Explore Magazine's Live The Adventure Podcast

We have a special (return) guest on this week's episode—Kevin Callan, also known as "The Happy Camper." Kevin is the author of 20 books, a columnist for Explore Magazine and he's written a weekly blog on our website for a staggering 20 years. He's also at an interesting transition in his life, as the media landscape changes and he looks to expanding and growing in different areas of his "Happy Cam...

Welcome to episode 53 of Explore's Podcast! Today, we're continuing our behind-the-scenes look at the voices and personalities who bring Explore Magazine to life. And it's columnist Nora O'Malley's turn! Nora's been writing for Explore for almost a decade. You'll know her name as the author of our "Profiles" column. She works hard to find the most interesting and exciting interview subjects for ea...

Jim Baird is always up to something interesting. If you've read his articles in Explore Magazine—often detailing solo expeditions in Canada's wildest places—or perhaps viewed his popular YouTube channel or watched him win the reality TV series "Alone" (Season 4) alongside his brother, Ted... you'd likely know this.  And if you're just meeting Jim in today's episode—you'll get to hear for yourself...

Welcome to episode 51 of Explore's Podcast! We have an exciting guest today—Explore Magazine Field Editor, Ryan Stuart. Ryan's been at the writing game a long time and he's seen some big changes–from the rise of digital publishing to social media to... well, podcasting and more. As it would turn out, there's been some fun synchronicity with me, David Webb, and Explore Magazine for almost his entir...

Did you know that nearly two million Canadians travel to New Hampshire every year? And did you also know the state is less than a three-hour drive from Montreal, or a day's drive from Toronto? Or just a short jaunt from Boston Logan International Airport? I needed to know more about this off-radar vacation destination. So I reached out to Kris Neilsen, at Visit New Hampshire. Yes, it's easy to get...

Welcome to episode 49 of Explore's Podcast! Today, my guest is Jennifer Malloy. Jennifer is a teacher, a writer and an outdoor enthusiast living in Alberta. She's written two full-length features for Explore Magazine, and many more online at explore-mag.com —many of which document her journeys of mental health, physical activity, motherhood and personal growth. So let's delve deep with her on the...

Welcome to episode 48 of Explore Magazine's "Live the Adventure" Podcast.  We're continuing our series of getting behind the scenes with the amazing writers and photographers of Explore Magazine. Today, we're talking to writer Sylvia Dekker. Sylvia's been writing for Explore for about five years—with features in both print and online. She's even been on the cover of the magazine herself! But why d...

Welcome to episode 47 of Explore's Podcast. We're continuing our series of getting behind the scenes with the amazing writers and photographers of Explore Magazine. Today, I'm talking to Frank Wolf. Frank is a renowned adventurer and an award-winning writer who pens features for our magazine, blogs for our website and he even has two books out (with a third on the way). We're digging deep with Fra...

Welcome to episode 46 of Explore's Podcast! Today, we're continuing our series of getting behind the scenes with Explore Magazine's writers, photographers, illustrators and designers. We're chatting with all the people who make Explore Magazine Canada's favourite outdoors publication! My guest is Andrew Findlay. Andrew's been writing the "Wild Side" column in Explore Magazine since Spring of 2013,...

To help kickoff our 45th anniversary celebrations—because Explore was founded in 1981—we're starting a brand-new interview series within Explore's Podcast! Along with the long-form interviews you've come to expect, we're going to be speaking with members of Explore's own community: writers, photographers, illustrators and more! For this series, we'll spend 20 minutes or so chatting with the fascin...

We have a special episode of the Explore Podcast today. If you've followed our social media, magazine or website content you may have seen the clothing and merchandise collaboration we launched with Kevin Callan—a.k.a. "The Happy Camper"—last fall. And if you saw that, you likely noticed that it benefitted an organization called "Camp Outlook." Camp Outlook is a registered Ontario charity based in...

 When you pursue your chosen career, do you find it aligns to your lifestyle and to your interests—and to what really makes you tick ? Well it's what I try to do. And my guest today does it very well. We're talking to Mark Hubner, senior vice President of Baffin. You know Baffin as makers of those iconic winter boots that I'm sure you've used over the years, or at least have seen in stores and on...

