The Hard Deck with Mark Perna

#17 - Omar Alhegelan: Freefly Pioneer, World Champion & Hall of Famer

Omar Alhegelan has spent more than three decades redefining what is possible in human flight. After making his first skydive in 1993, Omar rapidly emerged as one of the world’s leading freestyle competitors. He became the first FAI freestyle World Cup and World Champion and, alongside the Free Fly Clowns, helped pioneer the discipline now known as freeflying. His career includes more than 20,000 jumps, three Guinness World Records, multiple vertical formation records, jumps across all seven continents, and induction into the International Skydiving Hall of Fame. In this episode of The Hard Deck, Omar joins Mark Perna for a wide-ranging conversation about the birth of freeflying, competing at the highest level, pushing beyond established limits, and accepting failure as an essential part of meaningful progress. Omar reflects on the difficult decision that may have cost his teammates a world championship, the friends he has lost through skydiving, and how fatherhood has influenced his relationship with risk. He also shares lessons about ego, listening, language, perception, and creating a life guided by intention rather than inherited limitations. The conversation also explores Omar’s multicultural upbringing, his changing definition of home, and the philosophy behind his book, The Sky Is Not the Limit: Unlocking the Limitless Potential Within. More than a retrospective on an extraordinary skydiving career, this episode examines what the sky can teach us about presence, resilience, identity, and the limitless potential that appears when we stop accepting the ceilings placed above us.

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#16 - Alex Swindle from Arizona Airspeed on Flying Camera at the Pinnacle of Skydiving

Mark Perna talks with Alex Swindle, Arizona Airspeed’s team videographer, competitive wingsuit pilot, 2025 USPA national champion, and U.S. Parachute Team member. Alex shares how he went from teaching AP calculus and working in software to flying camera at the highest level of skydiving, what it takes to perform under pressure, and how he handles fear, burnout, competition, and perfectionism in the sport.

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#15 - Jason Berkowitz on SEO, Skydiving, and Staying Adaptable

Mark sits down with Jason Berkowitz, founder of Break the Web, to talk about agency life, SEO, AI, DTC brands, and the strange overlap between business risk and skydiving. Jason shares how he went from personal training to building an SEO agency, why owning the customer relationship matters, and how skydiving became a mental reset from the pressure of entrepreneurship. They also get into the infamous raft jump, cutaways, gear checks, fear, focus, and adapting when the ground keeps moving. Learn more about Jason's company at https://breaktheweb.agency

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#14 - Alethia J. Austin on Skydive Mag, Coaching, Culture & Finding Your Truth

Alethia Austin has spent more than two decades in skydiving — but her story starts long before the first jump. In this episode of the Hard Deck Podcast, Mark sits down with Alethia Austin, owner and publisher of Skydive Mag, international freefly and angle coach, creator of the LSD Camps, world-record skydiver, organizer, mentor, and one of the people helping shape the next generation of the sport. Alethia shares how growing up in rural Oregon, navigating poverty and a difficult childhood, and eventually building a career in the music industry helped shape the independence and perspective she carries today. We follow her journey from Los Angeles and music supervision to Amsterdam, yoga, Skydive Spain, international coaching, and eventually taking over one of the largest global media platforms in skydiving. But this conversation goes well beyond flying. Mark and Alethia get into the role of humility in high performance, why experienced skydivers eventually realize how much they still don’t know, the importance of physical and mental longevity, plant medicine and healing, meditation, strength training, AI-generated “slop,” protecting authentic human voices, and why doing difficult things can be one of the greatest sources of joy in life. They also discuss where skydiving is headed — including safety, social media, attracting new jumpers, the responsibility of the industry’s governing bodies, and Alethia’s vision for the future of Skydive Mag. Alethia’s philosophy is simple but powerful: stay curious, protect your health, tell the truth, and never stop being a student. In this episode: Taking over Skydive Mag and finding new voices in skydiving Why humility increases with experience The different phases skydivers go through as they progress Growing up in poverty and learning independence early Healing trauma and finding gratitude in difficult experiences Ayahuasca, meditation, therapy, and personal growth Using AI without outsourcing your own thinking Why authentic human storytelling matters more in the age of AI Alethia’s career in the music industry and work on The Great Debaters Moving to Europe and discovering yoga and international skydiving Building LSD Camps and becoming an international organizer Marketing Skydive Spain and helping rebrand three European drop zones Why strength training matters for skydivers Differences Alethia sees coaching male and female athletes The future of skydiving participation and culture Safety, aircraft accidents, demo incidents, and how the sport is portrayed online Why Alethia believes reciprocity has shaped some of the biggest opportunities of her life What it means to become a lifelong student Learn more about Alethia and read Skydive Mag at SkydiveMag.com.

