High-impact interviews for those who love adventure and the outdoors. Host and journalist Shelby Stanger interviews world-class explorers, athletes, authors, scientists, health experts and entrepreneurs about how they’ve taken their own wild ideas and made them a reality, so you can too. Some of the wildest ideas can lead to the most rewarding adventures.
W
Wild Ideas Worth Living


1
Parkour and Embracing Identity with Sara Mudallal
31:02
31:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:02
Sara Mudallal was 20 years old when she decided to try parkour. She also decided to start wearing a hijab as an expression of her Muslim identity. Over the years, plenty of people told her to stop practicing parkour because of her gender or her faith. But Sara has kept her head up, found success in the world of parkour, and inspired thousands of pe…
Faith Dickey is one of the greatest highliners in the world. In 2012, Faith broke the record for the longest free solo, that's highlining without a safety harness. Then in 2014, she became the first woman to cross a highline over 100 meters long. Connect with Faith: Instagram Faith's company, Elevate Outdoors Guiding Faith's TEDx Talk, Deciphering …
Melissa Kegler is an elite open-water swimmer who specializes in cold water, long distance swims. She recently broke the U.S. national distance record for IISA’s Ice Mile event. Her goal goes beyond excelling in this extreme sport. Melissa is committed to fostering an inclusive community focusing on body positivity and self-love. Connect with Melis…
In the fall of 2022, the Oregon Symphony hired Deanna Tham as their new associate conductor. Deanna is incredibly talented and she's an expert at drawing out rich sounds from large orchestras. When she needs to let loose Deanna goes rock climbing. You might think that scaling rock faces has nothing to do with conducting an orchestra, but for Deanna…
Nirvana Ortanez is a former pro park rider who was once sponsored by Salomon. She has been a change maker in the sport. Early on, Nirvana was one of the original members of Jet Pack 5000, a group of women who empowered other female snowboarders through film. More recently, Nirvana co-founded Soy Sauce Nation, a community for Asian snowboarders. Con…
W
Wild Ideas Worth Living


1
Culture and Ultra Running with Brandon Dugi
27:32
27:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:32
Brandon Dugi is a competitive ultra runner who grew up in LeChee, Arizona, a small community in the Navajo nation. He runs several miles a day and competes in ultra races around the southwest. By becoming part of this larger running community, Brandon has made meaningful connections with other athletes and brands with the goal to celebrate and shar…
W
Wild Ideas Worth Living


1
Veteran turned Everest Climber with Dom Mullins
30:22
30:22
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:22
In May of 2022, a group of 11 climbers became the first all-Black expedition to summit Mount Everest. The team was called Full Circle Everest, and their climb was written about by journalists all over the world. Full Circle was made up of outdoor experts, climbers, teachers, skiers, and snowboarders. There was also one US Army veteran on the expedi…
W
Wild Ideas Worth Living


1
Exploring Tree Canopies with Nalini Nadkarni
31:35
31:35
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:35
Nalini Nadkarni is an ecologist who helped revolutionize the study of forest canopies. In 1980, Nalini started using mountain climbing techniques to ascend to the treetops in the Costa Rican rainforest. When Nalini isn't traversing tree canopies, she's advocating for environmental conservation and education. Her goal is to reach a broad audience wi…
W
Wild Ideas Worth Living


1
The Wisdom of Expeditions with Conrad Anker
29:38
29:38
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
29:38
Conrad Anker is a legendary mountaineer and one of the most prolific explorers alive today. He has successfully ascended and completed dozens of major mountain expeditions, including summiting Mount Everest three times. In today’s episode, Conrad shares with us the wisdom gained along the way. Connect with Conrad: Website Instagram Resources: Liste…
Lisa Thompson has climbed 14 mountains in the last 14 years. She has reached the seven highest summits on each continent, scaled many mountains in the Himalayas, and in 2018 she became the second American woman to climb the treacherous K2 in Pakistan. Connect with Lisa: Website Alpine Athletics Instagram Purchase Lisa's new book, Finding Elevation …
In July of 2022, Greg Nance returned from an adventure of a lifetime. He ran across America, from New York to Washington State, in 84 days. For Greg, this cross country run wasn't just about checking the experience off his bucket list. Greg was running to raise funds for his youth mental health organization, Run Far Foundation. Connect with Greg: I…
W
Wild Ideas Worth Living


