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What does it take to paddle, mountain bike, and run 350 kilometers without sleep? For Sip Powers, it's about making visible the invisible struggles of veterans living with PTSD.

After 34 years of military service and the devastating loss of his wife to suicide, Sip found himself facing his own mental health crisis. Despite years of helping wounded veterans through rehab programs while denying his own trauma, he eventually reached breaking point. "My complex PTSD is like skimming a boulder that just never stops," he explains with raw honesty. "All I want is for that stone to stop and sink at some stage."

Now, Sip channels his pain into extraordinary endurance challenges that mirror the relentless nature of trauma. Having completed the Enduro 214 (all Wainwrights in one sitting during two storms) and the Enduro 7 (seven extreme events over seven days without sleep), he's preparing for his next mission: the Enduro 3. This August, he'll paddle from Fort William to Inverness, mountain bike back, then run the same route – all without sleep.

Sleep disruption emerged as a common thread among the veterans Sip worked with through Battle Back, a program helping seriously wounded soldiers rehabilitate through outdoor activities. "We're asking these veterans to hold up a job, look after their family, be civil, be good people, and they are in a world of pain," he explains, highlighting why his no-sleep challenges carry such powerful symbolism.

Beyond raising funds for Combat Stress and Mountain Rescue, Sip's mission is awareness. He believes his "skimming boulder" will finally sink when everyone knows about resources available to veterans suffering in silence. His journey highlights both the transformative power of the outdoors for mental health and the critical gaps in support for those who've served their country.

Follow Sip's extraordinary journey and support his cause by visiting the Extreme Outdoors website. His story reminds us that behind every stoic veteran is a human being processing complex experiences – and that with proper support, healing is possible.

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Miranda Arieh's journey from mental health patient to pioneering trauma specialist will forever change how you understand recovery and healing. After spending her teenage years in foster care and being sectioned under the Mental Health Act, Miranda became what she calls a "rebound patient" for 15 years—unable to find effective treatment within a system that often re-traumatized rather than healed.

The breakthrough came when Miranda decided to work within the very system she struggled against, eventually creating the Heroes Program—an innovative eight-week curriculum that's already helped thousands recover from trauma and mental health struggles. But her approach turns traditional treatment models upside down.

"We're not here to fix you or treat you," Miranda explains, challenging the medical model that treats emotions as illnesses. Instead, she sees trauma as "a living breathing wound that opens in the present moment when echoes of the past are triggered." This perspective shifts healing from revisiting painful memories to working with present-day triggers—providing tools to apply "ointment to the wound" each time it opens.

The program's philosophy extends to addiction, viewing it not as the primary problem but as "an attempt to solve a problem" when people lack capacity to hold difficult emotions. "We're almost like personal trainers for the mind and nervous system," Miranda says, teaching participants to build emotional strength rather than numbing out.

What makes Miranda's work truly revolutionary is her firm belief that healing is possible for everyone. "There is no order of difficulties in healing trauma," she insists—someone with severe abuse can heal just as completely as someone with milder trauma. The goal is what she calls a "return to self"—living authentically rather than in fear.

Ready to change your relationship with anxiety, trauma, or difficult emotions? Listen now to discover the transformative power of befriending rather than battling the wounded parts of yourself. As Miranda's story proves, sometimes our deepest pain becomes our greatest gift for helping others.

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The healing power of nature and human connection takes centre stage as Kelvyn James returns to White Fox Talking, sharing his transformative journey from profound darkness to founding a thriving mental health charity.

Kelvyn lays bare the brutal realities that shaped him - growing up in a violent household where his earliest memory is "an exceptional act of violence" and later facing the unimaginable trauma of his mother's murder. What followed was a five-year court battle where he repeatedly faced his mother's killer, a struggle he initially kept hidden from those closest to him.

The mountains became both sanctuary and danger zone as Kelvyn sought escape through increasingly risky climbs. "I was never suicidal," he explains, "but completely believing I deserved to get hurt." These high-risk behaviours provided momentary relief but failed to address his underlying trauma. The breakthrough came when he discovered that true healing happens through connection - with nature and with others.

This realization became the foundation for Wellness Walks, a charity offering free nature walks specifically designed for people struggling with mental health. Since becoming an official charity in September 2023, they've expanded rapidly, with nearly 100 volunteers running walks across the UK. What makes these walks uniquely effective is what Kelvyn calls "therapy in 3D" - the side-by-side walking creates natural opportunities for connection without the pressure of face-to-face therapy.

His newly released book "Walking Out of the Dark" chronicles this journey, with all proceeds supporting the charity's work. Though it begins in darkness, Kelvyn promises readers there's a happy ending - not because the pain disappears, but because he found a path through it. "If somebody carries a great weight for too long, one of two things is going to happen - either you're going to get stronger or you're going to break," he reflects. "For a long time I didn't know which it would be, and by the end of the book I understand it's both."

Ready to experience the healing power of nature? Join a Wellness Walk near you, or support their work by purchasing Kelvyn's book directly from wellnesswalks.org.uk.

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