Becoming The #1 All-Around Female Free Diver in the World and Connecting with Nature and Wild Animals Through Travel with Jessea Lu (Ep 214)

Learn the mental techniques behind elite freediving and why modeling underwater with sharks proved even more terrifying. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Jessea Lu and Matt chat in person over a bottle of wine in Nairobi Kenya.  Jessea begins by sharing her recent experience on Lamu Island, then reflects on her first trip to Africa, and also talks about her travel priorities around connecting with nature and wild animals.  She then shares the upcoming horseback safari through Maasai Mara that she has booked in Kenya for next summer. Next, Jessea talks about her experience growing up in a mid-size city in China, and then attending college in Beijing and getting into hip-hop music.  She then reflects on coming to the U.S. to do her PhD, why she started traveling the world, how she discovered scuba diving, and highlights from her first liveaboard trip.  Jessea then talks about her move to Hawaii, how she discovered free diving and shares her path to becoming a competitive international free diver.  She explains the mental techniques and benefits of becoming a great free diver, and then reflects on peak performance and shares how she becomes the #1 all-around female free diver in the world.  And, finally, she talks about her experience as an underwater model and how modeling dresses at the bottom of the ocean surrounded by sharks was significantly more scary and difficult than international freediving competitions. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FIND YOUR NEXT EPISODE Explore The Maverick Show Starter Packs — some of my favorite conversations curated by theme so you can easily find the episodes that match your interests. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU See my Top 10 Travel Apps See my Top 10 Books that Shaped the Way I Travel See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally Support the show by buying me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes!