April 22, 2024 • 45 mins
Season 2 Episode 01 Part 3
"Conquering Oceans and Fears: A Voyage with Karlis Bardelis" PART 3
In the concluison of Seson 2 Episode 1, we bring this epic journey with our fearless guest Karlis Bardelis to a close. But now wihtout getting interrupted by wild turkeys, a crashing computer and a phone that literally burns out!
The final part of the podcast episode summarizes Karlis Bardelis's most terrifying experience during his Indian Ocean rowing expedition. He planned to finish in Tanzania but ended up in Somalia due to strong currents and winds. Somalia is a dangerous place for foreigners because of terrorist groups like Al Shabab. Luckily, Karlis was able to secure a safe landing with the help of various authorities.
The podcast host then asks Karlis about his fear of public speaking. Karlis says he has a strong urge to share his stories and doesn't experience much fear when speaking on stage. He explains that he focuses on sharing the challenges he faced, the decisions he made, and the lessons he learned. He believes these relatable stories inspire people and give them hope.
Karlis also shares that he is planning to write a book about his adventures. He says he will only include the stories that he can remember vividly after several years because he believes those are the most impactful ones to share.
The episode concludes with Karlis giving a message to the listeners. He paraphrases a quote from Viktor Frankl's book "Man's Search for Meaning": "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom to choose our response. And in that choice lies our growth and our freedom." Karlis emphasizes the importance of choosing our attitude in any given circumstance. He believes this is the most valuable lesson he has learned from his expeditions.
Takeaways:
- Fear can be turned into fuel for achieving goals.
- Challenges and setbacks can be catalysts for growth and change.
- The entrepreneurial journey, while risky, won't cost lives like a failure in the middle of the ocean.
- One's mind has an incredible ability to devise solutions in dire situations.
- Adventure and exploration can lead to personal fulfillment.
- Even ordinary individuals with regular jobs can embark on extraordinary adventures.
- Pursuing one's passion can lead to a more fulfilling life.
- Fear and obstacles are universal, but they can be overcome.
Quotes:
- "How does someone become fearless? That's exactly what we're going to find out."
- "I love that this puts these things into perspective for us."
- "Your mind will really come up with ways to save your ass in some of these situations."
- "I'm a Googler. I Googled how to row an ocean. So that's how you start."
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey there everybody, and welcome to the Fearless Road
podcast, where we exploreentrepreneurial insights,
stories and advice on embracingfear, breaking boundaries and
achieving goals on the road tosuccess.
I'm your host, Michael DeVue,and after years of overcoming
obstacles and tragedy, I beganto wonder how does someone
become fearless?
(00:23):
Well, that's exactly what we'regoing to find out.
In every episode, we dive intothe lives of individuals who've
learned to turn fear into fuel,face some incredible challenges
and cultivate a fearless mindsetwhile navigating their fearless
road.
So join me for in-depthinterviews with some amazing
people where we investigate moredeeply the valleys on their
(00:44):
road to success, because thevalleys are where character is
built, foundations are laid andwhere the fearless are born.
Welcome to the Fearless RoadPodcast, All right.
So, if you recall, part two, weended with Wild Turkey
interrupting our production andCarlos's phone overheating.
(01:06):
He was just about to get intohis story about the first time
he rowed in his boat across theAtlantic Ocean, after only
training, I think 37 kilometersin a lake, and he Googled it and
thought well, why not, I'll rowacross the ocean.
We're going to let him tellthis story.
It's so good.
Part three in the final chapterof the incredible interview
(01:30):
with Carlos Bartalas.
Thanks for tuning in.
Y'all Enjoy.
So, ladies and gentlemen, ifyou're following us and you're
back, we jumped back into studio.
We lost our connection.
Carlos's phone overheated, sowe are dealing with some
technical issues.
(01:50):
We're dealing with wildlife whoare making themselves known.
And where were we?
We were on your first rowingjourney, which gosh, by the way.
I mean, ladies and gentlemen,if you're going to learn to row,
I suppose taking on theAtlantic Ocean is one way to do
it, but Carlos decided, afterGoogling it, that he should go
(02:12):
ahead and row from Africa toBrazil.
Here we are.
I'm going to take us a bitforward.
You've Googled, you've trained,you've done a little bit of
training 37 kilometers in a boatthat you've never been in
before, that you think is goingto take you across the ocean and
(02:36):
take us out into this firsttrip.
And you're in the middle of theocean on this first trip.
Were you by yourself, rowing byyourself?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
so I was with my previous colleague from the
office.
So just uh one thing I said beaware of you.
You're googling, uh what yougoogle and be careful, yeah, be
careful and and be careful withwhom you're sitting in the same
office, because me and my rowingpartner we sat at the same
(03:09):
office back in the days when wewere working in the office.
So, yeah, we went to row acrossthe Atlantic with the aim to
arrive in Rio de Janeiro by thetime of Olympic and Paralympic
Games in Brazil, in Rio deJaneiro.
And, yeah, a lot of thingshappened and we arrived one week
(03:35):
after Paralympics.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
so a lot of things happened, but you were still
raising awareness for climatechange and for human powered
endeavors, so that part workedright.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Absolutely.
And you know well, yeah, beinglike environmental master master
environmental management myselfI can definitely can draw the
lines that connects the dotsbetween human powered journeys
(04:26):
and, like climate change, uh.
But to be honest, I mostly uhwanted to underline that if
there is something in you thatyou want to do and there is this
spark, there is this somethingthat resonates in you.
I better wanted to be anadvocate for that, because
(04:48):
someone, some people, believeinto climate change, some people
don't.
So, not going into theenvironmental things, I'm going
into your core, in anyone who islistening or or watching us now
that there is something insideof you that you wanted to do,
(05:08):
you maybe pushed aside and yeah,that's.
Or you know, by the way,michael, there have been people
who said that, no, I never hadthis big dream, I never wanted
to do these kind of challenges.
I never had it in me and then Isay, yeah, but you know, when
(05:29):
you, let's say, volunteer forsomeone, or maybe you help
someone to achieve some goal orto build a business, or to build
something, a company, there areso many opportunities that come
up without you thinking aboutthem on the first hand.
(05:51):
You never know where this roadcan lead you.
So I would say, if there issome crazy guy or girl who has
this idea, he wants to go on ajourney, she wants to build a
company, to build something,yeah, maybe it's a good idea
(06:15):
just to join them and help.
Maybe that is also a way tobecome a better version of
yourself.
But coming back to that, ourAtlantic crossing, well, as I
said, a lot of things happenedalong the way.
A lot of things what we neverexpected happened.
We actually had to invent newrowing technique, but because we
(06:39):
couldn't sit down anymore,because, yeah we, we were facing
very severe health problems, wewere covered with boils on our
oh shoot.
Backside, because a lot, a lotof things, yeah, that we didn't
expect.
(06:59):
That.
Like, just just imagine such asimple thing here on land.
You might never pay attentionhow much sugar there is in the
energy bars.
So we never thought about that.
How much sugar is thereactually?
(07:20):
And we thought that, yeah,sugar, it's an energy, so we
need an energy to roll 12 hoursa day.
But it turned out that it's toomuch and it impacted our
immunity.
Oh wow, one is rowing two hours, other one is resting for two
(07:52):
hours, and that goes on for 24hours a day.
