The Trail Ahead

In the last episode of Season 3, Faith and Addie recap the season, share their reflections and discuss the tension of holding both hope and motivation to continue to make change. The hosts recount past guest conversations, learnings they’ve taken away from these discussions and questions they get asked most as they continue to tackle the dialogue on The Trail Ahead. Plus, we welcome Faith back aft...

Mauricio (Mau) Díaz is the CEO and co-founder of Aire Libre Running. Aire Libre designs and operates running and hiking experiences around the world that connect participants to new places and cultures through sustainable tourism. Mau is from Mexico City, Mexico and enjoys exploring the mountains around the city by foot (often accompanied by his dog). He is an ultrarunner and lululemon ambassador....

Kayla Jeter is a Cleveland Ohio native, former professional volleyball player, mindset coach, personal trainer, stress-management coach and wellness entrepreneur. She is the founder of #100MilesofSummer, a global running community and  founder of Soho House Chicago Run Club. Kayla is a global Lululemon ambassador and a member of the Lululemon FURTHER initiative. On this episode, Addie is joined by...

Ambreen Tariq is a Muslim, an immigrant, an activist, and an outdoor enthusiast. She describes herself as a proud feminist and an advocate for social justice in American society. She’s the founder of @BrownPeopleCamping, a social media initiative that uses digital storytelling to celebrate people of color in the outdoor community. Ambreen is also the author of Fatima’s Great Outdoors, a children’s...

Chelsea Murphy is an outdoor advocate, enthusiast, creative, and inspirer. She is the mother of three, and is on a mission to create a better, more inclusive outdoor culture for her mixed children. Born in San Diego, CA and raised in Tacoma, WA she has always had a connection with nature and the outdoors. After moving to the mountains, she immediately recognized the lack of diversity in outdoor ad...

This week the Trail Ahead brings you an episode by Immigrantly, "a boundary-pushing, border-crossing podcast that gives diverse voices and stories home." Their guest, Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada, is a Colombian-American athlete, activist, and environmental sociologist who is always on the move. From the freezing valleys of Alaska to the cloud forests of Colombia, Vanessa spends her days' hiking, sk...

Yatika Starr Fields, is a Painter and Muralist who lives and works in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Yatika Fields is part of the Cherokee, Creek and Osage Tribes. He is also a Bear clan member. While attending the Art Institute of Boston from 2000 to 2004, he became interested in Graffiti aesthetics, which has been integral to his knowledge and process along with Landscape painting- and continues to influence...

Brittany Leavitt is the co-founder of Brown Girls Climb, a lifelong educator and someone who loves the outdoors. We talk with her about what it means to be shifting careers to be the full-tome CEO of Brown Girls Climb and how she first came to the outdoors. Hint: Her career day outfit in Elementary School says a lot!   Brittany has always connected to the outdoors, from the mountains in upstate Ne...

Stefanie is an ultra trail and road runner located in the Front Range of Colorado. She is the 2021 USATF 100-mile road champion and course record holder (6th fastest all-time American woman for the distance). She is also a foot and ankle surgeon alongside her husband, with a passion for treating athletes. Stefanie is passionate about increasing BIPOC representation in distance running and newly a...

Ahmad Related Links:   Lebanon Mountain Trail https://www.lebanontrail.org/home   We Got Next https://www.we-got-next.org/   Info on Dearborn https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/how-dearborn-michigan-became-the-heart-of-arab-america-1.117177 https://www.michiganradio.org/arts-culture/2014-07-09/what-explains-michigans-large-arab-american-community   Debrief Guest: Maytha Alhassen https://...

In this conversation with Mirna Valerio, ultramarathoner, cyclist, skier, author, and so much more, we start with the origin story of how she fell in love with running and then dive into what it means to know and love your body in all of its stages - especially during recovery. We also talk about her memoir,  A Beautiful Work in Progress, what she is excited about next, ansd how she's pushing her...

Everett is a curator, organizer, and adventure cyclist currently based in the coastal mountains of a region now known as Santa Cruz, CA. For over a decade they've been using bicycle travel as a way of exploring their relationship to the worlds within and without. As a trans and genderqueer adventure cyclist they find themself seeking out the in between places, finding trails and unpaved roads to c...

