Podcasts, Interviews, Talks
Brad Borkan and David Hirzel talk on the themes of:
Leadership, teamwork, resiliency and decision making all set in the exciting context of polar history.
Seeking a speaker for an online event, podcast, webinar or conference? Please contact us.
Brad delivered a terrific, fascinating and extremely motivational session at the B2B Marketing Leaders Forum this year – his passion and knowledge about the great age of exploration is extraordinary, and this made for an excellent addition to our agenda.
Brad and David tailor their talks and podcast interviews to each specific audience. Testimonials
2021-2022 Podcasts, Articles, Talks
- Antarctica “Final Quest” ship lecture, Winter 2022
- Guest speaker – to be confirmed
- Shackleton Autumn School, Athy, Ireland, Oct 2021
- Guest speaker talking about our new book
- Shackleton Conference, Hull, UK, May 2021 (online event, TBD)
- Guest speaker talking about our new book
- HULF Literary Festival, UK, Apr 2021 (tentative)
- Guest speaker talking about Captain Scott’s Legacy and his impact on Climate Change Research
- Article: Monocle Magazine, Feb 2021 issue
- Guest columnist: Decision Lessons from Antarctica
- Book Launch events: Jan-Feb 2021
- Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results: How an Explorer, an Engineer and a Statesman shaped our Modern World
2020 Podcasts, Talks and Articles
- Parts of the Whole Podcast “Lessons from Antarctica” Dennis Kleinman (interviewer) Dec 2020
- Podcast replay: Lessons from Antarctica
- Can Entrepreneurship be taught? Three Authors say Yes! – Think Tank: Panel discussion, Nov 2020
- Video replay: YouTube link
- Podcast replay: eCard pdf VoiceAmerica.com link
- Into the Woods Podcast – Holly Worton (interviewer) Aug 2020
- Leadership Forum “Out of the comfort zone” Podcast – Wanda Wallace (interviewer) Aug 2020
- Podcast replay: Staying motivated in tough times
- Ever Forward Podcast – Chase Chewning (interviewer) Aug 2020
- 5 Lessons from the early Antarctic explorers for building resilience in the COVID-era, May 2020
- Article for the Scott Polar Research Society newsletter to members
- Becoming Your Best Global Leadership Podcast – Steven Shallenberger (interviewer) May 2020
- Podcast replay: When Your Life Depends on It – Extreme Decision Making Lessons
- Early Antarctic explorers and how they can still help today’s business leaders, Apr 2020
- Article: Ethical-Leadership website (Andrew Leigh, editor): Link to article
- Book review: Andrew Leigh’s book review of When Your Life Depends on It
- Our writing process: Podcast – Kitty Bucholtz (interviewer) Apr 2020
- Podcast replay: The writing process behind When Your Life Depends on It.
- Video replay on: YouTube
- Royal Society of Chemistry, Mar 2020
- Motivational talk about Product Innovation and the early Antarctic Explorers
- Inspirational Independent Authors Podcast – Howard Lovy (interviewer) Jan 2020
2019 Talks
- Antarctic Cruise: Polar Latitudes Hebridean Sky, Nov 2019
- Guest lecture about Shackleton on the day the ship visited South Georgia (Antarctica) which is where Shackleton is buried.
- Co-presented with adventurer, explorer and historian: Seb Coulthard
- Internet Radio Interview, Sept 2019
- Brad with Chris Fagan (author of The Expedition: Two Parents Risk Life and Family in an Extraordinary Quest to the South Pole)
- Western Mortgagee Advisory Council Conference in San Francisco, Sept 2019
- Keynote speaker
- Windstar Cruise Line, Aug 2019
- Guest lecturer on North Atlantic crossing
- TV Interview, June 2019
- Brad interviewed by Dr. Joan Goldstein
- WH Smith Bookstore, Richmond, Surrey, UK June 2019
- Book signing event
- Internet Radio Interview, June 2019
- Brad and Dennis Kleinman (audiobook narrator for When Your Life Depends on It)
- How we made the audiobook and why it was up for a major Hollywood award.
- Antarctic Conference, Dublin, June 2019
- Speaker at the 4th South Pole-sium Antarctic Conference in Dublin
- Business Conference, London, May 2019
- After-dinner speech at the Customer Experience World Conference in London
- Literary Festival, Apr 2019
- Keynote speaker at the Hawkesbury Upton Literary Festival
- Royal Society of Chemistry, Apr 2019
- Guest speaker at their away-day team building session in Cambridge
- Viking Cruise Line, Mar 2019
- Guest lecturer on North Atlantic crossing
2018 Talks
- Windstar Cruise LIne, Nov 2018
- Guest lectures on North Atlantic crossing
- Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge England, Oct 2018
- Guest lecture on When Your Life Depends on It.
- B2B Marketing Leaders Forum, London, Sept 2018
- “Developing a Resiliency Mind-set for Modern-Day Business Leaders: Lessons from Scott, Shackleton and the Heroic Age”
- Conference attended by 150 CMO’s (Chief Marketing Officers)
- Testimonial from B2B Marketing provided above
- Present Day Club, Princeton NJ Sept 2018
- “Leadership, Team Work and Decision Making: Lessons from the Antarctic”
- Private members club was founded by Woodrow Wilson’s wife.
- 116 in the audience. Testimonial from Club President provided.
- Credit Suisse Investment Bank, London July 2018
- “Disruptive Innovators and early Antarctic Explorers”
- 370 Credit Suisse employees attended from 16 different countries.
- Great Minds Lecture Series in Princeton NJ, May 2018
- Author Talk Radio Interview, Apr 2018
- “3 Authors who write about Brave People in Cold Climates” Margaret Winslow (Antarctica and the Southern Oceans), Roger Seiler (Alaska), Brad Borkan (Antarctica)
- University Guest Lecture: Dominican University of California, April 2018
- “Leadership, Teams, and Change”
- Speaker at “Interesting Talks London”, March 2018
2017 Talks
- Princeton PSRC Charity talk Dec 2017
- “More Tales from the Antarctic”
- Antarctic Conference in Ireland, Oct 2017
- Book Launch on the first day of the Shackleton Conference, Athy, Ireland
- Strand Business conference, Oct 2017
- Keynote speech at “Customers as Advocates” business conference. “
- Leadership, Team Work and Decision Making: Lessons from the Antarctic” at the Dorchester Hotel, London. Event program.
- Book talks at libraries and bookstores, July – Sept 2017
- Hancock Point Public Library, Maine
- Florey’s Bookstore, California
- Copperfield’s Bookstore, California
- Book launch: Discovery Point, Scotland: May 2017
- Antarctic Conference held at Discovery Point, Dundee, Scotland – museum housing Scott’s Discovery ship
- “Shackleton’s Genius—Reframing the Image of Success, a critical skill for the 21st century”
- Book launch: Fram Museum, Norway: May 2017
- South Pole-sium Conference – Fram museum housing Amundsen’s Antarctic ship, the Fram.
- Devon & Cornwall Polar Society: March 2017
- Book talk at the Devon & Cornwall Polar Society, Duke of Cornwall Hotel, Plymouth.
- Shackleton stayed at The Duke of Cornwall Hotel the night before the Endurance sailed to Antarctica in 1914.

David presenting at book launch, Fram Museum, Oslo
Testimonial from the Present Day Club, Princeton, NJ (click to enlarge)