Shows
Why'd You Think You Could Do That?Action: The Power of One Step Can Spark Big ChangeMaking a difference doesn’t always mean changing the whole world overnight - it begins with one undeniable step.In this short, powerful episode of Why’d You Think You Could Do That?, Sam Penny takes inspiration from adventurer and conservationist Sacha Dench, whose decision to follow migrating swans turned into a 7,000km flight across continents. But more remarkable than the distance was the ripple effect of her action; hunters, fish farmers, kitesurfers, and even power companies changed their habits, leading to the first rise in swan numbers in 25 years.Sam challenges you to t...
2025-09-0402 minWhy'd You Think You Could Do That?The Human Swan: Sacha Dench’s Impossible 7,000km FlightWhat does it take to face your deepest fear, strap a propeller to your back, and follow swans 7,000 kilometres from the Russian Arctic all the way to the wetlands of Britain?In this inspiring episode of Why’d You Think You Could Do That?, host Sam Penny sits down with Sacha Dench — biologist, conservationist, adventurer, and the woman known worldwide as the “Human Swan.”Sacha once admitted she was terrified of flying. Yet instead of letting that fear define her, she leaned into it, learned to fly, and turned it into the backbone of one of the m...
2025-09-031h 11Why'd You Think You Could Do That?Breakthrough: Turn Fear Into Your SuperpowerWhat if the very thing holding you back could become the force that carries you forward?For Sacha Dench, fear of flying nearly stopped her in her tracks. A storm in a small plane left her terrified of the skies. But instead of waiting for fear to vanish, she chose to work with it. She studied it, understood it, and turned it into a skill.That shift made her swan migration journey possible — flying thousands of kilometres, influencing communities and industries, and proving that courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s moving forward in spi...
2025-09-0201 minWhy'd You Think You Could Do That?Struggle: The Key to Making a DifferenceIn this episode of "Why'd You Think You Could Do That?", host Sam Penny explores the power of confronting fears to unlock potential. Discover how Sacha Dench transformed her fear of flying into a bold conservation mission. Sam shares a powerful exercise to help you name and conquer your own fears.Key Takeaways:The importance of facing fears to fuel courage and achieve the impossible. Sacha Dench's journey from fear of flying to leading a conservation mission. A practical exercise to identify and diminish personal fears.Call to Action: Don't...
2025-09-0101 minWhy'd You Think You Could Do That?Spark: One Dream Can Shift the WorldMost people see a bird fly overhead and think nothing of it. But Sacha Dench saw swans migrating thousands of kilometres and asked herself: What if I could fly with them?That one wild idea led to an extraordinary journey — 7,000 kilometres from the Russian Arctic to the UK, with nothing but a motor strapped to her back. But this wasn’t about glory. It was about impact.Because she acted, hunters changed their practices. Kitesurfers gave up part of their lake. Fish farmers adjusted their cycles. A power company buried power lines that had been kill...
2025-08-3102 min
Vet VibesBeyond Limits & Without Borders: Conservation with Sacha DenchIn this conversation with Sacha Dench, I gained a deeper understanding of how winning a freediving world championship shaped her bold, media-savvy approach to conservation. Sacha is unstoppable — no challenge, no condition, no physical demand is too much. She pushes limits in the sky, on land, and underwater. But beyond her daring is a woman who leads with compassion, breaks convention, and brings people together. This was a rich, humbling exchange I’ll always cherish — full of insight, resilience, and quiet strength.TIMESTAMPS:0:00 – Introducing Sacha Dench – Conservationist and Expedition Leader2...
2025-08-051h 05
This Natural LifeSacha DenchConservationist and adventurer Sacha Dench tells Martha Kearney about her love of the natural world. She explains how she came to fly a paramotor along the whole length the 4000-mile route that migrating swans take from the Russian tundra to the UK – leading to her acquiring the nickname ‘The Human Swan’. As they watch birds together at the Fernworthy reservoir in Devon, Sacha talks about her childhood growing up in Australia, where she says the beach and the bush were her playgrounds. She tells Martha about the paramotor accident which left her seriously injured and from which the sights and sm...
2025-03-1324 min
The Documentary PodcastFlight of the vultureWith their fearsome talons, acid poo and a penchant for rotting carcasses, the vulture has long been shouldered with associations of death, and dishonour. This taboo often puts them bottom of the list for conservation projects. Conservationist Sacha Dench visits three different vulture species, each with an extraordinary story of persecution and survival. In India, vulture populations collapsed by 99.9%, the sharpest decline of any animal ever recorded. Debbie Pain and Chris Bowden describe the urgent international collaborative effort that brought them back from the very brink of extinction. In South Africa, the White Backed Vulture has become collateral damage...