Ingrid Backstrom has been a professional skier for over twenty years and is a household name and someone widely considered a “legend” in the world of free skiing. She is also a mother, a filmmaker, and co-founder of S.A.F.E. A.S. backcountry clinics. In this conversation we discuss Ingrid’s professional skiing career and her journey as a woman in a male-dominated sport. We also talk about her work...

Grace Anderson is a dreamer, a builder, and a Black queer feminist who writes and imagines futures where choice is a human right. In this conversation we discuss why she loves to giggle and fly downhills on her bike, solo adventures in the outdoors, the importance of journaling, and learning that it's important to build what you're for and not what you're against. Faith and Grace also talk a lot a...

Welcome back to Season 3 of The Trail Ahead, hosted by Faith E. Briggs & Addie Thompson.   In this episode they reflect on why bringing together their multiplicities of identity is essential to their theory of change - which is (clumsily) that with a multi-racial dialogue that seeks to amplify the voices on the frontlines of environmental justice they can encourage more people to fall in love with...

In January 2021 we sat down for what became a 3 hour conversation with the legendary Selema Masekela. We laughed, we cried, and by the end we realized we were undeniably tethered for life, a beautiful heart tether. We've had many people ask to hear the whole conversation, rather than the more edited 1 hour conversation we put out in April 2021. In this episode we go into beautiful stories about Se...

This week we feature an episode of a podcast we love that is also working toward a more inclusive and community minded outdoor community: The Outside Voices Podcast. Outside Voices Podcast: https://www.outsidevoicespodcast.com/ Outside Voices on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outsidevoicespodcast/ Cassandra Lam of Collective Rest & The Cosmos: https://www.collective-rest.com/ Article about T...

  Connect with Evelynn: Instagram Hike Clerb’s  Instagram Hike Clerb’s  website Read more on REI’s  Uncommon Path Watch  REI Co-op Studios, “To Touch the Earth”

Additional Links   Learn more about Erin McGrady from a previous project Faith and Erin worked on. Who is A Runner: Erin McGrady, co-directed by Faith E. Briggs & Tim Kemple

Kamilah Journét is a long-distance runner, environmentalist, and brand marketing strategist. She discovered her love for running in junior high and continued competing in Cross Country and Track at high school and collegiate levels. She joins The Trail Ahead for a conversation about: - creating a space of belonging in the outdoors  - embracing a changing identity as a runner - not running (imagine...

Quote: “When I look at nature, queerness is everywhere. The flowers in my backyard cannot pollinate each other without bees. So they're multi-species sexual. They literally have carriers that carry their pollen from flower to flower - that is so queer! The more time I spend out in nature, the more I'm reminded at just how natural I am. And that's really reassuring coming from a kid who was told th...

In today’s episode, Faith is joined by Adam Merry. Adam is an accomplished track and trail runner. He started trail running back in 2017 and has since raced distances, both on road and trail, of up to 100k. In this conversation, Faith and Adam talk about the importance of diversity and representation in running, both in track and trail.  Adam shares his introduction to running and how he fell in l...

As the summer comes to a close we are excited to share a few updates. Tune in to learn about all that's taking place with us, why Faith isn't in this episode and what's to come in the coming weeks. We always appreciate each of our listeners for continuing to support us and are happy to share some amazing life updates. We hop you'll take the time to binge some past episodes as we take some time to...

Dr. Peyton Thomas is a truly impressive individual. She’s a scientist living in Boulder, Colorado, who is also an active and avid ultra-distance runner. She holds a PhD in marine biology, is a sponsored trail athlete, and has also competed in the Olympic trials. She joins The Trail Ahead today to discuss the climate, ocean, and the joys and challenges of trail running. Dr. Peyton Thomas starts by...

Carolyn Finney is a storyteller, author, and a cultural geographer who is deeply interested in issues related to identity, difference, creativity, and resilience. She’s focused on developing greater cultural competency within environmental organizations, institutions, and the overall environmental movement. As the author of “ Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Ameri...