Episode 02 with Norm Hann
Or, Listen On Apple Podcasts Here
Norm Hann has spent much of his adult life on the water. A professional stand-up paddleboarder, guide and expedition leader, he has competed and paddled around the world and now leads multi-day expeditions into some of the wildest and most remote places in British Columbia and beyond.
But that life began somewhat unexpectedly. Norm came west from Ontario to train as a wilderness guide and found himself in the Great Bear Rainforest. He couldn’t have known then how much that place, and the people he met there, would shape the life that followed.
His conservation work is featured in the award-winning documentary STAND.
Summary
In this conversation, Norm and I talk about his years guiding on the coast, his relationship with the Gitga’at community and adoption into the Raven Clan, discovering stand-up paddleboarding, and the 400-kilometre expedition he undertook when a proposed oil tanker route threatened the coastline he had come to love.
But much of our conversation is about something quieter: what happens when you spend enough time in a place to care deeply about what happens to it. We talk about the people who have influenced Norm, the pull of the natural world, and the choices he has made to build his life around what matters to him.
Episode Links
Instagram @instagram.com/normhann
Watch STAND, the award-winning documentary featuring Norm and the Great Bear Rainforest
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Norm Hann's Background
02:10 Norm's Childhood and Love for Outdoors
03:58 Journey from Ontario to the West Coast
09:11 Connection with First Nations and the Great Bear Rainforest
14:58 Decisions, Challenges, and Personal Growth
21:56 The Healing Power of Nature and Awe
30:04 Norm's Guiding Philosophy and Mentorship
40:03 Expeditions, Paddleboarding, and Environmental Advocacy
50:10 Living a Seamless Life of Connection and Purpose
01:00:10 Future Plans and How to Connect with Norm