Wild Ideas Worth Living | Interviews On Adventure, Outdoors, Travel, Health, Fitness, Running, Business, Surfing, Exploring

Hawaiian filmmaker, Justyn Ah Chong, focuses his work on telling the stories of his people. A few months ago, Justyn won a regional Emmy for a short film, Pili Ka Moʻo.  The movie follows a native Hawaiian family as they fight to protect the land where their ancestors are buried. Pili Ka Moʻo is a part of Reciprocity Project, a series of original short films made by Indigenous directors on their homelands. Connect with Justyn: InstagramCheck out Reciprocity ProjectWatch Pili Ka Mo'oEpisode sponsors: Shop AllbirdsCheck out REI's Re/Supply program - members get 10% more on their trade-ins thru 10/31Listen to the Camp Monsters podcast

Ashley Rodriguez is a certified nature and forest therapy guide who is passionate about sharing her love of foraging and cooking over an open fire as a way to help people connect with nature and find themselves outside. She has worked in world-renowned restaurants, written an award-winning food blog, published two cookbooks, and wrote and hosted the James Beard award-winning web series Kitchen Unnecessary, which is all about cooking outdoors with things you can forage on your own.Connect with Ashley: Website Instagram Watch Kitchen Unnecessary Episode sponsor:Book your next camp adventure with Hipcamp

Gabaccia Moreno is an outdoor enthusiast and advocate, whose career centers on encouraging people to rethink how they engage with nature. Over the years, Gabaccia has worked on a variety of projects— from being a member of the conservation corps in Montana to writing for outdoor publications, and creating the online community, The Outdoorist Oath. Connect with Gabaccia:WebsiteInstagramThe Outdoorist Oath website The Outdoorist Oath Instagram Episode sponsors: Shop AllbirdsBook your next camp adventure with HipcampGet your tickets to Canary 

Renowned paleoclimatologist Dr. Lonnie Thompson has been on over 60 expeditions to collect ice core samples from glaciers around the world. These samples hold precious clues to understand human-caused climate change. Connect with Lonnie: Get tickets to Canary, the documentary feature film starring Lonnie, playing in select theaters nationwide September 20thEpisode sponsors: Shop Allbirds Book your next camp adventure with Hipcamp   

Ashley Davies is a lifelong runner who's building community her own way.  In 2017, she co-founded Club Seattle Run Division with the intention to make the club as inclusive as possible, focusing on community rather than performance. CSRD's motto is All Faces, All Paces. The club encourages people of any background and fitness level to come run with them and make some friends along the way.Connect with Ashley: Instagram Club Seattle Runners Division Instagram Episode sponsors: Shop Allbirds Book your next camp adventure with Hipcamp

Shane Dorian is a legendary surfer, winning his first surf contest when he was just 11 years old. At 21, he joined the World Surf League and traveled the globe to compete with other athletes. Shane has won countless competitions over the years including 11 WSL Big Wave Awards. He was part of a generation of surfers who became influential in the sport, and was able to make a career out of surfing full time. Now, after more than 30 years as a professional athlete, Shane has some wisdom to share.Connect with Shane: Instagram Episode sponsors: Shop Allbirds Book your next camp adventure with HipcampRevelshine WineSoul Community Planet Hotels If you enjoyed this episode:Listen to the Hello, Nature podcast   

Susan Casey is an accomplished journalist who's spent years writing about the ocean, and most recently, the deep sea. The deep sea generally starts around 600 feet below the surface where you could no longer see the light from above, but it goes way beyond that. In some places, the ocean is almost seven miles deep. Susan is one of the few people who's gone deeper than 5,000 meters in a submersible, which is over three miles down to the ocean floor.Connect with Susan: WebsiteInstagramPurchase her new book, The Underworld, Journeys to the Depths of the OceanEpisode sponsors: Shop Allbirds Book your next camp adventure with HipcampIf you enjoyed this episode:Listen to the Hello, Nature podcast 

Professional climber Emily Harrington met her husband, pro mountaineer Adrian Ballinger, on an expedition 11 years ago. While their paths to become pro athletes were different, the couple has figured out how to balance their partnership and build a family while continuing to pursue what they love— adventuring in the mountains. Connect with Emily & Adrian: Emily's Instagram & websiteAdrain's Instagram & websiteAlpenglow Expeditions Episode sponsors: Shop Allbirds Book your next camp adventure with HipcampREI is on a mission to get 100 million folks Outside in 5 minutes or lessIf you enjoyed this episode:Listen to the Hello, Nature podcast

Jason Hardrath is a runner and mountaineer based in southern Oregon. He holds over a hundred records for being the fastest person to complete trails and climb mountains around the country. In 2021, he broke the record for the fastest known time to summit the 100 tallest peaks in Washington State known as the Bulger List— and he did it in only 50 days. Connect with Jason: WebsiteInstagram Episode sponsors: Shop Allbirds Book your next camp adventure with Hipcamp REI is on a mission to get 100 million folks Outside in 5 minutes or lessIf you enjoyed this episode:Listen to the Hello, Nature podcast

Cory Maria Dack is an outdoor adventure guide and she recently completed a thru-paddle of the entire Mississippi River. It took her 134 days to canoe from the headwaters of the river in Minnesota all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. At the end, she didn't necessarily feel a sense of victory. Instead, she felt joy and gratitude for her new relationship with the river and the people she met along the way.Connect with Cory: InstagramWomen on the Water websiteEpisode sponsors: Learn why REI is on a mission to get 100 million folks Outside in 5 minutes or lessListen to the Hello, Nature podcast 

