Wild Ideas Worth Living

Textured Waves is a surf collective that aims to introduce more women of color to riding waves.  The co-founders of Textured Waves, Chelsea Woody, Danielle Black Lyons, Gigi Lucas and Martina Duran, are working to encourage and represent women of color who surf. Textured Waves recently partnered with the women’s surf brand Seaa on a short film called Sea Us Now , which reimagines vintage surf cult...

There is a lot of confusing, conflicting information around exercise and pregnancy. When pro cyclist Laura King became pregnant, she didn’t want to lose touch with the amazing biking community that she had built in Richmond, Vermont. Without a guidebook, Laura had to experiment and listen to her body to figure out what worked for her. Listen to today’s episode to hear what Laura has learned about...

Jesse Huey is a professional climber who spends much of his time clambering up icy mountains, frozen waterfalls and other alpine landscapes. Climbing allows Jesse to push his own limits as well as build strong friendships with fellow climbers.  The tight-knit climbing community was the inspiration for a climbing route he completed in the Wyoming wilderness to honor his late friend Hayden Kennedy....

Joe Kudla seems like one of those people who has 36 hours in a day. He’s dedicated to yoga and breath work, he loves being a dad and he is the CEO and founder of Vuori Clothing. After years of struggling to find his true calling, Joe learned how to prioritize both a healthy spirit, a healthy business, and a healthy personal life. Now, Joe’s created a multi-million dollar, fast-growing company that...

Years of hard work and training have landed “Mighty” Meagan Martin as a mainstay on the NBC show American Ninja Warrior, where she completes hardcore obstacle courses. Meagan is a born athlete and competitor, but she considers herself lucky to have found climbing as a young child. Now, climbing is her greatest passion, and she is working to make the sport more accessible to everyone. Connect with...

Amber Pierce started cycling in her early twenties, and within a year, she went pro. She signed her first professional contract with the WEBCOR Builders Pro Cycling Team in 2006. Since then, Amber has won more than 60 individual races across 5 continents. Now, Amber is all about encouraging healthy competition among women athletes. With the work of her non-profit Network for Advancing Athletes, sh...

With more than 740,000 active members and counting, GirlTrek is the largest health movement and nonprofit for Black women and girls in the country. They are on a mission to inspire one million Black women to walk in the direction of their healthiest, most fulfilled lives by the end of 2020. GirlTrek kicked off their Black History Bootcamp series on June 1st – the Bootcamp is an epic 21-day walking...

Joe Gray is an accomplished trail, mountain, and snowshoe runner. He was the first Black athlete to make the Team USA World Mountain Running Team and the first Black American to win the U.S.A. National Mountain Running Championships, which he has now done 18 times. But even with all this success, Joe is frustrated by the lack of diversity not only in pro running, but also in media coverage and spo...

While the COVID-19 pandemic has been keeping a lot of us humans indoors, the wildlife is taking advantage of the lack of human presence. Animals have been spotted in places where we don’t usually see them: playing in waterways, making homes under boardwalks and taking back their natural habitats. One place they’ve been seeing way more animals than usual? Yosemite National Park, where bobcats, bear...

Having a dog during the COVID-19 pandemic seems like a blessing: they provide an excuse to get outside (safely!), they are always up for some quality time and pets, and they can provide some entertainment and maybe even a little laughter. No one knows the joys and comforts of being a dog owner more than photographer and author Ben Moon. His recent book, Denali, is all about how his pup helped him...

To celebrate REI's 82nd anniversary and our Anniversary Sale , we asked some past guests to share their favorite stories about being in the great outdoors. Escape with Sal Masekela, Chris McDougall, Bonnie Tsui and more as they share stories about close encounters with wildlife, trips gone awry and the power of being outside. What is your favorite memory of being in the great outdoors? We want to...

During these weird times of the COVID-19 Pandemic, one thing that can make us all feel a bit better is laughter. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your mental health is to stop reading the news and instead read or watch something that makes you smile. To help us find something to laugh at, past guest, adventurer and illustrator Brendan Leonard joins the show to share where he’s finding inspi...

