They say spending time in nature can change your life. But in a world packed with indoor life pressures, how can you make getting outside just a part of who you are?
Welcome to the Humans Outside podcast, where we explore life in the great outdoors from our perch in Alaska, all while hearing from fascinating outdoor-minded guests.
It’s something I’ve noticed over and over again: the more bold steps I take outside, the more life adventures I’m willing to tackle in my home and work life.
That’s a theme Shelby Stanger has heard over and over again from guests she interviews on REI’s Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast and something she experienced in her own life. It’s also the theme of her new book, “Will to Wild: Adventures Great and Small to Change Your Life.”
But what is the will to wild? How do you find it and how do you chase it? Is it something that can be gained only by the super outdoorsy or those privileged enough to spend lots of time outside?
Shelby tackles those questions and more in this exciting episode of Humans Outside. Listen now!
[2:08] Shelby’s favorite outdoor space
[4:13] How Shelby became someone who likes to go outside
[9:17] What is the ‘will to wild?’
[10:40] What this is all really, actually about
[13:18] What’s happening out there
[18:01] An example from here in Alaska
[20:35] Hello! Register for Ski Babes!!
[22:30] The biggest limiter
[25:11] How to get over that limiter
[28:54] Is the will to wild a matter of privilege?
[32:42] A few times others’ wild ideas got Shelby out there
[35:37] The truth of JOMO
[38:38] Steps for chasing wild ideas
[41:19] Shelby’s favorite outdoor moment
Outdoor Diary: What I Find By Using Community Events to Get Outside
It can be tempting to think about getting outside as focused on just naturey-nature. But what about going out around other people? What about the benefits of community events?
Heading outside to experience community can bring a whole host of useful impacts, all based in the glorious space created by the great outdoors. For me they include inspiration, encouragement, joy and belonging.
Why is that true and how can you find it? Listen now.
[:32] How did I get started there anyway?
[:53] Here’s why it’s so great
[1:30] A little Monday commitment
[2:15] Just a few of the things that community brings
[2:30] And yes this is true for an introvert, too.
[3:15] Contagious joy
[3:30] Here’s my theory about space
[3:55] How this expands my definition of nature
[4:16] Also a sense of belonging
What happens when you take the time and intentionality to listen — I mean really listen — outside? So much of our auditory experiences are about blocking sounds out. But happens when we flip things around and choose to purposefully let sounds in?
That’s what I tried to do during a recent week focusing on my sense of hearing during my outdoor adventures. And what I found was deeply enriching. It showed me how my brain can reset, ruly challenging listening is and why it’s worth it.
Listen to episode to hear more now!
[:32] I purposefully ignore this sense
[1:26] My own five senses experiment and where it came from
[2:30] Here’s what I found by leaning into my sense of hearing
[2:45] First, there was relief
[3:10] A few examples of what I heard
[3:30] What those sounds bring
[3:45] OK but it was also really hard
[4:25] Your assignment
My friend called it the “fall wall” — that moment where you know without a doubt that the season is changing. Are you ready for it? I’ll admit that I’m not.
But it’s here for me in Alaska. And whether the wall is a weather one or a schedule one, dealing with it while maintaining the things that are important to you — like getting outside — can take some work.
Here’s how I’m doing it. Listen now.
[:32] The origin of the “fall wall”
[:47] Here’s one type of “fall wall”
[1:15] Here’s another type of “fall wall”
[2:00] My growing concern
[2:30] “The summer we had fun anyway”
[3:08] A few tips for working through the fall wall
Are you too grown-up to notice and enjoy play? I don’t mean you avoid it on purpose. I mean your grown-up brain just doesn’t see it, isn’t used to allowing it, crowds it out with other stuff and is just so, well, responsible.
Kids don’t have this problem. Play is how they learn and what they know. But adults, on the other hand …
Here’s what I learned this week by taking time to seize the play, and what it did for me. Listen now.
[:31] Setting the stage on a beautiful summer day
[1:15] And then I forgot this thing
[1:36] The relief of play
[2:00] The burden of being a grown-up
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode of Humans
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode of Humans
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode