Humans Outside

Latest Episodes:

303: Canoeing the Entire Mississippi River to Shatter Barriers (Cory Maria Dack, Canoe guide and inclusivity advocate) May 18, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever felt compelled to tackle a big journey outside? Big is always relative, but for this podcast guest it was really, really big -- canoeing the Mississippi River from source to sea for over 130 days.

An indigenous Latina who was born in Ecuador, Cory Maria Dack worked with a pair of other women paddlers to make the journey and highlight the need to bridge equity gaps in the outdoors for women broadly, and women of color specifically.

In this episode Cory Maria tells us about her adventure, what she learned on the journey, and why canoeing and spending time on the water is a meaningful and effective way to build equity in the outdoors. Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Follow Cory Maria Dack on Instagram Visit Cory's website, Women on the Water Learn about Canoemobile Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:43] Cory Maria Dack's favorite outdoor space [3:30] How she became someone who likes to go outside [5:04] Going from not outdoorsy to canoeing queen [8:20] The power of people who believe in you [11:38] Why the Mississippi trip [15:30] Do not "conquer" the Mississippi River [17:00] What she expected and what she got [21:00] What happened when it got really, really cold [25:04] What it's like to finish that kind of journey (hint: it's emotional) [31:29] Why canoeing and water are great for inclusivity work [37:47] How you can get involved [39:36] Cory Maria's favorite outdoor moment

301 Outdoor Diary: How Your Movement Can Have Memorial Day Purpose, Too May 16, 2023

Show notes

If you follow me you know I run. But what got me started is an entirely different story.

My first runs were done as a way to honor, remember and move with others through grief. Today it helps me move through everything.

When it comes to marking Memorial Day, taking purposeful steps forward is a powerful way to do it. In this episode you can hear some of my running back story and learn how you can commit purposeful steps to honoring a fallen service member whether you are a runner or not. Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Join the wear blue: run to remember Memorial Day miles Watch our documentary, Unconditional, on PBS Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:36] The power of purposeful steps

[:55] Why I first started running

[1:10] You can see of our backstory in a documentary

[1:30] The ask that got me running

[2:10] Why I run now

[3:00] The importance of honoring

300: She's Conquering Trails with a Rare Brain Disease (Crystal Gail Welcome, BIPOC and disabled thru-hiker) May 11, 2023

Show notes

When the doctors told her she couldn't do anything because of her rare brain disease, she decided to instead do everything. After all, if she was going to be working through its fallout, why not work through it outside?

Crystal Gail Welcome didn't grow-up looking at nature as nature, per se. But after a grounding experience in a park with a friend, she made the dramatic decision to become a thru-hiker even though she had never hiked in her life and was dealing with her disability. The result is thousands of miles hiked and becoming the first known Black thru-hiker of the 1,500 mile Florida trail. Hear Crystal's incredible story and the inspiration she has for you on just getting out there to see where nature takes you in this episode of Humans Outside. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Connect with Crystal's organization Footprints for Change Learn more about Crystal Follow Crystal on Instagram Follow Crystal on Twitter Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:24] Crystal Gail Welcome's favorite outdoor place [4:06] Crystal's outdoor story [8:35] Why feeling disconnected from your body is relatable [9:48] How many miles has Crystal hiked? [11:14] How the rare brain disease impacts Crystal's hikes [14:11] How the death of George Floyd impacted Crystal [19:36] Why the Florida Trail? [23:31] Why the Florida Trail was the most challenging trail Crystal has ever done [29:44] What Crystal has learned about people from her hike [37:03] What Crystal hopes people will learn from her journey and experience [38:55] Crystal's favorite outdoor moment

299 Outdoor Diary: Standing on the Edge of Something Large In Life May 09, 2023

Show notes

It's that moment where you know something big is coming -- maybe not what, maybe not what will happen -- but you can feel it coming in your soul.

It is standing on the edge of something large, the moment before the leap, or the wave's crash or when you simply take flight.

I just made a huge life decision, and it has me contemplating how this moment before the action feels and looks.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:30] A song quote

[1:05] Standing on the edge of something large

[1:20] How the waves teach me this

[2:02] What this looks like for life

[2:36] How the outside helps with the something large

[3:37] Something large in my work life and a big change

298: Taking Your Kids Outside (Mostly) Without Whining (Holly Horch, mom and adventure kit creator) May 04, 2023

Show notes

Taking kids outside? Then you know the struggle. No matter how fun the thing you're planning is likely to be, getting the crew out the door with all of the necessary belongings and good attitudes intact is a real challenge. So what are some strategies to get kids out into nature all year long without the fun unraveling into a fight? In this episode of Humans Outside mom and creator of the All Weather Adventure kit line joins the podcast to talk about her best tips and tricks for getting her small humans outside for family fun as just a part of who their family is. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Find Holly's All Weather Adventuring kits Follow Holly on Instagram Follow Holly on Facebook Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[3:52] Holly Horch's favorite outdoor space [4:32] How Holly became someone who likes to go outside [5:30] How nature became a part of their family culture [8:49] Yes, the struggle is real [9:26] How they've built outdoor time into their daily schedule [11:04] Why we like nature so much as parents [13:41] All about Holly's All Weather Adventuring kits[19:44] The secret art of marketing [21:03] A philosophical pondering about kids and understanding fun [22:06] Why group suffering matters [25:00] The best way to make everyone happy [29:04] The art of taking care of parental overwhelm [37:07] Holly's favorite outdoor moment

297 Outdoor Diary: We're in a New Movie. Here's How You Can See It. May 02, 2023

Show notes

A new feature-length documentary streaming and airing on PBS nationwide and showing in some theaters is all about mental health and healing from trauma -- and it features me and my family and follows our life in Alaska. Want to see it? Here's how.

