It's human nature to like say no to the things that make us uncomfortable, right, that scare us.

When you can break through, when you can really face what makes you uncomfortable, what makes you

fearful, there's just, I think of them as these treasures of the self that you discover,

things that you learn about yourself and they're with you forever.

I'm Jocelyn K. Gly, and this is Hurry Slowly, a podcast about pacing yourself, where I explore

how you can avoid burnout, improve your productivity, and activate your creative mind, all

through the simple act of slowing down. Today I finally get to shine a light

on a story that I've been wanting to bring to a larger audience for many, many years. And that's the

incredible journey of Kim Chambers, a world record-breaking open-water swimmer who didn't even

slip into the ocean to compete for the first time until age 33. And this was just three years

after she had had a terrible accident in which she almost lost her leg and was told she would

probably never walk again without assistance. Undaunted, Kim found her freedom in the water,

and just five years later went on to become the third woman ever

to complete the Ocean Seven, a series of the toughest ocean water swims in the world.

In this conversation, Kim and I plunge headfirst into the topic of risk-taking, getting into the

nitty-gritty of what it looks like to set ambitious goals and step outside your comfort zone again and again as you push yourself to achieve them.

Now, you might be thinking risk-taking seems like a rather odd topic for a show that's all about learning how to hurry slowly,

but I'll ask you to reserve your judgment until the end of the show.

My hypothesis is actually that risk

taking is much more of a slow burn process than we suspect. Kim and I dig deep into the concept

of calculated risk taking in particular, the idea that true risk and the incredible accomplishments

that result from it is almost always preceded by a lot of trial and error,

...