021: Nathan Fa'avae - The Unconventional Wisdom of Winning

Tales of Toughness

Known by the world as “The Greatest Adventure Racer”, Nathan showed the world his prodigious leadership skills—by winning six world championship out of fifteen world championship events across the globe. Adventure racing enraptured his youthful heart after attending the Outdoor Adventure Program. Nathan’s favorite part of racing is to refine every mistake his team encountered; transforming them into better decision-making outputs that would aid his team into winning the entire race. Currently, Nathan dedicates his time building a harmonious and willful family—the thing he inherited from his mother.

In this episode, you will hear about:

• Nathan’s mischievous history
• How Nathan found his calling
• Why being a parent is not the “end” of your adventure
• Learning from mistakes in racing
• Dealing with pressure and uncertainties
• Nathan’s “Winner’s Philosophy”

[03:01] Nathan originated from a family who were adventurer at heart in terms of camping, fishing and diving but not in extreme sports like mountain climbing and hiking. He enjoyed being one with the environment and its exploratory nature.

[05:01] Growing up free-willed and mischievous, Nathan felt the unhealthy directions he was heading into. Even though he felt the excitement, he knew there was no future waiting for him by going to that path.

[06:28] How Nathan found his calling: He got the opportunity by attending the Outdoor Adventure Program. It was a pilot program for twelve boys where it involves challenges that frightened the participants but Nathan found interest from it. He fell in-love with the outdoor sports and the adventure of being in the wilderness.

[08:46] Nathan’s brother is exceptional at multiple sports like soccer, rugby, cricket but he discovered outdoor sports and the might of his endurance. He found the thing that was for him and he went off.

[11:01] Nathan and Jodie, who is an outdoor educator, decided to have a family. They wanted to build their family through their strengths as a couple and outdoor athletes, offer their children with meaningful experiences and teaching them with lessons they have learned in life.

[12:46] Many people predicted that by being a young parent, it is the end of your sporting career. But Nathan and Jodie defied expectations and prove the people who doubted them wrong.

[16:30] Nathan’s children are all involved in high school adventure racing where his eldest daughter and son belong to the senior team while his younger daughter is in the junior team.

[18:52] Adventure racing was not a thing until Jodie started an adventure club with the goal to compete in the nationals. In just five years, the school won championships from nothing.

[20:30] Nathan deliberately took a step back because he did not want to put pressure to his children by being too involved in the school’s activities. However, he coaches the teams by making a training program for them or if they wish to seek advice from him.

[22:43] In 1999, the Southern Traverse in New Zealand was Nathan’s first adventure.

[26:00] Learn small things from the race in terms of the checkpoints, route choices, trails and being critical with the chosen equipment. Through this, you can make better decisions on your next race.

[32:37] Even when Nathan’s had kids, he still attended adventure racing since he was essentially employed by Seagate as an adventure racer. However, he felt the need to take a break due to the difficulty of balancing family matters and his pressing heart condition.

[38:23] The pressure comes from the team’s standard. If you know what it feels like to underperform as a team and get beaten up by better teams, then you are good to go.

[44:04] To navigate the uncertainties during an adventure race, you need to accept what happened as soon as possible. Have the solution-based thinking and focus on what things will be helpful to navigate that moment. Stay calm, be rational and identify the mistakes committed and the solutions you formulated to fix it.

[51:04] If you are in a challenging spot, Nathan encourages people to think what you will say first and if that will help your team.

[55:58] To become a winner, you need to be prepared to lose it—have the confidence to do the best for your team even if you put yourselves out of the race.

[01:00:57] You always do more when you’ve got to race.

CONNECT WITH NATHAN!

• Website: https://nathanfaavae.nz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathan.faavae

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