Dane, Patrick and Tanner Gudauskus have spent a lot of their lives in the water riding some of the most epic waves. They've traveled the world for competitive surfing and taken the leap into free surfing all alongside each other. Dane, Patrick and Tanner are now giving back to the surf community through their company, Positive Vibe Warriors. Connect with the Gudauskas Brothers: Positive Vibe WarriorsPatrick's Instagram Dane's Instagram Tanner's Instagram Episode sponsors: Revelshine WineSoul Community Planet Hotels Learn why REI is on a mission to get 100 million folks Outside in 5 minutes or lessListen to the Hello, Nature podcast   

 In 2021, Vasu Sojitra became one of the first adaptive athletes to ski down Denali, and he's made groundbreaking descents in the Grand Tetons and the Bear Tooth Mountain Range. As the first adaptive athlete to be represented by the North Face, Vasu has used his platform to speak out about representation and intersectionality in the outdoors.Connect with Vasu: Website Instagram Read: Why I Get Outside: Resilience, Community and Understanding Inclusive Outdoor Project Episode sponsors: REI is on a mission to get 100 million folks Outside in 5 minutes or lessListen to the Hello, Nature podcastPhoto by Clayton Boyd

Alysia Montano is a professional runner who's competed at the highest possible level.  She's a two-time world champion and an Olympian. She's breaking the barriers that limit a woman’s choice to pursue and thrive in both career and motherhood. Connect with Alysia: Website InstagramAlysia's nonprofit &Mother:Website Instagram Episode sponsors: Check out Danner’s all-new Mountain 600 Leaf GTXREI is on a mission to get 100 million folks Outside in 5 minutes or less 

At a young age, Chris Sharma was considered a climbing prodigy and won multiple competitions. He established some of the most challenging routes around the world, and pushed the sport forward technically and culturally. Recently, Chris and his longtime friend, fellow climber and actor, Jason Momoa, came up with the idea to produce a competitive reality show based on rock climbing. Their creative brainchild has become the binge-worthy TV show, The Climb— available on Max, previously known as HBO Max.Today, Chris talks about what it was like to make the series, and we hear from Cat Runner about his experience on the show and his climbing community, the Queer Climber's Network. WARNING: this episode contains spoilers for The Climb. Connect with Chris Sharma: Website Instagram Connect with Cat Runner: Instagram Queer Climbing Network Watch The ClimbEpisode sponsor: Check out REI’s trade-in programAt REI we remain committed to ensuring that the outdoors, the co-op and society at large are accessible and welcoming

BJ Griffin is a musician and freediver from Virginia Beach. Freediving is where you hold your breath and dive deep underwater to explore the ocean. For BJ, freediving has drastically impacted his life. It's improved his health and lung capacity. It's helped him develop a meditation practice, and it's even influenced his life as an artist.Connect with BJ: TiktokInstagram Website Dive for Peace interest formEpisode sponsors: Check out Danner’s all-new Mountain 600 Leaf GTXCheck out REI’s trade-in program   

In 2020, Emily Pennington set off on the trip of a lifetime. Her goal was to visit every national park in the United States. Emily wasn’t sure what she’d find out there in the wilderness, but she needed a change - she was burnt out from her life in Los Angeles and reeling from personal losses. The time was right for Emily to quit her job, hit the road, and find her way outside.Connect with Emily: Website InstagramPurchase a copy of Emily's new book, Feral: Losing Myself and Finding My Way in America's National Parks Episode Sponsors: Check out Danner's all-new Mountain 600 Leaf GTXCheck out REI’s trade-in program

In 2022, Cal Dobbs became the first known transgender person to triple crown, which means he hiked all of the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail. Cal's next wild idea involves running across the U.S to raise awareness for trans rights. Connect with Cal: Website Instagram Resources: REI statement: Join us in supporting the trans community and LGBTQ+ equalityHuman Rights Campaign article American Civil Liberties Union articleEpisode sponsors: Listen to Finding Mastery podcastCheck out REI’s trade-in programAt REI we remain committed to ensuring that the outdoors, the co-op and society at large are accessible and welcoming to all people—including transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.

Garrett McNamara is one of the best big wave surfers on the planet. In 2011, Garrett broke a world record when he rode a 78-foot wave in Nazare, Portugal. Nicole McNamara is Garrett's manager, his spotter, and his wife. The power couple have figured out a way to live a life that grounds them while focusing on what they love– surfing and family. Connect with Garrett & Nicole: Garrett's website McNamara InstagramNicole's InstagramThe McNamara FoundationEpisode sponsor: Listen to Finding Mastery podcast

Wild Ideas Worth Living's host Shelby Stanger gives us a behind the scenes look at her wild journey to becoming an adventure journalist, host of an REI Co-op podcast, and now author of her brand new book, Will to Wild. Connect with Shelby: WebsiteInstagram Grab a copy of Shelby's new book, Will to Wild Watch the Wild to Wild trailer Episode sponsors: Listen to Finding Mastery podcast

In honor of those who are raising the next generation of wild ones. Host Shelby Stanger shares insights from past guests on how to raise adventurous kids, and tips about how you can make it easier to get outside with your family.Connect with guests: Chris Fagan's InstagramStacy Bare's InstagramKatie Arnold's InstagramEvelynn Escobar's InstagramLindsey Konchar's InstagramResources: Lindsey Konchar's book, I Got 99 Problems and Being a B*tch Ain't One Episode sponsors: Pre-order Shelby Stanger’s new book, Will to Wild  and watch the trailer!Listen to Finding Mastery podcast