So it means that even duringthe night, when you normally get
your deep sleep, cycles and yourecover properly.
We were not able to do that, sono, so the problems with the
food, the sleep.
And then what?
Problems with the food, thesleep, and then what happens
with the water you're drinking,so hydration, and you know what?
We tested equipment in Latviaand it was funny, the company's
(08:21):
manager who gave us back thewater maker, that is decenalator
, that decenalates seawater intodrinkable water, he gave us
back the equipment and he saidwell, it meets the requirement
standards.
You will not die from, you willnot die Was his.
(08:42):
OK, ok, yeah so and then let'stry how that works in real life.
So actually, actually it wasquite problematic because it
turned out it was a used watermaker and uh, and it it's.
Well, we know we knew that itis a used water maker, that's
(09:04):
why we tested it, so it kind ofmet the standards, but it was
still a bit salty, so we werepouring in not so good fuel.
So you can imagine.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Yeah, salty water, tons of sugar, easy
carbohydrates that are notcomplex carbohydrates, so your
body is turning most of thosecarbohydrates into a sugar in
order to burn them.
So your metabolism, I imagine,was off balance.
Your chemistry was off balance,absolutely.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Absolutely.
So, therefore, that all badthings that we were pouring in
and, of course, the physicaleffort.
You are rowing 12 hours a day.
So definitely, and you need agood recovery, sleep and we were
not getting that.
Yeah, so all that smoothie,should I say turned out that our
(09:55):
bodies were trying to cope withthe situation and squeezing out
all the bad things in the formof boils and they were like
really nasty, all the bad thingsin the form of boils.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
They were really nasty and very, very painful and
we were not able to sit down onour sliding seat, on the rowing
seat, and we had to drinkantibiotics to stop the
inflammation and we had to drinkantibiotics to stop the
inflammation.
So we took actually twoantibiotic courses.
(10:28):
We had to take because theboils came back and we had to
take antibiotics.
And the third time when Ithought that, well, we have to
figure out something elsebecause we don't want to give up
, we are one third in our way.
We have to find a solution.
And the solution was actuallyin the beginning.
(10:51):
It was stupid, naive idea thatwe might be able to row not
while sitting in a rowboat, butstanding.
So if any one of you who arelistening have been in a rowboat
in your life, you understandthat this is a stupid idea
because everything is verywobbly and unstable when you,
(11:11):
when you stand up in the rowboat.
So, but we, but we had to learnthis new technique.
We just had to because therewas no other way.
So eventually, when we learnedthe new technique we, that was
the thing which enabled us torow across the Atlantic, this
rowing while standing.
(11:31):
And then, after two weeks, theknees were full of boils because
we were pressing against therowing seat and we couldn't
stand up anymore after two weeks.
But after two weeks my butt wasalready a little bit healed so
I could sit down.
So I could sit, yeah, and rowand continue to row.
(11:53):
So this is the thing where youcan draw connection lines
between the between thecompanies and environment that
we are surrounded in in thebusiness, because I was giving
this lecture to one businessmanand he later on came up to me
and said you know what yourstory about this solution, that
(12:16):
you were like figuring outsolution, no matter what you
know.
He said, imagine we never willhave a client that's going to
ask can you please issue aninvoice for $5,000 for the
solution that you, for theproblem that you cannot solve?
(12:37):
Please issue us an invoice forthat that you cannot do.
No, there is always.
Only we are getting paid forthe solutions that we can figure
out and the performance that wecan do Deliver.
To deliver exactly.
So this is like reallyconnected also with the
(13:01):
entrepreneurship.
This is really connected alsowith entrepreneurship.
So you will never get an optionthat, yeah, I will pay you for
what you can't do.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
No, you are only paid for what you the part of the
cost of business is is isfinding those solutions Right Is
the failures.
The failures are what get us tothe actual successes.
You know Edison made a thousandbad light bulbs before he made
one that worked.
You know the reason why we haveso many, you know, meds these
(13:44):
days is these pharmaceuticalcompanies which charge, you know
, a lot of money for meds butspent billions of dollars in
research getting to the one thatworks right.
So, yeah, it's built into theprice point.
I would say that we areparticipating in the process of
getting to a solution, but whatwe want as consumers is the
(14:07):
solution.
We don't want to know thatwe're paying for you to solve
the problem so much as we justwant you to create the solution
for us and help us get to thatsuccess.
So, obviously, on the fearlessroad we talk about fear.
So obviously, on the Fearless.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Road.
We talk about fear.
Was there a point you felt fearon this journey in the middle
of the ocean?
Did you feel fear where I feltthat it's unfair, that something
is not letting us to do what we, what we want to do, like
(14:52):
through the ball, like to thebone, like we were, we were true
, to the bone, but something isnot letting do the thing, what
we want.
That was with these healthproblems, but you know fear.
I remember, when we were maybetwo, three weeks before Brazil,
(15:16):
my rowing partner Gintz, in themiddle of the night, when I was
sleeping in the cabin and he wasrowing outside, I hear him
screaming so loudly that thissound might circumnavigate the
world by itself, and it wascrazy and I didn't know what
(15:39):
happened.
So when I opened the cabinhatch and I was about to
understand what happened,actually there was a wave,
because during the night thevisibility is very poor, you
cannot see properly.
So there was a wave that hitfrom a side and that wave hit
(16:02):
his oar and that oar went intohis ribs and he broke his ribs
and it was.
It was a terrible situation.
Like we were, we were, uh, likewe were thinking of that.
(16:25):
We might call a help.
We might call someone toevacuate ourselves from there.
But but you know, if I think inthis kind of moments like to be
honest, everything was aboutsolving this situation, like
(16:46):
both of us were thinking whatcan we do, even in this
situation?
And actually we figured.
Well, first of all, he got intothe cabin, he tried to rest for
some hours, he tried to rest forsome hours, he tried to rest.
And then we figured out asolution how we can fix his ribs
(17:10):
with some equipment that we hadon board.
We cut out from the plasticcontainer like a plate, then we
tied this plate with a towel andwe placed it on his ribs and
strapped that plate with twostraps, uh, like fixing his ribs
from the possible movements,because the boat is moving all
(17:35):
the time in the waves.
So when we done that and he waslying in the cabin and just
slowly, I asked him so what doyou think?
Can we continue, becauseotherwise we need's necessary
for help, or are we actually incontrol of the situation?
(18:09):
And he said honestly that well,actually, when we have fixed my
ribs now and I'm in the cabin,actually I could stay here, I
can rest, you can roll and wecan continue.
So in that moment, we didn'tlet the fear to come in.
(18:36):
We didn't even get a threshold.
We didn't give this fear athreshold where to come in,
because, yeah, if the fear inthis kind of situation comes in,
yeah, I would say it's really,really complicated then to solve
(19:02):
all these challenges.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
So there's so many, so many questions and, ladies
and gentlemen, we're here at theFearless Road podcast with
Carlos Bartolus, currently inthe middle of the Atlantic Ocean
on their way to Brazil.
There's a few.
There's so many stories, carlos, and so many adventures that
you have.
We could talk for hours andhours and hours, and, oh my gosh
, I want to dive into these, butwe only have so much time on
(19:24):
the show and I've got to getquestions.
But so fear is not a is not anoption.
It sounds like to me in thisscenario.
Yeah, do you have a relationship, then Would you say you have a
different relationship with fearas a result of having these
experiences?
