Silvercore Podcast 176: What Do You Want to Be Remembered For?

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2025 Silvercore Year End Project

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[00:00:00] Travis Bader: This episode's a little bit different. It's a project that matters to me, and I hope you find value in it. Over the years, I've sat across from a lot of people on this podcast, people with experience, scars, wins, failures, and the depth that comes from actually living their life rather than simply talking about it. As this year comes to a close, I reached out to a small group of past guests and friends who've made a real impression on me and on this show, I asked them one question, when everything else fades, what do you want to be remembered for? That might sound simple, trust me, it's not. I intentionally left this question open-ended so people could answer as they saw fit.

[00:01:00] The question is designed to cut past achievement, past reputation, past social media, and I hope it lands somewhere raw and honest. What you're about to hear are their answers in their own words, uninterrupted. This episode is chaptered. You can listen straight through, or you can jump to the voices that resonate with you the most. There is no right or wrong way to listen to this, and as you hear their answers, my hope is that you ask yourself the same question. Don't rush through it. Don't judge yourself. Just simply notice what comes up, because whether we articulate it or not, we're already living an answer. We're first going to hear from Kyle Lamb. Most people know Kyle as a former Delta force soldier who fought in the Battle of Mogadishu, which was portrayed in the movie Black Hawk Down or through his company, Viking Tactics. Kyle's as real as they come. He's got the rare ability to cut through the BS and say exactly what needs to be said plainly and without posturing.

[00:02:00] After we finished recording his episode, we spent some time talking without the pressure, the microphones or an audience. And in that space, I saw a deeply human side of Kyle, and he shared insights and observations that I still carry with me today. For that, I'm genuinely grateful.

[00:02:19] Kyle Lamb: So Travis reached out to me and he had this simple question that he wanted to ask me, and he said, just send me a video about this pretty simple question. When everything else fades, what do you want to be remembered for? And how did you come to see it that way? Wow, what a, what a softball question. It's almost as simple as, what's your favorite color, which mine is black, or what's your favorite ice cream? Of course, mint chocolate chip. Favorite football team. Don't watch football. But this question really, really got under my skin and, and, and made me start to, to reflect and think.

[00:03:00] And he also, you know, asking, how did I get to this conclusion? Um, I've traveled the world doing some exotic things, being in the military and, and serving our country. And I think that's helped me with my perspective to answer this question. I promise you it's not anything about how many clicks on social media. It's not how famous, how much money you have in the bank. It has nothing to do with that. I think for me, when everything fades, that sounds kind of sad to me when you say everything fades, but I think about how I'm gonna be perceived by my grandkids, which is super important. My kids almost equally as important. And of course the most important for me is my wife. As I've gotten older, all of those have become more important to me. Now, maybe that sounds terrible to say that, but I've been married now for

[00:04:00] 39 years, and I can tell you I love my wife more now than I did when we first got married. My kids have gotten older and I'm able to have conversations with them that I'd never thought I would have with my children. And then the grandkids, they just keep getting better with age. One of my buddies told me one time, he said, you know, I remember my grandpa and he was not a very good guy. He wasn't nice. He was really mean. And when he said that, I thought, I don't ever want my grandkids to think back and say, man, my grandpa, he wasn't very nice. He was mean. So how do we get around that? Well, for me, I'm a Christian. I pray about it and we all get uptight. For me, I'm, I am in the public a lot and. One of the things my wife and I often discuss is, what if the public saw me in private? And that sounds crazy because usually it's the other way around. But for me, when I'm in

[00:05:00] public, I, I have to put on a happy face. I have to meet people and I have to do that thing. And when I come home, it's time for me to, to decompress. And sometimes I'm not real easy to be around when I'm decompressing. That's why I do a lot of hunting and fishing, because I can get out in the woods or on the river and take that time to get my mind back in the right head space. And I think that that kind of answers that question too. When everything fades, it's gonna be just you and your family. It's gonna be your loved ones. It's not gonna be a bunch of glitter and flashing lights and, you know, accolades. Oh yeah, I was in the Army. Well, big deal. That's a, that's a life a long time ago. That's the first part of my life. What am I gonna do with the second and third part of my life? The other thing that happened, and this kind of hit me too on Travis's podcast, when I went on his podcast, I talked about my brother-in-law that was given six months to live. And I told my wife, I said, what would you do if he had, you

[00:06:00] were told you had six months to live. And she said, I'm doing it right now. And that struck me because at that point I wasn't doing what I would want to do. If I had six months to live, I'll happily report now. I am doing that. So perspective is, perspective is key. And I'm 57 years old. It's taken me a while to figure this out. But hopefully some of you young men and women out there, when you see this, maybe you can get to the the finish line to be squared away sooner than I did. And I still got a lot of work. There's a lot of things that I'm trying to improve in my life, but I wanna make sure that I take care of my grandkids, my kids, and my. I have a lot of friends too, and I, and they mean a lot to me. But when it really, really comes down to it, your family is gonna be there till the end. I hope. I hope and pray that, that they'll be there till the end with me and with you. So that's all I got,

[00:07:00] Travis. Not much, uh, maybe not too insightful there, but for me, I, I pray about it and try to get the guidance from the, from the man and, uh, drive on for there. It's not easy. It's, it's good I think to have a mission. And that's probably another thing I guess I should throw in here. I see a lot of veterans, they struggle. They, they don't have a mission when they get retired or they get medically discharged from the military, whatever it might be. That's one of the other things that I do, is I try to stay focused on a mission, whether it's writing a book, doing a video for Travis, uh, teaching a class, going hunting or fishing, treat everything like a mission. So, they have some kind of focus there. That's also how I've applied this to my family. It's a mission and I have got to be there for my grandkids. They, my, my grandkids adore me when I'm a good dude and they don't adore me when I'm not a good dude. And they speak very openly with me about how I'm acting.