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#13 - Solo Episode: Fear, Skydiving, Veteran Purpose & Choosing Meaningful Risk

In this solo episode, Mark Perna reflects on recent skydiving fatalities and the question every skydiver eventually asks: Is it worth it? The conversation expands into life after military service, PTSD, veteran suicide, entrepreneurship, fatherhood, and why finding a new mission is essential after losing an old identity. Mark shares his personal journey from combat veteran to skydiver, business owner, husband, and father, explaining how confronting fear—not avoiding it—helped him rediscover purpose. Topics Covered: Is skydiving worth the risk? Lessons from loss in the skydiving community Fear, courage, and human flight PTSD and veteran identity Building purpose after military service Entrepreneurship as a new mission Gratitude, family, and meaningful risk Why avoiding fear creates regret A personal conversation about choosing a life of purpose over a life of comfort.

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#12 - Moab Joe Luhmuller from Flat Spins to Team USA. On Wingsuiting, Fear, and Tough Turkey

Joe Lohmuller—better known as Moab Joe—went from sleeping in his car outside a small Cessna drop zone to becoming a wingsuit coach, competitor, and founder of Tough Turkey. In this episode of The Hard Deck, Joe shares how a fear of heights pushed him toward climbing, skydiving, BASE jumping, and ultimately some of the most technical flying in the sport. He breaks down wingsuit acrobatic competition, his training for Nationals and the World Championships, and what it means to represent Team USA. Joe also opens up about a terrifying first wingsuit jump, the progression required to safely enter wingsuit BASE, and the equipment mistake that led to a two-out landing, a shattered pelvis, a severed urethra, and four months away from the sport. This conversation is about preparation, complacency, resilience, and finding the thing you were built to do. In this episode: How Joe completed 160 skydives in six weeks The reality of progressing into wingsuit BASE What judges look for in wingsuit acrobatic competition Why the camera flyer may be the most important person on the team The origins of Tough Turkey Joe’s near-fatal landing and return to flight Why fear never completely disappears His vision for making competition coaching more accessible Learn more about Joe and Tough Turkey at toughturkey.ws or follow him on Instagram at @moabjoe423. The Hard Deck explores the people who live, work, and perform at the edge—and the lessons they bring back with them.

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#11 - Melanie Curtis on Fear, Healing, and the Practice of Bravery

World record skydiver, author, speaker, coach, and Highlight Pro Skydiving Team co-captain Melanie Curtis joins The Hard Deck for a powerful conversation about fear, performance, healing, and what it really means to live bravely. Melanie has more than 12,000 jumps and decades in the sport, but this conversation goes far beyond skydiving. She and Mark talk about learning to work with fear instead of avoiding it, the nervous system, public speaking, burnout, grief, trauma, therapy, psychedelic healing, and the long-term work required to become lighter, clearer, and more fully alive. They also dig into women in skydiving, the importance of planting seeds of possibility, passing the torch, and why real bravery is not about being fearless — it is about choosing to move forward with awareness, support, and intention. Find Melanie at MelanieCurtis.com and on Instagram at @melaniecurtis11.

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#10 - Brian Naiman on Skydance, USPA Leadership, AAD Saves & the Future of Skydiving

Brian Naiman joins Mark Perna on The Hard Deck Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about skydiving, leadership, drop zone ownership, safety, and the future of the sport. Brian is the USPA Pacific Regional Director, a longtime instructor, and co-owner of Skydance Skydiving in Davis, California. In this episode, he shares his path from chemical engineering to full-time skydiving, the realities of running a drop zone, his role with USPA, and the hard-earned lessons that come from surviving a midair collision and AAD save. The conversation covers risk tolerance, decision-making, demo jumps, community, business ownership, social media, AI, and why skydiving remains one of the most human experiences left.

