Hi, I’m Brandon

Get the FREE Cursing at Mountains Workbook here.

Cursing at Mountains

A page-turner that challenges readers to think more creatively about how to solve problems in their own lives. Deep life and leadership lessons served up in a captivating adventure yarn.

– Kirkus Reviews

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Podcasts

I absolutely love having wonderful, thought-provoking conversations with incredible people. Check out my podcasts below.

Cursing at Mountains – The Stories Behind the Story

Cursing at Mountains – The Stories Behind the Stories dives into the raw, surreal, and deeply human experiences that inspired the book Cursing at Mountains by Brandon Kowallis — The story of Chris— a leader, a father, a husband at his breaking point. Join Brandon as he dives beneath the surface of the narrative. From the claustrophobic depths of one of the deepest caves in the United States to the complex heights of leadership and fatherhood, Brandon shares the real-life adventures and harrowing encounters that shaped the characters in Cursing at Mountains and the lessons they inspired.

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Chalkboard Renegades – IN PRODUCTION

A podcast for educators from teachers to administrators to law makers and everyone in between that explores problems within our current our educational system and cool things that a few courageous and driven mavericks are doing to fix those issues. Join us as we explore the origin stories of bold, creative and driven individuals who are thinking outside the Lunchbox and acting on the questions that everyone has been asking but few have had the courage to do anything about. We explore what these hallway hooligans did to rewrite education and and what you can do to redesign education wherever you may be.

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The White Squall Podcast – IN PRODUCTION

The White Squall Podcast dives deep into the incredible adventure stories of extraordinary people from all walks of life. Individuals who have pushed themselves beyond their limits to brave the unknown. From the miraculous and heartwarming to the terrifying and death-defying, we’ll examine how the lessons they’ve learned can inspire and guide us all.

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About Me

Brandon Kowallis is the author and philosopher behind the books Cursing at Mountains and Fragile Frontiers. He is an active cave explorer and an award-winning cartographer and photographer. For over 10 years, he turned his role as a leader in higher education into a personal petri dish of experimentation. Equipped with a creative background, training in PMI project management, and certification as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, he reinvented the high school/college bridge, caught the attention of educators across the nation, and made the work easier and more meaningful for himself and those around him.

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Go Caving Vicariously with Brandon

Explore the Underground World of the Intermountain West

There are few places on this planet that remain untouched by human beings. In this stunning visual journey through the amazing world of caves of the Intermountain West, Brandon takes the reader on an underground tour of a subterranean wilderness that few people on Earth have walked, crawled, squeezed, or climbed.

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Explore Stories & Insights

Follow Brandon’s observations and stories about the world around him. Sign up for his newsletter to get those those articles delivered directly to your inbox.

I’m glad to hear that.

What if every time we thought to express our feelings or thoughts to someone else…

5 monkeys standing on each other's heads so that the monkey on the top can throw a rock at a large jackfruit hanging from the tree. They are standing on a pile of sticks in the jungle.

The Marmosets and the Jackfruit

High above the Brazilian forest floor a single Jackfruit hung from a large horizontal branch…

line illustration of a dog biting its tail with a look of shock on its face

Absolute Truth

A dog chasing his tail is operating under a relative truth that his tail is…

a mangy dog looking at a mangy buzzard on a trail in a desert wasteland

The Vulture and the Dog – Finding Purpose by Thinking Different

A young, ratty, wild dog sat down off the side of a well-traveled trail and…

a cartoon illustration of a little girl imagining that her food on her plate is a dragon while she is dressed in a knights outfit

Shift Your Perspective for a Happier Life

I was reading through my journal and found this excerpt from 2014. [My three-year-old daughter]…

watercolor painting of two people having a conversation with on on the right in blue and one on the left in red

The Incredible Power of a Good Argument

There are two types of arguing. The first type, which most of us—for good reason—like…

Explore Brandon’s FREE Courses

The three courses I wish I had when I seriously got into photography and project caving.

The Minimalist Foundational Photo Skills

Master the most fundamental skills you need to become an incredible photographer. This course was designed to prepare cavers for course #2, but applies to anyone who wants to become a better photographer.

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The Minimalist Cave Photographer

Master the skills you need to document some of the most incredible places on Earth . . . caves. This courses gives you the foundational skills you need to walk away with incredible photos beneath the surface of the Earth.

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The Minimalist Cave Cartographer

Stop scooping and start mapping. This course gives you the foundation for not only surveying caves, but also walks you though every step of creating beautiful cave maps using Compass and Adobe Illustrator.

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Hi, I’m Brandon

Get the FREE Cursing at Mountains Workbook here.

Cursing at Mountains

Podcasts