Recording. All right, here we go.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls and everyone along with
them. Welcome to Paragliding Atlas
2025. And today you're tuning in to a
very special note of thanks episode.
And in case you're new here, I'm your host, Aninder Singh, and I
assure you that what's coming your way in the year 2025 will
be one of the most insightful, inspiring, and informative
content from the world of paragliding, brought to you by
the one and only Paragliding Atlas Podcast.
But you know, before we dive deep into all of these exciting
bands, I was wondering what would be the best way to start
the journey for the new year ahead and for this show on a
positive note, or basically do something that promises to make
the world a better place from our end.
And then I finally came up with a plan.
But for this plan, I'd request you to take a moment with me and
make a pact. A promise to prioritise safety
and take care not only of ourselves, but for other pilots
sharing the airspace with us as well.
You and I can ensure that we practice the highest levels of
flight safety every time we take to the skies in the sport of
paragliding. If you would allow me, I'd like
to share a story with you, a personal reflection on how I've
navigated my expectations and challenges in this space so far.
And I kind of want to start with something as small as this
project right here. Because one thing that I've
learned over the past one year is that a lot of times, instead
of viewing any of the challenges as individual struggles, I just
try to see it through a lens of a larger community.
And I can explain this with a more elaborate example because
let's say when I was looking to start an adventure within the
sport of paragliding, I was looking for something
meaningful, something impactful. You know, something that made
personal sense and commercial sense at the same time.
Something that resonated with me deep inside and also good enough
to put my heart and soul into it so that I can try and make a
living out of my passion. But of course there are multiple
challenges along chasing such a passion and I often kept on
running into obstacles, whether it was lack of ideas or
uncertainty about the next steps or feelings of self doubt,
anxiety, you name it, you have it kind of a thing.
I mean everything would kind of creep in at some point in time
and again and make it harder to move forward.
But then there was a paradigm shift when I basically decided
to zoom out. I started to think beyond just
myself. So instead of having the
question that what do I do to overcome these challenges which
were finding meaning and having it sustainable enough, I began
asking the question that what can I create that adds value to
the entire paraguiding community?
And I kid you not guys, this very simple shift was
transforming to say the least. And suddenly ideas just started
flowing in effortlessly. And the ease with which the
solution started appearing was, I mean to say, nothing short of
mesmerizing. You know, I, I can take you guys
back to the first episode that we recorded with Paul Tuckerts
about navigating Columbia. Because as a pilot myself, I
used to wonder and Google up endless sites, go to endless
Facebook posts and groups and look for information that, hey,
I'm a wizarding pilot. What are the ways if I don't
want to hire a tour guide, you know, how do I figure out what
to do, what not to do, where to, you know, just the common
questions that come to your mind when you're visiting a new place
as a solo pilot. But then I was like, that is why
we need a show like this, which highlight how these airspaces
can be navigated with precaution and also be fun at the same
time. So that was the very first idea
of what happens to be the Paragliding Atlas podcast of
today. It all began with the desire to
create shared value and offer something meaningful, not just
for myself, but for all of you out there as well.
And today, it's not only a moment of pride for me, but more
than that, it's a moment of immense gratitude.
Because this show is the fastest growing show in the world of
paragliding all across interweb, having more than 5000 listeners
spanning across 70 countries and 30 industry experts sharing
their unfiltered wisdom and heartfelt knowledge with all of
us out there. And most importantly, none of
this would have been possible without your support.
So thank you so much for being a part of this journey.
And as we step into 2025, I'm beyond excited to share some
plans for the year ahead with you.
And guess what? We're not just doubling down,
but we are tripling up the awesomeness that we make here
every week. So from a weekly release, we are
planning to go to a bi weekly episode release because this
allows us to cover a whole lot of topics.
Because a lot of you guys have been reaching out and suggesting
endlessly interesting points of discussions.
But having just one episode every week made it almost
impossible to cover all of those topics.
So that's why we are bringing in a perfect mix of solo and guest
interviews all together. Bringing you a final product of
2 brand new episodes every week. Which means we're setting a
super ambitious target of 104 episodes this year.
That's more than three times the content we have brought to you
so far. And today you happen to be
tuning in to a very first of these.
But that's not all. Again, just like any other
challenge, there are so many questions.
Will I be able to do it? What's going to happen, where
I'm going to find the topics, where I'm going to find the
guests, and how I'm going to keep the listeners engaged?
But here's the most exciting part, and this is where you come
in, because we plan to cover what is both endless and
enriching. So if you're stuck with me for
so far, this is where I'll explain you how your voice
matters. Because if there's a topic that
you've been curious about or a guest that you think could bring
immense value not just to the show, but to the entire
paragliding community, then I'd love to hear from you.
So pick up your phone or get on your computer or reach out in
whichever way feels most convenient, whether it's e-mail,
Telegram, or WhatsApp. All of my contact information is
listed in the show notes below. And let's make this journey a
collaborative adventure where your ideas and feedback shape
the content that we create here at the Paragliding Atlas
Podcast. So as we embark on this
incredible journey in time to come, I'd like to leave you with
this. If you happen to have enjoyed
the show so far, don't keep it to yourself.
Share it with your fellow pilots, your friends, or anyone
who loves the skies as much as we do.
Because by spreading the word, we grow this community and most
importantly, make paragliding a safer and more enriching sport
for everyone. So on that note, I'm going to
leave you by saying what I always say.
Stay tuned, stay excited, and remember the magic is just
getting started.