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#9 Matt Fry on World Records, Speed Skydiving & Engineering Chaos at Terminal Velocity

Matt Fry is a world record skydiver, vertical formation organizer, speed skydiver, and one of the minds behind some of the biggest head-down skydiving formations ever built. In this episode of Hard Deck, Matt breaks down what it takes to build massive vertical formations, chase speed skydiving runs over 300 mph, organize record attempts, manage risk, and keep progressing in a sport where the margin for error is thin and the lessons usually show up fast. We talk about the 174-way vertical head-down world record, the future push toward a 200-way, speed skydiving gear, team selection, high-altitude record camps, leadership, fear, burnout, and why sometimes the smartest move in skydiving is staying on the ground.

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#8 Berrick Abramson: Former Marine, Entrepreneur, Higher Education Commissioner & Policy Strategist

Berrick Abramson is a former U.S. Marine, entrepreneur, executive coach, policy strategist, and Commissioner on the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. He is also the host of the Living Life All In podcast, where he explores leadership, purpose, adversity, and the small decisions that shape a meaningful life. In this episode of The Hard Deck Podcast, Berrick joins Mark to talk about leaving home before 15, serving his country, building businesses, navigating public policy, and helping leaders solve complex problems through his work as President of Confluence Policy & Strategy Group. The conversation also gets into Berrick’s work supporting major Colorado public-interest initiatives, including the Task Force on the Rights of Coloradans with Disabilities, his role in higher education, and the personal battles that shaped his perspective on resilience, service, faith, family, and living with intention. This one is about leadership without the corporate bumper stickers, resilience without the motivational fluff, and what it actually means to live all in when life hits back.

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#7 Raymond Adams: Fashion, Freefall, and the Art of Capturing Skydiving History

Raymond Adams didn’t come into skydiving photography as just another jumper with a camera on his helmet. He came from the fashion world — lighting, composition, style, attitude — and brought that eye straight into freefall. In this episode of Hard Deck, Raymond sits down with Mark Perna to talk about his path from hairdressing and fashion photography to becoming one of the most recognizable visual storytellers in skydiving. Six weeks after putting a camera on his helmet, Raymond landed a shot on the cover of Parachutist. Since then, he’s captured freefly pioneers, early swooping competitions, legendary boogies, canopy pilots, world-class athletes, and the everyday drop zone moments that make the sport feel like home. They get into the early days of modern swooping, the Pro Swooping Tour, the evolution of canopy piloting, X Games-era skydiving, skysurfing, freefly history, Z-Hills culture, loss, humility, legacy, and why the best photos are often the ones people never knew were being taken. This one is about more than photography. It’s about preserving the stories, people, and strange beautiful chaos of a sport most of the outside world still doesn’t fully understand. Raymond has spent decades making skydivers look like rock stars. Turns out, a lot of them actually are. Check out his work at https://raymondadamsimagery.com

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#6 Angie Aragon: USPA National Director & Founder of USPACourses.com

In this episode of Hard Deck, I sit down with Angie Aragon — USPA National Director, newly appointed Latin America representative, founder of USPAcourses.com, tandem and AFF examiner, FAA senior rigger, and one of the most respected instructor developers in the sport. We talk about how Angie got into skydiving, why she left a successful real estate career to go all in on the sport, and what it really takes to train the next generation of instructors. We also get into canopy consistency at altitude, the pressure and responsibility of examiner work, what it’s like serving as a USPA National Director, and why Latin America is becoming such an exciting part of skydiving’s future. This is a conversation about growth, service, leadership, and staying sharp in a sport that does not tolerate complacency. What we cover: Angie’s path from Southern California to international skydiving leadership How she got hooked on skydiving in New Zealand The realities of tandem and AFF examiner courses Instructor standards, safety, and decision-making under pressure USPA leadership and the responsibility behind hard decisions The growth of skydiving in Latin America Building new opportunities through competition, education, and community Angie’s newest project: Project Cutaway

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#5 Joe Jennings | World Champion Skysurfer, Hollywood Freefall Cinematographer and Space Cowboy

In this episode, Mark Perna sits down with legendary skydiver, aerial stunt coordinator, and freefall cinematographer Joe Jennings. Joe is a pioneer of camera flying and competitive skysurfing, a World Champion, and an X Games gold medalist whose work helped redefine how skydiving is captured on film. Over the course of his career, he has coordinated and filmed aerial stunts for major feature films including Charlie’s Angels, xXx, Air Force One, San Andreas, and Point Break, along with major commercial work for brands like Pepsi, Dell, Kia, and Nvidia. The conversation also dives deep into Space Cowboy, the feature documentary about Joe’s life and career, including the risks, innovation, personal loss, and mental health struggles behind the image. This is a wide-ranging conversation about skydiving, Hollywood, creativity, trauma, resilience, fatherhood, and what it takes to keep pushing at the edge of human flight. Check out the film at https://spacecowboymovie.com

