Vertical Playpen

This was a live audience episode recorded for the 2021 Virtual BOOST (Best of out-of-school time) Conference. Phil was joined by High 5 Trainer Rich Keegan, Justin McGlamery who is founder and Chief Locus Focuser for Focus Your Locus Teambuilding Training and Development and also Chris Ortiz, the Program Director for the Team Development Center at Shaver’s Creek and is an instructor for the Recreation Parks and Tourism Management Department at Penn State University. The panelists answered the questions submitted by Phil and also the live audience  

This week's guest, Andrew Alexander King, is a surfer, climber and mountaineer who is currently attempting to be the 1st African American to summit the highest mountain and highest volcano on each continent, 14 in total. We discuss how adventure became a part of his life, his thoughts on being a role model and mentor to younger climbers and surfers and what people can do to improve diversity in the outdoors. Follow him on his journey via his instagram - @andrew_alexander_king

After both presenting at a conference on 2 different topics Phil and Lisa had this unplanned conversation all about adapting your current activities and the benefits of not revealing too much information when facilitating.

Beth Wonson, Author of Mastering Feedback: Everything You've Never Been Told About Giving Feedback, discusses with our guest host, Lisa Hunt, all about how to give feedback, how to receive feedback and strategies that both work and also don't work. Learn more about Navigating Challenging Dialogue here: ncdsolution.com

In this episode the Training Team (Chris, Lisa, Rich and Phil) discuss common heard terms in the Challenge Course industry and share their views on their appropriateness.  This episode is supported by Atomik Climbing Holds - atomikclimbingholds.com

Vishwas Parchure, Director of the Experiential Leadership Institute in Pune India, discusses with Phil his first experiences with working in the outdoors, his thoughts on conditioning, conduct and consciousness and answers the question; can facilitation be taught? Watch his Ewald and Hahn Address from the 2020 International AEE conference -  You can learn more about Vishwas and the work of the Experiential Leadership Institute here - experiential.institute This episode is supported by Atomik Climbing Holds - atomikclimbingholds.com    

Romy Alexandra joins Phil to discuss her introduction to the world of Experiential Learning and then shares clear explanations of both the Experiential Learning Cycle and the Experiential Learning Styles.  You can get in touch and follow Romy at the following; LinkedIn - Romy Alexandra Instagram - @trainingbyromy FB - Romy Alexandra: Experiential Learning Trainer Email - info@romy-alexandra.com

The Training team (Chris, Lisa, Rich and Phil) talk about the different forms of documentation Challenge Course professionals should be aware of, including; - Local Operating Procedures (LOPs) - Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) - Inspection Reports - Challenge Course Portfolios This episode is supported by Sticker Mule - stickermule.com

Rachel Hailey of Rachel Hailey & Associates Consulting joins us on the podcast to talk about her early experiences with the outdoors, the work she does consulting on DEI topics and her hope for future generations. Find more about Rachel here: rhaileyconsulting.com

Todd Brown (Director of Challenge Course Services, High 5) and Ian Doak (Assistant Director of Challenge Course Services, High 5) discuss with Phil the process of a new installation of a challenge course;  - What our program design process looks like - How to budget for a new program - How to find the perfect location - Training considerations when building a challenge course Learn more about our program design and installation services here: high5adventure.org/challenge-course-services/program-design-and-installation