Wild Ideas Worth Living

Lisa Jhung is a writer, trail runner, and ultramarathon pacer who first began pacing runners more than 25 years ago. Drawn to the challenge and camaraderie of endurance sports, she's helped athletes through some of the most demanding miles of their lives. What keeps her returning to the trail is the opportunity to support someone else's big goal and be part of their journey to the finish line. Con...

Lucy Barnard is an Australian adventurer walking the length of the Americas, a years long expedition from Argentina to Alaska she began in 2017. Along the way, she adopted a blue heeler named Wombat, and together they navigate deserts, mountains, jungles, and remote terrain on foot. By 2026, Lucy had reached northern British Columbia, steadily continuing north toward Alaska. Connect with Lucy:  We...

On June 12, 2025, 15 year old Tasia Linwood set out to kayak 310 miles down the Klamath River, from southern Oregon to the coast of northern California. She went with several other young Indigenous kayakers, from different tribes who live along the river. Their journey marked the first descent of the Klamath after the removal of four dams, which her community had fought for for decades. Connect wi...

Liam Garner is a long distance cyclist who set out at 17 to bike from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina, completing nearly 20,000 miles and becoming the youngest person to ride the length of the Americas. Now, Liam is continuing his global cycling journey, riding roughly 15,000 miles from Portugal through Europe, the Middle East, and Asia toward Singapore as part of his goal to bike across...

Lindsay Branham is an environmental psychologist exploring how we build deeper, more reciprocal relationships with nature. Her work invites us to go beyond simply spending time outside and consider what it might look like to truly listen and even communicate with trees. Connect with Lindsay:  Website  Instagram Purchase Lindsay's book, Heartwood: The Wisdom and Healing Kinship of Trees  Thank you...

Yassine Diboun is a Portland-based ultrarunner and coach who found endurance sports during recovery from addiction. After signing up for his first triathlon in 2004 to bring structure to his life, he discovered a talent for running that quickly evolved into a career in ultramarathons. Since then, he has become one of the sport’s most respected athletes, with top 10 finishes at Western States 100,...

Joe Holder is a Nike Master Trainer and GQ fitness columnist with a track record of coaching elite athletes and high profile clients. Grounded in a background in health and wellness, he brings a practical approach to endurance training and overall fitness. His work spans marathon training, thru hike preparation, and strategies to support long term health and performance. Connect with Joe:  Instagr...

In January 2026, Taryn Smith became the third American woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, completing a 46 day Atlantic Ocean crossing in open water conditions. With no rowing experience beforehand, she leaned on a foundation built through world travel, the New York City Marathon, and summers exploring Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains. Website Instagram Thank you to our sponsors:  Capital One a...

Shane Schieffer is an endurance swimmer who spent more than 15 years dreaming of a full length swim of Lake Powell, the desert reservoir stretching from Utah into Arizona. In September 2025, he became the first person to complete it, covering 140 miles in 11 days while towing 215 pounds of gear. The route carried him through a remote landscape of sand colored canyons, rock formations, and isolated...

Nikki Bettis turned a simple hike on the Appalachian Trail into an audacious plan to thru hike the entire trail with her fifteen kids, ranging in age from 4 to 21. As a single mom in rural Virginia facing financial and emotional strain, Nikki hoped the physical challenge and months spent outdoors together could help her family reconnect and find a way forward. Connect with Nikki:  Website Instagra...

Adventurer Garrett Gee turned a four month family trip in 2015 into The Bucket List Family, documenting world travel with his wife, Jessica, and their kids. What began as videos shared on YouTube and Instagram became a global family travel brand with millions of followers, built on experiences from shark diving in South Africa to hot air balloons in Turkey and biking through shrines and gardens in...

In 2023, Dan Rubinstein completed a 1,200 mile stand up paddleboarding journey from Ottawa to New York City and back. His expedition followed rivers and waterways, turning a long distance paddle into a rare blue space adventure. Connect with Dan:  Website  Instagram Purchase Dan's book, Water Borne Explore the REI and Intrepid Travel collections Thank you to our sponsors:  Capital One and  the REI...

