152. Soaring into Success with Norman Kent (skydiving cinematographer) 🪂 - a podcast by James Whittaker

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” — Edward J. Stieglitz

We're making history together today!

This episode is part of a successful world record attempt where 100 skydivers, each over 60 years old, jumped out of an airplane and created a formation on the way down. Check out the video version of this episode to see the clip that has raised the bar for what a podcast intro can do — and how age should never stop you from experiencing what you want.

Norman Kent embarked on his first jungle expedition at 14 years old where he developed a strong desire to capture the beauty he saw and share it with the world. At 19 years old, Norman made his first skydive – a moment that would change his life forever.

Since that time, Norman has worked on blockbuster films like Cliffhanger, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and Godzilla. He’s also made his own skydiving films, consulted to special forces units, and helped facilitate record-breaking feats all over the world – as well jumping into ceremonies of both the summer and winter Olympic Games.

As a skydiving pioneer, Norman has more than 30,000 jumps to his name, including the first expedition to ever jump onto the North Pole, a joint exercise with the US and Russian military. In the skydiving community, Norman has earned the respect as the world’s best skydiving cinematographer.

In this episode:

• What drives Norman’s continued love of adventure


• How to summon courage during your most fearful moments


• Some of the most fascinating moments from his acclaimed career (including the mindset that makes Tom Cruise perform at such a high level), and


• What Norman’s time at the coalface of death has taught him about life.

Let’s WIN THE DAY with Norman Kent!

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🎬 HD video version: https://youtu.be/rbuL2ZfOE54

📖 Blog version: https://jameswhitt.com/soaring-into-success-with-norman-kent

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Show links:

⚡ Norman Kent website

🎤 Norman Kent professional services and samples

📸 Norman Kent non-skydiving work

📝 Norman Kent Facebook

📸 Norman Kent ⁠Instagram⁠

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Timemarkers:

0:40 We have a world record!

1:59 Who is Norman Kent

3:36 Interview starts

5:55 Norman’s helmet ‘Marcela’

11:51 How to stay calm when your parachute fails

16:31 How to deal with fear and anxiety

18:02 Norman’s relationship with Deana (his wife who passed)

24:29 How to be present while being a perfectionist

27:49 How do photographers feel about filters on social media

31:08 The two biggest moments in Norman’s life

40:01 Why fear stops people from taking action

43:22 The reward is worth the risk

46:20 Using visualization to prepare for a big performance

48:04 How to master skydiving as quickly possible – and lessons from actor Tom Cruise

51:32 Embrace fear rather than resist it (how to eliminate panic)

55:12 The most dangerous moments from Norman’s career

1:01:35 Watching his wife Deana take her last breath

1:05:10 Norman’s favorite images from his photography career

1:07:43 Affirmation

1:09:33 Rocket Round

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Onward and upward always...

#WinTheDay

PS — In case you missed it: ⁠⁠Happiness at Home with Michael Perry: Ep 146

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