THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE FLOW PILOT
Fly Far. Fly Free.
Live Free.
Master the I-PARA Flow System to live your paragliding dreams and realise your true potential. Silence the noise, find your flow, and experience the magic of mastery.
THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE FLOW PILOT
Fly Far. Fly Free.
Live Free.
Master the I-PARA Flow System within the Wingmates Community. Silence the noise, find your flow, and live the magic of mastery.
Paragliding is Evolving
Freedom Comes From Flow, Not Rankings
We lost the magic and freedom of flying and began measuring our worth and enjoyment by points and rankings.
We fulfilled a dream and then turned this miracle into a battle of the ego. Social networks and rating systems now push us to compare ourselves constantly, often forcing pilots to ignore their own feelings and safety just for a few extra points.
But pilots are breaking away. There is a growing movement of people who realize paragliding is more than a sport—and are reconnecting with it as a form of art and personal growth.
We are returning to the Soul of Free Flight, where flying exists as an elemental art of self-expression, self-discovery and, ultimately, self-evolution.
We honour the XC Spirit of freedom and adventure.
The Number Trap
Goal:
Climbing a leaderboard
Driver:
Anxiety & Comparison
Result:
Plateaus & Burnout
End State:
"I have a high score."
The Flow Pilot
Goal:
Finding the "Silent Mind"
Driver:
Adventure & Self-Expression
Result:
Mastery & Breakthroughs
End State:
"I am free."
“Grant understands that paragliding is won in the mind, not with gear. He's doing great things for the paragliding community by bringing the science of flow to the forefront with Wingmates.”
Who will benefit most from this?
Let's be clear: This is not a retreat from performance. We aren't anti-competition. We aren't anti-ambition.
We are anti-constraint - in flying and in life.
We are after the freedom to perform at our absolute best, to push our limits, to break free from self-constraints, by cultivating the Warrior Spirit within.
We embrace the full spectrum and the challenges of flight to become the best versions of ourselves—not to be the best in the world but to be the best for the world.
But you cannot fly in flow if you are focused outwards and your mind is full of "Noise." You will benefit most from Wingmates if you are ready to break free from:
- The Ranking Trap: You've started measuring your worth by numbers on a screen, turning a miracle into a "battle of the ego" and losing the "excitement, fun, and adventure" that brought you to paragliding.
- Fear is Holding You Back: On takeoff, on landing, when you're high or in turbulence when there is no "pause button".
- The "Retrieve Driver" Syndrome: You are sick of being the one sitting in the car, watching others enjoy the air because you "bombed out" again.
- The Overthinking Head: You have "10 contributors" jostling for the top spot in your mind, creating a distracted, busy head that makes the magic of flow impossible.
- The Rollercoaster Cycle: You've had breakthroughs before, but you're struggling with consistency.
- The Toxic Strain: You've considered walking away from the sport entirely because the mental strain and constant pressure to compare yourself have silenced your love for flying.
- Isolation: Paragliding can be scary and lonely without a crew. Sharing ideas and experiences with the group helps to stay inspired and continue the flying journey without feeling isolated.
THE GREATEST GIFT
All Achievement is Meaningless
Without This
“Achievement is something you reach or attain, like a goal. It is perishable. Success, however, is a feeling or a state of being. It is the result of why you do what you do.” — Adapted from Simon Sinek
Hey, I'm Grant
Since I was a young boy, I dreamt of flying. I'll never forget the day I first thermaled up to touch a cloud—it was a miracle beyond my wildest dreams. I poured my heart and soul into paragliding, often ground handling in tough conditions, flying as often as possible, reading paragliding books and studying the weather. I knew nothing about XC and had no ambitions or goals other than just getting better at flying, but in my first full season I found myself in flow, winning the local XC league with six 100km+ flights.
I was showered with praise and told my talent was rare. I got invited to fly with local legends. I was given guiding work and got the opportunity to work with some of my heroes. It was all starting to look like success.
Beneath the surface, I was riddled with social anxiety and low self-worth which I'd been self-medicating with alcohol and a concoction of substances since high school. This attention validated my worth and I felt accepted. I began to identify with being "the best" and my fragile ego craved more hits of attention and approval.
But "winning" is a fast-burning fuel which, like a drug, requires regular hits and a dosage increase over time to have the same effect. It relies on the fickle opinions of others which no one has any control over. When these opinions change there's nothing left to do but to prove oneself because winning, by its very nature, requires losers - and nobody wants to feel like a loser.