[00:08:00] And it's been a great, it's just been a great experience to take my grandson shooting, hang out with my granddaughter 'cause they're so honest and, uh, they've got me back on track. So hopefully I'll stay on track. I appreciate all you guys listening out there, Travis. Thanks for playing. Stump the jump there and uh, it's almost Christmas time. God

[00:08:23] Travis Bader: bless all of you. Next we've got Amy Madams. To say that Amy is one of a kind, is a hell of an understatement. She's one of those people who surprises you because underneath that effortlessly funny persona is a sharp, deeply intelligent mind. She's brave in her willingness to speak honestly, even when it's uncomfortable. What I appreciate most about Amy is that she doesn't perform courage. She lives it. She asks good questions, she challenges assumptions, and she does it with warmth and humility.

[00:08:58] Amie Battams: Check one, two, Travis. Check one, two.

[00:09:00] So just wipe my, not we just, hello? Yeah. How are you? That's, are you fly fishing? I am. Yeah. Who, what? What can we do to catch here? Any course fish at the minute, 'cause trout's outta season. So like chub there? There, there's no trout here, right? There's trout. Not in this section. They're like few and far between. Further up. But do you fly fish? No. No, not really. No. I've got a, I've got a question for you. Yeah. Do you mind if I film you quickly? Sorry. Do you mind if I film you quickly? I've got a question who thought this was gonna happen? So I've been asked yet, when everything fades in the world, what do you wanna be remembered for in your life? Sorry, I can't hear you. When everything's gone and you are dead, what do you wanna be remembered for? Oh no, that's fine. Well, I've only got three minutes, so

[00:10:00] I dunno. I hope people gonna remember me as a good person, I guess. And what's your name? Hubert. Hubert. He's a good person or was a good person? Well, he is still a good person 'cause he's still here on this bridge. But for how long? Who knows? 'cause I day's a number. Have a good one. Thanks Hubert. Cheers. So when everything does fade, eventually, um, me personally, I won't be remembered for anything and neither will you. Ultimately, no one's gonna remember Hubert. What's his name? Howard. See, I've already forgot. But what he said was poignant kindness. You can choose to be trauma time, or you can choose to be a kind person, and those choices will continue on like a ripple effect. Choose to be kind, tight lines.

[00:11:11] Travis Bader: Next we have Colin Doer. Colin was horrifically mauled by a grizzly bear, and he fought it off with his pocket knife. Then he uses one good leg to pedal his bike for miles back to a logging camp where he helped carry out his own rescue. That episode was recorded in Colin's home, and it was the first time that story had been shared on a podcast. It was a difficult conversation, for sure. A great deal of that conversation was left on the cutting room floor because revisiting that experience required an immense amount of courage from Colin. At one point, I told Colin we didn't have to record it, that we could simply go for coffee instead, but he chose to continue because he believed others could benefit from what he had learned and what he'd lived through.

[00:12:00] Colin's not a big man standing beside him. I look like a Sasquatch, but his heart and his courage are massive.

[00:12:09] Colin Dowler: Travis answer to your question. When everything fades, how do you wanna be remembered? How did I come to that conclusion? Well, when everything fades, and I'm not here anymore, I'm not concerned about being remembered. Um, but I did decide a long time ago, probably in my twenties, uh, that what I wanted to do was, uh, leave a positive footprint, uh, on Earth during my time here. Uh, essentially be good to your neighbors and try to create a positive, uh, community and a positive atmosphere. Um, because sometimes the world seems troubled, uh, but there's a lot of good people, and I wanna be one of 'em

[00:13:00] Also, when my time comes to die,I want to die. Well. I wanna die with dignity and with myself, my family and friends at peace with the situation. I believe this for a long time, uh, probably inspired in part by my grandmother, uh, who had a case of cancer. And after seeing her husband, uh, fight it and die, uh, she, uh, chose after a couple of treatments, uh, to just accept her fate and let the cancer take her. Uh, it was a long process, you know, about a year or more. Uh, but it gave family time and to accept the, the terms and, uh, deal with the situation and brought us together and thought it was really bold and noble thing that she did. Uh, and, uh, having survived the bear mauling, I think it's only reinforced. Um, I believe in that, uh, it's okay to go.

[00:14:00] And we don't get to pick our time. Um, but within reason, uh, we can pick the means that we choose, uh, to navigate the situation.

[00:14:13] Travis Bader: I first met April Vokey on a set of Aate Eater podcast recording. There's a small group of us and well, some people are excited to talk with Steve or Giannis. I found myself more interested in hearing from this woman who grew up in my hometown of Surrey bc. April's passion for the outdoors is palpable. It's matched by a level of professionalism that you don't often see, especially in a space that can reward flash over substance. Her podcast anchored is one of the top outdoor and fishing podcasts in the world. Through Anchored Outdoors, she's built a strong community, inspired more people to step into the world of fishing than all, most anybody that I can think of.

