Team

Two mates on the journey of a lifetime – strap yourself in and follow our adventures – this journey of adventure may not end with the “7 Summits”

SHANE POPHFER - Adventurer and Philanthropist

Shane’s recent endeavours prove that “Life begins at forty”. Shane, at 42, saw that life was flying past so he decided to seize every opportunity. He recently had the honour of serving with his best mate and expedition team member Darren in the airborne regiment.

His latest quest ‘ups the ante’ as he pursues the “7 Summits”, an expedition which covers the highest point on the seven continents.

Shane Popher (also known as “Poff”) grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. He had an adventurous childhood; swimming in creeks and rivers, climbing trees and bridges, roller-skating, riding his BMX or anything on wheels.

Shane currently works in the hospitality industry on the central Coast in NSW, Australia. His passions include mountain climbing, kayaking, road cycling, surfing, spear fishing, body boarding and motorbikes.

One may ask, where does he get this zest for life? He says, “When it’s time to leave this earth, I want to be all used up and wrung out like an old sponge, with nothing left to give”. His enthusiasm for getting the most out life is infectious!

At the age of eighteen, Shane enlisted in the Army and joined the 3rd Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), Australia’s airborne infantry battalion.

As a young paratrooper, there was adventure and excitement, but with the role came deeper understanding of courage, discipline camaraderie, loyalty, physical and mental endurance. These skills and core values would guide Shane as he negotiated the future challenges in his own life.

After his military service, he moved around with his family, making the seaside town of Port Macquarie on the east coast of Australia his family home. This is where he found the love of the ocean and would regularly spear fish, surf, and ocean kayak. The surrounding area also gave way to mountain biking, road cycling and paragliding.

He is a grandfather to Sophia, a father to three amazing children, Samuel, Luke and Amelia. He is a brother to a fantastic sister Tammy, and a son to a wonderful and caring mother Robyn.

“It’s not the mountains we conquer – but ourselves”. Sir Edmund Hillary

DARREN WISE - Wealth Manager, Adventurer, Philanthropist & Photographer

Darren has always had a passion for adventure from a young age. At just five years old, he was seen jumping off a ten metre diving board! What developed at a young age was a “leap of faith” attitude that saw him seek out an adventurous career path- the Australian Army at age seventeen.

After his initial basic soldier training, his was posted to the 3^rd Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), Australia’s airborne infantry battalion. After serving four years as a Paratrooper, injury forced him to transfer to Army Logistics. After serving nearly seven years, he discharged from the Army after completing his Diploma in Financial Planning.

Darren is a qualified and highly reputable Wealth Manager and Business Coach with over 18 years experience. He holds a Diploma of Financial Planning from Deakin University in Victoria Australia and a Certificate 4 in Life Coaching from the Life Coaching Institute of Australia (LCIA). Darren is currently employed as a Senior Wealth Manager with Ord Minnett Private Wealth in Sydney, Australia.

Darren was a retail financial adviser for over nine years before launching and developing the Financial Planning Group, Financial Planning Services Australia (FPSA). FPSA grew to more than 30 offices and managed over a billion dollars of client investments. It ranked amongst the top 50 largest Financial Planning companies in Australia. He sold his interest in FPSA in March 2008.

Darren’s other passion is in the arena of health and fitness. Over the years, he has experimented with different weight loss and fitness training methods. His sheer determination allowed him to overcome his own weight issues. After losing balance in his own life, Darren weighed over 105kg, which was nearly 30kg over his recommended weight range. Over two years, he set himself clear goals and lost over 30kg. Today, he has a training and fitness routine, combined with a healthy lifestyle and nutritional habits.

Darren’s current training and fitness program is designed to improve his overall cardio fitness, as well as to increase his VO2 max. His firsthand personal experience and knowledge has allowed him to refine methods of fitness training to ensure his results are maintained, not just in the short-term, but in the long-term.

Darren believes the ultimate success of achieving what we want in life or business is determined by our passion, determination and mindset. Darren has overcome many of his own fears and challenges in life to move forward in his business career and adventure pursuits. Darren has an unwavering determination to pursue personal growth and higher performance in his life. This same determination is transferred to his business career.

“Our life is painted by our thoughts…..so become Michelangelo”. Corporatemonk