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#4 Tim Jedrek of Right Rudder Marketing: Flight School Marketing, Aviation Storytelling, and Growth

Mark sits down with Tim Jedrek of Right Rudder Marketing to talk aviation, digital marketing, flight schools, and the strange overlap between teaching people to fly and hucking people out of airplanes. Tim shares how he went from manufacturing into aviation and niche marketing, why storytelling matters more than ever in the AI era, and what flight schools and drop zones can learn from each other about growth, trust, and customer experience. They also get into skydiving safety, jump plane operations, airport politics, the realities of running aviation businesses, and why niche agencies work best when they act like true partners instead of vendors. If you’re into aviation, entrepreneurship, marketing, or just want a behind-the-scenes look at two guys building businesses in weird, high-trust industries, this one’s for you.

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#1 Trevor Cichosz: 2x World’s Toughest Mudder Champ & Former Marine

In the first episode of Hard Deck, Mark Perna reconnects with his friend and fellow former Marine infantryman Trevor Cichosz — two-time World’s Toughest Mudder champion, ultra-endurance athlete, and author of Dear Grandma Rose: Letters and Journals from the War on Terrorism. They start with Trevor’s upbringing in the Pacific Northwest—farm-raised values, no frills, small-town limits—and how 9/11 and the pull to get out of the valley shaped his decision to join. From there, it turns into the stuff that doesn’t fit in a highlight reel: boot camp games, infantry life, the grind of Iraq and Afghanistan, sleep deprivation, boredom punctuated by chaos, and the leadership math of keeping authority without losing your people. They also get into the whiplash of coming home, the way awards and bureaucracy land after real loss, and what stays with you years later—sometimes in silence, sometimes in the details you didn’t even realize you remembered.

#2 Danny Velez: From Special Operations to Owner of Music City Skydiving

Danny Velez is a Navy veteran, former SARC (Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman), and the owner of Music City Skydiving. In this episode, Danny shares his story — growing up as an Army brat, entering the Navy at 17, and navigating an intense special operations medical pipeline that included combat dive, SERE, airborne, and military freefall. We talk about the moment 9/11 changed everything while he was training at Fort Bragg, what deployments and desert patrols in Afghanistan were really like, and how the hardest part of his journey came after he got out — losing purpose, trying to rebuild, and finding a new mission through skydiving. Danny also breaks down how he went from packing parachutes to owning a drop zone during COVID, what it takes to run a skydiving operation, and why customer experience and community are the real growth engine.

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#3 Jeannie Bartholomew on Elite Canopy Piloting, Risk, and Pushing the Edge of Skydiving

In this episode of The Hard Deck, Mark Perna sits down with Jeannie Bartholomew — record-setting canopy pilot, USPA National Director, co-owner of the United States Canopy Piloting Association, and leader with Alter Ego Project. With more than 12,000 jumps, Jeannie has spent nearly two decades operating at the sharp end of performance. She breaks down what it really takes to compete at the highest levels of canopy piloting, why the sport is far more calculated than outsiders realize, and how safety, discipline, and skill progression separate serious pilots from reckless ones. They dig into Jeannie’s path into skydiving, her early obsession with parachutes, her rise through competition, the reality of injuries and hard-earned lessons, and what it means to lead in a sport where the margin for error gets thin fast. They also talk about grief, resilience, teaching, military coaching, and why learning to truly fly your canopy can change your whole relationship with the sport. This one is for skydivers, high-performers, and anyone drawn to the edge where precision matters. Check out Alter Ego canopy courses to level up your flying and build real skills under canopy.

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The Hard Deck — What This Podcast Is About

What is The Hard Deck? The Hard Deck is a podcast about people who live and operate close to the edge — skydivers, veterans, athletes, entrepreneurs, and high performers who’ve pushed past their limits and lived to talk about it. Hosted by Marine Corps veteran, skydiver, and business owner Mark Perna, the show explores the lessons learned when the stakes are real. From elite canopy pilots and special operations veterans to everyday people who refused to quit, these conversations dig into risk, resilience, discipline, and the mindset it takes to perform when failure has consequences. This isn’t polished highlight reels. It’s real stories, real lessons, and hard-earned wisdom from people who have been there. Welcome to The Hard Deck.

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