[00:14:56] April Vokey: Travis Bader coming in hot with the insightful questions.

[00:15:00] This one being, when all else spades at the end of the day, what would I like to be remembered for? My answer to that has changed a lot over the years. There was a time when I really would've wanted to have been remembered as being maybe one of the greats, uh, or one of the most passionate. Now my answer is I think I know my answer is I would like to be remembered as somebody who tried her best, unap and unapologetically tried her best. Somebody who figured out along the way that I was going to make mistakes and was never gonna make everybody happy, but I was doing something that I love and fully believe in. And how did I come to figure this out? Uh, getting. Beat up along the way enough, I think, and, and learning the hard way that, um, I really could only make one person happy in all of this, and that

[00:16:00] was myself. And if I was fortunate enough to build a community or have anybody else around me find some enjoyment in some of the projects I delivered, or the, um, businesses that I built, that, that would really be the ultimate dream. And so, yeah, that's my answer. It's a long-winded, dis winded way of saying, I just wanna be remembered as somebody who tried her hardest and really dedicated herself to this sport of fly fishing that I, I, I firmly wanna stand on that and provided a voice to people who maybe otherwise didn't necessarily have a voice at a time when the internet and social media was becoming widespread. I, I would like to, I would like to. To be seen as somebody who really went out of her way to share the spotlight, if you will, on people who are far more talented than I am, uh, with people who are just as passionate as I am. So I hope that that answers your question.

[00:17:00] Travis Bader: I first met Jason Budd when as a youth at the Vernon Army Cadet Camp. Jason went on to serve with the British Army. And over the years, we've recorded episodes that explored his highs and his lows, his special forces selection process, and his life in the mountains. Jason is the person who introduced me to the world of mountaineering today. He's an I-F-M-G-A mountain Guide. That's a qualification that represents years of rigorous training and real world experience. It's a professional standard held by a very small number of guides worldwide. He lives his passion daily and he shares it through his company, countless Mountain Guides, helping others experience the mountains with humility, competence, and respect.

[00:17:43] Jason Budd: Alright, Trav and Corp family. Interesting question you posed. Travis had me pondering for some time. It's getting busy, so I thought I'd go for a walk in the mountains, bring

[00:18:00] my camera long and think about it. But yeah, answer to your question, how do I want to be remembered? I think when everything else fades, I wanna be remembered as the guy that showed up over 15 years in military service. 15 years of service in Vancouver, fire and rescue, numerous years in Squamish Search and Rescue. Those experiences in years shaped and formed how I view things now. Ultimately, I'm down in service of others. Serving didn't just become a job for me, it became a way of life. These days, I'm hanging out in the mountains guiding. It's a different world,

[00:19:00] but the core principles remain the same. Looking out for folk leading well and helping people through challenges that can even be a bit risky at times. And ultimately, that's what it come down to, service of others. It's a thread that runs deep in me, and when it's all said and done. And we're pushing daisies. I think that's what I want to be remembered the most for. Hope that's answered your question, Traub, and I look forward to catching up with you soon. Well, the best TRA and Civil Corps family,

[00:19:47] Travis Bader: Vos first episode on the Silver Core Podcast marked an inflection point for the direction of the show. Something fundamentally shifted in me in how I understood my role as a podcaster and what the show could become.

[00:20:00] Seb is a true leader, not because of what he demands from others, but because of how he lifts people up through his example and the size of his heart. He is the embodiment of a warrior philosopher, a man grounded in faith, guided by principle, and willing to shoulder responsibility quietly rather than seek recognition.

[00:20:22] Seb Lavoie: Alright, take number 976. The question that Travis posed is a very challenging one and is one that I've struggled with for many, many years. It, it sort of ties into this, this concept of legacy in the human term or in the earthly term and the concept of legacy itself is a, is a pretty flawed concept in my, in my opinion.

[00:21:00] I think it's mostly rooted in pride and ego, which we're all prone to, that includes me, but I think it's a far cry between realizing that we're prone to it and keep it, keep it in check, and really reassert what it is that's important for us when it comes to be

[00:21:30] So,Seb Lavoie: both from aSpeaker 8: philosophical and spiritual standpoint, I think there's much to be desired when it comes to

[00:21:39] Seb Lavoie: introspecting deeply on what it is that we wanna be remembered for or if, if there's even value in being remembered for anything from dust to dust, so to speak. I know for me it's definitely morphed over the years how I got there. I'm not exactly sure. Am I there? That's another

[00:22:00] question I'm not exactly sure about. Is there even a there, I wanna take it, um, a bit deeper, but for me, I think when it comes to legacy, I see legacy as a collective endeavor. What have I done to contribute positively? To the spiritual or to the spirit of humanity, if that makes any sense. What have I done that necessarily doesn't, doesn't need to be assigned to me, but is leaving its indelible mark on people that are in turn leaving their indelible mark on others. What are some of the the positive things that I contributed to the greater good without necessarily those things being

[00:23:00] known or to have been attributed to me specifically? And am I okay leaving this place knowing that I've done the best I could to contribute to the collective fabric? If the answer is yes, then from dust. For my name to be remembered in itself or for my picture to be posted somewhere or for, for me, having some sort of meaningful physical trace of my being in this challenging earthly journey is pretty irrelevant. I have no personal inclined to have that habit. Weirdly, I have no need to take a sharp, a sharp

[00:24:00] blade and carve my name on a tree as I see it more as injuring the tree, as being more important. Prioritizing that over me, carving my name for others to know and see and remember. So I guess I'd be somewhat disingenuous in saying that I don't want to be remembered fondly by those that I love and those who love me, my close ones, my kids, my extended family, my friends for as long as they live. It would be nice for them to remember me as a person that was kind, a person that was loving, the person that made a ton of mistakes or was introspective enough to learn from them and try to elevate spiritually during its time in this, in this planet.

