Caroline Paul’s Wild Idea: To overcome fear, cultivate bravery, and encourage others to live with more adventure.
Caroline Paul is the New York Times best-selling author of four books, including Fighting Fire, a memoir about being a San Francisco firefighter; the illustrated Lost Cat, A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology; East Wind, Rain; and The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure. She’s competed alongside Olympians as a luger, swam for dead bodies in the San Francisco Bay, made first ascents down Class V rapids, surfed giant Ocean Beach waves, attempted a Guinness Record (in high school), and even walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. She just presented @TedWomen, and is a highly entertaining and empowering story-teller.
Listen to this Episode if:
- You want to cultivate bravery.
- You want to overcome fear or look at it from a new perspective.
- You want to become a firefighter, writer, or just live with more adventure.
- You want to listen to an amazing story-teller and one badass woman.
Key Takeaways
- 03:20 – Caroline’s path to writing
- 06:00 – Caroline’s path to firefighting
- 09:45 – The lesson that life is short
- 11:35 – Caroline’s unique winter sport, luging and some wipeouts
- 17:30 – Inspiration for the book The Gutsy Girl
- 21:35 – Analyzing fear, after experiencing a life-threatening fire
- 25:35 – Climbing the Golden Gate Bridge, and having friends that inspire adventure
- 27:30 – First descents rafting down white water rapids
- 31:15 – Flying experimental planes, aka the motorized hang glider
- 33:10 – Caroline’s books
- 36:25 – Post firefighting career and depression
- 39:40 – Having a very famous twin sister
- 42:30 – Caroline’s advice to her 15-year-old self: Do more yoga
- 43:35 – Why Caroline prefers routine and schedule.
- 45:55 – Recommended book — The Stars by H.A. Rey and why it’s so important now.
- 48:25 – Caroline’s message to the world: Climate change is happening. We don’t have time.