then they're like, Hey, this is for you.
And this is like a cool shadow or a cool moment.
And I think that's really special again, and at time when most of these people are allgeographically separated, but there's like a fun little connection through social media
and this like little, I call it a game where you're just taking stock and taking a momentto like.
look around you or like, look at your shadow and just have fun.

(52:39):
Like, am I out doing an adventure?
Am I out in the mountains?
Like, are there some cool like Vista that like a shadow showing up on?
So that's how it started for me.
Shadow hunting.
And now my friend Jericho, Jericho Denman, watch him.
He does very cool things.
He lives, his hashtag is live a great story.
And he really does.
And of course he jumps out of planes.

(53:00):
He's a big skydiver.
So he's now taken the game to a whole nother level and will tag me in shadow hunting fromlike a parachute.
I've seen them.
You just beat me at my own game.
I can't do that, but no, it's, fun.
is.
And you know, here's a funny story, uh, about shadow players.
Cindy and I went to New Orleans to pick up her daughter and we drove her back to Cheyenne,Wyoming and this and that, and we're flying into New Orleans and I'm looking out.

(53:27):
I do not know how my luck, cause we don't, we didn't pick seeds, but I'm seemingly alwaysover the wing.
I mean, so I can't see a doggone thing.
So we weren't over the wing and I'm looking out the window and I saw the shadow of theplane.
I'm trying to get my phone out so I could take the picture so I can post it to tag you.
And I didn't get it.
And I'm going on, that was the cool, that was a cool picture.

(53:49):
Now I don't have it, but it's interesting that those things pop up in your head.
For sure.
And I think it helps like.
pull you out of whatever you're going in at the moment.
Again, we're in this whole cycle of always rushing or onto the next thing and this gamefor me and how do you not die resting.
Those are moments where it reminds me to take pause and take stock of what's around me andenjoy the little things around me and surround.

(54:16):
Like you said, you're like, dang, I see a shadow.
I mean a shadow, but man, it brings me so much joy.
So I think finding little things like that.
Again, Jericho and I have a new one where full length
mirror selfies in the wild is the new one you can watch out.
again, any like reflections and things.
think it's kind of fun.
He lives in Florida.
I'm in Utah.

(54:36):
I'm a friend in Tahoe, Aurora, who plays the game.
And it's just kind of a fun little connection to see other people.
It'd be meaningful for them to take a moment of pause and see something like just cool orpositive in day to day, which you might otherwise just skip over.
we're taking stock in the day, like you said.

(54:57):
You see things every day, but if you're stopping and smelling the roses per se, it's,literally like a slightly evolved version of stopping to and to check out the shadow.
Cause I got my dad into it too.
He's done that, but he hasn't tagged you, but he, cause I'm, when I go back to visit himand stuff for what he, gets up at and goes for his walk in the morning and I see that

(55:19):
shadow and I'm taking pictures of it and I try to tag him and.
Now he's taking pictures of shadows and doing stuff like that too.
that is, you, you, you've, you've brought new life to all kinds of things.
my, I'm going to let you go here.

(55:39):
Cause I know you're a busy gal.
I've enjoyed the chat.
I don't even know how long we've been talking.
don't either.
It's Well, it's been a little, yeah.
You know, it's funny because.
In this in well in an hour here Frank and I are gonna go jump off the stratosphere Frank'sgoing to Frank is going to I'd be jealous if I Didn't have a fear of heights, but I love

(56:02):
that for you guys.
All right for you guys so so my are the last question that I want to ask is is Is what isthe good life to you?
It's interesting you pose that question
earlier and I've kind of been noodling on it.
And I think it's interesting how you can go through different cycles of your life as well.

(56:28):
I think back to like, when I was in college, I thought like, you know, the yardstick forsuccess was, know, you own a home before you're through this is in New Zealand, you own a
home by a certain age, you you start, you know, it's the white picket fence.
And in New Zealand, everyone's got like the boat, because we're an island boat, two carshouse, you know, that's the good life and the great job.

(56:49):
And I think I once upon a time subscribed to that, but I think as I get older and gothrough different stages of my life, that has shifted dramatically.
Once upon a time, I wanted to be, I'm still very goal oriented.
Don't get me wrong.
I'm like my hardest, I'm the hardest critic and I'm very driven.
I hear you.
I see it too.