[00:25:00] And I don't mean elevate above other, I mean elevate in relation to who they once were because what's the point of that journey if it isn't for a, some sort of elevation? I believe this place is a refinement. Spiritually speaking. And I think that failing to do that is, um, is, is a failed proposition. Of course, part part of it is altruistic and wanting to do it for others, and part of it is self-serving in that it gives you life purpose, which helps in negotiating this, this earl of Lee and challenging journey called life. So I guess in the end, I would love those that love me to remember me in a positive light. And,

[00:26:00] and if, if such is the case, then I surmise that they will contribute to other people's journey in a positive light as well, because people that receive love generally, I. Are the ones proliferating it. And so if this is all the fabric of humanity ever remembers of me, I suppose I will have accomplished part of my earthly mission. At least that's the way I see it, how I got here. By being introspective in all realms of my human experience, of all realms of my earthly journey, all of them physically, mentally,

[00:27:00] spiritually, be introspective. And, and also all of this is anchored in the outmost sense of gratitude for having had the opportunity to even be here for the air in my lungs, for all the little things from being in the farm today, filming this video and baking in the sun. I don't remember once taking, taking things of, of this world for granted and all of all the things that I did take for granted. I eventually paid the price for it, but all of this was part of the refinement process and it led me to this, answering this

[00:28:00] question in the way that I am today. All of the mistakes, all of the introspection, all of the refinement, all of the failing over and over again, and now try to do it better, hurting some people along the way, hurting myself along the way, herling the fabric of humanity, and also healing it as it were. That's how I got here, I think.

[00:28:35] Travis Bader: Next we hear from Kevin Cosan, creator of the hit Show from the wild. Kevin is exceptionally thoughtful. He's someone who takes the time to talk things through, whether it's helping me think about the best places in Alberta to live based on my interests or simply asking better questions than most people do. What Kevin shares through his work is rare. He presents food and hunting in a way that is

[00:29:00] artistic, honest, and deeply human. There is care behind it. And you feel that when you watch his work?

[00:29:09] Kevin Kossowan: It's a weighty question there, Travis. Um, how would I want to be remembered? Um, what do I want to be remembered for? Um, I guess the, there's no, there's no other answer for me other than the contributions I've made, the dent I made in the food culture, uh, of the nation I live in and value, um, and the world, I guess, um, that that's mattered to me for a long time. And. And then it started to occur, um, and it, it became obvious that, uh, what seemed like a pipe dream of actually making a difference in, in a space, uh, was actually feasible.

[00:30:00]

And then I learned that I was l embodying that life that, um, that could help others, uh, I guess, gain some of the insights, uh, as to what that gives you other than, you know, calories or a, a rack on the wall or a fun trip with your buddies. Um, the outdoors, I've witnessed it, uh, hosting, guiding people and it being transformative for them. One thing that has recurred a few times, um, especially with women, is, uh. Being shown around the world, around the nature space and coming to understand that everything that you need is there, uh, from your shelter to what keeps you warm, to what keeps you fed, to the cocktails you're gonna drink that night, to your tea, to your, you know, whatever, any, anything

[00:31:00] really that you need, uh, exists in that space. And I've seen it give people deep senses of surety, uh, of operating in a world that can otherwise feel very manufactured or that it's hard to find place, or that you're dependent on others for everything from your income to your heat. And, you know, that warms you to the calories in your body. Like you're, you're kind of, um, kind of can see where it would rattle and unsettle people. And I've found since I was a young adult, I really, I. Uh, gravitated towards the ability to be independent. And it wasn't 'cause I was in the prepper or survivalist kind of zone at all. It was mostly just the, the wanting to be, uh, capable and, um, a capable human in this planet. And I found that, um, that all the lessons I needed to learn really

[00:32:00] were out in the bush or out on the ocean, or out in the field in the grasslands or somewhere. Uh, and, and that slowly piece by piece you, I've accumulated a, a very vast, uh, body of work of, at this point, 12 seasons of a show that document that journey. I don't really care at all if someone remembers me for a recipe, that to me would be dialing it down to the most base of, of its purpose. The real point is trying to inspire people to slow down. To be present, uh, to be aware, to know, to, uh, want to know that if there's something that you were, uh, unaware of or don't have a skill that you then that's on your to-do list and get to it. Uh, and to, and to maybe be a, an example of somebody who prioritized that over a lot of other things that people, uh, tend to value that I just don't quite understand.