Speaker 2 (19:43):
I think the relationship can be said in this
one sentence If I can imaginethat, if that idea come to me,
(20:04):
if I wouldn't be able toactually execute and, yeah,
actually do any of theseexpeditions.
So therefore, I would say, yeah, if any idea has come to you,
just don't push back.
I mean don't push back, yeah,lean in.
(20:31):
Lean in and look where thisexcitement of curiosity is
leading you, and that will openup some very interesting doors.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Yes, that and Googling Open up some doors.
Okay, so I'm going to jumpahead here a little bit, just
for the listeners and everything.
There was a journey that youtook, another rowing journey.
Now you've made it from Africato Brazil.
You rode your bicycle in SouthAmerica and then you rode across
(21:13):
the Pacific Ocean to Asia.
But the last part of yourjourney, I think, was the most
terrifying and the mostconcerning.
Can you share with the audiencethis part of the journey,
specifically when you ended up?
Speaker 2 (21:32):
in Somalia, absolutely.
You know, sometimes people whenI'm out there in the ocean,
they think that, oh, it's sodangerous and so risky, and when
I'm close to some civilization,that this might be much more
(21:54):
safer for me.
But actually it isn't like that.
Any coast actually is dangerousfor this boat because of the
traffic, because of the localfishermen, because of the
currents and weather, which aremuch more changing than in the
(22:17):
middle of the Pacific Oceanwhere it has been like that, for
there's trade winds and tradecurrents.
You need to take in accountthem, but they are there out
there even now.
So, but additionally to allthose things that I mentioned
now the traffic, the localfishermen, the weather, etc.
(22:39):
There comes the, there comesthis risk and and very dangerous
, very, very dangerous.
Final stage of my indian oceanrowing expedition, where it
(23:01):
ended up in somalia, and Ididn't plan it that way.
I planned to finish in tanzania, but unfortunately my backup on
the backup, which was, uh, thatI thought okay, if not tanzania
, then kenya.
But even with that it wasn'tenough, and the currents and the
(23:23):
wind was twice, twice, twotimes stronger than it's
supposed to be in that season.
So against that there was no,no options.
So I end up in somalia andthere I have to say thank you
(23:46):
and I'm so grateful, beyondgrateful, that a lot of
authorities actually cametogether for me to to actually
secure this, this landing, andthat was like Somalian army,
italian embassy because Europeancountries doesn't have an
(24:10):
embassies in Somalia, onlyItalian embassy is there.
So Italians took it over from myMinistry of Foreign Affairs all
this diplomacy and all thelogistics and it actually, and
yeah, it was crazy, and Idrifted along the coast which is
(24:34):
controlled by the terroristgroup Al-Shabaab and yeah, the
thing is that for the past five,six years there hasn't been a
case in the sea, of the piracyin the sea, because all of those
container vessels they havearen't guards and they just
(24:59):
shoot them all off.
So but the situation iscompletely different when you
come ashore, where any taxidriver, where any postman, where
any of like anyone knows thatthey can sell you a foreign year
(25:19):
.
They can sell a foreigner for acouple of thousand to the group
of the terrorists, who willthen ask for the big ransom.
And luckily I was, so the ideawas such that the good guys
finds me first, then the badguys.
(25:42):
So that was the core of thismission and definitely, as I
said, I'm very grateful toanyone who gave a hand to this
mission.
And yeah, it's amazing,actually, that's.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
It's unbelievable that you I mean to have that
kind of support and energyaround you in the middle, and
this is a journey.
By the way, you were alone onthis one, weren't you?
You didn't have a rowingpartner on this leg of the trip.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Yeah, I had, from Sri Lanka to Maldives, I was rowing
with a friend, a French,half-french, half, half-american
citizenship and yeah, we didthis from Sri Lanka to Maldives
and then I continued alone.
(26:36):
So I was alone there and yeah,well, there was a lot of
communication, a lot of unknownthings, nothing.
But yeah, I'm now kind ofquestioning myself whether I let
the fear in even in that moment.
(26:59):
You know, yes, to be honest,I'm very, like, positive guy,
like just in life.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Well, you shared with me before that you had said
because I asked you, I think, inour previous conversation, when
we were doing our discoverycall and we were sort of getting
to know each other a little bitbetter that you couldn't afford
to let the fear in.
You couldn't afford to let thefear in because of everything
that was in front of you,because you were alone and you
were dealing with so manydifferent things Navigation, the
(27:34):
waters, the currents, the windsthat were changing, the rowing
conditions that you wereunderneath and the fact that you
were just being pushed towardsthe coast of Somalia.
You had said in your head thatyou just couldn't allow fear to
take hold because you had to besolution-oriented Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
And all of my ocean crossing expeditions, at the end
of the last leg, finish line,when you actually can see the
land which is so close that youmight, you, you can even think
that you can grab the land, butthere is still some distance to
do you have to have this 150percent focus.
(28:20):
You cannot get into the feelinglike I'm already there, I've
already done the crossing, thenthe problems can happen.
But no, you just keep this 150%focus, because none of those
kilometers or miles behind youmatter, only the ones that are
(28:44):
in front of you, in front.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, none of the miles
behind you matter.
Only the ones in front aretruly what matters.
Now we're going to I'm at somepoint I'm going to probably have
another conversation with you,because there's so many
questions I have and you have somany adventures to share.
But let's take this beyond theocean and let's take this into
(29:09):
the corporate andentrepreneurial mindset
environment.
You now have taken yourexperiences and your lessons and
you now share them with theworld.
On stage.
You speak professionally andshare these experiences.
Tell me, do you have a fear ofstage?
(29:29):
Do you have a fear of speaking?
Speaker 2 (29:33):
You know, I have this urge to share the journey, to
share the story, yeah.
So I'm always eager to sharethat, and I don't do it every
day, but if it's once a week,twice a week, I'm excited every
(29:57):
time when I do it.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
So there is something Because you know that public
speaking is one of the biggestfears in the world.
People are terrified of publicspeaking and yet you just step
right up to the plate.
What do you share with?
What lessons do you share?
What is your method in yourmessage when you're talking from
the stage?
Speaker 2 (30:21):
So if I'm sharing just this, like two sentences,
of saying, oh, I crossed theAtlantic in a rowboat, then
cycled across South America,then for two years, rode across
the Pacific and now across theIndian Ocean for seven years and
(30:45):
I'm not a professional athleteThen people are curious Carlos,
do you have some superpowers orwhat?
How did you do that?
And, by the way, carlos, wedon't have seven or eight years
to experience all that byourselves.
So could you please give us asummary of the most valuable
(31:10):
things that you experienced andlearned along the way?
So my way of thinking, my wayof explaining all this, is that
I tell exactly the situations Iwas facing, the conditions that
(31:32):
I was surrounded, what solutionsI made, what decisions I made,
what I've learned from them andwhat I have taken for my next
challenges.
What were valuable for me?
Were that valuable for me?
Yes, I took it for my nextchallenge and then I use it as
took it for my next challengeand then I use it as a tool for
(31:53):
for my next challenge.
So, uh, the those are thestories, uh, that they want to
hear.
Uh, they can really.
Actually, sometimes I even, inthe feedback, I ask them could
(32:13):
you even relate to that, becauseyou're not able, you will not
row across the sea.
