The Global Grit Experience

This was a Mother's Day of divine intervention.

Today’s episode on the challenge of balancing technology or screen time for the kids in our lives I think is really relatable to so many of us. But, how is this related to the Global Grit Experience that's about nature and the outdoors? Well, when kids and teenagers would rather be looking at a screen inside than doing something outside, we’re losing that important connection to nature and the out...

Yowza that was a real blow with the recent Senate’s vote to overturn a 20-year ban on mining near the Boundary Waters. Argh! That vote from the House and then the Senate means voiding the protection of 225,000 acres in the Superior National Forest allowing the advancement to Twin Metals sulfide-ore copper mining upstream of the Boundary Waters wilderness near Ely, MN. This isn’t just about the Bou...

This story is about a film shoot in Honduras, a lost dad, and a local. Sometimes intuition is everything. I love adventure stories! If you have one, message me to be a guest on my podcast @theglobalgritexperience. Hugs!

Today’s guest is Hallie Pond from Pine River, MN. I asked her to be a guest because I don’t know about you, but I can get so damn angry and frustrated with things going on in the world….and with our fellow human beings, who some, I’m confident we can all agree, are real shits. But, anger builds conflict and conflict can start to break down communication. And, what we need now more than ever is cle...

Scott is SO INSPIRING! Man, he in his signature black cowboy hat has been making serious headway for nature in southwest Minnesota. I’ve been to his land, got to walk among his restored prairie and soak in the quiet, see all sorts of wild flowers and watch more fireflies at night than I’ve seen since I was a kid. Scott Rall runs his own business by day and is a conservationist every other second o...

Kelly Blackledge knows her birds! She's so much fun to talk with, especially this time of year during spring migration as the woods, wetlands, lakes and bird feeders start getting busy baby. And, beautifully noisy! It's SO much fun hearing the first sandhill crane of the year, or the loon, or so many other birds we all love. Kelly has over 30 years' experience as an Interpretive Park Ranger and a...

A scuba debacle with my little brother. If you have an adventure story, message me on FB or IG! It would be fun to share it. Thanks for being a part of the Global Grit Experience!

Today’s guest is another kick ass and inspiring person I wanted to share with you. I recorded this episode before I even had a podcast. I love her grit and wanted to share her perspective as a teenager on climate action. Myiesha Antoni is an 18 year-old dual enrollment senior in high school and getting her associates degree. Dang girl. She’s from Henning Minnesota and lobbied for climate action in...

My guest today is Jim Etzel from Hackensack, Minnesota. He’s the owner of Earth is Our Home Environmental Solutions. He’s all about having healthy soils to have healthy food and a healthy world. I met Jim at a recent community event through West Central Initiative and learned about his passion for composting….but not your typical composting. Yep, today, we’re having what he calls, the poop talk. "...

We're asked to make calls, write letters, sign petitions, protest…to make our voices heard to the higher ups in congress. But does it matter? Do our efforts actually ever make it up the food chain to make a difference? I invited Ben Anderson to give us a little insight into this. Ben has worked for three members of congress from Minnesota, the US House Committee on Agriculture, and at the US Depar...

There's no better time than NOW to freshen up our skills on being grounded, centered and living our authentic lives, especially when everything is cray-cray and some of us are about to go off the rails (if we haven't already). I feel 'ya. I’m big into mental health and I’m super excited about my guest, Tessa Wolden, whose going to give us some good tips on how to manage today's roller coaster(s) a...

The rise of populism is wreaking havoc on the environment. Developing critical thinking is...well...critical, as well as challenging our world views. This was kind of a deep dive that I absolutely loved. I learned so much from Dennis in this episode. Dennis Jacobs is a retired physics professor, pilot, and aeronautical engineer. He’s the author of multiple books including The Search for Science an...

Sometimes it's fun to just hear some outdoor adventure stories. This short story was an adventures with my dad.

Van and his wife Sue built a net-zero energy home 12 miles out of Alexandria, MN. As much as I wanted to know how they did it, it was why they did it that intrigued me. Dr. Van Gooch is a retired professor of Biology from the University of Minnesota at Morris, where he taught for 35 years. After retirement, he and Sue set themselves to this challenge. And, even if building a net-zero home isn’t in...

I find it interesting why we do the things we do. And, why we feel compelled to play nicey-nice when it comes to talking about the environment and climate action. I get it. No one, including myself, wants to be beaten over the head with anything, especially 'shoulds', 'coulds' or major ass guilt trips. But yet, we want to take action and action can sometimes be SO damn overwhelming and frustrating...

Today, we’re talking with Pastor Beth Monke. I wanted to talk with Beth to hear about climate action from a religious or spiritual perspective. Beth is a Pastor at the Grove Lake Lutheran Church in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota AND she’s a climate activist! Whoop! Whoop! Beth is the Citizen's Climate Lobby (CCL) co-leader for the Fergus Falls, MN chapter. Beth has a lot of depth and wisdom you'll love...

Dacia Dauner built an outdoor nature school in Bemidji, MN. Picture a combo of a twenty something below winter and kids in cozy yurts for classrooms…. and you have Apple Blossom Nature School. She (and the kids and other teachers) have GRiT! Dacia Dauner is the founder of Apple Blossom Village, a micro-school that provides nature-based programs for kids, families and the community year round.

One of the biggest things we can do for the outdoor places we love and a world we want to see where nature is priority and not a commodity is to get engaged politically, learn about and support environmental candidates and VOTE for the environment. Speaking up, standing up and voting for nature takes GRiT… but like I say, nature deserves our grit, right? Let’s learn a few tips on what we can do an...

The Global Grit Experience is about having GRIT... passion and perseverance and an unwavering dedication to protecting nature despite challenges. And there are a lot of challenges out there right now, holy hell. Especially for the environment. But, having grit can sound exhausting, right? Especially when we’re worn out, overwhelmed and want to hide under the covers. So, I thought it would be good...