[00:33:00] Um, the older I get, the less I understand pop culture in general, but 'cause I'm just too busy over in my lane, uh, uh, focused on uh, natural world stuff. But, um, I hope that, that, that, uh, inspiring people to, um, to get outside and relate to nature differently is, is the outcome of that work and of my life work, which I guess is kind of my life. How did I come to, uh, see it that way? Only after a very long integrative period of time. I've worked with a lot of people in the field now, and I've had a lot of feedback on how it impacts people. Uh, and it took a lot of time to realize that we weren't just out there goofing around and having fun and eating plants and hunting deer. Um, that it, it, we were, we were changing lives, uh, which

[00:34:00] sounds really, I don't know, self gratuitous or whatever, but it's, it's not that. It's like you're changing the lives of the people who, who are becoming self-sufficient, independent, um, feeling like they have a place. Uh, and there's a lot of those people I thought I was like the one weirdo that was just like to play outside of his kid and needed to. Feel like I could, I could be there, you know, like I, I, I belonged as a person or as a human, or as a man in that, in that environment, um, in the outdoors. And, uh, it felt like something that would be like this achievement to get to the, that point. But I learned that there's a lot more to it than just knowing how to operate a chainsaw or shoot a gun. Um, there's, there's knowing how to determine ripeness of fruit, knowing what plants are toxic. There's knowing

[00:35:00] that almost the entire ecosystem is edible and, and which shrubs you'd want to eat when and which ones you'd want to use to smoke your fish. Um, it's knowing the seasonality and when to walk out and expect to find certain things and when to not expect us to find certain things. And, and the big one is, um, for me, I. Uh, the ability to step into anywhere. Now, I guide blind a lot now, meaning I go into places that I've never been before in North America and, um, and even recently in Europe and have to noodle my way around an ecosystem and piece it apart. And that took a long time to learn how to do. But o once you're able to do that, to walk into the, uh, natural world and understand, okay, so there's my nuts and there's my fruit, and there's the stuff that'll go into my dessert. And that's the stuff that if someone is needs pain medication, that's they're gonna use. Um, and I'll build with that and I won't with that.

[00:36:00] And I know why, and I know how to, uh, once you get into that zone, you just feel, it's just a, you just feel differently as far as how you operate on this planet. And, uh, that was, that took time. That was not something I was seeking. It was an outcome, an unanticipated outcome of my body of work and my way of my operating system, which is very seasonal flow. My entire year flows around seasonality of the natural world, which is super weird. And that was, again, never by design, but it's just how my life works now. Um, yeah. So it was a slow transition. We did have one critical moment, uh, a number of years ago, a lot of years ago actually. We were on an elk hunt and we were failing finding elk. We were up around Grand Prairie in Alberta and just couldn't try, couldn't hear elk, couldn't find track, couldn't do anything, just failing and feeling pretty bad about it. Uh, for ourselves.

[00:37:00] And, uh, came upon, we just stopped the vehicle and was gonna, we're gonna turn around and go somewhere else and came upon a huge patch of like white on a hill and it was mushrooms and I'd, I knew enough mushrooms that the one, it happened to be the one I grew up picking, which was Shaggy mains or Rinus, come ATIs. And, um, we thought, ah, we don't need mushrooms. We're after elk. You know, that's what real hunters do. And then decided, you know what, let's just take a time and, and pick some mushrooms right now. And we had a moment on that hill of like, interesting, we're picking, we were gonna say no to 30 or 40 pounds of fresh mushrooms. Um, just because we were looking for something else instead of being aware and open-minded about what's present in the ecosystem. And we learned to coin the term like, like on offer by nature instead of being present to what's open. What's on offer by nature. We were, we were just obsessive about a singular thing. That moment we kind of broke and said, screw it, screw elk hunting. If we see an elk,fine.

[00:38:00] And we went home with like two or three white-tailed deer and a black bear and a bunch of gross, and a bunch of mushrooms and a bunch of fruit and realized, holy crap, we've been, we've been doing this wrong. We've been hunting a thing. Instead of entering an ecosystem at a whatever time of year and and embracing whatever happens to be there, you're there to just look around and be present and be open to different outcomes. And, uh, and it, that required a lot of us. 'cause we had to know what they were and how to pick them and how to cook them and how to put them into drinks. So anyway, I guess that kind of conversion from how to go hunt or fish or pick a thing to, how to enter an ecosystem and just flow with it as a. Piece of it, um, is what I hope people take away from my career and which is my life work somehow ended up with a life that, um, is highly attuned, heavily geared into my life work.

[00:39:00] So, um, that, that is what I hope I'd be remembered for. And, uh, that's, that's a loose handle on how I arrived at it.

[00:39:13] Travis Bader: Kelsey Sheeran is a reminder not to judge a book by its cover. If you only know Kelsey through social media, you might expect a firecracker in person. She's measured thoughtful and grounded in a way that surprised me. When I first met Kelsey, I didn't know what to expect. What I found was someone who brings care and integrity into hard conversations. I've been asked many times to speak about certain events in my life, on other podcasts, things I've never spoken about on the Silver Corp podcast, and I've always declined. That changed with Kelsey. We recorded an episode for her podcast. It was difficult for me to do, but the fact that I trust her made it easier, and I believe the conversation can help others. Thank you, Kelsey.

