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In this 13th episode of Kaelon’s Supernova podcast, Sophie and Julien talk about exploring - whether underwater caves, knowledge, beauty or freedom. The conversation takes us to a multitude of extraordinary places spanning the underwater world, entrepreneurship, Auroville and India - where Julien lived for 15 years. Julien shares techniques applicable to the business world that he has learnt in his journey to build cohesive teams, manage stress, mitigate risks and build emotional and mental strength.

Julien Fortin
Julien is an explorer and scientific cave diver - diving in water-filled caves to discover and document unknown portions of the world. As a Partner and Leadership Trainer at High Realities, he brings resilience, risk mitigation, high performance and stress management techniques to the business world. Entrepreneurship offers him a vehicle to fulfil his values of freedom and creation and thirst for learning. Julien has lived in many countries incl. Germany, Sri Lanka, Gabon, India and Mexico. He has worked on development projects in Nepal, Mauritania and Senegal among many other places.
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Resources
• Steps, poem by Hermann Hesse
• The phenomenon of man, by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
• Death on the instalment plan, by Louis Ferdinand Celine

‍Timestamps‍
‍00:02:05 From Industrial engineering to becoming an explorer and scientific cave diver: saying yes to opportunities
‍00:06:54 Creation and freedom through entrepreneurship and cave diving
‍00:13:50 Flying to an underwater Guggenheim museum filled with stone Modiglianis
‍00:20:35 Challenging situations as a catalyst for human relationships
‍00:26:43 Team culture: trust, common tools & language and a special bond
‍00:30:35 Managing stress upstream when the last exit is 7km away
‍00:36:53 Managing the unexpected: working on yourself
‍00:41:44 Cutting the problem in chewable pieces: from Perspective to Cognication to Sensation to Reaction
‍00:44:25 Building emotional and mental strength
‍00:45:38 About Auroville and India: broadening the frame and exploding the limits
00:53:32 Is extraordinary what truly exists
01:01:18 What is next for Julien