Punch Out with Brian Piper

3,000 skydives, four Elvises at his wedding, and zero regrets

By day, Brian Piper is an author, keynote speaker, and the Director of Content Strategy and Assessment at the University of Rochester. But Brian is also a man who has spent decades jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. In this episode of Punch Out with Katie and Kerry, we talk with Brian about his 3,000+ skydive career, the terrifying reality of "proximity flying," and why his first wedding involved a formation of four Elvis impersonators in freefall.

In this episode we learned:

Why Brian originally said "absolutely not" to jumping out of planes until the Army offered him an extra $100 a month in hazard pay.
The difference between round and square parachutes (and why one feels like hitting a wall while the other lets you stand up).
What it's like to have a "Liza Minnelli" moment (a student panicking) while strapped to someone in a tandem jump.
The reality of "proximity flying" and why Brian draws the line at a 25% mortality rate.
Why tandem jumps are the ultimate bonding experience—and why the small talk inside the plane is the most awkward part.
The story of the "Flying Elvises" at Brian's first wedding.

Want to know more about Brian? You can find her at:

Website: BrianWPiper.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianwpiper/

Focus Areas: Content Strategy, Data Analytics, and High-Altitude Adventure.

This episode is sponsored by Chloë Forbes-Kindlen.

Chloë helps teams like yours build and manage their business operating system in Notion.

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Punch Out with Katie and Kerry is the show that dives deeper into topics you care about. We don't ask the questions everyone else does. We get to the real insights (and the weird hobbies, the guilty pleasures, the secret side hustles...the good stuff)! We find out what really makes your favorite folks tick. Punch out with Katie and Kerry!

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