[00:40:00] Kelsie Sheren: So Travis asked when everything else fades, what do I wanna be remembered for? And how did I come to see it that way? Well, when everything else fades, I wanna be remembered for somebody who told the truth, uh, especially when it's been inconvenient and incredibly costly and very lonely. And as somebody who didn't abandon people, and I don't abandon people in their darkest moments, I refuse to abandon myself either. Uh, this doesn't come from confidence, and it simply just comes from fracture meaning. I've gone through hell and back, and that is not emotive or facetious. That is literally the subtitle of my book for a reason. I grew up inside a system that and just like many of us did, that has rewarded nothing other than silence, and it really just punishes honesty. And when I think about strength

[00:41:00] being measured and how much I want to be remembered for things, I want to be remembered because I decided to endure it all instead of just staying silent. When loyalty often means compliance. I want the pain of the things I've been through and what I've been carrying to actually mean something and move something forward. And for a long time, I played the role. I learned how to push through, how to perform competency. I learned how to be useful, reliable, and quite quiet and invincible, believe it or not, a lot of the times, and from the outside, it looked just simply like strength, but inside something was eroding and this is what happened. When injuries change you and trauma changes you, loss simply will change you in a way that is frankly

[00:42:00] one of the hardest things I'll ever go through. And many of us have gone through loss and trauma. If you're listening to his incredible show, you will know that he doesn't interview people who have fluffy stories. He interviews people who have gone through things. I've watched what happens when people are broken and then asked to pretend that they're not. And when they're medicated or minimalized or managed, instead of being listened to. I even received recently my medical records and saw what my, some of my staff actually thought of me. And it was heartbreaking. I've watched people lose their sense of self long before they chose to end their lives, and I felt myself heading in that direction for a really long time. And what really cracked me open and changed me wasn't one moment. It was the slow accumulation of change, being told not to ask certain questions, being encouraged to move on before

[00:43:00] anything had been metabolized, and being praised for being resilient while I was actually struggling and dying inside. And at some point I realized that survival wasn't the same thing as living. I don't know the moment, but I would say it was right around 20 19, 20 20. And my silence, uh, was not at all. Wanted or needed. It was something that I felt like I was inside my body and I was frankly screaming, but I just couldn't get loud. So I started telling the truth, not the, you know, truth, everyone wanted to hear, but the reckless truth. Truth, not just saying it, but being loud about it and being clear. I started naming things that made rooms uncomfortable. I started choosing accuracy over approval, and I started walking away from places and people that required me to

[00:44:00] lie about what I was experiencing in order to stay. It cost me my friendships, my relationships, my certainty, and my belonging, but it gave me something back that I haven't had in a long time.  And that is myself. And over time, my definition of strength and resilience has changed because strength is. Something that I was willing to feel without collapsing and to speak without needing to be dominant, but just to speak at all and to stay present when it would be easier to just numb myself, outsource my responsibility, and disappear behind some role. And if I am remembered for anything in this life, I hope it's that I didn't abandon truth for comfort. I didn't exploit someone's pain, mine or anybody else's for status or sympathy. It's that I made it safer for people to be honest about what they were

[00:45:00] carrying, even if it didn't fit the approval narrative that was going around at the time. This question really made me think about what I wanna be remembered for outside of the titles that we give ourselves in life, whether it's our work. And I learned something recently about what the Japanese do. They don't ask you what they do. They ask you why you wake up. So I wanna be remembered as somebody who was present and there who asks the hard questions. And not because I wanted to provoke uncomfortable conversations, but because I refuse to accept the shallow answers to the deeper suffering of our world. I wanna be remembered as somebody who believed that healing wasn't about erasing my past, but integrating it as somebody who understood the meaning isn't found by bypassing and going around the darkness, but walking

[00:46:00] through it and sitting with it, talking with it, and making friends with it.  My eyes painfully wide open. I don't wanna be remembered as somebody who was impressive or agreeable or easy to be around. Somebody that knew it all or could fix everything. I just wanna be remembered as somebody that was painfully, uncomfortably real. I wanna be remembered as somebody who stood for real dignity of the individuals of these institutions that keep failing us as somebody who's chose presence over some stage performance. And as somebody who didn't and refused to look away. Because when everything else fades, whether it's the noise, the rules, the titles, the arguments, or all of the things we choose to do on a daily basis, what remains as whether I

[00:47:00] lived in alignment with what I truly knew to be true, not authentic, but real alignment. And I really do hope and intend to be remembered as somebody who did just that. So thank you to Silver Core and Travis for always in my darkest days and my hardest days for giving me a platform to tell my story, to making me feel heard and remembered. And I really do hope one day when I'm no longer here, that when people look back, because this stuff never, never seems to be erased, I can be remembered for somebody who was honest, even if it made you uncomfortable. Thanks, Travis.

[00:47:54] Travis Bader: Next we hear from Sean Taylor. Sean is a former jtf, two special forces, tier [00:48:00] one operator, and a 24 hour solo mountain bike world champion. He was sitting across from me at his kitchen table. I had the light set up, the camera's rolling, the audio live, and I remember feeling nervous. Who did? I think I was sitting there with all this gear and calling myself a podcaster. It's taken me years to become comfortable with that term. Later, Sean told me that he felt the exact same way. In that moment, he was carrying his own sense of imposter syndrome. That realization has stayed with me. Sean is incredibly humble. Like a number of guests on the Silver Corp podcast, he's dedicated his life to helping others become the best versions of themselves without seeking the spotlight. After we finished recording, we found ourselves deep in conversations about whether we lived in a simulation or not. And if that question grabs you, I definitely recommend checking out the collective podcast where Sean shares more of his thinking.

