Adventure Sports Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 1023: Playing Soccer on Kilimanjaro - Revisited - Laura Youngson Apr 18, 2024

Show notes

Back in 2017 while sitting on the couch and watching sports news coverage, Laura noticed the dismal amount of time dedicated to women’s sports. What struck her the most was “the fact that there are more stories about horses than women in the sports pages”. Being a proficient soccer player herself and experiencing the frustrations of minimal coverage and a general lack of opportunities, she decided to do something about it.

A quick Google Maps search and a few emails later, Laura devised a plan to elevate women’s sports higher than it has ever gone, literally. The idea was to gather a group of women to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and play an official game of soccer near the summit.

The journey became a gathering of 60 women from around the world with referees, goals, etc. all climbing above 18,000 ft. to play a soccer game. Their efforts stand as a Guinness World Record, a testament to their dedication to raising the coverage and opportunity for women in sports, and was the genesis of Equal Playing Field, a non-profit Laura co-founded.

After the success of climbing Kilimanjaro, Laura continued to chase Guinness World Record soccer matches to raise awareness for women in sports and show the world women can do anything. The lowest elevation soccer game was played at the Dead Sea in 2018, and two world records were achieved in France thereafter for the most nationalities represented in a soccer game.

The long-term action Laura has taken is through her startup, Ida Sports, which is aiming to create a soccer boot specific to women, something that has never been done successfully, but something needed due to fundamental differences in men's and women’s feet.

If you learn anything from Laura, it’s that you shouldn’t be afraid of going down a path no one has ever gone before, especially if a better world is on the other side.

To learn more about Laura and her work:

Idasports.co @idasports

Equalplayingfield.com @equalplayingfieldinitiative

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Ep. 1023: Becoming a Better Outdoor Leader - Jeanette Stawski Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

There is no one "right way" to lead--you don’t have to be the fastest, strongest, or most experienced to be a great leader. What the best leaders possess is a deep commitment to the greater good.

Drawing on her decades of experience as a national outdoor leader, Jeannette Stawski explores the elements of transformative leadership. Using real-life examples from the outdoors and every day, she focuses on the essentials: resilience, grit, integrity, tolerance for adversity, and highly developed listening and communication skills.

Whether you spend time in city parks, on mountains, in rivers, or beyond, you know that nature is a powerful teacher. Stawski shares inspiring stories from a range of outdoor enthusiasts and professionals, including Elyse Rylander, Kenji Haroutunian, Joe Stone, Stacy Bare, Victoria Lopez-Herrera, and more, as well as key principles from the Cornell Outdoor Education program, co-directed by Karel Hilversum.

Jeannette Stawski serves as executive director for the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE). She is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and a Certified Executive Coach. She was the director of Outdoor Adventures at the University of Michigan for eleven years and has worked as a professional outdoor guide, a wilderness medicine instructor, and NOLS instructor. She is currently the chair of the Coalition for Outdoor Access (COA) and lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband and their two children.

Learn more and buy The Outdoor Leader from our good friends at Mountaineers.org.

www.leadingvaliantly.com

www.aore.org

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Ep. 1022: The Backyard Adventurer - Revisited - Beau Miles Apr 13, 2024

Show notes

Originally aired July 20th, 2020

Beau has an incredible eye for turning the ordinary into extraordinary adventures. His stories, films, and book, The Backyard Adventurer, will make you want to get out of your chair and do something “different”.

His projects are simple but profound. From deciding to walk to work, to making an office out of junk material, to kayaking across the Bass Straight from Australia to Tanzania, Beau’s outlook is a mix of Thoreau, Kerouac, with a lot more comedic relief!

Please be sure to check out his very entertaining YouTube channel here.

His book, The Backyard Adventurer, is available: www.beaumiles.com

Instagram: @beauisms

Facebook: @beaumilesfilm

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Ep. 1021: Sharing Your Adventure Knowledge - Jerome Rand Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

Jerome joins us for his fourth interview on ASP! What’s also unique is that this is the third time we’ve interviewed Jerome in person. As you’ll hear, it’s a totally different type of conversation than a virtual interview.

Today we’re talking about the importance of giving back on your adventure knowledge. All of us that adventure have an obligation to at least introduce and invite those around us to also get out there. Don’t make your adventure pursuits about you and only you. However, it’s totally fine to have solo adventures, but make sure you share that knowledge, experience, and life-changing power with others at some point along your journey.

Jerome, a world-class solo sailer, is going to tell us some stories around his first big attempt to share that knowledge with a few up and coming sailors.