 Wildfires. It's a topic that every Canadian cares about. I bet every person who is going to listen to this podcast has been affected by a wildfire in some way this year. Whether it was having plans changed because of smoke to closures, to maybe even evacuations or more—2025 has been one of the most intense fire seasons on record. So what does this mean? How do we live with fire? Well, today my gu...

Travel. We love it. We travel locally, regionally, domestically and internationally. And we bring back the greatest experiences of our lives. Adventures, connections, photographs, stories... but sometimes travel can have a cost. Carbon footprint... overtourism...  So, should we stop? No. There's a way to travel better. There are people who are encouraging slow, deep and meaningful travel. Where mo...

Welcome to episode 40 of Explore Magazine's Live the Adventure Podcast!  Can you believe we have done 40 of these podcasts? To celebrate today, my guest is the inspiring Dave Norona out of Squamish, British Columbia. Dave is a multi-sport racer who's travelled all over the world, competing in everything from running, cycling, rollerblading, eco challenges and more.  Later, he transitioned into liv...

Forestry —what do you think when you hear the word? Maybe it conjures up logging and clearcuts. Maybe you think of economic drivers, wood products and heritage. Maybe you're not 100 percent sure what it means! We outdoor enthusiasts spend a lot of time in forests. Forests have deep social and cultural value to us. But they also supply the materials that build the houses in which we live—and even t...

As Canadians, we have a big country to explore. How do you do it? Fly place to place? Stay local? Road trip to a hotel? All good, sure. But lately, I've been exploring differently. A new lifestyle altogether... I've become an RV'er. Yes, I am part of Canadia's robust RV community! And I love it. My entire family has camped out more this year than we collectively had in all years previously. My kid...

I love domestic travel. Don't get me wrong, I also like to get my passport stamped. But there's something fun and cool about spending your vacation time locally or regionally. It's fun because you don't waste your days off travelling or recovering from jetlag. It's cool because you can buck travel trends and mainstays for off-the-beaten track destinations that offer exceptional experiences—often w...

  It's summer. Let's go on vacation. But where? When you look for a tourism experience—what draws you in? An incredible adventure? A cultural connection? A chance to expand your mind? Maybe even do some good in the meanwhile? Well, today my guest is Zane Buchanan.  Zane is the Creative Manager at the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada—a global leader marketing and developing Indigenous touri...

Let's talk about dogs. We love them! Walks, cuddles, playing fetch... But what about travel and adventure with your dog? Have you boarded a plane with your pup? Embarked on a multi-day backpacking adventure? An epic road trip? If you're like most people, you likely look for a dog-sitter when you're travelling. But what if you changed your mindset and looked at ways you can bring your do with you....

We've all heard the term "superfood" before. Often in relationship to things like acai, a berry native to south and central America, or coconut oil—maybe avocado. All of these foods, for Canadians anyway, would need to be imported. Such is the way… So, when I heard about a superfood that was being wild and sustainably harvested right here in British Columbia—one that can bring you increases in ene...

It's December. It's cold. Do you want to warm up? Or do you want to get even colder? Colder than you've ever been? We're talking up to your chin in ice cold. Fozen. And you're doing it all for your mental and physical health. Welcome to the world of cold plunges. You may have seen it online lately. Folks submersing themselves in frigid H2O and claiming mental acuity, physical activation, fat loss...

Welcome to episode 32 of Explore Magazine's Live the Adventure Podcast. What drives you? What gets you out of bed in the morning? And how do you stay focussed on this passion so that it enhances all other aspects of your life? Well, today we're talking to an expert in mindset, focus, desire, discipline—and trail running. Anne Bouchard is a The North Face athelete, professional trail runner, mother...

When you think of a mountain biking destination in Canada, where comes to mind? Vancouver? Golden? Canmore? How about Neepawa, Dauphin and Minnedosa—all in Manitoba? Yes, it's true. Manitoba has a burgeoning mountain bike scene, with parks and trails popping up all over the province. Today, my guests are Alex Man and Melissa Stefaniw. Based near Dauphin, they raise funds, build trails, organize ev...

Welcome to episode 30 of Explore Magazine's "Live the Adventure" Podcast. Let's talk about bears. Those majestic, beautiful creatures that roam the wild lands of just about every region in Canada... Those apex predators who can be misunderstood and feared by humans... And who, due to habituation and encroachment, are every so often the subject of a dicey (or worse) human-wildlife encounter. Today,...