(57:11):
But I think once upon a time, like I wanted to be in an office and I wanted to be a bankerand I was going to do this and that.
And now I can't imagine anything worse than.
than being beholden to that.
So for me, I think the good life is, is I've had to learn and I'm still learning.
I'm very much a work in progress about balance.
again, I'm, I'm very driven and I'm super stoked for this new role with Duckworth andMontana wool company, which is funny that a Kiwi kid where like where wool comes from,

(57:38):
it's come full circle to now working in America for a wool company.
The irony is not lost.
I'm super excited.
Honestly, about telling stories, I think that's something that I've learned that I reallyenjoy.
And this company has a really phenomenal story to tell.
And I'm very excited to like bring some of that creativity that excites me to tellingtheir story and obviously growing the business, which I'm very passionate about, but it's

(58:05):
having the balance.
And I think living in Montana and Utah and back in New Zealand is the proximity to theoutdoors and being able to, you
work a very hard day, but go out and play just as hard.
And by that is scaling a 3000-foot mountain or doing something stupid to most people.
But like, for me, that's the good life is getting out with my dog, enjoying the mountains,having probably a slightly smaller social circle than I ever have before.

(58:34):
But as you said, like just great quality, good humans.
I have, I don't need to go out every night.
Like I used to love going out and like burning the candle at both ends and my work hardplan.
I think it's having a very good solid group of people.
You know, I think that our total archery friends and some of the friends that we havehere, like we see each other a couple of times a year at some of these events and you

(58:59):
could pick up where you left off as if no time has gone by.
And I think those kinds of relationships are very special when you find, find folks likethat.
You and I, you know, we will not see each other and you pick up.
As if no time has passed.
We went to the after party last night or that party last night and we sat down and had abeer and we chatted and we just like we'd been apart.

(59:22):
And it's funny that you bring those people up to this little circle.
In this little ecosystem.
And I'm so happy that you're in it.
You know mean?
I'm thrilled to be in it.
And it's interesting to me because even though we might not see each other, like if
I think if any one of any of us made a one phone call to any of us, they're always therefor that person.

(59:45):
you drop everything.
Good humans.
That is exactly what it's that's like that goes back to don't die rusty.
It's also about like, I think it's quality over quantity is something I've learned in allaspects, whether that be like some sort of outdoor adventure, excursion, it's the people
and just having like a really good balance.

(01:00:06):
And I just love the outdoors.
And again,
My mom looks and she's like, wait, you're hiking the Grand Canyon for five days with onlydehydrated food, like no showers.
That sounds awful.
It was like, it sounds like my type of fun.
That's my type of type of fun.
And so I think it's, it's a mix of that.
And I think I've learned that you don't need as much as you once upon a time thought youdid, or that society tells you, need to have to be successful and live a good life.

(01:00:31):
Like it's a lot more.
Pair down than, than what we're made to think.
It is, you know, I mean, I tried to be a little more simpler.
mean, I'd rather for me personally, it's memories over material things.
Yeah, I mean, agree.
And we both, I, we both have high tech and expensive gear, but I look at that high techand expensive gear.

(01:00:56):
It gets us to where we want to be.
And if that can help, I mean, yes, you could wear jeans and all that stuff, but itdoesn't, I want to stay alive too.
Sure.
I don't want to die rusty because I want to keep on making these memories and and to seethe things that we see but I don't need all that stuff at home.

(01:01:19):
I don't want to live for a house payment.
I want to live for adventure.
Yeah, I want to live for those memories because that's what I'm taking with me.
That is always what I'll be taking with me.
So the stories I can have with you or the stories I can have with whoever else and like Isaid, it's that tight-knit group.
Yeah.
I mean, I have friends, but there's those friends that are like, there, you know, and it'samazing that and I, don't know that the outdoors, it's all a love and appreciation for

(01:01:49):
like, experience that brings those people together.
I think that like the common, the initial common ground, there's obviously a lot morecommon ground beyond that.
But I think that's kind of cool that that was like the initial common ground that bringsthose folks together.
Yes.
For us, mean, we can, it's interesting because you sneak in like a ninja into the room andI could have had my throat slit, but thank God you weren't a serial killer.

(01:02:17):
And then, and then Ashley gets up in the morning and starts her getting ready.
And then everybody starts getting ready and you, you pop up and come with us.
And it's funny because we're getting up before light.
And we're seeing the sunrise up there.
I mean, it's, have that cool picture as a sunrise and by the big sky sign up on top, youknow, and it was just cool.

(01:02:41):
And like you said, it's those, that tight knit group that in those situations, we mightburn kind of the candle at both ends because we know it's a, it's two days.
We get together.
we were like, got to maximize it.
then you're exhausted after the fact, but it's so worth it.
then, and then we walked down the mountain.