Learn more about Jerome:

Website: https://www.sailingintooblivion.com/

YouTube: Sailing Into Oblivion: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSzlhcmiF7vav6CNly7rUpw

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/sailingintooblivion/

His podcast: https://www.sailingintooblivion.com/podcasts

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Ep. 1020: Storm Chasing & Global Exploration - Revisited - George Kourounis Apr 04, 2024

Show notes

Originally aired on September 18, 2015

Since a young boy, George Kourounis has been intrigued with Earth's forces of nature and the amazing weather patterns it throws at us. His adventurous life has landed him in the midde of tornadoes, deep inside caves 900 ft below ground, huricanes, forest fires and erupting volcanoes. George shares his passion for this way of life as the host of Angry Planet and has filmed various documentaries includng some for the National Geographic Channel, CNN and the BBC.

https://www.instagram.com/george_kourounis/

www.furiousearth.com/

www.cloud9tours.com

Come meet Mason at an upcoming film screening of Inches to Miles: https://athleticbrewing.com/pages/inches-to-miles

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Ep. 1019: Trekking Across the Namibian Desert - Gillian Millar Apr 01, 2024

Show notes

When Gillian was facing devastating challenges in her life, her husband, Aaron (ASP alumni), suggested she do an epic adventure to help process the grief and loss. Gillian decided to join a group of women that were aiming to be the first all-women group to trek across the Namibian Desert. By Gillian’s own admission, this adventure was terrifying and she was not remotely capable of completing it when she committed to do it.

Through months of training, planning, and preparing, Gillian set out with 17 other women from 12 nationalities to trek across the Namibian Desert. They collectively raised close to USD $70,000 for female survivors of war through Women on a Mission. Their mutual dedication to this cause not only pushed them beyond what they thought were their limits, but also wove the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

The expedition covered 144km (89.5 miles) over 5 days, scalings over 4,000 meters of the some of the world’s tallest sand dunes.

Gillian said of the adventure:

“The journey was an exhilarating mix of challenge and wonder, with long days of hiking in the searing heat juxtaposed with nights camping in the biting cold and howling winds as we neared the wild Atlantic coast. Our final evening was spent beneath a canopy of stars, beside a century-old shipwreck and amidst seal colonies.”

Are you in need of something epic?

Learn more about their cause:

https://www.womenmission.com

https://womenforwomen.org.uk

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Ep. 1018: Cave Diving Basics - Revisited - Joshua Shouse Mar 29, 2024

Show notes

Originally aired January 4, 2018.

One of our own show listeners Josh Shouse is with us on this episode to fill us in on the mysterious world of underwater cave diving. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to toss a SCUBA tank on your back and explore the unknown under the surface, then sit back, relax and listen in as Josh fills the rest of us land lovers in on the world below.

http://hobbyistexplorer.blogspot.com

https://nsscds.org

http://cave.org

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Ep. 1017: Boating the Mekong River in Thailand - Alonzo Guess Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

Dive into a riveting tale of adventure and self-discovery on this episode of Adventure Sports Podcast. Meet Alonzo, whose thirst for exploration was ignited early on by his father's sage advice and travel stories. From a few eye-opening international trips to a transformative semester in Thailand, Alonzo's passion for travel only grew stronger after graduation.

But it wasn't until he embarked on an epic journey with two childhood friends that his wanderlust truly took flight. Saving up every penny, they ventured back to Thailand, determined to uncover its hidden treasures. Little did they know, their path would lead them to the remote reaches of northern Thailand, where a chance encounter with a wooden boat in Chang Kong changed everything.

Against all odds (and arguably the hardest part of the adventure), they convinced locals to sell them a wooden boat, setting the stage for an unforgettable expedition down the legendary Mekong River. For ten exhilarating days, they navigated its dangerous waters, camping under the stars along the riverbank.

Join us as we unravel the gripping tale of Alonzo's journey over twenty years later, where the call of adventure and the spirit of exploration collide for these young friends in the heart of Southeast Asia's fabled Golden Triangle.

Learn more about Alonzo:

sunfishsales.com - golf accessory business, founded in 2011 w David Riggs who was with Alonzo on the trip down the Mekong. David and Alonzo also founded walkingpalm.com, a pet accessory business.

Adventure Capitalist by Jim Rogers was also an inspiration for Alonzo.

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Ep. 1016: Paragliding off Volcanoes - Revisited - Adrian Garza Mar 21, 2024

Show notes

Originally aired, February 18, 2019.

When Adrian’s wife thought it would be a good idea to learn how to Paraglide, she probably didn’t foresee that in a relatively short amount of time, her husband would be summiting and flying solo off volcanoes near their home in Mexico City.

Obviously, Adrian took to the sport quickly and it gave him a completely different view of his other favorite hobby, climbing. But with their recent family addition of a little girl and limited time off work, Adrian needed a way to summit mountains over 18,000 feet and return home in the same day. This led him to sleeping in a hypoxic chamber to decrease the amount of time needed to acclimate to high elevation. Talk about dedication to adventure. What’s your excuse?

Instagram: @ponchoelpiloto

http://youtube.com/ponchoelpiloto

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Ep. 1015: Appalachian Mountain Club President & CEO - Nicole Zussman Mar 18, 2024

Show notes

When Nicole finished climbing to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, she knew something had changed about her. Soon after, she left her corporate career in search of a new trail and challenge, one that had never been done before. She found that path at Appalachian Mountain Club, a 150-year-old organization whose purpose is to foster the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the outdoors…and one that had never had a woman leader.

You may know AMC through its world-class recreational network of professionally maintained trails and best-in-class outdoor program centers, lodges, cabins, camps, and campsites. From backcountry campsites to front country lodges to world-famous high mountain huts, AMC has had an undeniable impact on the understanding of and appreciation of the natural world for over a century.

Learn more about AMC and Nicole at www.outdoors.or g

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