Travis Warner has a Bachelor’s Degree in Forensic and Investigative Science (emphasis in Crime Scene Investigation) and a Master’s Degree in Geology (emphasis in petroleum Geology), both from West Virginia University. He was a research/development reservoir geologist for an oil and gas company for 7 years (microscopy, organic geochemistry, spectroscopy), was laid off after a corporate acquisition, climbed cell phone towers for 7 months while he job-hunted, and as of mid-March 2019, he is now an energy analyst and contractor for the US Dept. of Energy. He co-founded Steel City Slackers - a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that advocates slacklining in Pittsburgh. He has an insane passion for slacklining, unicycling, walking on stilts, and pretty much balancing on anything an everything he can find…which brings me to why I had him on the podcast.   When I think about who I want to bring on the podcast as a guest, I’ve been noticing a common theme – I love talking to people who don’t live a life the average person does. This signifies a person who is following their own inner voice instead of the herd. And I think so many of us are trying to find this space within ourselves (I know I am). To touch that space in another person, ask questions, and figure out how others reach it, will hopefully bring us closer to finding that space within ourselves.

Travis radiates this. He is a passionate geologist by day, and climbs and balances on tall shit whenever he can.

We opened with talking about geology (if you’re sitting there wondering what the hell a geologist even does, you are not alone; that was 100% me before this episode). It was cool to hear about rocks. I was actually more interested in the industry than I thought I would be.

When we got into his experience with tower climbing, he talked about hives up on the towers and how the bees are literally high – you can poke them, they don’t sting you, and birds gobble them up without a fight. Quite bizarre and sad. He spoke on the perspective of being hundreds of feet up in the air – what a rainbow looks like, how a 4 ft. tall buzzard can just fly up to you, how the rain sounds, and what it’s like to see a co-worker pee on your boss. Yup, you read that right.

The stuff about high-lining was thrilling. For you visual folks, it’s venturing up to an opening in nature at height (picture a canyon), securing a line from one side to the other, and crossing it by balancing and walking across the line. Holy f. I asked him a question about the “goal” of high lining. He embraces the entire process – from scouting out the space, to securing the line, to gearing up, to getting into the right mental space to cross. It was refreshing to hear from a person who enjoys the process of something as opposed to just rushing through the process to accomplish an end goal. Applicable meditation skills.

I hope you enjoy listening to Travis just as much as I enjoyed talking to him.

  Watch this podcast: https://youtu.be/OABB-Akd9sM   Connect with me:
IG/Twitter: @ashrothstein
www.ashleyrothstein.com
Think you would be a good fit for the podcast? Send me an email with your story.
[email protected]   Connect with Travis:
IG: @30microns, @steelcityslackers
Steel City Slackers: www.steelcityslackers.com