The Lunatic Fringe Podcast

A second-generation skydiver born to a father who’d managed to make hundreds of jumps back when “sex was safe and skydiving was dangerous”, Ellen Pulford had grown up with the lure skydiving even though both her jumping parents had hung it up before she was around. Late to the game by some standards, it had been the corporate game she’d been playing and playing well without much distraction, right up until that first tandem in her 30^thyear. For a time she had both business and skydiving in her life, but a cancer diagnosis, difficult decisions and the supportive power of the skydiving community pulled her away from the so called “American Dream”. Now working hard at living, getting healthy and staying happy take top priority for this deeply devoted member of the Lunatic Fringe.

It's another mid-week reboot With Olga and Cornelia!

On this episode of The Lunatic Fringe I get the opportunity to sit down with World Champion canopy pilot Cornelia Mihai and up and comer Olga Naumova about what its like to work, play and compete in what up until recently has been a male dominated corner of the skydiving world.  Funny and insightful, these two are happy and hardcore!

I mean, what can you say… Back in the can for another chat about all things nylon and Jyro, it's the man with an incredibly long job title who manages to have a great time pretty much every step of the way. The Athlete coordinating, social media creating, canopy swooping, rebranding man of the hour, Chris Stewart and The Lunatic Fringe.

Another Mid-Week Reboot with Mike Wittenburg!

Semi Professional snowboarder turned professional competitive skydiver, Mr. Mike Wittenburg has a whole lot to brag about with more medals and championship teams than most; yet if you were to ask him what his greatest accomplishment was, he's more likely to start telling you about his kids accomplishments than his own. Listen in to find out just how a world champion dad not only put himself on track toward air-sports greatness, but helped guide his children to not just national but world gold in the wind tunnel.

In need of direction. Like a lot of us, Connor Meyer didn't come out of school with any real plan or fire in his belly. His father, a proud US veteran who worked hard to provide his son opportunities made it clear that Connor was expected to put in the work, so put in the work he did. Graduating from military academy and serving in the United States Army as a commissioned officer, Connor learned exactly what hard work and team spirit could achieve. Just in time to sit and do nothing while Covid flushed most peoples plans down the toilet; right until he made that first drive to the drop zone. Now a few years into the game with injuries and recoveries under his belt, Connor has his sights aimed towards longevity in our sports both for himself, and his brothers in arms, knowing full well what the Lunatic Fringe has to offer to those willing to give it a shot.

Another Mid-Week Reboot with Andy Ford!

Having covered skydiving from almost every angle, Andrew "Fordy" Ford had the opportunity to compete at a world class level in Skysurfing in its heyday courtesy of a proper military grooming, watch the creation of wingsuits from the beginning, and earn and exercise instructional ratings all over the world. As the story goes, "It all started with a beer. It always starts with a beer!"

One was becoming a big fish in a small pond, with beginnings on round canopies in the Israeli Military. The other was one of a rare few actually born and raised in DeLand, Florida who'd been watching canopies and meeting skydivers from the very beginning. Both not only fell in love with the sport that would become an incredibly important facet in their lives, but with each other as they pursued their mutual passions. Traveling around the United States and the world, Yonatan and Ella Ran have chased their dreams both in and out of the sky, managing to find a balance between the two while raising a child, carving out new careers, participating in incredible projects and maintaining the wonderfully close ties the Lunatic Fringe has to offer those that chose to life life on their terms.

Another Mid-Week Reboot with Pat and Shavon!

In this super fun and insightful episode I get the chance to sit down for a heart to heart chat with husband and wife Pat and Shavon about their shared love for skydiving and its community, the pitfalls and snags that come with being a couple in an "extreme" lifestyle, the parties, the close calls and what might come next.

She knew from a pretty young age that she was in a rather unique position. She also knew from a pretty young age that her dad was, well…  cool! Luci Martyn has all the normal childhood memories that most kids do, but those memories are also forever intertwined with her earliest memories of skydiving, it's community around the world and her fathers prominent position in it. It wasn't a question that skydiving would someday be a part of her life, only how much of her life it might occupy. Now one of the directors of Jyro, an incredibly successful canopy manufacturer, Luci Martyn has the pedigree one would expect for a person in her position, right along with the wild streak needed to hold the reins of a company with a reputation for pushing boundaries (and sometimes buttons) with their line crossing antics and add campaigns to match. The Lunatic Fringe is most certainly strong in this one. 

Another Mid-Week Reboot with Rook Nelson!

A third generation of jumpers that started with the 82nd Airborne, Rook Nelson comes from one of the most well known legacy families in skydiving. Having embraced the sport from an extremely young age, he's had the opportunity to try his hand at, compete and succeed in most every discipline the sport has to offer. Having been handed the reins of one of the largest operations in skydiving history after a tragic accident, he's taken what was already a force to be reckoned with and turned it into what can only be considered a cornerstone in the sport; yet with all the weight that comes along with such responsibility, he hasn't forgotten that its still suppose to be about having fun!