What are the best tips and tricks for building a life around heading outside? And what do you learn when you do?
When Season 2 started in August, 2020 we set out to hear from experts and outdoor lovers on how they spend time outside — and how to make the most of it. Hear these great episodes now!
How to Make Outdoor Friends (A Conversation with ‘Running Wives’ Rachel Gernat and Clare Shea)
You’ve heard them mentioned, you’ve seen their pictures — and now you get to hear them on the Humans Outside podcast: Amy’s “running wives,” Clare Shea and Rachel Gernat. In this podcast Season 2 premier, Amy, Clare and Rachel discuss outdoor-based friendship, what makes it special and how, exactly, you, too, can make outdoor-minded friends. What’s the secret sauce? How do you even find great friends?
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
How to Find Time to Go Outside (Laura Vanderkam)
By studying hundreds of time management logs and interviewing some of the most productive men and women in the country, Laura Vanderkam hasn’t just become one of the most sought-after time management experts in the U.S., she has learned what it takes to get the most of time, whether that means doing more for work or making more time to play.
Vanderkam also happens to be the time management expert who taught Amy everything she knows about productivity and getting the most of her time, one of Amy’s favorite subjects. She also has tried Amy’s 20 minutes a day outdoor time experiment.
What she’s learned about time management and getting the most out of the minutes we have can help you find more minutes in your schedule to spend in nature. Hear her best tips, tricks, and insights on this exciting episode of the Humans Outside podcast.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
How They Spend 1,000 Hours Outside Every Year (Ginny Yurich)
In the beginning she was just trying to save her sanity, says Virginia Yurich, who goes by Ginny. With a passel of little kids she was feeling run ragged brought by all the commitments shuffling children here and there. When her friend invited her to simply spend some time outside, letting her kids explore and live a little, she was skeptical. But after seeing the benefits, her skepticism vanished — and she was hooked.
Now Ginny shares her experience through a vibrant community of parents and families with one goal in mind: getting their kids to spend at least 1,000 hours outside each year. That seems like a huge number, but Ginny says it’s both possible and completely lifechanging for the whole family.
Listen to this episode of the Humans Outside podcast to learn how Ginny makes it happen, and how you can integrate her lessons into your own life.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
What Solitude, Veterans and Hunting Have in Common (Chris Mann)
For many outdoor users, heading into the backcountry is about finding that awesome solitude that brings both peace of mind and peace of body. Hunter and videographer Chris Mann pairs that pursuit with hunting as part of High Range Hunting, which takes veterans, first responders and families of fallen military personnel out on hunts nationwide.
Hear how Chris uses the outdoors for himself and what he’s learned through the act of solitude on this episode of the Humans Outside podcast.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
How to Use the Outdoors as Therapy (Judith Sadora)
What’s the difference between wilderness therapy and just, well, going outside? Judith Sadora, a licensed therapist based in Oregon, practices wilderness therapy with clients outdoors and is an expert in how spending time outside can help us work through trauma. Hear why the outdoors is a great “container” and how to create your own therapeutic experience outside in this thoughtful and insightful episode.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
Embracing Adventure in a Far Off Place (Military Wild)
When Hannah Wolt and Jennifer Everheart found themselves stationed really far away from home in the kind of exotic location most folks only dream about, they knew two things: that had to make the best of it, and they needed some new friends. Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean, is a whole other world for mainlander Americans, complete with exotic waterfalls, amazing hiking and tree snakes (yes, tree snakes).
Their solution? An outdoor group for military families, Military Wild. Hear about friendship in the outdoors and some of the peculiarities of Guam (like the need for a “spider stick” — we wish we were kidding) in this fun episode.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
How Movement and a Connection to Culture Saved Her (Carol Seppilu)
After a suicide attempt almost took her life and left her with a tracheotomy, Carol Seppilu ultimately made the choice to pursue mental health through ultra trail running. If you think running 100 miles sounds hard, imagine how hard it must be when breathing is a challenge under even non-running circumstances.
But Carol is relentless in her pursuit of doing great things. Listen to her share her journey and why staying in touch with her Indigenous Alaskan culture is an important part of that on this episode of the Humans Outside podcast.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
How to Do It All, Not Do It All and Get Outside (Rachel Brenke)
If all you know of attorney and entrepreneur Rachel Brenke is her online presence, you might be tricked into thinking she literally does it all. Her boutique law firm specializes in supporting small businesses nationwide with their brands, providing legal resources for digital entrepreneurs, photographers and gym owners. But she’s also a mom, spouse, runner, ironman and thyroid cancer survivor.
