Recording. All right, here we go. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls and everyone along with them. Welcome to Paragliding Atlas 2025. And today you're tuning in to a very special note of thanks episode. And in case you're new here, I'm your host, Aninder Singh, and I assure you that what's coming your way in the year 2025 will be one of the most insightful, inspiring, and informative content from the world of paragliding, brought to you by the one and only Paragliding Atlas Podcast.
But you know, before we dive deep into all of these exciting bands, I was wondering what would be the best way to start the journey for the new year ahead and for this show on a positive note, or basically do something that promises to make the world a better place from our end. And then I finally came up with a plan. But for this plan, I'd request you to take a moment with me and
make a pact. A promise to prioritise safety and take care not only of ourselves, but for other pilots sharing the airspace with us as well. You and I can ensure that we practice the highest levels of flight safety every time we take to the skies in the sport of paragliding. If you would allow me, I'd like to share a story with you, a personal reflection on how I've navigated my expectations and challenges in this space so far. And I kind of want to start with something as small as this
project right here. Because one thing that I've learned over the past one year is that a lot of times, instead of viewing any of the challenges as individual struggles, I just try to see it through a lens of a larger community. And I can explain this with a more elaborate example because let's say when I was looking to start an adventure within the sport of paragliding, I was looking for something
meaningful, something impactful. You know, something that made personal sense and commercial sense at the same time. Something that resonated with me deep inside and also good enough to put my heart and soul into it so that I can try and make a
living out of my passion. But of course there are multiple challenges along chasing such a passion and I often kept on running into obstacles, whether it was lack of ideas or uncertainty about the next steps or feelings of self doubt, anxiety, you name it, you have it kind of a thing. I mean everything would kind of creep in at some point in time and again and make it harder to move forward. But then there was a paradigm shift when I basically decided
to zoom out. I started to think beyond just myself. So instead of having the question that what do I do to overcome these challenges which were finding meaning and having it sustainable enough, I began asking the question that what can I create that adds value to the entire paraguiding community? And I kid you not guys, this very simple shift was transforming to say the least. And suddenly ideas just started
flowing in effortlessly. And the ease with which the solution started appearing was, I mean to say, nothing short of mesmerizing. You know, I, I can take you guys back to the first episode that we recorded with Paul Tuckerts about navigating Columbia. Because as a pilot myself, I used to wonder and Google up endless sites, go to endless Facebook posts and groups and look for information that, hey,
I'm a wizarding pilot. What are the ways if I don't want to hire a tour guide, you know, how do I figure out what to do, what not to do, where to, you know, just the common questions that come to your mind when you're visiting a new place as a solo pilot. But then I was like, that is why we need a show like this, which highlight how these airspaces can be navigated with precaution and also be fun at the same
time. So that was the very first idea of what happens to be the Paragliding Atlas podcast of today. It all began with the desire to create shared value and offer something meaningful, not just for myself, but for all of you out there as well. And today, it's not only a moment of pride for me, but more than that, it's a moment of immense gratitude.
Because this show is the fastest growing show in the world of paragliding all across interweb, having more than 5000 listeners spanning across 70 countries and 30 industry experts sharing their unfiltered wisdom and heartfelt knowledge with all of us out there. And most importantly, none of this would have been possible without your support. So thank you so much for being a part of this journey. And as we step into 2025, I'm beyond excited to share some plans for the year ahead with you.
And guess what? We're not just doubling down, but we are tripling up the awesomeness that we make here every week. So from a weekly release, we are planning to go to a bi weekly episode release because this allows us to cover a whole lot of topics. Because a lot of you guys have been reaching out and suggesting endlessly interesting points of discussions. But having just one episode every week made it almost impossible to cover all of those topics.
So that's why we are bringing in a perfect mix of solo and guest interviews all together. Bringing you a final product of 2 brand new episodes every week. Which means we're setting a super ambitious target of 104 episodes this year. That's more than three times the content we have brought to you so far. And today you happen to be tuning in to a very first of these. But that's not all. Again, just like any other challenge, there are so many questions.
Will I be able to do it? What's going to happen, where I'm going to find the topics, where I'm going to find the guests, and how I'm going to keep the listeners engaged? But here's the most exciting part, and this is where you come in, because we plan to cover what is both endless and enriching. So if you're stuck with me for so far, this is where I'll explain you how your voice
matters. Because if there's a topic that you've been curious about or a guest that you think could bring immense value not just to the show, but to the entire paragliding community, then I'd love to hear from you. So pick up your phone or get on your computer or reach out in whichever way feels most convenient, whether it's e-mail, Telegram, or WhatsApp. All of my contact information is
listed in the show notes below. And let's make this journey a collaborative adventure where your ideas and feedback shape the content that we create here at the Paragliding Atlas Podcast. So as we embark on this incredible journey in time to come, I'd like to leave you with this. If you happen to have enjoyed the show so far, don't keep it to yourself. Share it with your fellow pilots, your friends, or anyone who loves the skies as much as we do.
Because by spreading the word, we grow this community and most importantly, make paragliding a safer and more enriching sport for everyone. So on that note, I'm going to leave you by saying what I always say. Stay tuned, stay excited, and remember the magic is just getting started.