[00:49:00] Shaun Taylor: Testing. Testing. 1, 2, 3. Travis timestamp. Good afternoon everyone. I'm gonna read you a script that I just put together for Travis based on a question that he'd asked me a couple of weeks ago, which was when everything else fades, what do you wanna be remembered for? And how did you come to see it that way? My apologies based on the cafe background noise. I have some time compression. For the last couple of weeks, I've been thinking about how to answer that in a way that might actually land with people. In simple terms, I want to be remembered for one thing that I left people more capable than I found them. Not impressed by me, not inspired for a moment. Capable throughout the rest of their life based on something I said or did. That understanding didn't arrive all at once. It was formed over the long, long arc of pressure beginning in tier one, special operations in Canada's elite military.

[00:50:00] Through a variety of organizations responsibilities and moments that stripped me down to a fundamental identity. And through the long quiet nights where I had to measure the distance between who I was and who I said I would be. Part of my path was learning to trust my internal signal over the external script. I've never lived the traditional predictable trajectory assigned to someone with my background. I've shaped my life by listening to what feels true, even when the timing makes no sense. By way of example, I'm currently in Southeast Asia and I'm much needed vacation with my wife just a few days into it.One of those rare moments hit. Like a blazing comet across the night sky of the mind. One second. The idea didn't exist the next. It felt like a book that had already been written on top of the book that I'm already writing, waiting for me to decide whether I would honor it

[00:51:00] or not, and I had a choice. Ignore it and stay comfortable or act on it, knowing it would haunt me for the rest of my life if I didn't. So I chose to act. Those comment moments don't show up often, and when they do, there are invitations. The book I'm writing now exists because I answered that call. A call we all get from time to time. It's the result of my life experiences and considerations, my family's influence, my closest friends, people like Travis and many others who have shared their wisdom. It also comes out of some small wins, often overshadowed by countless failures and part of my shape. Trajectory. If I hadn't decided to go all in on that comment moment, this book would've slipped outta my life story arc entirely and visibly, and that would've been a loss because I genuinely feel it will be helpful for others. Somewhere along the path, I realize something bigger than

[00:52:00] my smaller wants. Maybe this journey called life isn't really about our immediate desires at all, or the predictable safety of knowing exactly what I'll be doing next year. Maybe it's about contributing to the collective journey, making things a little better for those people around us. Just as those before us try to do in their own way. I'm pretty sure I don't actually need me to be remembered. What I want remembered is the influence of the people in my life carried forward through my voice and my work. In essence, I don't think life should be about personal glory. I think it should be about generational continue. So that's my answer, Travis. Remember me for the capability I left in others that I honored my signals when they showed up and for doing my part in a larger journey. We all share.

[00:52:52] Travis Bader: All of us. Do you? I first met Chance Burs is one of the founders of the podcast.

[00:53:00] Since then, he shared his story on the Silver Court podcast in episode 1 41. That was a story about being blown up, broken down, and rebuilt. What really stands out to me about Chance is not only what he's endured, but how he shows up for others. Whether we're hunting elk together in the Alberta foothills or sitting across from each other and navigating a hard conversation, I always leave feeling grounded, valued, and seen. Chance has the rare ability to guide people through difficult terrain, physical or internal, and leave them stronger on the other side.

[00:53:33] Chance Burles: So when everything else fades, what do I wanna be remembered for? I wanna be remembered as somebody that did their best to make life better, to make the world better, to make this experience better. And where did that stem from? Well, that's, that, that is a large question

[00:54:00] that has shaped my entire journey and my life kind of across the board. So, I'll give you some Kohl's notes. Uh, from a young age, I wanted to be in the military, but I more so because I thought it was cool. I thought it would be super fun, and it, it was, but at the time I didn't know it. Um, but I always wanted to help other people, and it came from a bit of a selfish perspective in that. I wanted to assist the people around me to be able to do the things that they wanted to do so that they would leave me alone so that I could do the things that I wanted to do. And so, I believed that if I could regulate the people around me, then they would be happy enough and content enough that they would leave me to my own devices. And that kind of got me into the realm of, uh, using other people as a proxy. Uh, by

[00:55:00] helping them, I felt better about myself and therefore I was doing well. I didn't realize at the time that that has a negative cycle to it. And it eventually put me in kind of a rough place that I got out of after a while. Um, so early on I started like volunteering. Uh, I used to do the children's festival. I used to do the folk festival. We, uh, I worked for my mother's businesses at all kinds of, uh, music festivals and things all over Alberta. Um, eventually I, I was a salesman at a video game store and I, I realized pretty quickly that if I tried to sell somebody something, they were always skeptic. But if I just connected with them over a love of video games and had a discussion about the things that I love about certain video games, I would sell way more stuff. Um, similarly, when I was doing the, the

[00:56:00] Children's festival and things like that, the more I played with the toys, the more people were engaged into what we were doing. And I found that my behaviors not only could bring people in, it could build people up, but it could. Affect the course of their lives, uh, especially when I was in the military, because the military is all about, um, group success, collective success, mutual reliance. Um, it, it's, well, way beyond just my own individual effort is that if I really strive to be the best soldier I can be, I'm just adding to the whole, which is great because the, the mission becomes more important than the individual. So it, it really taught me that helping others is fundamentally about working together. So, to lift

