Outdoor Minimalist

Do you have dietary restrictions that prevent you from being able to eat pre-made backpacking meals? Or do you need help finding backpacking recipes that fit your special dietary needs?  In episode 86 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, you’ll hear how one woman created and implemented accessible backpacking and camping meals for her family that fit all of their diets. Backpacking meals don’t have...

In episode 85 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting about all things grizzly bears and being bear-aware when recreating outside. I have a healthy fear of bears of all varieties, and I learned so much chatting with today’s guest whose expertise can help us enjoy time outside while respecting the places that bears call home. Garrett Tovey is a wildlife bi...

In episode 84 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we explore the idea of taking ownership of your influence through action. Every single one of us, no matter our reach, has an influence within our community. So, how can we, as individuals, harness the power of our influence to take ownership of our lives and how we spend our time? To explain how she did this in her own life, I had the pleasure of s...

In episode 83 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with two individuals working together to create more equity in the workplace and answering the question: how are people a part of sustainability in the outdoor industry? Respect Outside founders Gina McClard, J.D., and Jim Miller recognized the need for consulting and employee trainings designed for the kinds of bo...

Audio provided courtesy of Amy Buschatz, creator and host of the Humans Outside podcast. The more time you spend outside, the more you might be thinking about doing what you can to make sure the thing you love so much -- nature -- is taken care of and around for others to enjoy, too. It’s a bummer to watch something you enjoy so much disappear or be carelessly shoved aside. In this "best of&q...

In episode 82 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are talking about creating a more adaptive hiking space and other ways to make outdoor recreation more accessible for all. Every body, no matter the size, race, gender, class, or ability deserves a chance to experience the joys of being outside. But how can we make that happen for adventurers that have physical disabilities and limitations due to...

In episode 81 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Chris Christie about adventure, finding your passions, and what defines us as humans during every phase of our lives. I really enjoyed my conversation with Chris and his insights about building character and living life to ensure we have no regrets as we grow old. After being an outdoor industry leader for over 30...

In episode 80 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are returning to the topic of product design. For this episode specifically, I had the pleasure of interviewing a product developer and entrepreneur in the outdoor industry that found she felt underrepresented when it came to gear, so she did something to change that. Charlotte Young Bowens, the founder of Conscious Gear, is passionate about cele...

In episode 79 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we discuss backpacking meals. We’ve discussed backcountry eating in terms of planning and low-waste efforts, but what goes into the manufacturing of pre-made backpacking meals? As someone that only recently started to try backpacking meals, I had a lot of questions about sourcing, packaging materials, and the general carbon footprint of these conven...

In episode 78 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we return to some of the 7Rs of Outdoor Minimalism: rehome and repurpose. If you’ve listened to some of the earliest episodes, then you may be familiar with them, but if you haven’t heard those episodes or read the book,  The 7R's of Outdoor Minimalism include:  Reduce Refuse Rethink Repair Rehome/Repurpose Remove Restore So, in this episode, we...

In episode 77 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we discuss eco-anxiety. If you’re someone that experiences anxiety regularly, then you may relate to this episode quite a lot. And while anxiety, in general, can come from a variety of places, eco-anxiety is defined as the “extreme worry about current and future harm to the environment caused by human activity and climate change.” I am not a psychol...

Learn more about Meg's background, how she got into writing, and the origins of the Outdoor Minimalist book in her interview with Jeremy Lux, host of the Life in Motion podcast.  Life in Motion is brought to you by Actual Outdoors. They help build beautiful brands that highlight the approachable and authentic parts of outdoor recreation. Said simply - they “keep it real”. Find them online at...

In episode 75 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are returning to the topic of dogs. Since I know many listeners enjoy the company of a canine companion, I find it necessary to share tips and insights about how we can create a more sustainable environment for our dogs so they can thrive. Canine enrichment is a topic that came up in an earlier episode titled “conscious consumption with canine co...

In episode 74 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we discuss litter cleanups. In one of my earliest episodes, I interviewed Bill and Steve, founders of National Cleanup Day and Clean Trails, where they discussed the importance of keeping our trails clean and how land-based litter makes its way into the ocean. So, in this episode, we are elaborating on many of those ideas, but more specifically, we...

In episode 73 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are talking about wild horses. More specifically, we discuss wild horse conservation and the issues and conflicts surrounding the wild horse populations inhabiting the Western United States.    I was lucky enough to be joined by two of the three women that created Women in the Wilderness: Katherine Boucher and Louisa Behnke.   Wome...

In episode 72 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are talking about deadstock. For listeners who don’t know, deadstock is a standard part of the textile industry and creates a lot of waste. We have mentioned it here on the show before, but I had the pleasure of chatting with Nicole Wilson so she could put the extent of the problem into perspective.   Nicole is a fashion designer with over a...

In episode 71 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, I discuss a few differences between a linear, reuse, and circular economy. Several guests on the show have discussed these concepts to some degree, but I wanted to combine the ideas into one short and sweet episode to make the ideas easier to digest.  INSTAGRAM: @outdoor.minimalist.book WEBSITE: https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/ ORDER THE B...

In episode 70 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are talking about recycling! I’ve had a few guests on the show that have shed some light on recycling, but not quite to this depth yet. Today’s guest, Amanda Close, is an expert in all things waste streams and is here to answer the question: what happens after we recycle? Amanda Close is the Education and Outreach Manager at Waste Loop and works...

In episode 69, I am talking about greenwashing. We have talked about greenwashing a fair bit on the show. Some of the episodes that go into more depth about greenwashing include: Episode 11: Greenwashing in the Outdoor Industry , where we talk with Steven Sashen from Xero Shoes about how greenwashing is commonly used in marketing and how to spot it Episode 13: Crafting Truthful and Transparent Sus...

In episode 68 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are joined again by Aaron Owens Mayhew, the founder of Backcountry Foodie. If this is the first you’re hearing of her, you need to go back and listen to episode 40 with her, titled “Becoming Minimalist: Downsizing for Life.” That episode was our most streamed episode of 2022 and is filled with incredible insights and stories about how anyone can...

In episode 67 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are jumping back into the topic of apparel but with a new spin. We love talking about textiles and textile production on the show, but today we are approaching it from a new perspective. For this episode, I sat down with Jeremy Lux, the creator of Illumine Collect to discuss how their outdoor brand is making outdoor recreation more accessible to...

In episode 66 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are celebrating 2022 coming to a close. This year, I wanted to celebrate 2022 coming to a close by recapping our top five episodes that were released this year. If this is your first time listening, this is a great place to start because you get to hear a few clips from each one and then you can go back to hear the full episodes! Of the episodes...

In episode 65 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are talking about biodiversity, biodiversity loss, and what we can do to improve the biodiversity in our backyards. To help guide this conversation and share his expertise, I was joined by Dillion Jones.  Dillon is a biologist and Science Communicator interested in uncovering the secrets of biodiversity! His Science Communication efforts go...

In episode 64 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are talking about wildfires. I have been wanting to do more ecology based content on the show because I think it balances out a lot of the production content really well. Plus, it’s super fun and interesting to learn about! As we will discuss in the interview, wildfires are a somewhat misunderstood natural occurrence and is one that is often vili...

In episode 63 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are taking an inside look into what it takes to change product packaging design. This process likely looks different for every company, but today we get to learn from one company's experience as they moved from plastic packaging to a more sustainable steel container. To break down what went into this process and how they landed on this packaging...