My guest for the latest episode of Creative Spirits Unleashed is Peter Barr. He’s a repeat guest with this being his third time on the podcast. We last spoke in July 2021. You might remember that Peter and his wife began living out of their RV six years ago, with the intention to live a life of adventure. In the prior two conversations Peter spoke about some of his harrowing experiences in the mountains, and this conversation had plenty of that and more as he describes two of his biggest changes in the last few years, as he became a father 3 years ago, and then discovered a reason for his vertigo. That became it’s own journey.

Peter is known as a “peak bagger”, which means he loves to get to the highest places everywhere he goes. In Peter’s case, that means he’s made it to thousands of them. He has hiked all 900 miles of trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, reached the highest point in 40 U.S. states and was the second person to reach the high point in all100 North Carolina counties. He completed the 2,181 mile Appalachian trail in 2010. And that’s just the beginning. He’s climbed the Adirondack 46ers, New England Highest Hundred, all summits (790 of them!) above 4,000 feet in elevation in the Eastern United States and more than 2000 ranked peaks nationwide. He’s also the author of the definite guide on Carolina fire lookouts titled Exploring North Carolina’s Lookout Towers.

When you listen to this conversation, remember those statistics, because Peter tells several stories of achieving peaks and also making the difficult decision to turn around when the conditions are not right. You will also get a sense of his perseverance when he tells the story of his journey through the vertigo-causing brain tumor. Many would have given up, and without a doubt, this one tested his limits.

We spent some time reflecting on the mindset required to navigate the kind of challenges that Peter seeks out. Once again, Peter gives us a masterclass on balance under pressure.

Enjoy this conversation with Peter Barr.

My guests for this episode of the podcast are Bernie Harberts and Julia Carpenter. You might recognize both of those names, as they have both been on the podcast individually. What made this episode special was that we did this conversation while they were on Bernie’s 24 foot sailboat “Grit” as it was anchored off Shackelford Banks, a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina. Picture a skinny, long stretch of sand, marsh and small trees about 8 to 9 miles long, standing between the Atlantic Ocean and the mainland.

Bernie and Julia have been out there for about 2 weeks, sharing both sailing and horse adventures. And believe me, they have had some adventures! In this podcast, we talked about what to do when the kayaks, the only way to reach the island, took a deep dive. They shared the story of a harrowing night of gale force winds, wondering if the anchors would hold. You won’t believe the story of the help they received when their anchor fouled as they were making their way out to the Atlantic side of the island. Sometimes, help isn’t really help.

After a short break after my 100th episode, the podcast is back with a returning guest. Corey Vaughn is here for his 4th episode. In 2024, we spoke both in the Spring and in the Fall as he shared his 1000 day plan to see how far he could take his water ski goals if he chose to really go for it. The plan culminated with the World Waterski Championship held in late August of 2025 in Italy.

Corey has been both brutally honest and deeply courageous in sharing his journey to uncover his full potential. As he said more than once, he wanted to find that edge. If you are someone who has wondered for yourself: what if?, this conversation is for you.

We do get to the “results” of his 1000 day plan in this conversation, and his season ended with an unexpected twist. We get into how he is handling that twist, and what happens next for him, which is really inspiring. And there is even more gold in this conversation as we explored the behind-the-scenes thoughts, feelings and beliefs that Corey navigated as he balanced multiples pressures: the declaration he made to go for it, his training, both mental and physical, his family obligations, his business running a vibrant ski school and even what it is to turn a passion into both a quest and a business.

Here’s what Corey has to say about himself: Sometimes I still pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. I have been living my life’s dream since 2009, and it just keeps unfolding in surprising, fulfilling and exciting ways. From my daily activities at the Bum Pass Water Ski Club to my interactions with people all over the world, while coaching or skiing on the pro tour, I aim to stay rooted in the mission that animates my entire career: to spread, foster and promote the three things I hold dear - Peace, Love & Waterskiing.

I hope you enjoy this conversation with Corey Vaughn.