89: Interview with Wildlife Expert, Damien Mander

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭.Sometimes you’re lucky enough to meet people whose story just blows you away. And that’s exactly the case with this week’s Dorothy and the Dealer special guest, Damien Mander. A rascal to rescuer, trust us when we say we waited a year to speak to him - and this is one podcast you 𝐃𝐎𝐍’𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒. The founder and CEO of the International Anti Poaching Foundation (IAPF), Damien’s life has taken him all over Australia and the world.  From his birth in Melbourne to joining the navy and training in Sydney, all the way to serving as a sniper in war-torn countries in the Middle East and now creating and running the only network of nature reserves in the world to be protected by women.But it’s his humble attitude to seize the opportunities he’s been given over the years and his ability to put his ego aside that makes his story a must-listen. Just 19 when he left to go to the military, he was desperate to become a navy diver. And one of the hardest challenges he faced was the acceptance test.  “There are very few things that will strip you bare to your soul and make you understand who you are as a person… It’s 80% mental and 20% physical. I remember passing that and thinking anything is possible.” But it wasn’t until years later when he left the military that Damien knew he needed to get his “s*!t together, and so in 2009, after spending time working with rangers and witnessing harrowing encounters with injured wildlife, he created the International Anti Poaching Foundation, which has helped increase wildlife numbers by nearly 400% and brings the same amount of money go into communities in 34 days that trophy hunting does in a year.“Seeing an elephant with its face cut off, for something you can hold in your hand. You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution… Every day I am conscious about thinking ‘how can I do a little bit better today than yesterday?’”So, what’s his secret to living a good life you ask then? How can 𝐖𝐄 actually make a difference? Well, it boils down to 𝐞𝐠𝐨. And if you listen in you’ll find that by doing less we can actually do more.