2025-02-2726 min
Good Reading PodcastKathy Mexted on the incredible stories of Australian women who reach for the sky in 'Take Flight'From balancing on a wingtip to circling with eagles, Take Flight tells the stories of Australian women who have leapt, tumbled and dived, and reached for the stars. Helicopter pilot Alida Soemawinata ascends over Kata Tjuṯa. Paramotor pilot Sacha Dench follows migrating swans from the Arctic tundra to the English countryside. Birdwoman Stef Walter wing walks. Hot air balloonist Donna Tasker glides over Bristol, Myanmar and much of Australia. Gomeroi astrophysicist Krystal De Napoli studies the Seven Sisters in the dark night sky. Aerobatic pilot Emma McDonald debuts her solo routine at an airshow high above the glittering Gold Co...
2024-10-1619 min
Good Reading PodcastKathy Mexted on the incredible stories of Australian women who reach for the sky in 'Take Flight'From balancing on a wingtip to circling with eagles, Take Flight tells the stories of Australian women who have leapt, tumbled and dived, and reached for the stars. Helicopter pilot Alida Soemawinata ascends over Kata Tjuṯa. Paramotor pilot Sacha Dench follows migrating swans from the Arctic tundra to the English countryside. Birdwoman Stef Walter wing walks. Hot air balloonist Donna Tasker glides over Bristol, Myanmar and much of Australia. Gomeroi astrophysicist Krystal De Napoli studies the Seven Sisters in the dark night sky. Aerobatic pilot Emma McDonald debuts her solo routine at an airshow high above the glittering Go...
2024-10-1619 min
A Life More WildConservationist Sacha Dench on tracking swans 7,000km across 11 countriesWhen she dropped out of the sky in front of Russian hunters in the Arctic, Sasha Dench wasn't quite sure how she'd be received. She was on a mission to understand and halt the decline in the numbers of the Bewick Swan by following their epic migration route from the Arctic to the UK on a paramotor.Join her on a walk from her favourite training field down through some woods to Fernworthy reservoir on a typically wet and wild Dartmoor day.
2024-08-1520 min
Ask the GeographerFlight of The Osprey with Sacha Dench aka the human swanFlight of The Osprey with Sacha Dench aka the human swan by Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
2023-11-2222 min
DIRECT TALK(VISION VIBES) | NHK WORLD-JAPANSaving Migrating Birds From Extinction: Sacha Dench / Biologist, Conservation Without Borders
Through flying around the world on a paramotor Sacha Dench draws attention to bird species whose numbers are decreasing.
Here's what we talk about in this episode: Discovery, Education, Environment, Global issues, Nature, Science, Survivors, Sustainability, Technology
Check out the video version of this episode from the interview series DIRECT TALK.https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/tag/183/
Thanks for tuning into this episode of DIRECT TALK. Be sure to visit our website.And if you know someone who you think would enjoy this episode, please...
2023-08-2411 min
Planet Pod's PodcastIncredible JourneysMigratory birds are in sharp decline. We talk to pioneering conservationist Sacha Dench about her work to raise awareness of the threats facing these incredible creatures and efforts to create systems to protect them and their flyways. We talk about her recent expedition, the Flight of the Osprey, her recovery following the tragic accident on the Round Britain Climate Challenge and the future of her conservation work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2023-02-2139 min
Rewildology#103 | November's Sample Collection: Celebrations, Migratory Birds, & Sustainable CruisingNovember was a big month for the show, as we officially reached 100 episodes on the podcast and added new topics from experts in the field. In case you missed an episode or were on the fence about listening to the full thing, check out these clips from November’s episodes to see if you might want to go back and listen to it in its entirety.
Episode Recaps:
Ep. 100 | 100th Episode Celebration!
Ep. 101 | Taking to the Skies for Migratory Birds with Sacha Dench
Ep. 102 | Becoming a Leader in Sustainable Cruising with Daniel Skjeldam
See the fu...
2022-11-3022 minRewildology#101 | Taking to the Skies for Migratory Birds with Sacha DenchIn this episode, we are sitting down with Sacha Dench, Co-founder of Conservation Without Borders and Ambassador for the UN’s Convention on Migratory Species. Sacha and I chat about her childhood growing up in remote Australia, her journey through sports that gave her a platform to bring positive change to our seas, why Europe’s birds are having such a hard time, the story behind Flight of the Swans, and where they are currently at for the Flight of the Osprey expedition.
Get ready for a super inspirational story that I promise will make you want to l...
2022-11-171h 09
Generative LeadersStories are the fuel to ignite changeWhen conservationist Sacha Dench was asked to look into the decline of the Bewick’s swan, she faced a problem – how to get engagement from industry, and members of the public? The key Sacha found was storytelling.Sacha – AKA “the human swan” – is the co-founder and CEO of Conservation Without Borders and a UN ambassador for migratory species. In her discussion with Julia, Sacha sets out the need for environmental NGOs to collaborate more, for people to come to an agreement making one party wrong, and sets out her style of regenerative leadership.Content warning: This episode c...
