Jeremy Jones on Passion, Risk, and Managing Stress

This week’s conversation is with Jeremy Jones, an accomplished filmmaker, entrepreneur, environmentalist and snowboarding pioneer.

Jeremy Jones is widely regarded as one of the most legendary big mountain riders and explorers of all time.

Named a National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” and ten times voted “Best Big Mountain Rider of the Year” by Snowboarder Magazine, Jeremy has starred in over a hundred snowboard movies and videos worldwide, including his highly acclaimed, foot-powered snowboarding trilogy Deeper, Further and Higher.

He is the founder and CEO of award-winning Jones Snowboards, dedicated to the development of the highest quality backcountry snowboards and accessories.

In 2007 Jeremy founded Protect Our Winters, a global cause uniting the winter sports community against climate change and was recognized in as a Champion of Change by President Barack Obama.

In this conversation we discuss passion, risk, and managing stress.

For Jeremy it comes down to understanding what the end goal is but not getting caught up in it.

“It’s through hard work, focus, and breaking goals down into small steps that lead to big achievements.”

In This Episode:

• Grew up on the East Coast, would make frequent trips to Vermont and fell in love with skiing from an early age
• Told himself he’d do whatever it took to have a job on the mountain when he got older
• How did he avoid becoming a ski bum?
• Is it possible for him to live with passion if there’s no mountain involved
• Why his friends make him a better person
• His relationship with the mountain… the art of listening to it
• The most difficult moments in his life… coping with the loss of loved ones
• How does he balance putting himself first when it comes to sport and adventure but also making himself there for his family?
• Does he have a spiritual framework?
• His cause to protect our winters and minimize climate change
• What he would ask another master of craft
• His process for mitigating risk on dangerous treks
• How he tackles major challenges… understanding what the end goal is but not getting caught up in it
• His strategy for managing anxiety and stress
• His approach to meditation

Listen via: Apple Podcasts | Android | Spotify | Stitcher | Pocket Casts |  RSS

Quotables:

“I’ve made it a real point to make sure I get outside and grab a piece of life every day because it’s fragile.”

“If I don’t get my nature hit and I’m on a city tour, then that’s hard, but I’ve learned I can go find some trees and walk through them or sit underneath them and I’ve worked hard at trying to get more out of less.”

“I really try to always be learning on all fronts, whether it’s business, health, or meditation. I try to surround myself with people that I can learn from and evolve.”

“I gain a lot from the people that I surround myself with, especially people older than me, that are living a life that I want to live in 10 years. I ask a lot of questions and observe.”

“I like camping underneath the serious mountains that I climb and ride so I really get to know them. The more serious they are, the more I want to be out there, totally disconnected and learn the moods of the mountain.”

“When I started snowboarding, there was no such thing as making a living snowboarding but I had this feeling on snow that I’d never felt anywhere else. I knew I was going to figure out how to be at the best mountains in the world on the best days on my snowboard.”

“I’ve learned that when I step out of my comfort zone, this is when the good stuff happens, but it’s not about being reckless. I stack the deck as much in my favor as I can to have success.”

“If you are out in nature by whatever means, life ain’t that bad.”

Related Episodes:

• Finding Mastery 138: Mark Healey, Big wave surfer, on Embracing Challenges and Adversity
• Finding Mastery 107: Jake Blauvelt, snowboarder, on risk, confidence, and flow
• Finding Mastery 031: Alyssa Roenigk, senior writer at ESPN, on adventure and risk

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