But behind the magic is a finely tuned system of hard work, maximizing what she spends her time on — and hitting the outdoors to help the whole thing work. In this episode Rachel talks about how the outdoors helps her make it happen, how she fits it in with her multiple jobs and hobbies and tips for others looking to balance it all.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
How to Balance Epic Outdoor Adventures and a Career (Kathy Beasley)
Few careers are as demanding and all encompassing as military service. Your time, where you live, where you’ll be tomorrow and how long you’ll be there are not your own. So how do you prioritize an outdoor-adventure focused life around those things?
The lessons Kathy Beasley learned about that effort over her career in the U.S. Navy and a dedication to staying active have guided her to incredible heights — literally — and aren’t only applicable for those who work for Uncle Sam. Listen to this episode with Kathy Beasley for insight into not only how to build outdoor adventures into regular life, but how to keep them a priority for a lifetime.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
The Art and How-Tos of Full-Time Travel (Toby Israel)
Toby Israel calls herself a “vagabondess.” Her book of the same title, part personal exploration, part practical guide for female travelers, gives readers are a window into what it’s like to wander the world happy and free.
In this episode of Humans Outside Toby gives us a window into that experience, and offers some practical tips for making full time travel happen for yourself that any one — man or woman — can use. Someday we will operate in a post-pandemic world. For now, prepare for that reality by hearing Toby’s great advice.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
Why Heading Outside Is Great Marriage Therapy (Michelle and Derek Abbey)
As a certified forest therapist, Michelle Abbey knows the personal benefits of heading outside. She’s even shared them with us during Humans Outside Season One. But getting into nature isn’t just something she recommends for clients — it’s also a tool she and her husband Derek Abbey use for bettering their marriage.
In this episode of Humans Outside Michelle and Derek reveal not only why spending time has been an incredible marriage tool, but how others can leverage nature for both themselves and their relationships.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
How To Dress for Cold Weather (Mollie Foster)
Here at Humans Outside we practice getting outside every day for 20 minutes no matter the weather — and that means sometimes we go outside when it’s wet, cold or otherwise not that pleasant. Sometimes we go outside when the weather is bad.
But if you’ve never had an outdoor habit or spent a lot of time outside in the winter, then you might be feeling a little overwhelmed by what some folks think of as the basics, like what kind of jacket to wear or how to keep your hands and feet warm.
No matter where you live you’re likely to at some point face what you see as less than ideal weather. Cold is relative to your experience, whether you’re in Alaska or in Florida. So how do you know what to wear?
The good news is that learning how to dress for cold weather is basically the same wherever you are. What largely changes is how much you wear or the thickness or warmth of your choice.
Mollie Foster is an Alaska-based guide and outdoor author. Her guide company, Traverse Alaska, helps all sorts of people get outside, and her book, Hiking Alaska, tells others where to go.
In this highly practical episode of Humans Outside Mollie tells outdoor-lovers what to wear for going outside and how to dress for cold weather.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
Why How We See Ourselves Outside Matters, Plus How To Work from Anywhere (Esther Inman)
Do you think of yourself as “outdoorsy?” Nature lovers and “outdoorsy” people aren’t just folks who scale mountains or go on long runs — despite what the outdoor industry and even this podcast might (accidentally) have you believe. Instead, outdoor users come from all perspectives, backgrounds, sizes, shapes and interests. Like plants? Enjoy listening to birds? Appreciate coffee on the porch? Make going outside a part of your life? You’re a nature-lover. It’s as simple as that.
But getting to the point where you see yourself that way is a journey — even for people who have mastered building their lives around making more time for what they enjoy. In this week’s episode digital nomad Esther Inman talks about the power of learning to see yourself as outdoorsy, how she built her life to give her more time for what she wants to do and how she helps other people do the same.
Read more | Listen on iTunes | Listen on Google Podcasts
The Secrets to Making the Best Coffee Ever Outside (Tim Gravel)
If you’ve followed Humans Outside for ever a millisecond, you know how incredibly important we think coffee is. We might be a little obsessed. But there’s just something about a hot cup of coffee by the campfire, in a mug on a cold day, brewed at the top of a mountain, sipped over a walk on a beach, or happily enjoyed basically anywhere outside that’s just entirely perfect.
Luckily we’re not the only people who think that. Tim Gravel, co-owner of the Alaska-based Kaladi Brothers doesn’t just know good coffee, he knows good coffee outside. And in this episode he helps us dial into the best ways for brewing coffee outdoors.
