Shows
The First MileWhy We Travel - with Ash Bhardwaj and Pip StewartWe’re back! In this episode we discuss travel writing ahead of Ash’s debut book, Why We Travel. We discuss motivations for travel - why it matters, how we can do it better and if it can it help us to live more fulfilling lives…
This episode, discover:
What Pip and Ash have been up to since they last recorded.
What are motivations for travel - and why it matters, how we can do it better and can it help us to live more fulfilling lives?
Journeys of curiosity, inspiration, happiness, creativity, serendipity, hardship, service, healin...2024-04-0532 minThe First MileWe're coming back!We’re coming back! The podcast is all about travel, why it matters, how we can do it better and if it can help us live more fulfilling lives.
We really value your input so do let us know what you’d like to see in season two. If you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart or X @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart.
2024-04-0401 min
Middle Movers PodcastEpisode 9: Learning constantly in a growth agency environmentSix & Flow is the first agency role for both Loua and Khadijah. Although all of her previous job experience is in marketing, Loua wanted to join an agency to fill her knowledge gaps because you don't know what you don't know. Since joining, she's learned that the idea of an agency not being a permanent fixture in a business isn't always the case, shown through our efforts to foster really deep relationships and ongoing relationships with our clients. For both of the ladies, they love the culture at Six & Flow. It'...2021-05-131h 05The First MileEp10: Rhiane Fatinikun on Getting Started in the Outdoors, and the Importance of Diversity.Rhiane Fatinikun on Getting Started in the Outdoors, and the Importance of Diversity.
In the final episode of Season 1, we meet Rhiane Fatinikun, the founder of Black Girls Hike.
Rhiane founded Black Girls Hike in 2019, to provide a safe space for Black women to explore the outdoors. It is now a thriving community, with groups based in the North West, the Midlands and London.
In this episode, Rhiane tells us about how she went from having no hiking experience or equipment (and being unable to read a map) to leading a national hiking...2020-12-2332 minThe First MileEp9: Leon McCarron on Slow Travel and Misunderstood Places.Leon McCarron on Slow Travel and Misunderstood Places.
In this episode, Ash meets Leon McCarron: writer, broadcaster, and North Face explorer.
Leon has walked a 1000-mile loop of the Holy Land, crossed China from north to south, and travelled on foot in Kosovo, Armenia and on the Yemeni island of Socotra. He has also cycled 14,000 miles across three continents, walked through the Empty Quarter desert, and ridden across Patagonia on horseback. Leon’s work seeks out stories of humanity and nuance in parts of the world that are often demonised or misunderstood by Western media.
...2020-12-1641 minThe First MileEp8: Dispatch from New Zealand: Maori Hakas, Sacred Rivers, and Jet-boat Evacuations.Dispatch from New Zealand: Maori Hakas, Sacred Rivers, and Jet-boat Evacuations.
In this action-packed Dispatch episode, we join Ash in Aotearoa New Zealand's North Island. Ash tackles rapids, learns about Maori culture (including traditional navigational techniques) - and makes it back to the UK just before lockdown hit.
Ash meets the captain of an ocean-going waka, who left the New Zealand Army to navigate oceans with just the stars, the weather, and the taste of the water. Then he canoes down the Whanganui River in the company of a man who teaches Maori heritage and...2020-12-0935 minThe First MileEp7: Pip Stewart on Creating a Lifestyle Career, and Making Social Media Work for You.Pip Stewart on Creating a Lifestyle Career, and Making Social Media Work for You.
Ever wondered how to become a so-called “influencer”? The secret is storytelling.
In this episode, Ash interviews his friend and co-host, Pip Stewart.
Pip has cycled halfway around the world, embarked on a world-first kayak journey through the Amazon and survived a flesh-eating parasite. She talks about how she accidentally fell into a career in travel journalism, how one massive adventure changed her life, and why she sees social media as the route to editorial independence.
In this...2020-12-0243 minThe First MileEp6: Ash Bhardwaj on Adventure With Purpose and Becoming a Travel Journalist.Ash Bhardwaj on Adventure With Purpose and Becoming a Travel Journalist.
How can you travel the world and get paid for it? Ash Bhardwaj is a travel writer and storyteller - and also co-host of The First Mile. He’s reported from around the world for global broadcasters such as the BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4, has a monthly travel column in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, and has made films for Channel 4, Discovery and the BBC.
In this special episode, Pip interviews her co-host about launching and sustaining career in adventure travel. If you wa...2020-11-2532 minThe First MileEp5: Reza Pakravan on Funding Your Journeys, and Switching From a Corporate Career to a Life of Adventure.Reza Pakravan on Funding Your Journeys, and Switching From a Corporate Career to a Life of Adventure.
