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.
We all have a type of weather we just really can’t stand. But what if you paused to find a reason to at least appreciate it? What would you find?
In this Outdoor Diary episode, Amy talks about her recent experience learning to like the notorious wind in her part of Alaska.
[:45] The wind as an Alaska origin story
[2:32] The wind comes off the what?
[3:39] Getting over it
[4:08] Finding yourself in the wind and what to do about it
[5:07] What you might notice
It happens: sometimes life is just busy. So how do you make time to go outside when you’re busy? How do you keep it a priority? How do you fit it in?
In this Outdoor Diary episode Amy talks about how she fits her outdoor time into every day no matter what, and gives you a few tips for how you can do so, too.
[:47] Why it’s hard to get outside
[1:45] Tips for making it happen
[1:47] Write it down
[2:37] Be specific
[4:03] Remember your why
Just because nature is right outside your front door doesn’t mean everything you want to do in it must be done alone or leaning only on your own experience and knowledge. There’s a world of people out there who want to assist you if you just ask them. That can be a hard mindset for Amy, who likes to do things on her own. But asking for a little help has made her outdoor time much better than it was when she was trying to fly solo. In this episode she talks about two easy ways you can get help with heading outside.
[:45] Amy’s solo mindset
[1:15] Why asking for help can make outdoor time better
[2:15] The first kind of outdoor help
[3:59] A second type of help
[5:00] Help from the Humans Outside 365 Challenge
If you’ve been contemplating an outdoor habit, you may have fallen into a trap Amy constantly finds herself in: thinking you have to go all in. So what’s the real deal? In this episode of Amy’s Outdoor Diary, she talks about her own “all in” habit and how it keeps her from trying new things.
[:45] What does “all in” mean to Amy?
[1:25] What all in looks like in Amy’s life
[2:00] Why thinking about going all in might stop you from trying
[2:15] The dangers of this mindset for Amy
[2:41] Lessons from a recent interview
[4:20] Don’t let this thinking keep you from doing this
Editor note: Human error got the best of me, and despite actually discussing with Carl during our interview (before recording) the difference between astrology and astronomy, I proceeded to use the wrong term in the title of this podcast episode and throughout the post and podcast notes. Carl Gawboy is an astrologist. The below has been corrected. Thank you for understanding!
Modern American culture uses Greek mythology to refer to stars and constellations in the night sky. But a rich tradition of Natvie American astronomy and indigenous star stories is out there, too, waiting for us to learn it. Better yet? Native American astronomy and learning star stories can help us chart the seasons and help us enjoy heading outside.
In this episode of Humans Outside Carl Gawboy, a Native American astronomy, Native Skywatchers elder and Ojibwe artist based in Minnesota, guides us through his groundbreaking work in Ojibwe star stories and what they can mean to us today. At almost 80, Carl shares a lifetime of work, study and cultural understanding with us.
[3:32] Carl Gawboy’s favorite outdoor space
[5:55] How Carl became someone who likes to go outside
[7:31] How indigenous star stories because a part of his journey
[16:32] How he discovered the connection of Ojibwe pictographs to star stories
[26:19] What the Hegman Lake pictographs mean
[32:05] The Ojibwe words for what’s in those pictographs
[34:00] What do you indigenous star stories teach us about our world today?
[38:19] How Carl’s artwork and star stories connect to simplicity
[42:29] The role of myth in understanding our world
[45:44] Using star stories to chart the year
[48:57] How to learn more about star stories wherever you are
Bad attitudes and not feeling like doing something are just a part of life. So is facing conditions or circumstances that aren’t fun or pleasant. And when it comes to those things being a part of your outdoor habit? There is a reason you should move into them head-on and do the thing anyway.
Amy’s been thinking about two reasons that’s true as she battles through some of her own bad attitude feelings, and talks about them in this episode of Humans Outside.
[:45] A Spring-ish confession
[1:20] What “over it” means right now
[2:30] Why this is when you need to be out there
[2:50] The muscle you build when you get out there
[3:40] The outside time you’ll absolutely regret
How’s the end of winter going for you? Across the northern hemisphere hints of spring are popping up, with daffodils and flowers pushing through the ground. That’s even true in Alaska, where the longer daylight and temperatures closer to 30 than to 10 are warming things up and offering glimmers of hope, even if they do come between arctic blasts and falling snow. In this Outdoor Diary episode Amy walks through the power of those hints and why it’s important to seize them when it comes.
[:27] Finding moments of hope
[1:36] An almost-missed opportunity
[3:45] A hint of what’s to come
[4:21] Humans Outside Challenge
[5:09] Where to find Humans Outside
“Van life.” Sounds like something fancy for someone else, right? Someone who doesn’t have a job, or commitments, or a family, or stability, or … or… or.
Wrong! Using a camping van or having longterm adventures doesn’t have to just be for other people. It can be something normal people just like you use to get closer to nature near and far.
This week’s guest Kristen Bor knows that’s true because she’s lived all versions of van life as part of her work on her website Bearfoot Theory. On this episode of Humans Outside, Kristen shares with us her best tips for making van life a part of your regular outdoor adventures.
[2:50] Kristen Bor’s favorite outdoor space
[3:20] How Kristen became someone who likes to go outside
[7:05] What does “van life” actually mean?
[8:54] Why people like the idea of van life
[11:14] The security of vans
[12:53] How to make van life a part of normal life
[19:28] Why is van life different from RV life?
[24:01] How to buy a van without spending all of your money
[33:27] Kristen’s best three tips for getting into van life
What happens when you take your date day outside? As Amy knows all too well, it can go horribly wrong or be really great. The difference? Communication. In this Outdoor Diary episode Amy talks about two very different ski dates, and why one worked but the other failed spectacularly.
[:26]: Keeping busy
[1:00]: Who is Amy dating?! (spoiler alert: her husband!)
[2:00]: Dating challenges (like, the outdoor kind)
[4:45]: Sacred spaces
[6:09]: Where to find Humans Outside
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
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
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