If you were given five years left to live, what would you do?

Iain Ward, 33, came face to face with this question over two years ago when he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. He has now turned his focus to breaking the world record for the most money raised, for a single marathon. And he is hoping to do this by gaining sponsors through his social media platforms.

As Sally Orange sits on the other side of a Zoom call to us, we can't help but think about how this is probably her last chance to relax for a very long time. The army veteran and physiotherapist exudes a quiet energy, putting us in no doubt that the series of challenges ahead that she has set for herself will not only be endured, but conquered.

When we speak with Charlie Walker for this feature he is relaxed, with verdant hanging plants on the shelves behind him framing his profile. It's a stark contrast to the environment that he'll be spending 3 months in from 12th February: ski trekking 1000 miles along the frozen Lena River in Arctic Siberia. It's the coldest inhabited place on earth, with temperatures reaching -50°C.

Life can change in the blink of an eye. I learnt that the hard way on the morning of the 12th July, 2018 whilst returning into Cheltenham after dropping my dogs off at the kennels. An oncoming car carelessly crossed into my lane and in a split second, the resulting 50mph head on collision turned my world upside down, literally.

The reason for creating the SoulKind Blog was so that we could share more of the stories we encounter, all inspiring in their own right, but not all able to make the printed journal straight away. April Doherty who lives in Maryland, USA is one such story who I heard about through a great Instagram account called @seemystrong.

It’s 6.00am on the west coast of Oregon, USA and Justin True joins me from his garage, the only spot in the house to get a full wi-fi signal, first coffee of the day in hand. For the last year he had been living life in London, UK, his job on nuclear plants allowing him to work remotely, but for now he is back in his hometown in the US working on plans for his next challenge.

In 2016 Nikki Love attempted her extraordinary, to run 63 marathons in 63 days. ‘Why 63?’, was the first thing that sprang to my mind, ‘seems like an odd number’, I thought. But it was a considered target, one which made perfect sense once Nikki had explained it.

Having been a competitive kayaker and swimmer, Sophie Rooney is no stranger to a challenge. She joined us over Zoom from her home in Cumbria to discuss the story behind ‘Rundinavia’ - her most significant test of endurance yet.

Sometimes an idea, or solution, can be so obvious it’s literally staring us in the face. But when stumbled upon, they are normally the ideas that are most rewarding. CJ’s story is born out of one such idea that has now become a leading charity worldwide and one which continues to grow exponentially.

I first listened to Nikki’s story when she was interviewed from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the 2020 Kendal Mountain Festival. I was immediately taken aback by the raw emotion in her voice. There was a sense of vulnerability that left me wanting to know more and to gain a better understanding of who Nikki is.

Quite often we are introduced, all be it virtually at present, to new people from all walks of life with inspiring stories to tell. Some of these people are making a real difference in society and Anthony Daulphin is one of them.

A story about a girl, her dog and a van and how with an old map and half a tank of petrol you can find freedom and overcome anxiety.

Filmmaker and self-described ‘oddball’, Beau Miles has been sharing short films on YouTube for a total of four years now. From running long distances to up-cycling waste, Beau appears to have mastered the art of storytelling; bringing intrigue to ideas which are seemingly simple.

Scott Jenkins is currently deep into his brutal training regime for something pretty extraordinary. Something that when you stop and actually think about, kind of blows your mind. We caught up with him via Zoom to get more of an insight into his life in general and the challenge that lies ahead of him for 2021

“I’ve learnt what’s important and what’s worth fighting for”, Vanessa Ruck said as she reflected on her journey to recovery following her accident. Having just arrived in Wales after moving house, she joined us over video chat to share her story on how she became known as ‘The Girl on a Bike’.

Lara Vafiadis was radiating warmth and energy from the start in our video chat. Appearing in front of a framed picture featuring three sailboats, it was clear that she was excited to be discussing her entry into the impressive Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.

It wasn’t the first time in its twenty-year lifetime that I have called out in desperation to the bike, “What’s wrong with you NOW?”

Watching Aaron Bakers incredible documentary ‘Coming to my senses’ was a huge milestone in my personal recovery because looking back, I think at that point I was probably at an all time low.