Connect with this episode:

Watch the "Unconditional" trailer Get tickets to see Unconditional in person until May 6 Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:40] I know it's wild, but here it goes

[1:00] What the movie is about

[1:30] Some words from the director

[2:40] Why I think you should watch it

[3:14] Here's what I hope you take away

[4:25] All the ways you can see the film

296: Finding a Sense of Place Through Wandering (John Messick, author and professor) Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

Sometimes the best way to understand the importance of connecting to your place in the world is through wandering away from it. And when we pair that with spending time in the wild outdoors, we might also learn that things aren't quite as wild as they seemed from the outside. Maybe what you think of as "wild" others simply consider "home."

John Messick, author of the new book Compass Lines, is currently grounded in Alaska -- but his life hasn't always looked that way. In this episode he talks about the importance of belonging in relation to the world, how he found that in his travels and how you might be able to find it too. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Read Compass Lines: Journeys Toward Home (affiliate link)Visit John Messick's website Follow John Messick on Instagram Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:23] John's favorite outdoor space [5:15] How he became someone who likes to go outside [10:02] The idea of wild [14:03] How does traveling the world impact that idea [18:27] How many countries has he visited? [20:23] What was he looking for during his travels? [21:21] A diversion to "Gathland" [27:13] Tip for finding a grounding where you are [30:31] John's favorite outdoor space

295 Outdoor Diary: What Happens When I Think About My Nature Habit as 'Recess' Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

Keeping a daily habit, any habit, comes with a risk that it eventually transforms from something you want to do into something that's simply a chore. You do it without thinking. It's so a part of who you are that you may not even remember if you did it or not.

I don't want my outdoor habit to be a chore. I want it to feel like recess, a concept introduced to me by New York Times best-selling author Gretechn Rubin in her recent guest episode with Humans Outside.

What changes when I think about heading outside as recess instead of a chore? Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Hear Gretchen Rubin on Humans Outside Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] What might happen when you realize that every day is a lot of days

[1:11] You don't want this to feel like a chore

[1:37] What I want it to feel like instead

[2:15] What Gretchen Rubin taught me about this in our recent episode

[2:50] Do you remember recess as a kid?

[3:15] What would happen if I made my outdoor time recess

[4:00] Here's how that looks

[4:45] Two great examples of this

294 Gretchen Rubin: Advice for Making Outdoor Time Better via Life in 5 Senses (Gretchen Rubin, happiness researcher and author) Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

What would you find if you spent your outdoor time focused on experiencing life through your five senses? I don't mean just soaking in the great outdoors by seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting, but by adding an intentional focus to explore what each of them adds.

That's a question New York Times best-selling author Gretchen Rubin asks through her new book Life In Five Senses and is actively exploring through her own one-year outdoor challenge that she's shared with listeners of her Happier With Gretchen Rubin podcast.

In this episode Gretchen sits down to chat with us about all things five senses, outdoor habits, what you find by doing the same thing every day -- whether that be going outside of visiting a museum -- and how you can use your five senses to make your life even happier. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Read Life in 5 Senses (affiliate link)

Visit Gretchen's website

Follow Gretchen on Instagram

Follow Gretchen on Facebook

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[3:05] Gretchen Rubin's favorite outdoor space

[4:10] How Gretchen became someone who likes to go outside

[6:35] The problem of things taking effort

[8:47] Why Gretchen started her Life in 5 Senses project

[11:33] Does she still go to this place every day?

[11:38] How that practice is like a sit spot

[14:40] The freedom (and challenge) of doing something every day

[18:28] Gretchen's favorite sense and how her experiment impacted it

[19:41] What do we lose when we ignore our senses?

[22:27] All about Gretchen's daily outdoor project

[24:15] The difference between a chore and recess outside

[27:00] Why the freedom to choose your own rules is important (and hard)

[30:13] The inspiration for Gretchen's project

[33:17] How her five sense are influencing her outdoor project

[36:19] Personal habits that make her outdoor time better

[40:21] Gretchen's favorite outdoor moment

293 Outdoor Diary: How Try to Be Earth-Friendly While Using Nature Every Day Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

Is it possible to lean into preservation and conservation while also spending a ton of time outside? And if you want to be earth-friendly while also being an avid earth-user, how can you balance a desire to leave no trace while still getting out there?

In this episode of the Humans Outside Outdoor Diary, I talk about a few simple steps I take to be earth-friendly while still using nature daily. And they're steps you can take, too. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Episode 198: How to Maximize Your Outdoor Life While Creating a Minimalist Lifestyle (Meg Carney, outdoor minimalist) Episode 149: How a Pee Cloth Is Making One Small Step for Inclusivity (Anastasia Allison, Kula Cloth founder) Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] How do you balance use and not making it look like you use it?

[1:25] A change in my thinking

[2:27] "Outdoor minimalism"

[2:45] A few basic "leave no trace" ideas

[3:30] What "reduce, reuse, recycle" has to do with it

[3:55] The art of reusing in the outdoor industry world

[4:35] A few tips for reusing that are wallet and earth-friendly

[5:20] I will now talk about a pee cloth