We first spoke to David way back in Season 3, when he was kind enough to dial in from Antarctica and talk about his experiences as an Australian Antarctic Division Station Leader. At the time of that episode, David’s team’s trip had already been extended due to COVID, however at that point, he didn’t realise just how long he would be on the ice for, nor what sorts of challenges his trip would present him with. Turns out, the total deployment time was 537 Days, which ended up being the name of his outstanding new book.
In this episode, we catch up with David to talk about how the remainder of his time on the ice panned out and what leadership challenges he faced while deployed – including right up until the very last minute! In the process, we’ll ask him about the specific leadership challenges he faced, how to deal with an extreme medical emergency in such austere conditions and the significance of the midwinter celebration for expeditioners. Along the way, we'll also explore how he found the writing process and find out what was the first thing he did when he got back to Australia.
5:00 Picking up where we left off (from our last chat with David, Season 3 Episode 3)
6:02 On the writing process – what was it like collating his experiences into his book
10:10 How did David break the news to his team that they wouldn’t be going home when they expected to?
17:50 How do you galvanise the team after such disappointing news?
24:00 The importance of affiliative leadership in the AAD environment – plus the other leadership styles David found himself using
26:30 How can you achieve work-life boundaries when you are living at work?
28:30 The medical capability that David’s team had – and how they used this during an emergency
31:00 The very real threat of a COVID outbreak on station
34:06 After 537 days on the ice, surely nothing else could go wrong?! Incorrect – Dave talks about the fire on the vessel during his return journey
43:05 The significance of midwinter for expeditioners
46:30 What makes a good Antarctic expeditioner?
48:00 What are David’s most memorable ‘#Antarctica’ moments?
50:40 What was the first thing David did when he got back to Australia?
56:50 What’s next for David?
www.unforgiving60.com
Email us at debrief@unforgiving60.com
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External Links
David’s website
Signed copies of David’s book
Media and reviews on David’s book at these links: here, here and here.
Hear David’s story at your next corporate function – click here for speaking engagements
Music
The Externals – available on Spotify
Ben Frichot - available on Spotify
S5E7 – MAJGEN Justin “Jake” Ellwood DSC AM CSC – On Running (an Army Division, the Queensland Reconstruction Authority….and in general!)
S5E6 – Dr. Luana Main – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of stress and (over)training
@RV31 - Reconciliation, Travel and Reflections on Guests
S5E5 – Rachel Vickery “Don’t Fix Broken – Create Awesome”
S5E4– Creativity Builds Resilience: Artists in Foxholes @fova.org.au
S5E3– Ian Prior: How Professional Athletes Stay In the Arena
S5E2– Dr Rob Barbour: SAS Doctor Out of Africa
S5E1B – Jaz Diab – Special Forces Nuclear Scientist, Nerd and Mum! Part B
S5E1A – Jaz Diab: Special Forces Nuclear Scientist, Nerd and Mum! Part A
@RV30 – The Season 5 Kick Off
Season 5- We are (ALL) back on the cans
Season 5 - And We're Back!
Special Episode- Vale Tim Robertson: Forever the Chronic Overachiever
@RV29 – Events and Reflections: The Year in Review
S4E21- Ben and Tim on the Golds Gym Podcast
S4E20 – Senator David Van – Politics and Conflict, at home and abroad
S4E19 – Brad McIlroy: Beyond the Bali Bombing
S4E18 – Associate Professor Justine Gatt: Providing a COMPAS to navigate wellbeing and resilience
S4E17 – Life in Bloom: Sam and Cam Bloom on Life, Adversity, Growth and Love
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