Outdoor Minimalist

In episode 94 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we discuss the importance of proper food storage when hiking and camping in bear country. If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, I recommend going back and tuning into episode 85, where I interview a wildlife biologist specializing in bears from Glacier National Park. He shares some great tips on safely recreating around bears and avoiding an en...

In episode 93 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are returning to some of the foundational topics of the show: outdoor gear and equipment. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know that a big chunk of the text revolves around product materials, gear picks, gear repair, and gear needs. So, for this episode, we’re covering a topic I’ve wanted to discuss since the start of this podcast: how to identify...

Hunting and fishing are seemingly popular outdoor activities, but how easy are they to learn when you didn’t grow up doing them? In episode 92 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are reentering the arena of hunting and fishing. While I work indirectly in this space, these specific outdoor activities are ones that I have had very minimal experience with but want to bring more voices from hunters...

In episode 91 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are diving into a topic: overlanding. Offroading and using motorized vehicles to travel from place to place and across public lands has existed for a long time, but it’s grown in popularity within the last decade. With this boom of interest in overlanding and offroading, there has also been a rise in concerns regarding the environmental impact of...

In episode 90 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we get a look into the healing power of nature from Dr. Kelly McLean, a Surgical Oncologist specializing in treating Breast and Melanoma Cancer at the Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, OH.   Kelly is the founder and Board President of Move Beyond Surviving, a non-profit organization designed to help breast cancer survivors move beyond their diagnosis a...

In episode 89 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are returning to the topic of food packaging. If you’ve listened to previous episodes, you know that we talk a fair bit about trail food on the show. While ingredients come up in discussion, the primary goal of my conversation with Eric Boxer, the Chief Sustainability Officer and Head Chef at RightOnTrek, Inc., was to learn more about how RightOn...

In episode 88 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we do an overview of what a refillary is, why they should be more prevalent in the United States, and how Kerry Jones started Suds Refillery when she saw the need for more sustainable innovations in her community. Refill shops or refilleries are popping up all over the country. Suds Refillery is an eco friendly shop located, in the Kansas City area,...

In episode 87 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are returning to the foundational concepts of minimalism and mindfulness. Minimalism looks different for everyone, and our life experiences impact our lifestyle choices. To dive deeper into how minimalism can change how we live our lives and how minimizing your life can effectively reduce stress, I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting wi...

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...