The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Latest Episodes:

1KHO 675: The Outdoors Rebuilds a Person | Ginger Naylor, Outward Bound Jan 10, 2026

Show notes

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!)

Ginny Yurich talks with Ginger Naylor, CEO of Outward Bound about why challenge, play, and real-world adventure shape people in ways classrooms alone never can. Ginger shares how the outdoors becomes a classroom for learning resilience, confidence, communication, problem-solving, and leadership - and why kids (and adults) need unstructured experiences, healthy risk, and a little discomfort to grow. They talk about how childhood has become over-engineered, how nature’s unpredictability trains the brain for a changing world, and why stepping outside changes more than just your scenery. The conversation also introduces Outward Bound’s Nationwide Reset Day on Saturday, January 24, 2026, inviting families and communities to put the screens down for a bit and take back their time, attention, and sense of calm.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1KHO 674: There's a Big Difference Between Food and Nutrition | Ruthann Zimmerman, The Heart of the Homestead Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!)

Ruthann Zimmerman grew up Old Order Mennonite with horse and buggy, big gardens, a family milk cow, workdays that revolved around real needs and real rhythm. In this conversation, she and Ginny talk about what happens when “old ways” collide with the modern world and why so many families are searching for the kind of home life that builds capable kids. This conversation is about a return to skills, chores, and shared work that create something most families are missing: steady connection.

And then Ruthann says it plainly: there’s a difference between food and nutrition and in a world full of convenience, it’s skills that put nutrition on the table. You’ll hear practical, doable starting points (no, you don’t need a milk cow), but also the deeper why: children need the natural reward cycle of effort, mastery, and a job well done because artificial highs from screens can flatten the rest of life. If you’ve felt the urge to simplify, to shrink your supply chain, to rebuild family culture from the inside out this episode will feel like a deep exhale and a clear next step.

Learn more about Ruthann Zimmerman and all she has to offer here

Get your copy of The Heart of the Homestead here

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1KHO 673: Children Are Growing Up Without a Future They Can Clearly See | Issy Butson, Stark Raving Dad Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!)

***

The world our kids are heading into is changing so fast that the old map from childhood to adulthood doesn’t work anymore—and Issy Butson (Stark Raving Dad) explains why that matters right now. We talk about how AI is already reshaping work (starting with entry-level roles), why school still rewards sitting still and fitting in, and what actually builds the kind of young person who can thrive when the future is unclear: autonomy, real competence, and genuine connection. Issy breaks down the research behind motivation (Self-Determination Theory) and makes a powerful case for boredom, agency, mixed-age community, and real-world learning—not as trendy ideas, but as essential training for adaptability. If you’ve ever had wobbly knees in your homeschool journey (or you’re just trying to raise resilient kids in a rapidly shifting world), this episode will steady you and give you language for what you already sense is true.

Learn more about everything Issy has to offer here

Check out The Complete Life Without School Collection here

Check out Issy's Podcast here

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1KHO 672: My Generation Had Our Childhoods Burned Down | Sean Killingsworth, The Reconnect Movement Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠

Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!)

This episode turns “just have better phone habits” on its head and replaces it with something that works. Seán Killingsworth explains why individual willpower can’t solve a problem that’s environmental: when every hangout, hallway, and lunch table becomes a screen habitat, connection gets crowded out and kids grow up feeling constantly “on stage.” But this isn’t a despair episode. It’s a blueprint for moving forward.

Seán’s Reconnect Movement is building phone-free spaces (with a simple “phone valet” system) where real friendship becomes possible again. The movement is showing up on college campuses, in high schools, and in local communities. If you’ve been craving a realistic way to give kids what they’re actually starving for this conversation will show you how to start and encourage you to keep at it.

Learn more about The Reconnect Movement and how you can get involved here

Watch Sean's keynote at James Madison University here

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1KHO 671: The Mental Health of Young People Has Cratered | Hara Estroff Marano, A Nation of Wimps Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠

Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!)

Ginny Yurich sits down with Psychology Today editor and author Hara Estroff Marano to talk about the quiet shift that started long before smartphones—and why it’s been devastating for kids. Drawing from A Nation of Wimps, Hara explains how fear and rapid cultural change pushed parents into “invasive” parenting, accidentally transmitting anxiety and squeezing play, risk, and independence out of childhood. The result isn’t safer, stronger kids—it’s more rigidity, perfectionism, and fragility. This episode is a steadying, permission-giving reset: play isn’t extra, it’s training for uncertainty; disappointment is information; and childhood doesn’t need to be optimized to be successful. If you’ve felt the pressure to manage every outcome, this conversation will help you step back, rebuild resilience the natural way, and give your kids what they actually need to grow up well.

