karina-oliani-on-the-lava-lake-and-viridiana-alvarez-smiling

Every day at Guinness World Records, we have the honour to hear incredible stories right from the source. We are around people who achieve, every day, something amazing. 

People who push the boundaries of what is considered "humanly possible", like Viridiana Alvarez. 

People who fearlessly conquer vast distances, like Jenny Graham, and who use their passion and talent for good causes like Melissa Millett.

People who inspire us, and will keep doing so.

That's why Guinness World Records have partnered with Himalaya, an inspirational content platform that features actionable audio courses from some of the most influential leaders in the world. 

It aims to empower people through the actions that others have taken to achieve greatness, offering a space for powerful voices and high-impact stories.

Himalaya logo with five record holders

Although Himalaya is a subscription-based service, through the code GWR you’ll be able to enjoy a free 14-day trial and the inspiring words of our record-holders.

In partnership with Guinness World Records 2022, Himalaya featured an all-female group of record-holders for a cycle of five episodes.

Five wildly different records, five humans who refuse to be defined by their limits - five women and their incredible stories.

Jenny Graham for Himalaya

Jenny Graham: coming full circle

On 16 June 2018, Inverness' Jenny Graham (UK) set off on the trip of a lifetime from Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

Four months later, on the 18th of October, she returned to complete her successful attempt of the fastest circumnavigation by bicycle (female).

Her journey lasted 124 days 11 hours and broke the previous record by 20 days. 

In such a staggeringly short amount of time, Jenny cycled around the globe and spanned across 18,000 miles, travelling across Europe, Asia, Oceania and North America. 

Jenny Graham smiling and showing certificate

What made this trip even more incredible was that Jenny cycled solo: she didn’t have support or a team throughout the entire journey. 

Alone, she faced extreme conditions, such as the cold bite of the Australian and New Zealand winters and even some tornadoes in Canada.

One of the most nerve-wracking moments, she recalls, was travelling along the Trans-Siberian Highway with trucks flying by. 

Her achievement earned her a place in Guinness World Records 2020.

Discover more about Jenny’s adventure around the world here.


Kathy Sullivan for Himalaya

Kathryn Sullivan: your best is enough

It is safe to say that Kathryn Sullivan (USA) is an inspiration.

Always passionate about science, she worked – among other missions – to the Hubble Space Telescope mission in 1990 and served as an oceanographer in the US Naval Reserve.

But that’s far from the end of Dr Sullivan’s great achievements. She broke three records, specifically for:

  • First woman to reach the Challenger Deep
  • Greatest vertical extent travelled by an individual (within Earth’s exosphere) with a total of 622.085 kilometres (386.546 miles)
  • First person to visit space and the deepest point on Earth

In 1984, the American doctor was one of seven astronauts aboard the Challenger Space Shuttle to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, as part of NASA’s STS-41-G mission. Almost 36 years later, in 2020, she dived to the Challenger Deep on board the DSV Limiting Factor, piloted by adventurer and former naval officer Victor Vescovo.

The Challenger Deep is situated at the south-western end of the Mariana Trench, approximately 400 kilometres (250 miles) southwest of Guam. It plunges to a staggering depth of approximately 10,934 metres (35,872 feet) beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

A tremendous span of 622.085 km (386.546 mi) opens from the seabed of the Challenger Deep to the apogee of the 1990 STS-31 Hubble Space Telescope deployment mission, which soared 330 nautical miles (611.16 kilometres; 379.8 miles) above Earth. 

It granted Dr Sullivan the record for greatest vertical extent travelled by an individual (within Earth’s exosphere).

Discover more about Dr Sullivan's incredible achievements here


Viridiana Alvarez for Himalaya

Viridiana Alvarez: climbing to the top

Viridiana Álvarez Chávez is, quite literally, on top of the world.

Once a little girl with big dreams from Aguascalientes, Mexico, Viridiana is the first Latin American to climb the K2. 

She also smashed the record for fastest ascent of the top three highest mountains with supplementary oxygen (female).

Within the incredible time of one year and 364 days and with an admirable display of strength, she scaled three peaks to achieve a Guinness World Records title.

Viridiana hugging the Kanchenjunga

Viridiana’s journey started with the tallest peak in the world, Mount Everest (8,848 meters; 29,029 feet high) on May 16, 2017.

It was followed by K2 (8,611 meters; 28,251 feet) on July 21, 2018 and finished at Kangchenjunga (8,856 meters; 28,169 feet) on May 15, 2019.

Virdiana is not only an incredible mountaineer, she also serves as a public speaker. 

Sharing what she learned along the way, her words empowers people to never set themselves limits.

Listen to Viridiana’s words and learn about her adventurous journeys here


Melissa Millett for Himalaya

Melissa Millett: finding opportunity in obstacles

The incredibly talented Melissa Millett (Canada) is a 40-year-old professional animal trainer for movie/TV from Sparta, Ontario. 

Melissa is also the proud fur mum of nine dogs and four cats.

Among the lovely puppies under her care, however, we find various stars of Guinness World Records 2022.

Jellybean-and-melissa-training

First we have Jellybean, a talented deaf puppy who broke two records:

  • Fastest 5m pushing a basketball by a dog (10.31 seconds)
  • Most bounce passes of a basketball between a human and dog in 30 seconds (21)

Melissa is also a loving mum to Lollipop and Sashimi, the cat-and-dog pair with a passion for scooting around. 

This improv trick, for which Lollipop and Sashimi came up all on their own, earned the pair a Guinness World Records title and a spot on the Guinness World Records 2022 cover.

Lollipop-Sashimi-Jellybean-displaying-certificates

The unlikely duo of best friends achieved the fastest  5m on a scooter by a dog and cat (pair), with the time of 4.37 seconds.

Lollipop and Jellybean are two very special dogs: they were both born deaf. 

With her work, Melissa also means to raise awareness on the issue of deaf dogs being overlooked by potential future owners and often put to sleep by dog breeders due to their disability.

Not only Jellybean and Lollipop – just like every other deaf dog – are worthy of a loving home and doting adoptive families, but they proved to be capable of greatness.

Find out more about Melissa in her episode, available here


Karina Oliani for Himalaya

Karina Oliani: 90 seconds of impossible

Karina Oliani never backs down from a challenge.

Physician, adventurer, presenter and natural activist, Karina became the first Brazilian woman to climb the K2, the second tallest mountain in the world.

The wilderness doctor is always wandering the earth for some extreme experience and new ways to create awareness around the environment. 

In 2017, her journeys brought her on a true representation of Dante’s Inferno on earth: a lake of scorching lava and magma at Erta Ale in Afar, Ethiopia.

Karina Oliani looking at the lava lake

A majestic but unforgiving world’s wonder that Karina faced with head high and the adventurous spirit that always characterized her (and specialized heat suits!).

Suspended over an expanse of 1187°C hot lava, Karina Oliani performed the world’s longest tyrolean traverse over a lava lake with a jaw-dropping distance of 100.58 m (329 ft 11.76 in).

Listen to Karina's words and how she faced a lava lake here

Discover more about Himalaya and Guinness World Records 2022 on our book page.