The Trail Ahead

Latest Episodes:

Faith and Addie - Season 3 Finale Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

In the last episode of Season 3, Faith and Addie recap the season, share their reflections and discuss the tension of holding both hope and motivation to continue to make change. The hosts recount past guest conversations, learnings they’ve taken away from these discussions and questions they get asked most as they continue to tackle the dialogue on The Trail Ahead.

Plus, we welcome Faith back after maternity leave and get to hear how she and baby Yaya are doing!

EPISODE LINKS

Dr. Rae Wynn Grant's new show

https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/?src=wildkingdom.com

"Playin Mas'"

https://www.certifiedafrica.com/blog/playin-mas-an-overview-of-the-trinidad-tobago-tradition

Link to cartoons:

Equality vs Equity (ladders graphic) https://subjectguides.library.american.edu/c.php?g=1025915&p=7715533
Systemic Barriers (footrace graphic) https://www.cta.org/our-advocacy/social-justice/black-lives-matter

Lydia Jennings TTA Episode

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trail-ahead/id1559765753?i=1000516900792

Jose Gonzalez TTA Episode

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trail-ahead/id1559765753?i=1000555596159

Clare Gallagher TTA Episode

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-trail-ahead/id1559765753?i=1000530828790

Alekesam (our theme music!)

Mauricio Díaz on Vulnerability in Running, The Power of the Invitation and Building “La Familia” Oct 11, 2023

Show notes

Mauricio (Mau) Díaz is the CEO and co-founder of Aire Libre Running. Aire Libre designs and operates running and hiking experiences around the world that connect participants to new places and cultures through sustainable tourism.

Mau is from Mexico City, Mexico and enjoys exploring the mountains around the city by foot (often accompanied by his dog). He is an ultrarunner and lululemon ambassador.

EPISODE LINKS:

Mau on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/maudac/

Aire Libre Website

https://airelibre.run/

Aire Libre on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/airelibre.run/

An Intimate Look at Mexico’s Indigenous Seri People, New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/16/travel/comcaac-seri-people-mexico.html

Kayla Jeter on The Power of Community, Going FURTHER and Aspiring to Be Ourselves Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

Kayla Jeter is a Cleveland Ohio native, former professional volleyball player, mindset coach, personal trainer, stress-management coach and wellness entrepreneur.

She is the founder of #100MilesofSummer, a global running community and founder of Soho House Chicago Run Club. Kayla is a global Lululemon ambassador and a member of the Lululemon FURTHER initiative.

On this episode, Addie is joined by The Trail Ahead Season 2 guest, Kamilah Journét, as a guest co-host.

LINKS:

Fit + Full by Kayla

https://www.fitandfullbykayla.com/

Streets Calling Bike Club

https://www.streetscallingbc.com/

Running While Black by Alison Mariella Desir

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/675749/running-while-black-by-alison-mariella-desir/

100MilesofSummer™️

https://www.instagram.com/100milesofsummer/

lululemon FURTHER Initiative

https://corporate.lululemon.com/media/press-releases/2023/05-23-2023-190009165

Ambreen Tariq on Finding YOUR Outdoors, Empathy and Reclaiming Patriotism Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

Ambreen Tariq is a Muslim, an immigrant, an activist, and an outdoor enthusiast. She describes herself as a proud feminist and an advocate for social justice in American society. She’s the founder of @BrownPeopleCamping, a social media initiative that uses digital storytelling to celebrate people of color in the outdoor community. Ambreen is also the author of Fatima’s Great Outdoors, a children’s picture book centering on an immigrant family embarking on their first camping trip.

This episode is edited by Misty Avinger. Our theme music is by Alekesam, check them out via the link in our shownotes.

LINKS FOR AMBREEN

Brown People Camping

https://www.brownpeoplecamping.com/

Find Your Park

https://findyourpark.com/

Fatima's Great Outdoors the Children's Book

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/50713833

Stevie Lewis

http://www.chocosweete.com/

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/

Video of Ambreen Camping and Cooking and Visiting Wild Horses by Insider Studios

https://vimeo.com/562895054

The Trek, Q&A with Ambreen Tariq by Ruth Nasrullah

https://thetrek.co/meet-ambreen-tariq-the-activist-behind-brown-people-camping/

My Immigrant Story: Loneliness and Empowerment at the American Campground

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/hiking-and-backpacking/lets-talk-about-privilege-outdoors/

Alekesam (Our theme music!)

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2JM2yzMSOgq7VeG6nKm3PY?si=YrIzzWOwSvCZ49oSutZZLw

Chelsea Murphy on Raising Children in Nature, Co-creating a Welcoming Space for BIPOC Folks Outside, and Using Social Platforms for Deeper Community Engagement Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

Chelsea Murphy is an outdoor advocate, enthusiast, creative, and inspirer. She is the mother of three, and is on a mission to create a better, more inclusive outdoor culture for her mixed children.

