I'm back again, with another solo episode! This is a massive milestone for my show: episode 500. In this episode, I reflect on the last 9.5 years of the podcast, and I share some news with you.   My Links to Stay in Touch Goodreads Amazon Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest   Listen To This Episode        Things I Discussed The Three Questions  PSYCH-K®  Jo Casey on the show  Joanna Hennon on the show  Cara Wild on the show  Sign up to be informed if/when I pick up the show again  Blog post on tree communication  Book on ..read more

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Aaron Owens Mayhew. She’s a backpacker, thru-hiker, and nutritionist. With years of outdoor adventures under her belt, she finally combined her two loves—backpacking and nutrition—into her current business.  Aaron has plenty of tips to help you figure out the best lightweight backpacking and adventure food for you. I really enjoyed talking with her, and I hope you find her tips to be useful. She has so many tips on finding the best food for your preferences.   About Aaron Owens Mayhew As a registered dietitian and ultralight long-distance b ..read more

I'm excited to invite this week's guest back on the show! Susan is an online friend of mine, and she’s been on the show twice before to talk about her adventures. First, we discussed the Valley of Flowers and then the Camino Inglés. Now she’s back to talk about a 40-year dream she had that she finally fulfilled. One of the things I love about Susan’s adventures is that she talks and writes about lesser-known places and routes, so I get to learn about new places. I hope you find this episode inspiring! Susan is a great example of someone who dreamt of a very specific adventure, and made it happ ..read more

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Christine Reed. I recently read her fantastic book, Alone in Wonderland, about her experience on the Wonderland Trail in Washington State, USA. It’s a fantastic blend of a travel journal and personal memoir, including reflections on her life experiences. I highly recommend it! In this episode, we talk about lessons learned from hiking multiple trails. We discuss how trails can help us to figure things out, and how to get started on your own solo backpacking adventures.   About Christine Christine Reed is a long-distance backpacker and author of ..read more

I'm back again, with another solo episode! I've been thinking lately about how certain adventures have tested my “limits.” I say that in quotes because I'm talking about perceived limitations: things we think we aren't capable of doing, when in reality it's possible.   Listen To This Episode        What You'll Learn What are perceived limitations How our perceived limitations can hurt us How to know what your perceived limitations are How you can move beyond your perceived limitations   Things I Discussed Walking the Downs Link  PSYCH-K®    ..read more

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Gwendolyn Zywicke. I recently read her fantastic book, Ultrarunning Mysticism: Mind, Body, Spirit and the Sacredness of Overcoming Suffering. This book put words to an experience that I had had many times but couldn’t describe. It’s also not just for ultrarunning. If you do any type of endurance sport, such as cycling, walking, or hiking, you may have experienced this yourself.   About Gwen Zywicke Gwen is a senior instructor of communication studies at Louisiana State University, an ultrarunner, and a perpetual student of philosophy.   Gue ..read more

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Lauri McKean. I often get asked by women how to overcome fears of solo adventures. That’s why I talk about it so much on this podcast and on my blog. Lauri has a great story of how she overcame her fear of solo backpacking and camping, and how facing that fear has had a positive effect on other areas of her life. I hope you find it inspiring!   About Lauri Lauri is a lover of the natural world who has a fondness for hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and foraging edible and medicinal flora and fungi. She grew up in the magnificent state of Colorado ..read more

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Helen Lear-Grant. Helen has traveled to many of the remote places I want to visit in Scotland, like the Inner and Outer Hebrides. I’ve had other friends visit there over the years for outdoor adventures, and it’s been on my list ever since. In this episode, we talk about adventures in the Hebrides, and also Helen’s adventures as a disability travel blogger. We explore how her adventures have changed her life, and what she’s achieved with her adventures that she didn’t think was possible.   About Helen Helen is a disability travel blogger based i ..read more

I'm back again, with another solo episode! This week's episode is late because I've been ill for a couple of weeks, lost my voice, and had to cancel two interviews. My voice is still a bit off, but at least I'm no longer croaking like a whispering frog. In this episode, I reflect on my experience working toward my black belt in kickboxing. I discuss what it took to pass the grading, and what I learned from the experience. I also reflect on how it's affected my outdoor adventures, and how the activities have been mutually supportive. Many months ago, a listener wrote in and asked me to talk abo ..read more

I'm excited to introduce this week's guest, Doug Noll. Doug was born with multiple disabilities: he had both audio and visual disabilities as well as two club feet. After struggling with sports in school, he turned to Scouts and the outdoors and started to thrive. Doug is a whitewater guide, Level III PSIA ski instructor, sailor, and fly fisher. He has also been a rock climber, mountaineer, competitive swimmer, and Class IV kayaker. His various outdoor adventures have taught him discipline, persistence, patience, mental endurance, and fortitude, which he applies in his career as a peacemaker a ..read more