3:07 Family life growing up in Galway City

Vibrant neighbourhood for a child

Close to beach and woods

4:50 The mindset of challenging himself from a young age

�We�re creatures of habit�

Expanding boundaries by exploring new landscapes

Climbed Malin Head

7:14 Hidden gems in Ireland

Eagle�s Rock, Leitrim

Views from Mweelrea in Connacht

The Caves of Keash in County Sligo

9:01 His rugby years and its influence on �peak performance�

Long-term and ongoing learning

Pro for five years

The rugby environment has changed so much over past 20 years

Formed by the environment, the people and its demands

The sacrifices involved

10:49 Memorable moments from the rugby career

The Golden Age of players

Getting the marching orders from Martin Johnson

�Scary� Olivier Merle

13:02 Different coaching styles across each stage in rugby career

Return to Leinster was a �culture-shock�

Different coaching-style in France

Moving between clubs due to opportunities

A year to find his feet

16:09 Joe Schmidt�s reputation and his approach to pushing limits

Giving the player power

Focus on process and systems

�The key is: are you putting in the work?�

Empowered to work and improve on things

18:18 How an extraordinary team is built from ordinary people

Setting clear standards and demands

Seeing even the best players in the world working hard

Raising the standard of the whole environment

21:30 His approach to retirement from rugby

�You�re either moving forward, or dying�

Enjoyment being in uncomfortable environments

Physical and mental health has been the driving force

Swapped one passion for another

Fear of exposure

Tuned in to signals of �reverting back� and seeking comfort

Asking questions around his behaviour that was driven by fear

Clarity helps compartmentalise negative thinking

30:08 Transition from group to solo challenges

Motivated by improvement

Hunger to leave rugby behind and carve own training

Choose own individual training plan, and not curtailed by a group

�Competition brings the most out of us�

6 � 7 minute indoor rower 2km test

If it�s not hard, push yourself more

30:08 Maintaining core values

Difficulty in peer pressure environment

Example of practising press-ups

Avoid cutting corners

32:55 Regular challenges Damian sets himself

Physical training and cold water: �it never gets easier�

Habits of overcoming resistance

Setting training tests every few months

12 week training cycles

Recovery time

28 minutes in the cold water at the end of February

39:40 What drew Damian to Marathon des Sables

Watching a documentary about the Donovan brothers

�I just knew I would do it someday�

41:35 How tough is Marathon des Sables?

�Depends on how well you prepare and push yourself�

Keen to do the race again and push his comfort zone

Going to the toilet in bags and battling with hunger

Professional sports taught him a lot about nutrition and stress

Key to recovery is sleep and nutrition

47:27 On the world�s longest train across the Sahara desert in Mauritania

704km in total

�Adventure is a mindset�

To practise photography skills

49:19 What exploration means to Damian

�New ground, new places, new faces, new sights, new smells�

Internal exploration involved

51:37 The motivation around adventures and exploring

It could be as small as walking a different route home

Grow in confidence

53:30 His solo and unsupported 5000km row across the Atlantic in 2018

�From start to finish there�s a discomfort�

Challenge of funding

Reading �The Crossing� by Ben Fogle and James Cracknell

On his �Before 40� bucket list

Huge learning curves: from the maritime to the self

56:07 Strategy to deal with �slumps� during the Atlantic row

Letters from family

Having a sat phone

Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN)

Recording video diaries

1:00:40 Capsizing twice and seeing a whale

Capsized in a storm

First capsize when asleep in cabin, second capsize when on deck

Unable to swim

�What can stop me from achieving what I want to achieve?�

Power of negative visualisation

Panicking is a massive dump of energy

Practising at Blackrock, Galway

1:08:26 Managing pain on the row

Pressure and sea sores

Constant pain that mentally impacts you

Pain makes you focus on the wrong things

Managing through self-awareness

Back to the present moment where you don�t need to be anxious or stressed

1:14:26 Readjustment to �normal life� after an adventure

Having time alone

Decompress on route back home with a mini-trip

Take time off from training

Wired to be present in the moment

1:17:06 Trusting your gut

It comes through time and life experiences

Guiding force

1:18:37 Rowing across the Atlantic again in 2022 with lifelong friend Fergus �Gussie� Farrell

First time to link the challenge with Ireland

Ticks all the boxes for a challenge

Seldom done route: 52 crossing attempts

First Irish pair to attempt it

1:21:00 His relationship with fear

�All I know is physical pursuits�

Strong sense of self-belief

�It comes down to self-awareness�

Learning to ask yourself the right questions

1:24:09 Motivation to climb Mt. Everest

Current ambition is to climb the highest mountain on all seven continents

Fear-drive motivation

Mind drifts to �what�s next?�

Postponed from this year

Down to 105kg

1:30:24 Physically and mentally training for Mt. Everest

Mitigating physical stressors

Be at the right weight, below 100kg

Spending time on the mountains

Buteyko breathwork

Mental prep happens much closer to the expedition

Visualisations and affirmations

Don�t leave things up to chance

Nutrition

Doing expedition with Jagged Globe

1:36:57 Impact of Covid-19 on Mt. Everest expeditions

No one knows what next year will look like

Permits to crowd control

1:39:31 Approach to fear on the mountains

There are things you have no control over

No �harness� on the mountain

The art of not dwelling

1:41:55 Losing weight on Mt. Everest expedition

Impact of mass and oxygen

Fuelling well on the mountain

Lost 28kg rowing the Atlantic

1:44:29 Advice to people about achieving their potential

�We�re all limitless in our potential�

Having purpose

Take the first steps