Get your copy of A Nation of Wimps here

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1KHO 670: It Is Our Job as Parents to Protect Our Child’s Brain | Arlene Pellicane, Screen Kids Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠here⁠

Check out the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle that includes the 2026 Kick-Off Pack ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

Screens don’t just fill time. They also begin to shape what feels normal in a child’s brain, body, and relationships. In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with family researcher and bestselling author Arlene Pellicane to talk about what kids lose when devices become the default (attention, affection, conversation, imagination), and what parents can rebuild with simple, steady choices. You’ll hear why “background TV” isn’t as harmless as it seems, how early screen exposure can set a lifelong pattern of seeking instant stimulation, why gaming and social media can hijack identity, and how to handle screen-time conflict when spouses (or even grandparents) aren’t on the same page. This is practical, hopeful encouragement without guilt: delay what you can, replace screens with real-life skills and two-hands activities, and protect the one thing your kids can’t swap out later—their capacity for connection.

Learn more about Arlene and all she has to offer here

Get your copy of Screen Kids here

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1KHO 669: Happiness Lives in the Present Moment | Dr. Greg Hammer, The Mindful Teen Jan 04, 2026

Show notes

If you’ve been feeling the pressure—burnout for you, overwhelm for your teen, and a constant sense that everyone is behind—this conversation with Dr. Greg Hammer (Stanford physician, mindfulness teacher, and author) is a deep exhale. Ginny Yurich and Dr. Hammer talk about why teens are carrying stress we never had (smartphones, comparison, eco-anxiety, school fears), and why his simple GAIN practice—Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention, and Nonjudgment—isn’t “floofy,” it’s a practical way to rewire the brain toward steadiness and joy. You’ll hear why gratitude is the foundation of happiness, how “small bites” change family culture, and why nature itself can bring us back to the present where happiness actually lives. Listen and share this with a friend who needs hope, and if the show has encouraged you, leaving a review truly helps other families find it.

Get a copy of The Mindful Teen here

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1KHO 668: How Much Uninterrupted Time Can You Get With The People You Love | Ben Gillenwater, Family IT Guy Jan 03, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Ginny Yurich talks with cybersecurity expert and longtime IT professional Ben Gillenwater about what actually changed when the internet moved into kids’ pockets and why so many parents feel unequipped to respond.

Ben brings decades of experience working with complex systems and translates it into clear, usable guidance for families: where the real risks are, why common “parental controls” often fail, and how addictive algorithms, anonymous chat, and AI are reshaping childhood in ways we can’t ignore. This conversation is practical, honest, and focused on reclaiming attention, safety, and uninterrupted time with the people we love.

Learn more about Ben and all he has to offer here

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1KHO 667: You are a Living Testimony to Your Children Through the Work You Do | Angela Hanscom, TimberNook Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

Angela Hanscom—founder of TimberNook and author of Balanced and Barefoot—is back, and this conversation goes somewhere we’ve never gone before: the behind-the-scenes yes that built a worldwide movement out of one mom’s quiet, out-of-her-comfort-zone obedience. We talk entrepreneurship in this episode and so much more. If you’ve ever felt pulled toward something meaningful but intimidating, this episode will be the nudge forward you need.

Angela also talks about motherhood in the middle of all that work: your kids are watching your courage, humility, and resilience. We talk fear (ticks, travel, being the center of attention), discernment (how to recognize what’s from God), and why 60 minutes of movement isn’t remotely enough for kids who are made to move for hours. Angela shares what thrilling play actually looks like and why it’s one of the most practical ways we can push back on the social-emotional crisis we’re seeing in children.

If this episode encourages you, share it with a friend who needs hope—and please leave a review. It’s one of the simplest ways to help more families find this message. Thanks for listening!

Get your copy of Balanced and Barefoot here

Check out TimberNook here

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1KHO 666: Ginny's Most Meaningful Books of 2025 | Ginny Yurich, 1000 Hours Outside Jan 01, 2026

Show notes

Get Ginny's Top 10 Books of 2025 list for FREE ⁠here⁠

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠here

Check out the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle that includes the 2026 Kick-Off Pack ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠

Ginny Yurich, founder of 1000 Hours Outside, starts 2026 in the most Ginny way possible: a rare, slightly-uncomfortable solo episode chosen on purpose, because New Year’s Day landed on episode 666, and she decided to “fall on the sword” herself.

From there, she pulls you into the real origin story of 1000 Hours Outside: a young mom in over her head, three little kids, no sleep, and the first truly good day she’d had in years, September 2011 at a Michigan park, when four to six hours outside (a Charlotte Mason idea she initially thought was ridiculous) changed everything.

This episode is a rally cry for families who want more peace, more play, more courage, and less screen-shaped childhood, plus practical ways to start tracking, building a life with “not enough time for screens,” and letting nature become the place where kids grow up incrementally… and parents learn to trust them.

Along the way, Ginny shares her top 10 most meaningful books of 2025 (out of 210 books read during the year!), the quotes that steadied her this year, and why reading, walking, and outside time are “time-protection” habits in a world designed to co-opt attention. She also reads the marketing language from Replika AI out loud, because it genuinely alarms her, and makes a clear, compassionate case for choosing the real thing: real friends, real discomfort, real growth, real life. The episode closes with hope for listeners carrying heavy burdens into the new year, and ends with “Beautiful World,” a song and musical collaboration featuring Ginny’s daughters because the whole point is this: childhood isn’t meant to be performed on a screen. It’s meant to be lived.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected