Bertrand Piccard: 21st Century's Greatest Explorer

In this episode of Life's Tough, Explorers are Tougher, Richard Wiese sits down with legendary balloonist and environmental innovator Bertrand Piccard to explore what it truly means to carry the torch of exploration across generations.

From completing the first nonstop balloon flight around the world to launching the groundbreaking Solar Impulse project, Piccard explains why success is never the finish line — it’s the launchpad for something more meaningful. He shares how resilience, self-hypnosis, and mental discipline shaped his ability to navigate both historic triumphs and intense setbacks.

The conversation moves beyond geography into philosophy: what does exploration mean in the 21st century? For Piccard, it’s no longer about discovering new continents — it’s about discovering better solutions for life on Earth. Through stories of astronauts, ocean explorers, and pioneers he personally knew, he reminds us that the true explorer’s journey is inward as much as outward.

This is Life's Tough, Explorers Are Tougher, with your host, Richard Weiss. Scratch the surface of an explorer and you'll find an adventure and a great story. This show is about their tales.

This podcast is a proud supporter of the Explorers Club and the EC50 Initiative. 50 people changing the world that the world needs to know about. For more information, go to explorers.org.