Raw, unfiltered footage of epic climbs, and trails. This is what Vaast Expeditions excels at. The passion project of Simon Kither and Bec Dyer, Vaast takes you on treks around the world in a uniquely shot adventure series.
Think Maasai Mara, Kilimanjaro, and Kosciuszko. This is just the start. Filmed by real people in real situations, the content shot and produced by Vaast transcends what has gone before.
The real story lies in Simon’s transition from recording engineer to film director, producer, and cinematographer. With Bec by his side, they have pursued their passion for travel, hiking, film, and producing authentic content. What they have created together is a new type of travel documentary, in its own class. Their rise has been so meteoric that the series was picked up by Channel 44 Adelaide and is screening three times per week.
In his career, Simon has mentored many musicians and recording artists. He then coached himself through building and growing a new brand. We think he is perfectly positioned to give some rapid-fire tips on growth, evolution, and living your dreams.
HB: You said recently “So rather than waiting for the opportunity to present itself I just created a lifestyle that funded that dream. Now I’m starting!”. This is what life is all about!!! What advice do you have for other people who want to live their dreams?
So often going after your dreams means leaving security and comfort of some kind. A stable income, a predictable pattern of life, a familiar hometown.
When you finally take that first step towards leaving your old life behind, it feels like jumping off a bridge without knowing if the bungee cord is attached. You’re just falling faster and faster, which feels super exhilarating and fun, but you’re not 100% certain you’ll be safe.
At some point, you start thinking something along the lines of ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have left that comfortable spot up on the bridge’. You’re having so much fun and excitement, but there’s a lingering feeling in the back of your mind asking, ‘will I be safe?’.
Chasing what you truly want always comes with a degree of risk, because that’s just how the best things work. Risk and reward. Tell yourself that through your abilities and will alone you have been through tough times in the past, made it through difficult things. Tell yourself that you have the confidence in your abilities and will to get through whatever will come at you in the future. Believe that you will figure out how to attach that bungee cord, or dive into the water and swim.
Don’t be frozen by fear, because the far worse feeling is regret and you have to choose one. Fear doesn’t last. Regret does.
HB: We love that you don’t do posed shots. All your content conveys a sense of being there with you at the locations. Will media generally move towards a more raw, natural feel versus the contrived content we have seen for a long time?
I think the more we accept that humans are flawed, the more we will move towards telling an authentic story of ourselves. The more we idolise intelligent, courageous, empathetic individuals over fashionistas and loud talkers, the more we will be willing to be ourselves while at the same time striving for real greatness.
It seems most people are a lot more willing to be authentic in ‘Stories’ compared to a post, which seems to point to a fear of rejection from the pack. There are no public comments on stories and they only last for 24 hours. People generally feel more comfortable being themselves there. If we can move towards that kind of comfort on a broader scale, I think it would skew the social media landscape to a more raw, natural feel.
HB: Living your dreams takes dedication, effort, and passion. What do you think is the most important aspect to staying focused on your dreams?
Everyone always says this and it’s cliched but it’s true – it’s about having a ‘Why’. Why are you even attempting the thing you want to do? It’s a VERY difficult thing to answer authentically.
I personally found in the past that the first answer I came up with was usually the answer that sounded the best to other people but wasn’t the truth for me. Something that I thought would sound good to other people and impressive, but it didn’t mean that much to me. It took me time to figure it out and I don’t think you can come up with an answer by sitting down and thinking about it for half an hour.
I think life experience teaches you ‘your why’. Go out and experience new things, find out what you care about. If you’re 20 years old, you probably don’t have enough experience to understand what you really want and it’s ridiculous for someone to expect you to know.
You need to go out of your comfort zone as much as possible and explore new things often. Find out how it makes you feel. Do more of what makes you feel good and less of what makes you feel bad. Do more of what makes you feel scared and less of what makes you feel safe. Follow your internal compass, it somehow already knows what you want to do, even if you don’t.
Once you’ve got a strong ‘why’ about what you want to achieve, you need to absolutely believe you can achieve it. You need to believe like you already have it. You have to know that it’s coming for you because if you don’t believe on a conscious AND subconscious level, you will sabotage yourself in the sneakiest of ways. Ever heard someone say they want to get fitter first before they take a personal training class or go to the gym?? Um… What!?? Ever heard someone say they will start on Monday or that one cupcake doesn’t matter?
Once you believe you will achieve it, you need to build a plan to take massive action. Write yourself a 1-year goal and then ask yourself if you can achieve it in 1 month. Normally the answer is no, but you could probably do it in 3. You’ve just 4x your progress and that momentum will keep you motivated and focused on your dreams.
Thought -> Plan -> Action -> Result -> Confidence. REPEAT. It’s a self-fulfilling cycle that grows in ambition the more you do it.
You can find Vaast Expeditions on Instagram and YouTube. If you need some serious adventure motivation, check them out!