For Jared Muscat, surfing has been a passion, an obsession, and in his own words an addiction, since he was a teenager. Surfing was part of what led Jared to his current job working for the outdoor clothing company Patagonia. And it was on Patagonia’s blog that I first read some of Jared’s story about surfing with epilepsy, his hard epilepsy diagnosis and journey, and a paddleboarding challenge he did to raise awareness for the condition.
It slightly surprised me to realise that I haven’t had any sea-based adventurers on the podcast yet. The ocean has often offered ‘adventure’ in the traditional sense - the swashbuckling, finding new lands kind of adventure.
But whilst the heyday of adventure on the high seas is over, in today’s conversation, we talk about how the power and unpredictability of the sea can still offer adventure of the everyday kind.
In today's episode Jared talks about:
Having brain surgery to stop seizures
Not being allowed to surf post-surgery
How yoga helped him with his recovery
Whether removing his amygdala has affected his fear levels!
How he got into surfing as a teenager
His path to working for Patagonia
How encouraging his Patagonia team have been
Previous employer's discrimination because of epilepsy
Paddleboarding when you can't surf
'Paddling Towards a Cure' - paddleboarding 17 miles for epilepsy awareness
His reaction when doctors told him to stop surfing because of epilepsy
What is Epileptic Opportunity?
The importance of a good support network with epilepsy
What 'adventure' means to him
And more!
READ JARED'S BLOG POST:
CONNECT WITH JARED:
Instagram: @jaredamuscat
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Become a patron to support the podcast and continue telling stories of epilepsy in adventure. Find out more and sign up at patreon.com/seizeyouradventure. You can also make a one-off donation at https://www.paypal.me/seizeyouradventure.
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MUSIC:
Kev Rowe on Soundcloud | Creative Commons Attribution License
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This podcast is an independent production - costs of the show are covered by me (Fran) with the support of patrons. If you want to help support the show financially, head to patreon.com/seizeyouradventure. This will help me to continue telling stories of epilepsy in adventure.
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Seize Your Adventure is part of the Tremula Network - adventure and outdoor podcasts off the beaten track. To find out more, head to tremula.network
A Chat with Jared Muscat: Surfing, Paddleboarding and Epileptic Opportunity