Have you ever wondered how to completely change your life? Reza Pakravan did just that, packing in his corporate life in London for a life of adventure.
Reza has cycled the length of the planet, made (and presented) TV shows highlighting important global issues for some of the world’s top broadcasters, written a few books, and bagged world records along the way. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.
In this episode, Reza not...2020-11-1841 minThe First MileEp4: Second Dispatch from Nepal: The Gurkhas and the British ArmyDispatch from Nepal: The Gurkhas and the British Army
The relationship between the British Army and Nepal’s Gurkhas has been a long standing one, and in our second immersive Dispatch episode, Ash Bhardwaj travels to Nepal to join a photographic journey led by two ex-Gurkha officers.
From digging into the intensity of the Gurkha selection process, to understanding the history and bond between Britain and Nepal, this episode discusses how travel can intersect with history and teach us more about our own society, as well as the country we’re visiting.
This epis...2020-11-1136 minThe First MileEp3: First Dispatch from Nepal: Trekking, Sustainable Travel, and the Ethics of Photography.Dispatch from Nepal: Trekking, Sustainable Travel, and the Ethics of Photography.
An episode that's perfect for armchair travellers, as we join Ash Bhardwaj on a photographic trip to Nepal for our first narrative travel dispatch episode.
Join Ash as he treks high into the Annapurna mountain range, encounters tea houses, and shares some of the amazing stories and people he came across. This episode delves into the ethics of tourism and how we can all travel a little better.
In this episode, discover:
Just what makes the Annapurna region of Nepal so...2020-11-0438 minThe First MileEp2: Explorer Levison Wood on Planning Expeditions and Making a Career in Travel.Levison Wood on Planning Expeditions and Making a Career in Travel.
Levison Wood is an explorer, author and photographer, yet his journey to success has not been straightforward. In this interview episode, he shares what he’s learnt along the way - tips you can hopefully use on your own life path.
In this conversation, find out how Lev went from sleeping on park benches to becoming a bestselling travel writer, why breaking his leg before Special Forces selection changed his life - for the better - and what Walking the Nile was really like....2020-11-0441 minThe First MileEp1: Travel-author Monisha Rajesh on Getting Published, Travelling with Kids & Why Diversity Matters.Monisha Rajesh on Getting Published, Travelling with Kids, and Why Diversity Matters.
Is being a travel writer all it’s cracked up to be? In this interview episode, award-winning author Monisha Rajesh shares tales of her train journeys across the world and the details of how she made (and funds) her career. She also highlights some of the pitfalls along the way.
This episode is packed with tips on everything from "travelling with kids", to "how to break into journalism". Monisha also explains just why we need more diverse voices in travel writing.
In...2020-11-0449 minThe First MileThe First Mile TrailerThis is an introductory episode to The First Mile: a travel podcast from Ash Bhardwaj and Pip Stewart.
Every episode is either a travel narrative dispatch from one of our adventures, or an interview with a great traveller.
In season 1, we interview author Monisha Rajesh about how she won her first book commission, and speak to explorer Levison Wood about how he plans expeditions. We also interview film-maker Reza Pakravan, and author Leon McCarron. Pip and Ash also interview each other.
Our dispatches are from Nepal and New Zealand, exploring how indigenous cultures...2020-10-0102 min
Age of PlasticPlastic Waste Campaigning in LockdownToday we hear from friend of the podcast - Daniel Webb - I spoke to him at the end of 2018 about the year he had spent collecting ALL of his plastic. Listen again here: https://podfollow.com/age-of-plastic/episode/83a6defc27fd5c83eb878807151ea8f81a5c33e9/viewThat plastic; 22 bags, turned a personal plastic blueprint, a mural in Margate, and a report put together with scientist Dr Julie Schneider, giving a snapshot of one person’s plastic waste. Now he’s trialing a way to do that for you! The Everyday Plastic Survey LOCKDOWN addition! Listen for more and...2020-04-2827 min
Age of PlasticWhat can you do with the hard to recycle stuff?You've got your recycling boxes at home, maybe composter or food waste bin… but what about your workplace? And what about all those fluorescent light bulbs, coffee granules, printer jets, cooking oil and hangers that you might be using where you work?First Mile are a recycling service that since 2004 has been helping 27,000 businesses like Caffe Nero, Innocent Drinks and the National Gallery to leave a greener footprint on the planet by recycling their waste to the max. Their ethos is to make it easy for businesses to do the right thing.Hear from Chief Commercial Officer Joe Allen about in...2019-09-0239 min