2022-11-1554 min
Conservation Careers PodcastThe Human Swan | Sacha Dench (Conservation Without Borders)How can storytelling help to tackle some of the biggest issues of our time, like climate change and biodiversity loss? And what role can migratory birds play, like swans and ospreys? To talk about these issues and many more is today's guest, Sacha Dench. Sacha is the CEO of Conservation Without Borders, which organises inspiring expeditions following the paths of migratory birds, along the lines of both geographical and political borders. By displaying the flyways from the air, land and sea, they help to highlight the importance of collective action in the fight a...
2022-08-0156 min
Cinema Chain GangEp. 18: Murder on the Orient Express (2017) — Sacha Baron Cohen → Judi DenchOn the latest CINEMA CHAIN GANG, Drew and Nick train themselves to try and enjoy an Agatha Christie adaptation with 2017’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Take a listen!
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THIS WEEK: Murder on the Orient Express (2017), dir. Kenneth Branagh
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CHAIN #9: Sacha Baron Cohen → The Brothers Grimsby → Penélope Cruz → Murder on the Orient Express → Judi Dench
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Follow Andrew: Twitter | Letterboxd | Cinema Frenzy // Follow Nick: Twitter | Instagram | Letterboxd // Email Us: CinemaChainGang@gmail.com
2022-06-0748 minCinema Chain GangEp. 17: The Brothers Grimsby (2016) — Sacha Baron Cohen → Judi DenchOn the latest episode, Drew and Nick review middling action-comedy The Brothers Grimsby and begin chain #9. Take a listen!
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THIS WEEK: The Brothers Grimsby (2016), dir. Louis Leterrier
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CHAIN #9: Sacha Baron Cohen → The Brothers Grimsby → Penélope Cruz → Murder on the Orient Express → Judi Dench
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Follow Andrew: Twitter | Letterboxd | Cinema Frenzy // Follow Nick: Twitter | Instagram | Letterboxd // Email Us: CinemaChainGang@gmail.com
2022-05-3046 min
Inside UN BonnThe Bonn Convention – Talking to the 'Human Swan'Sacha Dench, Ambassador of the UN's Convention of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, flew with migrating swans in a motorised paraglider from the Russian Artic all the way to the UK to raise awareness for migratory birds.
2021-10-0930 min
Planet Pod's PodcastBird's Eye View of the Green RevolutionPlanet Pod catches up with the inspirational Sacha Dench – aka the Human Swan – as she takes to the skies for an amazing 3000 miles coastal circumnavigation of Britain. For this extraordinary flight Sacha has decarbonised - her paramotor is now electric and during recharging stops she is gathering stories from people on the ground who are devising innovative solutions to the climate crisis.Join Amanda and Jim for this last episode of Planet Pod before the summer break. Happy Holidays everyone!Links:www.climatechallenge.livewww.count-us-in.orgThi...
2021-07-2933 min
The Think PodcastSacha Dench - The Human SwanIn our first episode, Alyson Russell-Stevenson, Head of Marketing & Engagement at Scottish Enterprise, chats to environmentalist, Sacha Dench. They talk about Sacha's early life, the round-Britain Climate Challenge that she's planning on the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow, and why she's known as "The Human Swan".
2021-05-1436 min
Great Green QuestionsMust we stop flying to fight the big fight?A lighthearted and witty exploration of some of the big questions that come up when trying to 'walk the green line'. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't like a holiday, but what does this mean for our planet? This week’s episode examines the well known link between climate change, travel and holidays. The big question is “Must we stop flying to fight the big fight?” with return guest from our episode on food waste, Ed Gillespie, a veteran expert on low carbon travel having literally written the book on it, Only Planet, after an epic, 13 month, flight...
2021-05-1355 min
Everything Electric PodcastAdventures with Sacha Dench - ‘the human swan’Robert has a chat with Sacha Dench, about her extraordinary journeys and upcoming EV adventure with birds as they migrate. There are four reasons to go to www.fullycharged.show. Fully Charged Live tickets, local and International event tickets are available there. If you are looking for wonderful suppliers and firms that pass the strict Fully Charged guidelines for sustainability and technology, check them out on our fabulous A-Z guide. Merchandise - We have a brand new selection of sustainable merch on there to. And don’t worry all sales profits go straight back into...
