Few people embody the spirit of an aspiring Martian like Jesse Forte—also known by his music artist name Jforte. Jesse is a musician with over 150 tracks to his name, the author of four books including Fail Forward Through Success, a civic disruptor, and a six-time analog astronaut who’s put his body and mind through the paces of simulated space living. His story begins in hardship—surviving homelessness—and rockets forward through self-taught design, music, public service, and science.
In this episode, we talk about the winding road that brought him to the stars, and the mindset that keeps him grounded even while reaching for Mars. Jesse shares why analog astronaut missions are basically camping on steroids, how different each of his analog missions have been, the power of a fidget spinner, and why communication and humility are non-negotiables in space—or life.
Jforte on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4XkFUT4QdGBJia6JNdtbRc?si=n7dklXQOSj6JPZpxcPZEMA
Jesse Forte's books: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=jesse+forte&crid=ZVRA3Q19OZYE&sprefix=jesse+forte%2Caps%2C282&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
Thank you to Jesse for making the time to be on the podcast and for the incredible conversation, to Nick Thorburn for the theme music that is truly out of this world, to Ceci Giglio for the incredible graphics, to RDan, Leila, Inka, and Carl for running the Facebook group, and to my family for putting up with nonstop Mars talk around the house.
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