{"podcast":{"title":"The Adventure Podcast","slug":"the-adventure-podcast-1156630","podcast_index_feed_id":1156630,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/99a2ee25-3c13-5b2e-8d2d-569c575f9bc5","website_url":"https://theadventurepodcast.co.uk","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/611ee40606c05e4f77f40f4b/show-cover.jpg","author":"The Adventure Podcast","episode_count":253,"summary":"An ongoing series of long-form conversations with individuals at the forefront of exploration and adventure in which filmmaker Matt Pycroft speaks to the most knowledgeable, accomplished and respected voices in the field. From mountaineers to wildlife cinematographers, environmental activists to polar photographers, The Adventure Podcast brings you up close and personal with those who live extraordinary lives. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-20T10:18:16.589562+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-adventure-podcast-1156630"},"episode":{"title":"Episode 221: Adam Skolnick, American Tiger","slug":"episode-221-adam-skolnick-american-tiger","published_at":"2026-02-23T06:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-adventure-podcast-1156630/episode-221-adam-skolnick-american-tiger","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-adventure-podcast-1156630","url":"https://shows.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast/episodes/episode-221-adam-skolnick-american-tiger","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/the-adventure-podcast/e/6995a617c208b1a93165769e/media.mp3","summary":"Episode 221 of The Adventure Podcast features international journalist and author, Adam Skolnick. Adam has written for countless news outlets, Lonely Planet guidebooks, magazines, and columns, and has travelled to over 40 countries. In this episode, Matt and Adam discuss his journey into writing. His first gigs, travelling for stories, and how to make a living doing so. Adam reflects about the early adventures he went on; cycling around the world in his twenties and how the reality looked very different from the romantic version he imagined. Often including long-stretches of boredom, loneliness and self-doubt. It's a wide-ranging conversation as they discuss everything from the pressure of shaping messy reality into something coherent on page, to ego and validation, the discomfort of being honest about motivations that don’t fit the heroic narrative, and the temptation to chase ever-bigger projects for 'better' stories. Adam also talks about the inspiration behind his new book, American Tiger , which he covered live as a journalist at the time, and how he found transitioning from fact to fiction. For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast. Chapter Breakdown 00:00-05:00: Motivations, ego, and the difference between starting an adventure and finishing one. 05:00-12:00: Adam reflects on riding around the globe, and the uncomfortable truth about why he really left. 12:00-25:00: A raw account of failure at sea, coping in crisis, and how unfinished journeys shape us differently. 25:00-35:00: Why success can be less interesting than failure, and how chasing “epic” creates a moving goalpost. 35:00-45:00: Di…","meta_description":"Episode 221 of The Adventure Podcast features international journalist and author, Adam Skolnick. Adam has written for countless news outlets, Lonely Plan…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3869,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-adventure-podcast-1156630/episodes/episode-221-adam-skolnick-american-tiger/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-adventure-podcast-1156630/episode-221-adam-skolnick-american-tiger.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}