BRAVEST 024
USING THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES ON THE PLANET AS FUEL TO TACKLE DIABETES
Sebastien Sasseville grew up in a small town in Quebec Canada. From an early age, he was raised with a solid work ethic. This key characteristic was developed through the day to day work on his family’s farm that Sebastien was responsible for. In our conversation, Sebastien explained that those early experiences taught him that anything is possible, but nothing comes easy.
It wasn’t until he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 22, that he started to truly understand his potential. Sebastien initially ignored his symptoms, although he knew he was type 1 without the lab tests. A few years earlier his younger brother was diagnosed with type 1, so Sebastien had intimate knowledge of the disease.
As a result of his diagnosis, Sebastien quickly started to view his new reality as an opportunity to live a better life. He saw type 1 as a deep motivator and a source of energy, which gave him purpose.
In 2008, that purpose led him to realize a childhood dream, and took him to the peak of Mt. Everest.
In 2012, that purpose empowered him to run The Sahara Race, a 5 day, multi-stage, self-sustaining, 250K race across the desert.
In 2014, he used his purpose and platform to spread more awareness about diabetes by running across Canada in 9 months.
This is where I had a lightbulb moment with Sebastien. While all of those journeys are quite amazing, it’s not about the achievements. It's not about the task of summiting Everest, or running across the Sahara, or even running across the North American continent, It’s simply about what they mean.
In this conversation, we talk about the importance of patience, and we talk about the importance of preparation, and the details of training and the actual expeditions. But the key message to pull is Sebastien’s message of motivation, of commitment, and the benefits of hard work so we can make our impact on this planet in some way.
Ultimately, it’s not about the enormity of the challenges each of us takes on necessarily, but it is about what they mean to us, and how those challenges support our mission.
Social Media Links
Sebastien Sasseville - Instagram
Websites Mentioned in Podcast
Sebastien Sasseville - website
Diabetes Sports Project (DSP) - website
Sebastien Sasseville - 'Why I'm Glad I Was Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes" (VIDEO)
Related Episodes
Episode 002 - Eric Tozer
Episode 022 - Roddy Riddle
Music Credits for BRAVEST Episode 024
Intro music - Podington Bear, 'Sepia' & The Passion HiFi, 'Sweet Revenge'
Outtro music - Joakim Karud, 'That Day'
Support Our Friends!
GREATER THAN is a lifestyle brand launched by Steven and Jenn Kramer dedicated to empowering all individuals. They believe, and they want you to believe, that whatever your challenge, you're greater than that challenge.
Because of the personal impact resulting from the recent diagnosis of their son with type 1 diabetes, their first campaign focuses on the T1D community, and is branded ‘GREATER THAN 1’.
With every purchase of GREATER THAN products, a portion of each sale will be donated directly to type 1 diabetes research and support.
Visit www.ImGreaterThan.com, and use the code 'BRAVEST' at checkout to receive 10% off your entire order.