Until next time, we’ll see you out there (Outdoor Diary)
May 30, 2024
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
Podcast
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.
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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.
Connect with this episode:
Visit Sandy McDermott’s website
Connect with Sandy on LinkedIn
Register for Sandy’s newsletter
Join the Humans Outside Challenge
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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
[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.
[;34] The importance of reframing and why I love it so
[1:15] One of my favorite reframings
[1:40] Think about the outdoors as a “container”
[2:15] Why a container is good for you too
[3:00] How I used the container recently
[4:00] How to make the container work for you
[4:10] The tool of soft focus
[5:12] Mind wandering + walking
[5:46] Working hard outside
[6:00] Don’t forget the container when you need it
It might also be trendy, but backyard chicken keeping isn’t just a delightful way to source a parade of fresh eggs and endless chicken entertainment, it’s also the perfect lure for getting outside regularly right where you are. And while, yes, keeping any outdoor animal provides the obligatory outdoor chore list, a backyard coop can also draw you into nature in ways that don’t include coop cleaning or flock feeding, says podcast guest Tove Danovich.
A journalist and author of the new book “Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them,” Tove has an insider perspective on all the ways keeping a parade of chickens can connect you with your own nearby nature, too. Listen now.
[3:16] Tove Danovich’s favorite outdoor space
[4:23] How Tove became someone who likes to go outside
[6:42] Tove’s chicken story
[8:45] Chicken math
[11:02] Is there such a thing as too many chickens?
[14:40] How chickens help Tove get outside
[18:00] Warning warning she might a birder
[22:30] Rooster problems
[23:53] Why it matters that the chickens don’t need her
[29:05] The inside scoop on chicken culture
[32:17] What people should know about chickens that the books don’t really say
[37:00] Keeping chickens from becoming a chore
[42:47] Tove’s favorite outdoor moment
Tackling big challenges outside offers plenty of opportunities to learn big lessons. But this one? This takeaway is something I am going to be able to leverage for every outdoor experience. It all started with some insight from a Humans Outside podcast guest and became crystal clear during a recent big adventure on a very windy mountain run. So what’s the lesson and how can it help you? Listen now.
[:58] What is the most important thing I’ve learned?
[1:05] Woooooo, nervous system
[1:20] Sarah Histand, master of this topic, so check her out
[1:45] The secret power of your nervous system
[2:00] All the ways you might hear your nervous system talking
[2:40] Training your nervous system
[3:00] The fun words: titration and pendulation
[3:30] How this lesson helped me.
[3:50] The most important part of this lesson
[4:20] A reason example of this particular learning
[4:30] All about the Crazy Lazy Mountain Race and exactly how crazy it was
[6:12] The moment my nervous system left the party
[6:45] Why this understanding matters
[7:25] How this might apply to you even if you’re not on Lazy Mountain in big wind
How does spending time outside impact or help humans who are tackling life with various forms of neurodivergence or with an autism diagnosis? Dad and daughter duo Ian and Eve Alderman, who share both an autism diagnosis and a love of hiking, are navigating the world – literally – one hike at a time. With the support of mom Sarah, the Scotland-based family is teaching Eve to pair her unique abilities with the wide-world by doing long hiking projects for charity.
In this episode Ian takes a break from the trail to talk about their adventures, how spending time outside aids them on their life journey, and what other humans both neuronormative and neurodivergent may be able to find by spending more time outside.
[2:58] Ian Alderman’s favorite outdoor space
[3:44] All about Ian’s family and their outdoor story
[8:13] What autism looks like for Eve (age 9) and Ian
[12:09] How spending time outside helps Eve
[17:18] How they handle Eve’s schooling while hiking full time
[22:40] All about this year’s hiking project
[24:02] Hiking for charity
[28:13] What working through nature has taught Ian about his own autism
[31:55] Feeling vulnerable in nature and why that’s everyone
[32:33] What humans can find by going outside
[36:24] How listeners can support Ian and Eve
[37:37] Ian’s favorite outdoor moments
Follow Our Spectrum Adventures on Facebook
Buy Ian and Eve a coffee (or hot chocolate!)
Visit Ian and Eve’s website Our Spectrum Adventures website
Follow Our Spectrum Adventures on Instagram
Support Scottish Autism through Just Giving
Support Scottish Autism through GoFundMe
Join the Humans Outside Challenge
FOLLOW US
FEATURED POSTS
The power of ‘yes’ and following your gut to outdoor adventures (Mimi Zieman, author, doctor and outdoor adventurer)
May 23, 2024
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
This is the best gift of my outdoor habit (Outdoor Diary)
May 21, 2024
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