Born in San Diego, CA and raised in Tacoma, WA she has always had a connection with nature and the outdoors. After moving to the mountains, she immediately recognized the lack of diversity in outdoor adventure. Chelsea started @she_colorsnature to create a community space for celebrating diversity outside. She also uses her platform to encourage parents to spend time outside with their kids, and centers her mothering philosophy on spending at least 30 minutes outside each day.

In this episode we hear from her about navigating historically white spaces, balancing the important job of being a mother of three while leading and curating an online community space, reframing narratives, moving into storytelling behind the camera and much more.

This episode is edited by Misty Avinger. Our theme music is by Alekesam, check them out via the link in our shownotes.

Chelsea Murphy’s Website https://shecolorsnature.com/

Chelsea Murphy On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/she_colorsnature/

Expedition Reclamation https://www.bravespaceproject.org/

Alekesam on Spotify

The Trail Ahead Presents: Immigrantly "Are Humans and Nature Separate?" featuring Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

This week the Trail Ahead brings you an episode by Immigrantly, "a boundary-pushing, border-crossing podcast that gives diverse voices and stories home."

Their guest, Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada, is a Colombian-American athlete, activist, and environmental sociologist who is always on the move. From the freezing valleys of Alaska to the cloud forests of Colombia, Vanessa spends her days' hiking, skiing, mountaineering, running, and ice skating through beautiful landscapes. But at the same time, her travels go beyond mere wanderlust. Through her work as an environmental sociologist, Vanessa encourages everyone to remember the social and cultural dynamics of the environment. What is our relationship to the outdoors? How can everyone enjoy what the world offers regardless of identity, location, or economic status? And perhaps most importantly, how do we preserve our planet for the future?

Join the conversation: Instagram @immigrantlypod | Twitter @immigrantly_pod | Host & Executive Producer: Saadia Khan I Content Writer: Michaela Strauther I Editorial Review: Kylee Roberts I Sound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon I Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki I Other Music: Epidemic Sounds

The Trail Ahead Presents: Immigrantly featuring Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada

Follow along with Vanessa via https://www.instagram.com/vanessa_chav

Our theme music for The Trail Ahead is by Alekesam, check them out via the link in our shownotes.

38. Yatika Starr Fields on Healing through Running, Artmaking, and Grieving the Changes that Need to be Made and Making Them Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

Yatika Starr Fields, is a Painter and Muralist who lives and works in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Yatika Fields is part of the Cherokee, Creek and Osage Tribes. He is also a Bear clan member. While attending the Art Institute of Boston from 2000 to 2004, he became interested in Graffiti aesthetics, which has been integral to his knowledge and process along with Landscape painting- and continues to influence his large- scale projects and studio works. His artworks explore the themes of family, community, and cultural diversity to illustrate its significance in societal norms for Native Americans. In addition, he is an avid distance runner who both runs and bikes ultra-marathon distances. He is involved with collective efforts to increase visibility, participation and acknowledgement of Indigenous voices, places and people in outdoor pursuits. He is a frequent collaborator with Rising Hearts, an indigenous led grassroots organization with a vision for a socially, economically and environmentally-just world, they often use running as a medium for activism and advocacy.

In this episode we talk about finding healing through running and returning home, the many shared parts of our identities, Yatika's advocacy efforts that have led to name changes of offensive race events and much more.

This episode is edited by Misty Avinger. Our theme music is by Alekesam, check them out via the link in our shownotes.

Links for Yatika Episode

Yatika website
https://www.yatikafields.com/
Yatika on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/yatikafields/
Osage Nation
https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/
Muscogee Nation Website
https://www.muscogeenation.com/
Wings of America Website
https://www.wingsofamerica.org/
Rickey Gates - TransAmericana
http://www.rickeygates.com/transamericana
Ultra Trail Mont Blanc Trail Series (UTMB)
https://montblanc.utmb.world/
Why the Land Run 100 changed its name to the Mid South:
https://cyclingmagazine.ca/gravel/why-the-land-run-100-changed-its-name-to-the-mid-south/
Why the Name of a Major Gravel Event Is Being Changed: On the Dirty Kanza and the cycling world's reckoning with a racist, exclusionary past
https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/biking/kanza-name-change-indigenous-bike-race/
Rising Hearts - Indigenous Led Grassroots Organization
https://www.risinghearts.org/
Jordan Marie Whetstone on Instagram and Website
https://www.instagram.com/nativein_la/
https://www.jordanmariedaniel.com/
Know to Run Film with Yatika & Rising Hearts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAbapAmkjFo&themeRefresh=1
This Land Podcast - all about Oklahoma History and “Indian Country”
https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/
Alekesam (Our theme music!)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2JM2yzMSOgq7VeG6nKm3PY?si=YrIzzWOwSvCZ49oSutZZLw

Links related to The Debrief:

The Body Doesn’t Know Miles, It Knows Stress by David Roche
https://www.trailrunnermag.com/training/trail-tips-training/the-body-doesnt-know-miles-it-knows-stress
Episode 16 of The Trail Ahead: Rest, Our Right Relationship with Nature, and Community Care with Laura Edmondson
https://www.trailaheadpodcast.com/episodes/rest-our-right-relationship-with-nature-and-community-care-with-laura-edmondson

Brittany Leavitt on Joy-filled Affinity Spaces, Active Rest, and Co-founding Brown Girls Climb Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

Brittany Leavitt is the co-founder of Brown Girls Climb, a lifelong educator and someone who loves the outdoors. We talk with her about what it means to be shifting careers to be the full-tome CEO of Brown Girls Climb and how she first came to the outdoors. Hint: Her career day outfit in Elementary School says a lot!

