Episode Details

What if your third act became your most meaningful chapter? In Episode 87, the Stunt Brothers bring back a fan favourite, Dr. Victor Elderton, who returns to After the Bell with a powerful argument for why retirement should be a launchpad, not a slowdown.
Martin Stuible and Roy Hunt, affectionately known as The Stunt Brothers, talk with Victor about his newly completed PhD, the place-based research that shaped it, and the deeply personal lessons he drew from years immersed in the Ch’ḵámás / Cheakamus region. If you care about education, nature-based learning, or what it means to keep growing after a long career, this conversation goes far beyond classroom talk.
You'll discover how Victor built a dissertation around river, salmon, cedar, eagles, hummingbirds, and students - and why he believes educators should pay attention to the voices of place, not just the human ones. He shares the research ideas behind narrative inquiry, phenomenology, relationality, and the “four R’s,” while connecting them to Indigenous storywork and more-than-human ways of knowing.
Martin and Roy also challenge Victor with a hilarious round of “famous doctors,” where he compares Dr. McCoy, Dr. Watson, Dr. Strange, Hawkeye Pierce, Brian May, Carl Sagan, Jane Goodall, and more - revealing just how wide his curiosity really runs. Along the way, Victor reflects on Iceland, the Canadian outdoors, lifelong learning, and why immersive experiences can reshape how we understand ourselves and the world around us.
At its heart, this episode is about purpose, perspective, and the courage to keep becoming. Essential listening for teachers, school leaders, retirees, and anyone wondering how to turn experience into wisdom - and wisdom into action.

Learn more about Victor's dissertation 

key  topics

• Relationality and storytelling in education
• Sense of place and indigenous knowledge
• PhD research on relationality and environmental learning
• The importance of connecting with nature and place
• Expanding beyond human-centric perspectives in education
• The role of stories and oral traditions in understanding the world
• Phenomenology and narrative inquiry as research methods
• Lifelong learning and the concept of the third act

keywords
relationality, sense of place, indigenous knowledge, education, nature, storytelling, phenomenology, environmental education, third act, lifelong learning

resources

(Abram, 1996) Spell of the Sensuous / more than Human Reference
(Moore, 2000, 2010, 2016) various titles regarding leading lives of passion
(Rustemeyer, 2025, 2026) Mentorship in the Wild: a guide to Leadership,
Adventure and Wonder
(Lawrence-Lightfoot, 2010) The third chapter: passion, risk, and adventure in the 25 years after 50
(Yong, 2022) An immense world: how animal senses reveal the hidden realms
around us 

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