And they are saying, no, yourstory of not giving up, of
choosing your own attitude, ofsaying nobody knew how to do
anything before they learn.
You know, with all theseattitudes and with all these
examples from real life, fromreal expeditions, they feel that
(32:35):
it's very valuable, that it'snot just, uh, from a book that
I've read and now I'm like Ilearned from the book and no, I
learned from the experience.
And when I share thatexperience and I put those
people in the boat with meacross the sea along these 45
(32:56):
minutes, and they have thisfeeling like, wow, actually
that's what they are sharingwith me in the feedback, that,
wow, we had the feeling that I'mthe one who is rowing, I am the
one who is making thesedecisions.
Wow, what I would, what I woulddo in these situations.
So they can really relate tothese challenges.
(33:19):
And and the example I sharedwith you before, when,
afterwards, from afterwards, uh,I got in the feedback, the
entrepreneur he told me that,yeah, your ability to underline
the importance of finding thesolutions till the last moment,
(33:39):
there is never too late.
You're just finding thesolutions, and that's how we
were able to cross the Atlantic,cross the Atlantic, and that's
how he sees that his team neededthat message from someone from
outside.
Because sometimes you know, whenthe leaders are experiencing
(34:00):
that they had some importantproject like behind him, behind
that they already done someimportant project, or there is
important project that they arefacing next quarter or next year
and the, the leader has, like,lost the, the words, what, how
(34:33):
he could encourage and inspirehis team like to take on this
next, uh, very demanding andchallenging, uh, challenging, uh
project that they will take on.
So then they asked me to come inand share my story and then,
through the eyes of theexpedition and through the eyes
of explorer, they can see yes,like we, if carlis could do that
, if they could figure out howto roll while standing or how to
(34:55):
not give up in these situationswhere, where the, the tanker
almost hit us, or or when thesharks were hitting the boat,
etc.
Etc.
So even then, if the, they werein such a problematic place, in
such a bad place, even eventhere there was a solution and
(35:18):
they got it through.
So that gives them the feelingthat even the guy who googled,
he can roll across the oceanwhat we couldn't do like.
Is there anything?
Speaker 1 (35:30):
yes, so yes, yeah, exactly.
Oh my gosh.
Um, your adventures are aninspiration to, I'm sure, a lot
of people.
Are you writing a book?
Are you planning on writing abook?
Speaker 2 (35:43):
yeah share these adventures definitely, and my
approach to this book.
Uh, because my friend with whomwe wrote the at, he wrote a
book about the Atlantic crossing, but that's only in Latvian.
We made the documentary thatthe name is Touched by the Ocean
.
But I'm definitely thinking ofwriting a book, but I have these
(36:11):
stories in me and what I thinkto myself.
If I cannot remember somethingfrom five years or seven years,
what I've done seven years ago,that this is not the thing that
is necessary to share withanyone in the book.
If I cannot remember it, it'snot worth sharing.
(36:34):
I will write in the book theonly the things that I can
remember very vividly, yes, verykind of followfully, and I can
share with them even after five,six, seven years, after doing
all these things.
So definitely it's going.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Well, if you need a partner to help you, I will sit
and listen.
I will ask all the questions andhelp you get this out onto
paper if you want.
Ladies and gentlemen, we'rehere in studio at the Fearless
Road podcast with CarlosBartulis, who has just shared
with us an incredible journeyalmost around the world.
(37:15):
We haven't gotten into some ofthe other stories and we can't
get into the rest of thembecause we have limited time,
and we will do a part two ofthis where we get a little
further into some of the otherjourneys and the stories that
Carlos has endured and hasovercome and has shared the
stories that Carlos has enduredand has overcome and has shared
(37:38):
as a motivational speaker.
If you're interested inbringing a new perspective to
your team and sharing thechallenges and what you face in
the new quarter or the new yearand you're looking for ways to
inspire them, I suggest youreach out to Carlos and you get
him on a stage near youimmediately.
You get him to share thesestories, get him to talk about
his journeys, get him to inspireyour team, because it's nothing
(38:02):
short of miraculous and it'snothing short of impressive, the
feats that this young man hasachieved in his short lifetime,
which you're going to do more, Iknow you're going to do more.
You mentioned to me before thefeats that this young man has
achieved in his short lifetime,which I miss.
You're going to do more.
I know you're going to do more.
You mentioned to me before likeyou can imagine yourself at 60
doing something incredible, andI just think that that's
unbelievably amazing.
If there's one last two thingswhere can people find you?
(38:23):
And the last is what?
What message would you like toleave with our listeners today?
If there was a message youcould leave, so, where can we
find you?
And, um, what's your finalmessage for us?
Speaker 2 (38:35):
so you, you could find me in the wildest place,
wherever you get and you willsee.
Speaker 1 (38:44):
Look at the nearest ocean near you and you can
google him.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
You can google carlos , by the way by way, this is the
thing how you can find me Ifyou Google where is Carlos, and
definitely the first thing thatcomes on Google where is Carlos.
And Carlos is not like Canada,but like Kenya.
(39:08):
So, yeah, yes, k-a-r-l-i-s.
Exactly.
My message is actually I willbe an advocate and promote this
thing, which I want to sharewith you anywhere I go, because
(39:34):
that is the fundament of all myjourneys, of all my expeditions,
how I actually cope with allthis adversity.
And I will quote, I willparaphrase the quote from the
book which I listened whilerowing across the Pacific, and
(39:58):
that's by Viktor Frankl Man'sSearch for Meaning.
So the quote is as follows Fromoutside stimulus to our response
to that stimulus, In the middle, in between that, there is a
moment, and that moment, in thatmoment, lies infinitive power,
(40:20):
and that power is our ability tochoose our attitude in any
given circumstances.
This is one of the mostpowerful things, what I will
promote things, what I willpromote advocate for, because
this is what I have tested somany times in my experiences and
nothing helps me better thanthis, like in very, very
(40:43):
difficult and and depressivesituations where I've been
pushed back, like for not oneday, not one week, but for one
month I've been pushed back bythe currents and only with
ability to choose my attitude inthat situation I was able to
(41:05):
stay sane.
So if you can take that andtest it with any of your next
challenges, I really hope that'sthe thing indomitable spirit
(41:33):
and the infinite strength ofyour attitude.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
Our attitude is of gratitude and we give you an
ocean-size thanks from ourlisteners for your adventure and
sharing your fearless journey,your literal, fearless, brave
and amazing experience.
I will do whatever I can tospread your message and to
encourage those here in theUnited States to bring you
(41:56):
across the ocean, not not byrowing by plane on our stages
here hey, you never know toshare your story further and to
spread this message where youcan.
At the, at the junction of yourinfinite power, you can change
your mind about something andmake magic happen.
(42:19):
Ladies and gentlemen, myincredible pleasure and my
incredible guest, carlis bartlisuh, board without borders.
Uh, this, this is this has beenan incredible journey.
It's been an incredibleinterview.
Thank you so much, carlos, forsharing this with me today and
with the rest of us today.
I hope to have you back again,because I want to know more, I
(42:39):
want to hear more.
Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
Absolutely, absolutely, michael.
It was such a pleasure.
Michael, it was such a pleasurewe were on this cruise across
the sea in this interview, so Ireally enjoyed that and all the
(43:07):
listeners.
This is where we thank ourcruise members that we have
crossed on the other side.