Brittany has always connected to the outdoors, from the mountains in upstate New York, to the ocean sides of Massachusetts, to city life in Washington DC (currently in Brooklyn, NY). For the last eight years, Brittany has led and taught others how to enjoy the outdoors safely while also clearing pathways for the PGM (People of Global Majority) in the community—working as a leader with organizations such as Outdoor Afro, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and REI. In 2018 Brittany was recognized as one of Blue Ridges Mountain Magazine’s 30 under 30 and American Alpine Club-DC section’s “one to watch.”

Hope you enjoy this conversation talking about everything from climbing Kilimanjaro to creating brave spaces within climbing gyms as much as we did!

LINKS:

Brittany on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/bleavitt8/

Brittany’s Personal Website

https://www.britleavitt.com/

Brown Girls Climb

https://www.browngirlsclimb.com/

Outdoor Afro

https://outdoorafro.org/

Color the Crag

https://colorthecrag.com/

GP81

https://www.gp-81.com/

Brown Ascenders

https://www.thebrownascenders.org/

Sending in Color

https://sendingincolor.com/

PGM One

https://www.pgmone.org/

Chelsea Griffie

https://www.outsidebusinessjournal.com/issues/homage/changemakers/chelsea-griffie/

https://sierraclub.typepad.com/explore/2012/05/rock-climber-chelsea-griffie-inspires-youth-to-get-outdoors.html

Rosemary Saal

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3cswlms

https://sierraclub.typepad.com/explore/2013/03/qa-rosemary-saal-climber-denali.htmll

Phil Henderson

https://www.instagram.com/phil_henderson/

Article for REI about finding your own summit

https://www.rei.com/blog/hike/summiting-at-17000-feet-my-climb-of-kilimanjaro-with-outdoor-afro

Alekesam on Spotify

Stef Flippin on a Human-First Approach, Avoiding a pattern of Injury, and Showing up at Each Start Line for more than just Yourself (with a debrief featuring Victoria Lo of Chinatown Runners) Jun 28, 2023

Show notes

Stefanie is an ultra trail and road runner located in the Front Range of Colorado. She is the 2021 USATF 100-mile road champion and course record holder (6th fastest all-time American woman for the distance). She is also a foot and ankle surgeon alongside her husband, with a passion for treating athletes. Stefanie is passionate about increasing BIPOC representation in distance running and newly a member of the Lululemon FURTHER initiative cohort, which aims to address the data and research gap that exists in women's endurance running. She is the co-host of the Making Strides podcast which she describes as “a space to share our experiences as BIPOC female runners, as well as a space to discuss the nuances that come with our perspectives: safety, sponsorship and contract negotiations, mental health, current events in the running world and beyond.” In this episode we discuss how she started running 5k's with her dad as young as 7 years old, how her first 100 miler race ended in one of the biggest surprises of her life, as well as diving into her many passions.

Our Debrief this episode features Victoria Lo the founder of Chinatown Runners who speaks about using the tools you have to make change and why drumming up support for Anti Asian American Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian issues (aka #STOPAAPIHATE) is so complicated and challenging, and important to keep doing.

LINKS:

Stef Flippin On Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/stefanieannflippin/

Stef Flippin Personal Website

https://www.stefanieflippin.com/

Lululemon Further Initiative

https://shop.lululemon.com/story/run-further

Girls On the Run

https://www.girlsontherun.org/

Trent Stellingworth on Twitter

https://twitter.com/TStellingwerff

Diverse We Run

https://www.instagram.com/diversewerun/

Making Strides Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-strides/id1687742311

Chinatown Runners

https://www.chinatownrunners.com/

Film on Chinatown Runners directed by Faith E. Briggs and Tim Kemple of Camp4 Collective

https://vimeo.com/671273445

Ahmad Hijazi on Thru-hiking, Feeling at Home in Nature, and Arab Representation in the Outdoors (featuring a debrief with Maytha Alhassen, PhD!) Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

Ahmad Related Links:

Lebanon Mountain Trail

https://www.lebanontrail.org/home

We Got Next

https://www.we-got-next.org/

Info on Dearborn

https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/how-dearborn-michigan-became-the-heart-of-arab-america-1.117177

https://www.michiganradio.org/arts-culture/2014-07-09/what-explains-michigans-large-arab-american-community

Debrief Guest: Maytha Alhassen

https://maythaalhassen.com/about

Key Terms with Dr. Maytha Alhassen — Feral Femme by Slow Factory