(01:03:02):
and you talk to somebody, I talk to somebody, then we talk to somebody else and theconversations just never, you know, it's not an awkward situation.
Like we go from target to target to target and I'll talk to Fiona at this target and thenwe'll talk to Ashley or Jessie or whoever, you know, is it with us and then we all get

(01:03:22):
together and then we'll do, I'll.
I hate to say it that I'm that guy, but I'm that guy that'll do something stupid and thenthen we'll all get back together again.
And know, you know what I mean?
It's, it's interesting that we have that connection and, we know what it is.
That's the problem I think today is we don't know what that connection is till too latesometimes.

(01:03:46):
And I think we all know that these are good people.
know what I mean?
It's
And like I said, I don't ever want to be that person that wishes they did.
I want to be the person that did.
You know, it's funny.
I'll wait.
I know we're trying to end, but I'll end on this is that I think I've always tried tomaximize and my dad will attest to, he's like, I don't know how you fit so much into your

(01:04:11):
life and into your day.
And I guess I've always just over tried to overachieve in everything that I do.
And that includes fitting the most into every day.
but I,
often took part in some experiences like I would go out to like some islands on my lunchbreak because I had a jet ski.
Again, when you're in New Zealand, you have the proximity to do some pretty rad things.

(01:04:34):
Yeah.
But I think you can find those anywhere and people would say, oh, you're so lucky you getto do this.
Oh, you're so lucky.
I was like, I am and don't get me wrong, I am so fortunate to have had the upbringing thatI've had to afford me the
I suppose the work ethic to instill in me to work hard for a lot of the opportunities thatI get and figure out how to maximize my day.

(01:04:56):
I mean, you could do it too.
I'm not, I'm not like being given anything on like a platter per se.
I worked hard.
I'll get to work early.
I have a not that expensive of a jet ski.
You can get one pretty cheap.
And I was like, it's fun to zip around.
We have the islands right there.
I'm going to make the most of every day.
I'm going to take my lunch over to that island and eat lunch on that island.
Like, you're so lucky.

(01:05:17):
You can do it too.
Maybe I'm just silly enough to try and figure out how to do it.
But you I think it's, you can make the most of any opportunity that you're given.
And sometimes if you just have a crazy idea, you can just figure out how to do it.
And I think that's been maybe a good trait and a slightly like reckless trait.
I have some I've told me.
I don't think it's reckless, but it's just making the most of like the opportunities andworking hard and getting out and enjoying it.

(01:05:40):
And even if it sounds as obnoxious of going over to a private island for lunch.
You could do it too.
It's the choices you make.
It's funny because I you say that and earlier this week one of my co-workers said, how doyou hunt out of state?
I said, how many packs of cigarettes do you smoke?
And I said, you know, it's the choices you make.
Yeah.

(01:06:01):
I'm not telling you have to smoke those cigarettes.
You're not telling me I have to go hunt or do whatever I want to do.
But it's my choice to go on adventures.
Your choice to smoke that cigarette.
It's your choice how to spend your equity.
And that is like time.
money resources.
Yeah.
Exactly.
And I was like, I, just the cho- yeah, I like that actually.
That's probably a better way that I could have explained it is the choices that you make.
All of these things are afforded to us.

(01:06:22):
It's public land.
It's public ocean.
Like you can, you can get out there if you want.
Like we're so lucky that we can.
I've just figured out a way to do it.
And it's the choices of surrounding yourself with good people and it's all these choices.
So I just want to say thank you for having this conversation with me.
I feel privileged.
Well, thank you for inviting me.
It's my first ever podcast.
So I've enjoyed the conversation.

(01:06:43):
And it's always a good conversation.
That's a good thing is you, like you said, you can not be around each other for a longtime.
yet the conversation flows as if no time has gone by.
Exactly.
And you can check us out on IG, Don't Die Rusty, Facebook, Don't Die Rusty, the YouTubechannel, Don't Die Rusty.
So keep chasing your dreams and don't die rusty.
In the end, we all know don't die rusty.

(01:07:07):
Thanks for having me.
Thank you.
Thank you for listening to the Don't Die Rusty podcast with your hosts Rick Hanson andRicky Bruhle.
The Don't Die Rusty podcast is written and produced by Rick Hanson and Ricky Bruhle.
You can find us on Instagram and on Facebook at Don't Die Rusty.
You can rate and review this show on Apple podcasts and Spotify.

(01:07:29):
You might find your review read on a future episode.
Got a question for the Ricks?
Send us an email at don'tdierusty at gmail.com.
It too could be featured on a future episode.
And if you haven't already, please subscribe to the Don't Die Rusty podcast wherever finepodcasts are downloaded.

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DDR 044 - Best of 2024: Fionna Pierce

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}DDR 044 - Best of 2024: Fionna Pierce