Lauren Duke holds a master’s degree in psychology focused on physiology and body based behavior, and studies how movement helps us process emotion. In 2023, she tested that work on a 535 mile Camino de Santiago hike across Spain with her family. The month long trek surfaced unresolved family dynamics, leaving no real option but to keep walking and stay in relationship. Connect with Lauren:  Websit...

Welcome back to Earth, Artemis II crew! In honor of Christina Koch becoming the first woman to travel around the moon, we're rereleasing her episode from 2024.  What if you had an opportunity to travel around the moon? Christina Koch has worked at NASA for the last 10 years, and has been a part of groundbreaking missions in outer space. In 2019, Christina embarked on a 328-day stay on the Internat...

John John Florence is one of the most accomplished surfers in the world. After a 15 year career on the World Surf League Championship Tour, three world titles, and two Olympic appearances, he stepped away from competition to pursue a new wild idea: sailing around the world with his family. Connect with John John:  Instagram  Shop Florence Vote for Wild Ideas Worth Living for Best Branded Podcast!...

Marathon legend Des Linden made history on April 16, 2018, becoming the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years. Over more than a decade at the top of the sport, she raced the biggest marathons in the world, represented the United States at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and set a 50K world record. Last year, on the morning of her 13th Boston Marathon, she announced her retirement...

In 2022, Thomas Bukowski took a risk that felt personal and professional by applying to The North Face athlete development program and pitching himself as a climber worth betting on. As a queer athlete from Hong Kong who found climbing later than most, he has long carried the feeling of being an outsider, then watched that narrative shift when he earned a place on The North Face climbing team. Sin...

Jeff Garmire is a legend in the world of fastest known times with more than 20 FKTs on routes including the Appalachian Trail, Colorado Trail, Arizona Trail, and John Muir Trail. On September 21, 2025, he reached Mount Springer after setting a self supported FKT on the Appalachian Trail, completing the route in 45 days, 8 hours, and 37 minutes.  Connect with Jeff:  Website Instagram Listen to the...

Kimi Werner is a world champion spearfisher, ocean advocate, and chef whose life centers on sustainable fishing, food, and a deep connection to nature. After winning the largest spearfishing competition in the world in 2008, she stepped away from competition to focus on feeding her community and cooking with fish she harvests. Her upcoming cookbook, Kimi’s Kitchen , blends recipes and memoir to ex...

Sofía Gómez Villafañe is a leading American gravel cyclist who broke through with a win at Unbound Gravel 2022 on her first attempt. The result cemented her place among the top gravel racers in the United States after a nontraditional start that began with a used bike her brother found on Craigslist. Sofía shares how her success is driven by clear goal setting, small process driven steps, and a sy...

Kai Jones is one of the most talented young backcountry skiers in the U.S., turning professional at just 13 years old. In early 2023, he broke both of his legs in a backcountry skiing accident, spending months in a wheelchair and questioning whether he’d ever return to the sport. Last season marked a major comeback, as Kai became the youngest skier to descend the Otter Body route on Grand Teton an...

Rob Shaver has been living with stage four cancer for over 20 years. He's had multiple recurrences, been through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, and received more than 60 radiation treatments. In 2020, after he finished chemo to fight his third recurrence, Rob started running and ended up running for 1,175 days straight. About the film: The Life We Have  is a short film about REI San Antonio empl...

Adventurer Mardi Fuller made history in 2021 as the first Black person to hike all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000 foot peaks in winter. The White Mountains are defined by steep, exposed trails, deep snow, extreme winds, and rapidly changing weather that demand constant attention to navigation and risk. Connect with Mardi:  Instagram Thank you to our sponsor: Capital One and  the REI Co-op® Mastercard...

Brother Phap Luu is a Zen Buddhist monk at Deer Park Monastery in Southern California, founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. He co‑authored Hiking Zen , which explores walking and hiking as mindfulness practices that cultivate presence, awareness, and connection to nature. Drawing from monastic life and meditation traditions, Brother Phap Luu shares how slowing down outdoors can help us reconnect...

Ariana Luterman is an endurance athlete whose IRONMAN journey began after a year‑long battle with an unexplained illness that left her extremely weak and often bedridden. In 2023, she completed an IRONMAN just ten months into rebuilding her health and went on to pursue a Guinness World Record for finishing six IRONMAN races on six continents within one year. Connect with Ariana:  Website Instagram...