Wild Ideas Worth Living

Mark’s Wild Idea: To share his family’s story of mental illness and help others. To also choose commitment and love over fear. Mark Lukach is a father, husband, teacher, surfer, bodysurfer, and the author of the new book, My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward , published by Harper Collins and on shelves this month. Six years ago, Mark submitted an essay about his wife’s struggle with mental illness and...

Norah’s Wild Idea: To create an innovative company that makes seafood not only sustainable and delicious, but helps improve the health of the oceans while connecting people with their food and where it comes from. To also empower other young female entrepreneurs to take risks in businesses even in industries primarily dominated by men.  Norah Eddy is the co-founder of Salty Girl, a sustainable sea...

Becky Mendoza and Emi Koch’s Wild Ideas: To advocate for the environment, give back to local communities, travel the world, and encourage other surfers and travelers to use their voices and make a difference. Becky Mendoza is the founder of Changing Tides Foundation, and Emi Koch created Beyond the Surface International. Both non-profits connect surfers and travelers around causes that give back t...

Eric’s Wild Idea: To travel around the world, cook with different cultures, and then inspire others through photography. Eric Wolfinger has been called the Annie Leibovitz of food photography. He’s published over a dozen award-winning books, and done even more photo and film commissions with amazing chefs from around the world. While he wasn’t always a photographer, after college Eric, who was als...

Sarah’s Wild Idea: To bring all of you, to everything you do. To be your most extreme version of yourself and live to your fullest in work and life. And to stop being so afraid of failure. Sarah Robb O’Hagan is the Founder and Chief Extremer of Extreme You. Formerly the President of Gatorade and Equinox, she’s also worked at Nike, Virgin, Air New Zealand, and is currently the CEO of Fly Wheel. Sar...

Chris’s Wild Idea: To establish and climb the most challenging routes in the world.  Chris Sharma is one of climbing’s most accomplished athletes. He started climbing at the young age of twelve in gyms in his native Santa Cruz, CA and now searches out the most difficult, beautiful, and seemingly impossible climbs known to man. He continues to push the limits of what’s possible in the sport, and is...

Amy’s Wild Idea: To impact the world though yoga and activism.  Amy has the dream job of a traveling around the world as a yoga teacher, which she started doing in the 1980s. She has a different take on yoga than many. It’s not just about working out and breathing. The practice of yoga also has ties to activism, which is why Amy does things like take her yoga to the oceans to raise awareness for t...

David’s Wild Idea: To optimize your health, athletic and mental performance, and sex appeal with a plant-based diet and intermittent fasting. David has some unique ideas when it comes to nutrition, fasting, and health. He’s all about using fasting as well as an exclusively plant-based, whole foods diet to promote optimal health and performance. David studied physiology and nutrition at Columbia Un...

Brendan’s Wild Idea: To create a more environmentally and socially sustainable world.  Brendan Brazier is one of the most well know plant-based elite athletes on the planet. He’s the author of bestselling book Thrive, and the founder of several companies including Vega, a plant-based nutrition company. His new magazine, Alive, is available for free at health food stores around the country. He also...

Caroline Paul’s Wild Idea: To overcome fear, cultivate bravery, and encourage others to live with more adventure. Caroline Paul is the New York Times best-selling author of four books, including Fighting Fire, a memoir about being a San Francisco firefighter; the illustrated Lost Cat, A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology; East Wind, Rain; and The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Lif...

Chris Burkard’s Wild Idea: To become an adventure photographer. Wanting to discover the best photographs in nature, Chris Burkard decided to go to the most remote and raw of places. While he was well on his way to become a leading surf photographer, spending most of his time in tropical water, Chris wanted to go to places that were a little more untrammeled by man. He knew a little sacrifice, just...

Kate and Kim’s Wild Idea: To create an athletic company to empower women to cultivate their grit to find their grace. To make women feel good and safe while working out. And to create athletic clothes are are fashionable and effective. Kimberly Caccavo and Kate Nowlan are the founders of activewear brand GracedByGrit. They started this business from scratch, and it has now become a successful comp...