1
BONUS EPISODE with The Trail Ahead Podcast
1:28:53
1:28:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:28:53
This week we have a BONUS EPISODE featuring The Trail Ahead podcast hosted by Faith E. Briggs and Addie Thompson. On the show, Addie and Faith bring together guests from all walks of life. They interview activists, artists, athletes, climate scientists and outdoor industry leaders to discuss representation and access to the outdoors. For this conve…
2022 was a pretty amazing year for Wild Ideas Worth Living. We released fifty episodes this year and interviewed some pretty awe-inspiring guests. We learned so much about healing in nature, being present, the value in moving our bodies, and creating equal access to the great outdoors. We talked about food and plants and gear, about mountains and c…
Whether we’re hiking a favorite trail or mountain biking for the first time, one of the benefits of adventuring outside is that we get to move our bodies. Katy Bowman is a body movement specialist who has written several books, including the bestseller, Move Your DNA. For decades, Katy has studied the science behind how our bodies react to living a…
Meg Fisher is one of the greatest para cyclists in the world. Twenty years ago, Meg was in a car accident that changed her life. During her recovery, she fell in love with physical therapy and pursued it professionally. She also discovered cycling thanks to an energetic service dog. Meg excelled in the sport and quickly began competing, gaining spo…
Growing up in poverty with little access to outdoor adventure sports, Ryan Hudson never imagined he’d be snowboarding in big-time competitions and exploring the mountains of Alaska. Today, he’s taken expeditions with renowned athletes, starred in an adventure film, and he’s sponsored by brands like the North Face and Sierra Nevada. Ryan’s journey f…
Mauricio Artiñano, a former mission planning officer with the United Nations, has worked to bridge the gap between former combatants and civilians with a pretty wild idea - white-water rafting. Connect with Mauricio: Instagram Facebook Twitter Resources: Caguan Expeditions Episode sponsors: Danner Check out REI’s Fall 2022 Editor’s Choice Awards…
Evelynn Escobar is a changemaker in the outdoor industry who’s building her movement a little differently. As the founder of Hike Clerb, Evelynn has taken an intentional approach to building a fun, stylish and inclusive community. As a result, Hike Clerb has achieved an incredible amount of success. They’ve worked with several well-known brands and…
W
Wild Ideas Worth Living


1
Motorcycles and Mindfulness with Monica Ramos
30:04
30:04
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:04
In 2021, yoga instructor Monica Ramos packed up her home and went on a motorcycle adventure with her husband and their eight-year-old daughter. The family of three left their home in Costa Rica and rode for four months: one month to get to Mexico and more than two months exploring every corner of the country. On the trip, Monica learned to incorpor…
In 2017, Stacy Bare took fellow veterans back to Iraq, where they had all served during the war. The team skied some of the highest mountains in the country and made an award-winning film called Adventure Not War. Now, since becoming a father to daughter Wilder, and weathering a global pandemic, Stacy’s work looks a little different. Instead of bri…
Emily Ford loves winter. She does most of her adventuring during the coldest months of the year in the most frigid parts of the U.S. In March of 2021, Emily became the first woman and the first Black person on record to complete the Ice Age Trail, a 1,200 mile trek that winds through the state of Wisconsin. In March of 2022, she completed a 28 day …
Halloween approaches, and spending time outside is a little spookier than usual. As it gets dark earlier and leaves start to fall, our minds can run wild with visions of unknown creatures hiding in lakes or slithering across trails. Weston Davis - host of REI's Camp Monster podcast - tells the stories of these “impossible” creatures, and folks of a…
Outdoor romance novelist Stacy Gold gave up her day job at a mountain biking nonprofit to write steamy romance novels. Her characters are strong, adventurous women - and the men who can’t resist them. Stacy has released four award-winning books, including her newest novel Wild at Heart, with more on the way. Writing romance novels that take place i…
W
Wild Ideas Worth Living


1
Bridging the Continental Divide with Teresa Martinez
29:34
29:34
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
29:34
Teresa Martinez knows all about building trails. She’s spent the last 30 years working on some of the longest and most well-known trails across the country. Her latest project is to connect the Continental Divide Trail so that thru-hikers can follow the 1,200 mile path from the Mexico/New Mexico border to Montana and Canada without having to walk o…
Louie Gong is one of the most successful Native American visual artists in the country. At the beginning of his artistic career, he wanted to find a way to sell and license his work without having to go through a gallery or museum. So he founded his own company, Eighth Generation. The brand started in 2008 in Louie’s 200 square foot living room, an…