Let's move on.
It's been a pleasure.
Yes, it has been a pleasure andchoose Fearless Road and Board
of Borders sea lines the nexttime.
Speaker 1 (43:22):
Yes, please, ladies and gentlemen, you may now put
up your tray tables.
Pull up your seat backs intothe upright position.
We are about to land this plane.
Board of Borders, the FearlessRoad podcast.
Thank you everybody forlistening.
Thank you, carlos, for being apart of the show today and
(44:02):
remember everybody, stayfearless.
Thank you, cheers, bye, bye.
This guy has Thanks forlistening.
If you've gotten all the waythrough here, man, my love goes
out to you.
I feel it.
I think it's incredible.
Like, subscribe, do all thosethings, those wonderful things
for us, you know, and if you'reinterested in more, check out
Fearless Thinking the podcast,the new podcast that's out.
And you know we've got someinteresting things coming down
(44:26):
the line A new online membershipcommunity called the Ascend Hub
launching this summer, whichsort of gathers all my fearless
people together under one roof.
So that'll be pretty cool, yeah, so thanks everybody.
Have an incredible fearless dayyou.
Hey there everybody, and welcome to the Fearless Road
podcast, where we exploreentrepreneurial insights,
stories and advice on embracingfear, breaking boundaries and
achieving goals on the road tosuccess.
I'm your host, Michael DeVue,and after years of overcoming
obstacles and tragedy, I beganto wonder how does someone
become fearless?
(00:23):
Well, that's exactly what we'regoing to find out.
In every episode, we dive intothe lives of individuals who've
learned to turn fear into fuel,face some incredible challenges
and cultivate a fearless mindsetwhile navigating their fearless
road.
So join me for in-depthinterviews with some amazing
people where we investigate moredeeply the valleys on their
(00:44):
road to success, because thevalleys are where character is
built, foundations are laid andwhere the fearless are born.
Welcome to the Fearless RoadPodcast, All right.
So, if you recall, part two, weended with Wild Turkey
interrupting our production andCarlos's phone overheating.
(01:06):
He was just about to get intohis story about the first time
he rowed in his boat across theAtlantic Ocean, after only
training, I think 37 kilometersin a lake, and he Googled it and
thought well, why not, I'll rowacross the ocean.
We're going to let him tellthis story.
It's so good.
Part three in the final chapterof the incredible interview
(01:30):
with Carlos Bartalas.
Thanks for tuning in.
Y'all Enjoy.
So, ladies and gentlemen, ifyou're following us and you're
back, we jumped back into studio.
We lost our connection.
Carlos's phone overheated, sowe are dealing with some
technical issues.
(01:50):
We're dealing with wildlife whoare making themselves known.
And where were we?
We were on your first rowingjourney, which gosh, by the way.
I mean, ladies and gentlemen,if you're going to learn to row,
I suppose taking on theAtlantic Ocean is one way to do
it, but Carlos decided, afterGoogling it, that he should go
(02:12):
ahead and row from Africa toBrazil.
Here we are.
I'm going to take us a bitforward.
You've Googled, you've trained,you've done a little bit of
training 37 kilometers in a boatthat you've never been in
before, that you think is goingto take you across the ocean and
(02:36):
take us out into this firsttrip.
And you're in the middle of theocean on this first trip.
Were you by yourself, rowing byyourself?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
so I was with my previous colleague from the
office.
So just uh one thing I said beaware of you.
You're googling, uh what yougoogle and be careful, yeah, be
careful and and be careful withwhom you're sitting in the same
office, because me and my rowingpartner we sat at the same
(03:09):
office back in the days when wewere working in the office.
So, yeah, we went to row acrossthe Atlantic with the aim to
arrive in Rio de Janeiro by thetime of Olympic and Paralympic
Games in Brazil, in Rio deJaneiro.
And, yeah, a lot of thingshappened and we arrived one week
(03:35):
after Paralympics.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
so a lot of things happened, but you were still
raising awareness for climatechange and for human powered
endeavors, so that part workedright.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Absolutely.
And you know well, yeah, beinglike environmental master master
environmental management myselfI can definitely can draw the
lines that connects the dotsbetween human powered journeys
(04:26):
and, like climate change, uh.
But to be honest, I mostly uhwanted to underline that if
there is something in you thatyou want to do and there is this
spark, there is this somethingthat resonates in you.
I better wanted to be anadvocate for that, because
(04:48):
someone, some people, believeinto climate change, some people
don't.
So, not going into theenvironmental things, I'm going
into your core, in anyone who islistening or or watching us now
that there is something insideof you that you wanted to do,
(05:08):
you maybe pushed aside and yeah,that's.
Or you know, by the way,michael, there have been people
who said that, no, I never hadthis big dream, I never wanted
to do these kind of challenges.
I never had it in me and then Isay, yeah, but you know, when
(05:29):
you, let's say, volunteer forsomeone, or maybe you help
someone to achieve some goal orto build a business, or to build
something, a company, there areso many opportunities that come
up without you thinking aboutthem on the first hand.
(05:51):
You never know where this roadcan lead you.
So I would say, if there issome crazy guy or girl who has
this idea, he wants to go on ajourney, she wants to build a
company, to build something,yeah, maybe it's a good idea
(06:15):
just to join them and help.
Maybe that is also a way tobecome a better version of
yourself.
But coming back to that, ourAtlantic crossing, well, as I
said, a lot of things happenedalong the way.
A lot of things what we neverexpected happened.
We actually had to invent newrowing technique, but because we
(06:39):
couldn't sit down anymore,because, yeah we, we were facing
very severe health problems, wewere covered with boils on our
oh shoot.
Backside, because a lot, a lotof things, yeah, that we didn't
expect.
(06:59):
That.
Like, just just imagine such asimple thing here on land.
You might never pay attentionhow much sugar there is in the
energy bars.
So we never thought about that.
How much sugar is thereactually?
(07:20):
And we thought that, yeah,sugar, it's an energy, so we
need an energy to roll 12 hoursa day.
But it turned out that it's toomuch and it impacted our
immunity.
Oh wow, one is rowing two hours, other one is resting for two
(07:52):
hours, and that goes on for 24hours a day.
So it means that even duringthe night, when you normally get
your deep sleep, cycles and yourecover properly.
We were not able to do that, sono, so the problems with the
food, the sleep.
And then what?
Problems with the food, thesleep, and then what happens
with the water you're drinking,so hydration, and you know what?
We tested equipment in Latviaand it was funny, the company's
(08:21):
manager who gave us back thewater maker, that is decenalator
, that decenalates seawater intodrinkable water, he gave us
back the equipment and he saidwell, it meets the requirement
standards.
You will not die from, you willnot die Was his.
(08:42):
OK, ok, yeah so and then let'stry how that works in real life.
So actually, actually it wasquite problematic because it
turned out it was a used watermaker and uh, and it it's.
Well, we know we knew that itis a used water maker, that's
(09:04):
why we tested it, so it kind ofmet the standards, but it was
still a bit salty, so we werepouring in not so good fuel.
So you can imagine.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Yeah, salty water, tons of sugar, easy
carbohydrates that are notcomplex carbohydrates, so your
body is turning most of thosecarbohydrates into a sugar in
order to burn them.
So your metabolism, I imagine,was off balance.
Your chemistry was off balance,absolutely.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Absolutely.