With everyone spending most of their time at home during this COVID-19 Pandemic, many are turning to their kitchens to provide comfort and entertainment. There has been a particular rise in people baking their own bread. Maybe it’s because grocery stores were running out of this staple, or maybe it’s because it’s a fun, time intensive but relatively simple baking project. Previous guest Eric Wolfi...

If you are struggling to adapt to the physical and emotional challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, you are not alone. Latoya Shauntay Snell is a pro athlete and inclusivity advocate who was training for her first triathlon when the isolation orders hit in New York City, and her life, routines and plans have all been disrupted. But Latoya says this is just another hurdle to clear and that we’re goin...

James Nestor’s new book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art dives deep into the art and science of breathing. He participated in experiments, spoke with experts, and studied ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo to learn about humans’ beliefs around breath. Modern research shows us that changing the way we breathe can impact our athletic performance, rejuvenate o...

Like many of you, we had some big plans for spring and summer, and we got ahead on the podcast, but life happens and things shift. So, we're taking the next few months to create new timely podcasts for you that hopefully make your days a little brighter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mike Posner is a Grammy-nominated pop artist who decided to walk across the United States to see if a cross-country walk would help him become someone he was proud of. He started his trek in April of 2019, but it nearly ended when he was bitten by a rattlesnake en route. As it turns out, a rattlesnake bite wasn't enough to stop Mike. He eventually finished the walk and learned a lot about himself...

In 1974, Ben Finley and his friend Art Clay founded the National Brotherhood of Skiers, the largest group of African American skiers in the country. The NBS aims to get more skiers of color out in the mountains, and to send black skiers to the Olympics and Paralympics. On today’s episode, Ben Finley (who is now 81 and still skiing regularly) and his co founder Art Clay tell Shelby about the NBS’s...

When Shanti Hodges had her son Mason, she knew she wanted to share her love of nature with him. She saw a lack of organized outdoor activities for families and decided to do something about it. She ended up helping thousands of families get outside and get active. Her organization Hike It Baby has grown from an informal gathering in Portland, OR, to a nation-wide network of parents and children hi...

When a heckler disrespected plus-size runner Latoya Shauntay Snell during the 2017 New York Marathon, she couldn’t help returning fire. After her personal essay about the incident went viral, Latoya became an inspiration to people who were tired of being told they can’t be proud of who they are or can’t achieve the goals they want. The experience spurred her on to become an advocate for inclusivit...

If you’re an adventurer who likes to get out into the mountains, you’ve probably noticed first hand that our winters are being impacted by climate change. In 2007, professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones decided to take action by founding Protect Our Winters, an organization that works to solve the global climate crisis through educational, activist and community based projects. Jeremy and other ath...

The total isolation you encounter in Antarctica can be monotonous, but the profound beauty Chris Fagan discovered there made her realize silence isn’t to be filled, it’s to be felt. With climate change threatening the possibility to explore some of the wildest places on earth, Chris Fagan and her husband Marty made a decision to leave their 12-year old son at home and break a dangerous world recor...

In the 2019 season of Wild Ideas Worth Living we dove a little deeper. Instead of just focusing on individuals, we talked about themes—mindfulness, facing fear, how to unplug, how to win an Academy Award (okay that happened after one of our guests came on the show) and so much more. Today's show is a recap of some of our best moments, advice, quotes from fan favorites, and a few outtakes. I am als...

Melissa Hartwig Urban is the powerhouse founder of the Whole30 program which, in the last decade, has amassed a huge following and helped thousands of people reset their own health, habits, and relationship with food. The mom, author, and health and wellness advocate has also recently started spending more time in the great outdoors. Melissa is also the author the new book Whole30 Friends & Fa...

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Mick Ebeling believes that nothing is impossible, forever. In 2009 Mick met Tempt One, a graffiti artist who had been paralyzed by ALS. Without any experience in ocular technology, Mick launched himself into a project called the EyeWriter to help Tempt communicate and draw again using his eyes. That project helped launched Not Impossible Labs, an award-winning incub...