Podcast

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.

Life is full of forks in the road — literally and figuratively. And over my more than 2,000 days going outside every single day for at least 20 minutes I’ve noticed something: the more I practice making decisions outside, the better I am at making them inside.

Why is that and why does it matter? Listen now.

When it comes to balancing a desire to spend time outside with indoor obligations that keep your job and life running, a little bit of organization goes a long way.

I’ve realized that powering through one simple planning task every one of us faces is the difference between living in harried chaos and feeling like everything is under control with plenty of time for everything I want to do, including heading into nature.

So what is it? Menu planning.

(Yes, seriously.)

But I have figured out a way to make it as painless as possible (while still hating it). Listen now to find out what works for me, why it has such a major impact and how it could help you, too.

How do you work through fear of outdoor unknowns? How do you get comfortable with nature-based risks like wildlife or finding danger when you’re all alone? What do you do about all of the outdoor “what ifs?”

Those are questions natural science illustrator and art instructor Sandy McDermott found herself grappling with after an unexpected move from the northeast U.S. to Anchorage, Alaska. And as she looked for ways to move through her fears, she turned to a familiar comfort — creating the art that pushed her to head outside to start with.

In this episode Sandy talks about her ongoing journey towards getting comfortable with the uncomfortable and how you can overcome your own fears of the unknown in wild spaces. Listen now.

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Some of the good stuff:

[3:03] Sandy McDermott’s favorite outdoor space

[5:24] What does a nature illustrator actually do?

[7:24] The outdoor fears that surprised her in Alaska

[9:48] Did the fear surprise her?

[10:31] Normalizing the fear response

[13:45] Did she ever consider just staying inside?

[16:00] How all the problems add up

[21:58] How art has helped her work through the fears

[28:07] Is she surprised by where the journey has brought her?

[28:05] It’s called “bearanoid”

[33:21] What the combination of nature and art mean to her

[35:42] Tips for getting over nature fears

[45:38] Sandy’s favorite outdoor moment

Got hard stuff? Me, too. Fortunately for all of us, there’s nature to help with that.

One of the best things I’ve ever learned while recording episodes of Humans Outside is to think about nature as a container for all the tough stuff of life. So how do you do that? Listen now to find out.