So, therefore, that all badthings that we were pouring in
and, of course, the physicaleffort.
You are rowing 12 hours a day.
So definitely, and you need agood recovery, sleep and we were
not getting that.
Yeah, so all that smoothie,should I say turned out that our
(09:55):
bodies were trying to cope withthe situation and squeezing out
all the bad things in the formof boils and they were like
really nasty, all the bad thingsin the form of boils.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
They were really nasty and very, very painful and
we were not able to sit down onour sliding seat, on the rowing
seat, and we had to drinkantibiotics to stop the
inflammation and we had to drinkantibiotics to stop the
inflammation.
So we took actually twoantibiotic courses.
(10:28):
We had to take because theboils came back and we had to
take antibiotics.
And the third time when Ithought that, well, we have to
figure out something elsebecause we don't want to give up
, we are one third in our way.
We have to find a solution.
And the solution was actuallyin the beginning.
(10:51):
It was stupid, naive idea thatwe might be able to row not
while sitting in a rowboat, butstanding.
So if any one of you who arelistening have been in a rowboat
in your life, you understandthat this is a stupid idea
because everything is verywobbly and unstable when you,
(11:11):
when you stand up in the rowboat.
So, but we, but we had to learnthis new technique.
We just had to because therewas no other way.
So eventually, when we learnedthe new technique we, that was
the thing which enabled us torow across the Atlantic, this
rowing while standing.
(11:31):
And then, after two weeks, theknees were full of boils because
we were pressing against therowing seat and we couldn't
stand up anymore after two weeks.
But after two weeks my butt wasalready a little bit healed so
I could sit down.
So I could sit, yeah, and rowand continue to row.
(11:53):
So this is the thing where youcan draw connection lines
between the between thecompanies and environment that
we are surrounded in in thebusiness, because I was giving
this lecture to one businessmanand he later on came up to me
and said you know what yourstory about this solution, that
(12:16):
you were like figuring outsolution, no matter what you
know.
He said, imagine we never willhave a client that's going to
ask can you please issue aninvoice for $5,000 for the
solution that you, for theproblem that you cannot solve?
(12:37):
Please issue us an invoice forthat that you cannot do.
No, there is always.
Only we are getting paid forthe solutions that we can figure
out and the performance that wecan do Deliver.
To deliver exactly.
So this is like reallyconnected also with the
(13:01):
entrepreneurship.
This is really connected alsowith entrepreneurship.
So you will never get an optionthat, yeah, I will pay you for
what you can't do.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
No, you are only paid for what you the part of the
cost of business is is isfinding those solutions Right Is
the failures.
The failures are what get us tothe actual successes.
You know Edison made a thousandbad light bulbs before he made
one that worked.
You know the reason why we haveso many, you know, meds these
(13:44):
days is these pharmaceuticalcompanies which charge, you know
, a lot of money for meds butspent billions of dollars in
research getting to the one thatworks right.
So, yeah, it's built into theprice point.
I would say that we areparticipating in the process of
getting to a solution, but whatwe want as consumers is the
(14:07):
solution.
We don't want to know thatwe're paying for you to solve
the problem so much as we justwant you to create the solution
for us and help us get to thatsuccess.
So, obviously, on the fearlessroad we talk about fear.
So obviously, on the Fearless.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Road.
We talk about fear.
Was there a point you felt fearon this journey in the middle
of the ocean?
Did you feel fear where I feltthat it's unfair, that something
is not letting us to do what we, what we want to do, like
(14:52):
through the ball, like to thebone, like we were, we were true
, to the bone, but something isnot letting do the thing, what
we want.
That was with these healthproblems, but you know fear.
I remember, when we were maybetwo, three weeks before Brazil,
(15:16):
my rowing partner Gintz, in themiddle of the night, when I was
sleeping in the cabin and he wasrowing outside, I hear him
screaming so loudly that thissound might circumnavigate the
world by itself, and it wascrazy and I didn't know what
(15:39):
happened.
So when I opened the cabinhatch and I was about to
understand what happened,actually there was a wave,
because during the night thevisibility is very poor, you
cannot see properly.
So there was a wave that hitfrom a side and that wave hit
(16:02):
his oar and that oar went intohis ribs and he broke his ribs
and it was.
It was a terrible situation.
Like we were, we were, uh, likewe were thinking of that.
(16:25):
We might call a help.
We might call someone toevacuate ourselves from there.
But but you know, if I think inthis kind of moments like to be
honest, everything was aboutsolving this situation, like
(16:46):
both of us were thinking whatcan we do, even in this
situation?
And actually we figured.
Well, first of all, he got intothe cabin, he tried to rest for
some hours, he tried to rest forsome hours, he tried to rest.
And then we figured out asolution how we can fix his ribs
(17:10):
with some equipment that we hadon board.
We cut out from the plasticcontainer like a plate, then we
tied this plate with a towel andwe placed it on his ribs and
strapped that plate with twostraps, uh, like fixing his ribs
from the possible movements,because the boat is moving all
(17:35):
the time in the waves.
So when we done that and he waslying in the cabin and just
slowly, I asked him so what doyou think?
Can we continue, becauseotherwise we need's necessary
for help, or are we actually incontrol of the situation?
(18:09):
And he said honestly that well,actually, when we have fixed my
ribs now and I'm in the cabin,actually I could stay here, I
can rest, you can roll and wecan continue.
So in that moment, we didn'tlet the fear to come in.
(18:36):
We didn't even get a threshold.
We didn't give this fear athreshold where to come in,
because, yeah, if the fear inthis kind of situation comes in,
yeah, I would say it's really,really complicated then to solve
(19:02):
all these challenges.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
So there's so many, so many questions and, ladies
and gentlemen, we're here at theFearless Road podcast with
Carlos Bartolus, currently inthe middle of the Atlantic Ocean
on their way to Brazil.
There's a few.
There's so many stories, carlos, and so many adventures that
you have.
We could talk for hours andhours and hours, and, oh my gosh
, I want to dive into these, butwe only have so much time on
(19:24):
the show and I've got to getquestions.
But so fear is not a is not anoption.
It sounds like to me in thisscenario.
Yeah, do you have a relationship, then Would you say you have a
different relationship with fearas a result of having these
experiences?
Speaker 2 (19:43):
I think the relationship can be said in this
one sentence If I can imaginethat, if that idea come to me,
(20:04):
if I wouldn't be able toactually execute and, yeah,
actually do any of theseexpeditions.
So therefore, I would say, yeah, if any idea has come to you,
just don't push back.
I mean don't push back, yeah,lean in.
(20:31):
Lean in and look where thisexcitement of curiosity is
leading you, and that will openup some very interesting doors.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Yes, that and Googling Open up some doors.
Okay, so I'm going to jumpahead here a little bit, just
for the listeners and everything.
There was a journey that youtook, another rowing journey.
Now you've made it from Africato Brazil.
You rode your bicycle in SouthAmerica and then you rode across
(21:13):
the Pacific Ocean to Asia.
But the last part of yourjourney, I think, was the most
terrifying and the mostconcerning.
Can you share with the audiencethis part of the journey,
specifically when you ended up?
Speaker 2 (21:32):
in Somalia, absolutely.
You know, sometimes people whenI'm out there in the ocean,
they think that, oh, it's sodangerous and so risky, and when
I'm close to some civilization,that this might be much more
(21:54):
safer for me.