2021-04-121h 19
Tough Girl PodcastSacha Dench - an award-winning conservationist, adventurer and UN ambassador for Migratory Species.Sacha Dench (aka ‘the human swan’) is attempting something that has never been done before – a 3,000+ mile circumnavigation of Britain in a specially adapted, green electricity powered paramotor. Because she can take off and land almost anywhere, she and the team will be landing to recharge and rest with the interesting and inspirational people around the country, the ones can show us exactly how climate change is changing our country, but also show us what we can do about it. The aim is to set and beat TWO official Guinness World Records The first and fastest flight around Britain in a paramot...
2021-04-0635 min
Force of NatureLet Your Courage Take Flight - A Conversation with Sacha DenchIn this episode of Force of Nature, Clover sits down with Sacha Dench - an award-winning conservationist, adventurer and UN ambassador. Sacha has been called ‘the Human Swan’ since she took to the skies in 2016. Equipped with a propellor on her back and a piece of fabric to keep her airborne, Sacha migrated with the swans from Arctic Russia to the UK, crossing 11 countries, to find out why the bird population was plummeting. In this conversation, Clover and Sacha chat overcoming fear, finding a mandate bigger than yourself, and reconciling loss in a changing world. Episode notes
2020-09-101h 12
Planet Pod's PodcastTime to call time on lead in shot - it's a no brainer!We banned it from paint petrol and pipes but allow it to enter the human food chain - find out why it's time to ban lead shot. Sacha Dench joins Dr Julia Newth from WWT, John Gregson from Waitrose and Dr Niels Kanstrup from Danish Hunters Association on the eve of an historic EU vote to finally ban the use of lead in shot and so stop the annual killing of 1million wild birds in Europe and the dumping of 20,000 tons of poisonous lead shot across the fields on England. Hunters and conservationists are joining forces to put pressure on am...
2020-07-1344 min
Planet Pod's PodcastFlying high with Sacha Dench“If you take care of birds, you take care of most of the environmental problems in the world.”The words of Thomas Lovejoy and eminent biologist perfectly describe why Sacha Dench has soared with swans and now plans to fly with ospreys. In this episode in our 'Environmental Changemakers" series, Amanda finds out what has inspired Sacha to strap herself to her paramotor and take on the challenge of a 7000km expedition accompanying the osprey on its 2020 autumn migration across Europe and Africa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2020-02-0627 min
Arts & IdeasProms Plus: SwansIn 2017, Sacha Dench, founder of Conservation Without Borders, flew the 4,000 mile migration route of Bewick swans from Arctic Russia to the UK in a paraglider. Drawing on her experience, the ‘Human Swan’ talks about the birds that have become symbolic of love, beauty, and mystery. Dance critic Sarah Crompton talks about the numerous productions of Swan Lake that she has seen and why the ballet has become such a staple of the repertoire.. Presenter Hetta Howes.Producer: Torquil MacLeod
2019-08-0521 min
Planet Pod's PodcastPlanet Pod WED Special: From Wild Lynx to Human SwanIn this Planet Pod World Environment Day Special, Amanda took time out during Climate Action North's Rewilding - A Solution for Climate Change conference to talk to "Human Swan" Sacha Dench and David Hetherington, Cairngorms National Park Authority ecology advisor and author of "The Lynx and Us", about how they are encouraging us all to look differently at the way rewilding can provide solutions to climate change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2019-06-0619 min
Tough Girl PodcastSacha Dench - ‘The Human Swan’ travelling 7,000 km from Arctic Russia to the UK on a paramotor!Sacha is an Australian-born conservationist, adventurer and motivational speaker. She works for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) in the UK. Over the past 20 years, Berwick swan numbers have nearly halved with just 20,000 remaining in the wild but experts are unsure what is causing the population crash. Sacha had an idea to investigate the problem, which she though was crazy at first. However, after 18 months of planning in the winter of 2016, Sacha decided to followed their entire 7,000 km migration route from Arctic Russia to the UK. She did this by flying with the birds on a paramotor...
2018-05-081h 06
The 831 PodcastThe 831 Podcast Episode 1 Sacha DenchEpisode one of The 831 Podcast Host Wesley Murch talks with Sacha Dench about her recent Flight of the swans adventure !!
2017-06-262h 06
MidweekRichard Osman; Peter Willcox; Rikki Beadle-Blair; Sacha DenchPresenter and producer Richard Osman; campaigner Peter Willcox; playwright and actor Rikki Beadle-Blair and conservationist Sacha Dench join Libby Purves.Sacha Dench is a conservationist. She's the first woman to cross the English Channel in a motorised paraglider during a 4,500-mile journey following migrating birds from the Russian tundra to Britain. She made her trip to highlight the problems facing the endangered Bewick's swan population. Illegal hunting, newly erected power lines and loss of wetlands all play a part in the swan's dramatic decline in numbers which have almost halved over the last 20 years.Rikki...
2017-01-1141 min