[00:57:00] all, to raise all ships, you know what I mean? Um, after leaving the military though. This is where that negative cycle kicked in, was that I didn't feel like I had anybody to help and therefore I had to seek out people to help. And I became a veterans advocate, and I worked with the Walk for Veterans and did all these things. Um, and it wasn't until deep into that that I started to realize that that was gonna be the cycle. It was that I would always be seeking someone else to fill that gap in my own self. And so I had to, uh, I had, I had to take some time. I, I had to separate from the walk. I, uh, started the podcast. I started trying to find other people that had different solutions than what I had. Uh, but through that, through the, the podcasts and the, all the conversations and all the things that I've done now through teaching juujitsu and learning juujitsu, of

[00:58:00] course, um, I've come to understand that real. Meaningful impact is made when we generally gen, genuinely connect and grow together as a, as a group. One of the things that caught my own head just recently, uh, while we were training, we were talking about requiring connection in order to move someone else's weight, someone else's math. And it clicked in my head that really, that is the essence of helping someone else is through connection. Because if I can truly connect to somebody, um, at a spiritual, emotional, physical, psychological, uh, root, whatever that root is, if I can truly connect to them, then I can move them. I can actually help them without

[00:59:00] physically moving them. Um. Uh, it's like the, there's an old saying that, you know, you are the amalgamation of your five most, the five people you spend the most time with. Well, that's because you're connected to one another. That's because you have a really base connection. So when they move, you move. So when they start to take off, you travel in their wake. And if you want to, if you want to be, be something, or if you wanna be somebody else, or if you want to grow or develop or something like that, the, the best way to do it, I'm not gonna say the fastest or the uh, or the strongest or whatever, but the best way I've found to do it is to connect with

[01:00:00] people who are doing the thing that you're doing. Because otherwise it's just a crapshoot at that point. I mean, ultimately, legacy and memory and all these things are pretty meaningless because once I'm gone, I'm gone. And how other people remember me is not up to me except through my actions. So it has nothing to do with what I say. It has nothing to do with what I think. It has nothing to do with what I believe. It has everything to do with what I do, and in the end, it's about making a positive difference for myself and for everyone around me.

[01:01:00] Not only do I want other people to do better, I want to do better. And so I will lead by example. I will live the life that I wanna live, and I will do the things that I want to do and I will assist people along the way, and that'll be my legacy. That'll be my, um, that'll be piece that I'm remembered by is just a guy wanting to help and make the world a little bit better. Yeah. That's all I got.

 [01:01:43] Travis Bader: Lastly, we hear from Tiffany Bader. Tiffany is my wife. She's seen it. All the good decisions, the bad ones, the stress, the work, and what it actually takes to build the life we have. She is the strongest person I know.

[01:02:02] Tiffany Bader: So Travis has asked that I think about what I want my legacy to be. Now, I gave it some thought molded around, and for me it's really simple. It's, I wanna be a net positive, and everything I do, every situation that I'm in, I want there to be a net positive. But most critically, and really essentially, for me, the most important place where I want this to be evident is with my immediate family. I want my kids to always know that their mom's in their corner, that they have my love and support, that I would fight a bear, I would fight a bear for them. Um, I don't know if I'd survive it, but they'd have enough time to run away. And, um, and as well as that, I, I wanna be a good example for them. I, I try to live my life without regret. Um. I try to,

[01:03:00] I, I just, I wanna be a good example for them. I want them, when I'm gone, I want my grandkids or my kids to say, damn, remember that cool hunt? Grandma went on in the same breath as man, grandma made grape bread. So for me, that's, it's pretty simple. I, you know, I just, I've had the luxury of having some challenges in my life that made it abundantly clear without any doubt in my mind what my priority is in life. I could lose everything. As long as I have my kids and my husband, I'm good. And I know that down to my core. So that, that's fueled my, my life and, uh, what I hope my legacy will be. So here's to another almost 50 years.

[01:03:49] Travis Bader: Before I share my own answer, I want to thank everyone who took part in this project. Took a lot of courage to sit with that question and to answer it honestly, and I appreciate each and every one of you for doing just that.

[01:04:00] Now it's my turn. While Amy might be right, and our names may not be remembered in the long run, in the short term, I want to be remembered as a husband and a father who, while not perfect, was loving and always working to make his family as strong as it could be. That perspective came from hardship, from having things taken from me by people who wish me ill. And from choosing to rebuild instead of carrying that bitterness forward, that rebuilding demand, its stubbornness, the kind that keeps you moving when quitting would be just so much easier. The kind that commits to getting a little bit better day by day. And when my name is spoken for the very last time, I hope that the positive traits I try to live by carry on through my children. My friends and the people I cross paths with, and that my shortcomings, well, my hope is that my shortcomings end with me. What brought me to this realization was listening. Listening to people who've lived full lives, who've been tested, who've

[01:05:00] lost things that mattered, and noticing how rarely they talked about achievements. When asked what truly matters, it also came from my own experiences from rebuilding what it would've been easier to stay bitter, guarded, or small. Those moments stripped away what didn't matter, and they clarified what does. Over time, it became clear that legacy isn't something you declare. It's something that you live in the small moments without applause, without recognition. That realization didn't arrive all at once. It accumulated. Thank you for being here with me. Here's to an incredible 2026.