But actually it isn't like that.
Any coast actually is dangerousfor this boat because of the
traffic, because of the localfishermen, because of the
currents and weather, which aremuch more changing than in the
(22:17):
middle of the Pacific Oceanwhere it has been like that, for
there's trade winds and tradecurrents.
You need to take in accountthem, but they are there out
there even now.
So, but additionally to allthose things that I mentioned
now the traffic, the localfishermen, the weather, etc.
(22:39):
There comes the, there comesthis risk and and very dangerous
, very, very dangerous.
Final stage of my indian oceanrowing expedition, where it
(23:01):
ended up in somalia, and Ididn't plan it that way.
I planned to finish in tanzania, but unfortunately my backup on
the backup, which was, uh, thatI thought okay, if not tanzania
, then kenya.
But even with that it wasn'tenough, and the currents and the
(23:23):
wind was twice, twice, twotimes stronger than it's
supposed to be in that season.
So against that there was no,no options.
So I end up in somalia andthere I have to say thank you
(23:46):
and I'm so grateful, beyondgrateful, that a lot of
authorities actually cametogether for me to to actually
secure this, this landing, andthat was like Somalian army,
italian embassy because Europeancountries doesn't have an
(24:10):
embassies in Somalia, onlyItalian embassy is there.
So Italians took it over from myMinistry of Foreign Affairs all
this diplomacy and all thelogistics and it actually, and
yeah, it was crazy, and Idrifted along the coast which is
(24:34):
controlled by the terroristgroup Al-Shabaab and yeah, the
thing is that for the past five,six years there hasn't been a
case in the sea, of the piracyin the sea, because all of those
container vessels they havearen't guards and they just
(24:59):
shoot them all off.
So but the situation iscompletely different when you
come ashore, where any taxidriver, where any postman, where
any of like anyone knows thatthey can sell you a foreign year
(25:19):
.
They can sell a foreigner for acouple of thousand to the group
of the terrorists, who willthen ask for the big ransom.
And luckily I was, so the ideawas such that the good guys
finds me first, then the badguys.
(25:42):
So that was the core of thismission and definitely, as I
said, I'm very grateful toanyone who gave a hand to this
mission.
And yeah, it's amazing,actually, that's.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
It's unbelievable that you I mean to have that
kind of support and energyaround you in the middle, and
this is a journey.
By the way, you were alone onthis one, weren't you?
You didn't have a rowingpartner on this leg of the trip.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Yeah, I had, from Sri Lanka to Maldives, I was rowing
with a friend, a French,half-french, half, half-american
citizenship and yeah, we didthis from Sri Lanka to Maldives
and then I continued alone.
(26:36):
So I was alone there and yeah,well, there was a lot of
communication, a lot of unknownthings, nothing.
But yeah, I'm now kind ofquestioning myself whether I let
the fear in even in that moment.
(26:59):
You know, yes, to be honest,I'm very, like, positive guy,
like just in life.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Well, you shared with me before that you had said
because I asked you, I think, inour previous conversation, when
we were doing our discoverycall and we were sort of getting
to know each other a little bitbetter that you couldn't afford
to let the fear in.
You couldn't afford to let thefear in because of everything
that was in front of you,because you were alone and you
were dealing with so manydifferent things Navigation, the
(27:34):
waters, the currents, the windsthat were changing, the rowing
conditions that you wereunderneath and the fact that you
were just being pushed towardsthe coast of Somalia.
You had said in your head thatyou just couldn't allow fear to
take hold because you had to besolution-oriented Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
And all of my ocean crossing expeditions, at the end
of the last leg, finish line,when you actually can see the
land which is so close that youmight, you, you can even think
that you can grab the land, butthere is still some distance to
do you have to have this 150percent focus.
(28:20):
You cannot get into the feelinglike I'm already there, I've
already done the crossing, thenthe problems can happen.
But no, you just keep this 150%focus, because none of those
kilometers or miles behind youmatter, only the ones that are
(28:44):
in front of you, in front.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, none of the miles
behind you matter.
Only the ones in front aretruly what matters.
Now we're going to I'm at somepoint I'm going to probably have
another conversation with you,because there's so many
questions I have and you have somany adventures to share.
But let's take this beyond theocean and let's take this into
(29:09):
the corporate andentrepreneurial mindset
environment.
You now have taken yourexperiences and your lessons and
you now share them with theworld.
On stage.
You speak professionally andshare these experiences.
Tell me, do you have a fear ofstage?
(29:29):
Do you have a fear of speaking?
Speaker 2 (29:33):
You know, I have this urge to share the journey, to
share the story, yeah.
So I'm always eager to sharethat, and I don't do it every
day, but if it's once a week,twice a week, I'm excited every
(29:57):
time when I do it.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
So there is something Because you know that public
speaking is one of the biggestfears in the world.
People are terrified of publicspeaking and yet you just step
right up to the plate.
What do you share with?
What lessons do you share?
What is your method in yourmessage when you're talking from
the stage?
Speaker 2 (30:21):
So if I'm sharing just this, like two sentences,
of saying, oh, I crossed theAtlantic in a rowboat, then
cycled across South America,then for two years, rode across
the Pacific and now across theIndian Ocean for seven years and
(30:45):
I'm not a professional athleteThen people are curious Carlos,
do you have some superpowers orwhat?
How did you do that?
And, by the way, carlos, wedon't have seven or eight years
to experience all that byourselves.
So could you please give us asummary of the most valuable
(31:10):
things that you experienced andlearned along the way?
So my way of thinking, my wayof explaining all this, is that
I tell exactly the situations Iwas facing, the conditions that
(31:32):
I was surrounded, what solutionsI made, what decisions I made,
what I've learned from them andwhat I have taken for my next
challenges.
What were valuable for me?
Were that valuable for me?
Yes, I took it for my nextchallenge and then I use it as
took it for my next challengeand then I use it as a tool for
(31:53):
for my next challenge.
So, uh, the those are thestories, uh, that they want to
hear.
Uh, they can really.
Actually, sometimes I even, inthe feedback, I ask them could
(32:13):
you even relate to that, becauseyou're not able, you will not
row across the sea.
And they are saying, no, yourstory of not giving up, of
choosing your own attitude, ofsaying nobody knew how to do
anything before they learn.
You know, with all theseattitudes and with all these
examples from real life, fromreal expeditions, they feel that
(32:35):
it's very valuable, that it'snot just, uh, from a book that
I've read and now I'm like Ilearned from the book and no, I
learned from the experience.
And when I share thatexperience and I put those
people in the boat with meacross the sea along these 45
(32:56):
minutes, and they have thisfeeling like, wow, actually
that's what they are sharingwith me in the feedback, that,
wow, we had the feeling that I'mthe one who is rowing, I am the
one who is making thesedecisions.
Wow, what I would, what I woulddo in these situations.
So they can really relate tothese challenges.
(33:19):
And and the example I sharedwith you before, when,
afterwards, from afterwards, uh,I got in the feedback, the
entrepreneur he told me that,yeah, your ability to underline
the importance of finding thesolutions till the last moment,
(33:39):
there is never too late.
You're just finding thesolutions, and that's how we
were able to cross the Atlantic,cross the Atlantic, and that's
how he sees that his team neededthat message from someone from
outside.
