Have you ever felt compelled to tackle a big journey outside? Big is always relative, but for this podcast guest it was really, really big — canoeing the Mississippi River from source to sea for over 130 days.

An indigenous Latina who was born in Ecuador, Cory Maria Dack worked with a pair of other women paddlers to make the journey and highlight the need to bridge equity gaps in the outdoors for women broadly, and women of color specifically. In this episode Cory Maria tells us about her adventure, what she learned on the journey, and why canoeing and spending time on the water is a meaningful and effective way to build equity in the outdoors.

[2:43] Cory Maria Dack’s favorite outdoor space
[3:30] How she became someone who likes to go outside
[5:04] Going from not outdoorsy to canoeing queen
[8:20] The power of people who believe in you
[11:38] Why the Mississippi trip
[15:30] Do not “conquer” the Mississippi River
[17:00] What she expected and what she got
[21:00] What happened when it got really, really cold
[25:04] What it’s like to finish that kind of journey (hint: it’s emotional)
[31:29] Why canoeing and water are great for inclusivity work
[37:47] How you can get involved
[39:36] Cory Maria’s favorite outdoor moment

If you follow me you know I run. But what got me started is an entirely different story.

My first runs were done as a way to honor, remember and move with others through grief. Today it helps me move through everything.

When it comes to marking Memorial Day, taking purposeful steps forward is a powerful way to do it. In this episode you can hear some of my running back story and learn how you can commit purposeful steps to honoring a fallen service member whether you are a runner or not. Listen now!

[:36] The power of purposeful steps

[:55] Why I first started running

[1:10] You can see of our backstory in a documentary

[1:30] The ask that got me running

[2:10] Why I run now

[3:00] The importance of honoring

When the doctors told her she couldn’t do anything because of her rare brain disease, she decided to instead do everything. After all, if she was going to be working through its fallout, why not work through it outside?

Crystal Gail Welcome didn’t grow-up looking at nature as nature, per se. But after a grounding experience in a park with a friend, she made the dramatic decision to become a thru-hiker even though she had never hiked in her life and was dealing with her disability. The result is thousands of miles hiked and becoming the first known Black thru-hiker of the 1,500 mile Florida trail.

Hear Crystal’s incredible story and the inspiration she has for you on just getting out there to see where nature takes you in this episode of Humans Outside. Listen now.

[2:24] Crystal Gail Welcome’s favorite outdoor place
[4:06] Crystal’s outdoor story
[8:35] Why feeling disconnected from your body is relatable
[9:48] How many miles has Crystal hiked?
[11:14] How the rare brain disease impacts Crystal’s hikes
[14:11] How the death of George Floyd impacted Crystal
[19:36] Why the Florida Trail?
[23:31] Why the Florida Trail was the most challenging trail Crystal has ever done
[29:44] What Crystal has learned about people from her hike
[37:03] What Crystal hopes people will learn from her journey and experience
[38:55] Crystal’s favorite outdoor moment

It’s that moment where you know something big is coming — maybe not what, maybe not what will happen — but you can feel it coming in your soul.

It is standing on the edge of something large, the moment before the leap, or the wave’s crash or when you simply take flight.

I just made a huge life decision, and it has me contemplating how this moment before the action feels and looks.

[:30] A song quote

[1:05] Standing on the edge of something large

[1:20] How the waves teach me this

[2:02] What this looks like for life

[2:36] How the outside helps with the something large

[3:37] Something large in my work life and a big change

Taking kids outside? Then you know the struggle. No matter how fun the thing you’re planning is likely to be, getting the crew out the door with all of the necessary belongings and good attitudes intact is a real challenge. So what are some strategies to get kids out into nature all year long without the fun unraveling into a fight?

In this episode of Humans Outside mom and creator of the All Weather Adventure kit line joins the podcast to talk about her best tips and tricks for getting h

[3:52] Holly Horch’s favorite outdoor space

[4:32] How Holly became someone who likes to go outside

[5:30] How nature became a part of their family culture

[8:49] Yes, the struggle is real

[9:26] How they’ve built outdoor time into their daily schedule

[11:04] Why we like nature so much as parents

[13:41] All about Holly’s All Weather Adventuring kits

[19:44] The secret art of marketing

[21:03] A philosophical pondering about kids and understanding fun

[22:06] Why group suffering matters

[25:00] The best way to make everyone happy

[29:04] The art of taking care of parental overwhelm 

[37:07] Holly’s favorite outdoor moment

 

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