Alana Nichols’ Wild Idea: To become a world-class athlete despite any limits. At 17, Alana was on her way to college on a softball scholarship when she attempted a flip snowboarding, and landed directly on a rock on her back. She suffered a spinal cord injury that left her paraplegic. Instead of giving up sports altogether, Alana transitioned to adaptive sports, quickly becoming a top Olympic comp...

Jaimal Yogis’ Wild Idea: To run away from home as a teen and learn to surf in Hawaii. Then, join a Buddhist Monastery. Next, head to head to Columbia Journalism School and become an award-winning journalist, and then the award-winning author of Saltwater Buddah, the best seller The Fear Project (where Jaimal surfed Maverick’s), Turtles Don’t Surf (an illustrated kids books), and soon to be release...

Bethany Hamilton’s Wild Idea: Surfing giant waves, having a family, giving back to others, and living life to the fullest no matter what. Bethany Hamilton is one of the most empowering surfers of all time. She's had many wild ideas, from continuing to surf despite losing her left arm, to surfing giant waves at Jaws in Maui last year, starting a non-profit to help others, having a baby, speaking in...

Dean’s Wild Idea: To quit his corporate job and become the UltraMarathon Man. Time Magazine called Dean Karnazes one of the most interesting men. He's also one of the fittest men on the planet. On his 30th birthday (after tequila), Dean ran 30 miles non-stop for the first time. Shortly after that big run, he quit a lucrative, cushy job to become a long-distance, as in ULTRA-distance, runner. Since...

James Nestor’s Wild Idea: To leave the corporate life for a job as a freelance writer, then learn to freedive and uncover an entire world of science beneath the surface of the ocean that lead to an award-winning book, Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves About a decade ago, James Nestor knew he wanted to quit his job, but he had no idea he’d become a free...

Alison Teal’s Wild Idea: To Travel the World, Thrive and Get The Highest PSI (Primaries Survival Rating) of Discovery Channel’s Naked and Afraid Season 1, and Make Movies That Get People to Pay Attention to Plastic Pollution and Protecting Our Environment. There’s a reason Oprah Magazine calls Alison Teal the “Oprah of Adventures” and Time calls her the “Female Indiana Jones.” While you and I were...

Ryan and Nicole’s Wild Idea: To leave San Diego, their jobs and house to sail to French Polynesia. Now they are sharing their awesome story and you can find out how. Ryan and Nicole Levinson of Two Afloat set sail for French Polynesia two years ago to pursue a dream. Taking on such a feat requires tons of preparation, but there’s only so much you can do on land to prepare for the unknown sea. Even...

As a young boy, Joel Van der Loon grew up in South Africa and Tanzania, and has always been somewhat of a “wild child.” He and his dad grew up in a remote area of Africa, where he learned from the Massai, then sailed around the world, and lived a life very connected to animals and the untrammeled outdoors. Find out about the lessons Joel’s learned from the Massai tribe, his cultural shock in movin...

Have you ever wanted to skateboard down the freeway?! Me too, except please don’t try that at home because you will most likely die! Cindy Whitehead managed to sneak in a session on the L.A.’s busiest freeway one day and also did some other wild things. She was one of the first females to get a centerfold plus two-page article in a men’s skateboard magazine, and she’s become a renowned sports styl...

Running across the entire United States of America is no easy feat. How about doing and training while working a full-time job?! Pete Kostelnick recently finished doing just that. Starting in San Francisco and finishing in New York, Pete logged about 72 miles a day on his feet running, with only one day off. It took him 42 days, six hours and 30 minutes for a total of 3,067 miles. They have been c...

Have you ever want to quit your job, uproot your life and do something crazy like SHATTER a record, ski at your favorite resorts around the globe, fall in love and get a HUGE book deal. Meet Steph Jagger. Steph grew up with a good family, and had a great job in good old Canada, eh’!? She was working in public relations for major companies, made enough money to buy a new house and go skiing on week...

Have you ever wanted to sail around the world, climb a mountain, travel to a new country, learn a new skill, start a business, write a book, or get in the best shape of your life? Wild Ideas Worth Living is podcast dedicated toward empowering others to take a break from the mundane and live out their wildest ideas. Host and Adventure/ Business Journalist, Shelby Stanger, interviews world-class exp...