Because sometimes you know, whenthe leaders are experiencing
(34:00):
that they had some importantproject like behind him, behind
that they already done someimportant project, or there is
important project that they arefacing next quarter or next year
and the, the leader has, like,lost the, the words, what, how
(34:33):
he could encourage and inspirehis team like to take on this
next, uh, very demanding andchallenging, uh, challenging, uh
project that they will take on.
So then they asked me to come inand share my story and then,
through the eyes of theexpedition and through the eyes
of explorer, they can see yes,like we, if carlis could do that
, if they could figure out howto roll while standing or how to
(34:55):
not give up in these situationswhere, where the, the tanker
almost hit us, or or when thesharks were hitting the boat,
etc.
Etc.
So even then, if the, they werein such a problematic place, in
such a bad place, even eventhere there was a solution and
(35:18):
they got it through.
So that gives them the feelingthat even the guy who googled,
he can roll across the oceanwhat we couldn't do like.
Is there anything?
Speaker 1 (35:30):
yes, so yes, yeah, exactly.
Oh my gosh.
Um, your adventures are aninspiration to, I'm sure, a lot
of people.
Are you writing a book?
Are you planning on writing abook?
Speaker 2 (35:43):
yeah share these adventures definitely, and my
approach to this book.
Uh, because my friend with whomwe wrote the at, he wrote a
book about the Atlantic crossing, but that's only in Latvian.
We made the documentary thatthe name is Touched by the Ocean
.
But I'm definitely thinking ofwriting a book, but I have these
(36:11):
stories in me and what I thinkto myself.
If I cannot remember somethingfrom five years or seven years,
what I've done seven years ago,that this is not the thing that
is necessary to share withanyone in the book.
If I cannot remember it, it'snot worth sharing.
(36:34):
I will write in the book theonly the things that I can
remember very vividly, yes, verykind of followfully, and I can
share with them even after five,six, seven years, after doing
all these things.
So definitely it's going.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Well, if you need a partner to help you, I will sit
and listen.
I will ask all the questions andhelp you get this out onto
paper if you want.
Ladies and gentlemen, we'rehere in studio at the Fearless
Road podcast with CarlosBartulis, who has just shared
with us an incredible journeyalmost around the world.
(37:15):
We haven't gotten into some ofthe other stories and we can't
get into the rest of thembecause we have limited time,
and we will do a part two ofthis where we get a little
further into some of the otherjourneys and the stories that
Carlos has endured and hasovercome and has shared the
stories that Carlos has enduredand has overcome and has shared
(37:38):
as a motivational speaker.
If you're interested inbringing a new perspective to
your team and sharing thechallenges and what you face in
the new quarter or the new yearand you're looking for ways to
inspire them, I suggest youreach out to Carlos and you get
him on a stage near youimmediately.
You get him to share thesestories, get him to talk about
his journeys, get him to inspireyour team, because it's nothing
(38:02):
short of miraculous and it'snothing short of impressive, the
feats that this young man hasachieved in his short lifetime,
which you're going to do more, Iknow you're going to do more.
You mentioned to me before thefeats that this young man has
achieved in his short lifetime,which I miss.
You're going to do more.
I know you're going to do more.
You mentioned to me before likeyou can imagine yourself at 60
doing something incredible, andI just think that that's
unbelievably amazing.
If there's one last two thingswhere can people find you?
(38:23):
And the last is what?
What message would you like toleave with our listeners today?
If there was a message youcould leave, so, where can we
find you?
And, um, what's your finalmessage for us?
Speaker 2 (38:35):
so you, you could find me in the wildest place,
wherever you get and you willsee.
Speaker 1 (38:44):
Look at the nearest ocean near you and you can
google him.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
You can google carlos , by the way by way, this is the
thing how you can find me Ifyou Google where is Carlos, and
definitely the first thing thatcomes on Google where is Carlos.
And Carlos is not like Canada,but like Kenya.
(39:08):
So, yeah, yes, k-a-r-l-i-s.
Exactly.
My message is actually I willbe an advocate and promote this
thing, which I want to sharewith you anywhere I go, because
(39:34):
that is the fundament of all myjourneys, of all my expeditions,
how I actually cope with allthis adversity.
And I will quote, I willparaphrase the quote from the
book which I listened whilerowing across the Pacific, and
(39:58):
that's by Viktor Frankl Man'sSearch for Meaning.
So the quote is as follows Fromoutside stimulus to our response
to that stimulus, In the middle, in between that, there is a
moment, and that moment, in thatmoment, lies infinitive power,
(40:20):
and that power is our ability tochoose our attitude in any
given circumstances.
This is one of the mostpowerful things, what I will
promote things, what I willpromote advocate for, because
this is what I have tested somany times in my experiences and
nothing helps me better thanthis, like in very, very
(40:43):
difficult and and depressivesituations where I've been
pushed back, like for not oneday, not one week, but for one
month I've been pushed back bythe currents and only with
ability to choose my attitude inthat situation I was able to
(41:05):
stay sane.
So if you can take that andtest it with any of your next
challenges, I really hope that'sthe thing indomitable spirit
(41:33):
and the infinite strength ofyour attitude.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
Our attitude is of gratitude and we give you an
ocean-size thanks from ourlisteners for your adventure and
sharing your fearless journey,your literal, fearless, brave
and amazing experience.
I will do whatever I can tospread your message and to
encourage those here in theUnited States to bring you
(41:56):
across the ocean, not not byrowing by plane on our stages
here hey, you never know toshare your story further and to
spread this message where youcan.
At the, at the junction of yourinfinite power, you can change
your mind about something andmake magic happen.
(42:19):
Ladies and gentlemen, myincredible pleasure and my
incredible guest, carlis bartlisuh, board without borders.
Uh, this, this is this has beenan incredible journey.
It's been an incredibleinterview.
Thank you so much, carlos, forsharing this with me today and
with the rest of us today.
I hope to have you back again,because I want to know more, I
(42:39):
want to hear more.
Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
Absolutely, absolutely, michael.
It was such a pleasure.
Michael, it was such a pleasurewe were on this cruise across
the sea in this interview, so Ireally enjoyed that and all the
(43:07):
listeners.
This is where we thank ourcruise members that we have
crossed on the other side.
Let's move on.
It's been a pleasure.
Yes, it has been a pleasure andchoose Fearless Road and Board
of Borders sea lines the nexttime.
Speaker 1 (43:22):
Yes, please, ladies and gentlemen, you may now put
up your tray tables.
Pull up your seat backs intothe upright position.
We are about to land this plane.
Board of Borders, the FearlessRoad podcast.
Thank you everybody forlistening.
Thank you, carlos, for being apart of the show today and
(44:02):
remember everybody, stayfearless.
Thank you, cheers, bye, bye.
This guy has Thanks forlistening.
If you've gotten all the waythrough here, man, my love goes
out to you.
I feel it.
I think it's incredible.
Like, subscribe, do all thosethings, those wonderful things
for us, you know, and if you'reinterested in more, check out
Fearless Thinking the podcast,the new podcast that's out.
And you know we've got someinteresting things coming down
(44:26):
the line A new online membershipcommunity called the Ascend Hub
launching this summer, whichsort of gathers all my fearless
people together under one roof.
So that'll be pretty cool, yeah, so thanks everybody.
Have an incredible fearless dayyou.
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