This is the shallow rollercoaster of achievement - a natural but unsustainable stage of human development and a far cry from the reason I started flying in the first place.
The Insight
This all changed on a chilly spring day in Sweden after two years of no flying, hundreds of meters above takeoff, I found myself working weak lift for the pure joy of the challenge. No plans to go XC. No needing to prove anything. Flying for the sake of flying. Time and my sense of self vanished. The self-critic was quiet. I felt one with everything. I felt free.
I was in Flow.
The experience was so profound that I took to studying it with the same enthusiasm as when I first started flying. And the deeper I went down the rabbit hole the more profound it became.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the godfather of Flow, concluded that life is meaningless without flow. Flow gives life meaning. Achievement without flow is meaningless.
The Alchemy of Alignment
I returned to South Africa with nothing to prove, only a desire for personal growth and to be a contribution to others. I just wanted to fly and share the gift of flight. I shifted from "Me" to "We," and Wingmates was born.
I realised how lopsided my personal development had been, how my shadow had been running the show, and when I started to apply these principles to all four quadrants of life - mind, body, spirit, and systems - it was clear that the ultimate freedom—self-evolution—comes from their alignment.
Flow is the natural byproduct of this alignment.
The Result
I applied these principles to my fitness, my social anxiety, and my professional life. I launched my YouTube channel and Wingmates, I beat the addiction I experienced. I improved my dating and social life, improved my finances, and transformed my body.
And it all came through the wisdom of paragliding, it came from the superhuman gift we all have access - flow.
The path of the Flow Pilot is to align your life with the greatest gift of all: Freedom.
Finally, Achieve the "Dynamic Calm"
Required for Paragliding Mastery
Wingmates is a supportive community that provides mental frameworks and feedback to harness the superpower of flow. Rewire your brain to become the pilot you were born to be, upgrading your mind—and your life.
The PARA Model
(P)lan: Your North Star
Identity-based learning coordinates your mind and spirit toward an integral vision of the person you want to become.
The Result: Total alignment.
(A)ct: Dynamic Calm
Harness the science of flow to move from fear to mastery. Fly with composure in complex air.
The Result: Fly in flow with ease.
(R)eflect: The Tribe Mirror
Use the community "mirror" to share, reflect and grow. Gain the radical clarity solo flight logs can't provide.
The Result: Accelerated growth.
(A)djust: The Upward Spiral
Rewire your personal narratives to shift your identity to make high performance your baseline.
The Result: Permanent upgrade.
Here Is What Our Wingmates Are Saying
The PARA Model isn't just theory—it is a proven framework used by pilots worldwide to reclaim their joy and upgrade their performance. Whether you are a veteran with 30 years of experience or a pilot struggling to find your "good flying head" after a scare, these results speak for themselves:
- From "Rollercoaster Fear" to Alps Mastery: "I had a fear developed from my first SIV... I used your method and had amazing flights! I went for a guided tour of the Alps and didn't land once because of fear! I could really enjoy and focus on the route instead of glider movement." — Attila K.
- Shedding the "Metric Yoke": "Your teachings on flow and overcoming mental demons really speak to me because I am that metric pilot. Watching your videos and reading your emails are definitely helping me shed the metric yoke bit by bit and embrace the pleasure and growth of flying without the numbers." — Helen G.
- Finding Joy in Competition: "The last task in Barberton, I finally found my joy and had the best flight of the week. Not caring about what it was or was not." — Kurt B.
- The Power of the Tribe Mirror: "Sharing ideas and experiences with this group will help me stay inspired and continue this amazing journey." — Reto P.
- Beyond the Sky: "Your approach to paragliding and 'beyond flying' is very useful in everyday life for self-reflection and understanding [my] behavior." — Karin
Start Your QUEST for Mastery & Join Wingmates today.
A different path to paragliding mastery.
We often look for answers in our gear, spending $X,000 on a new wing to find a few extra points of performance, neglecting the most important part of the equation: the mind.
For less than the price of a reserve repack, you can give your mind the same level of care you give your equipment. Wingmates is a supportive home base, a place to learn, grow and connect with like-minded pilots. Choose-your-own-adventure on the QUEST for mastery and evolve into the pilot and person you want to become.
Choose the upgrade that stays with you, no matter what wing you fly.
Start Your Evolution
The world's first flow-driven paragliding community.
Included features
- Continuous Community Support
- Live Events & Workshops
- Connect with Pilots Worldwide
- Share Flights, Debriefs & Stories
- Accelerate Peer to Peer Learning