What happens when all of your tasks are outside but none of your nurturing? Can you lose sight of why you built an outdoor habit to start with? And how do you take a pause to reassess?

In seasons where tasks take us into the great outdoors, it’s easy to lose sight of why you want to be there, finding yourself just exhausted as always, but this time exhausted outside.

So what should you do? Listen now.

[:35] An unusual (for me) problem

[1:26] What happens when you’re outside for tasks not benefits?

[1:45] Sorta like chores but not really

[2:19] Why I’m thinking about this

[3:11] Where have you gone, oh recess?

What happens when all of your tasks are outside but none of your nurturing? Can you lose sight of why you built an outdoor habit to start with? And how do you take a pause to reassess?

In seasons where tasks take us into the great outdoors, it’s easy to lose sight of why you want to be there, finding yourself just exhausted as always, but this time exhausted outside.

So what should you do? Listen now.

[:35] An unusual (for me) problem

[1:26] What happens when you’re outside for tasks not benefits?

[1:45] Sorta like chores but not really

[2:19] Why I’m thinking about this

[3:11] Where have you gone, oh recess?

When was the last time you took a road trip near where you live and did some of the regular tourist stuff outside?

That’s what I’ve been up to on a week-long adventure traveling a portion of the Kenai Peninsula as I work on a writing assignment. I’ve met all sorts of interesting people and tried a bunch of new (to me) things — river floating, Alaska whitewater rafting, gold mining and ziplining.

The biggest reminder? Don’t let the weather get you down.

Listen now.

[:35] Hey hey from Alaska

[:45] A little scene-setting

[1:17] What the heck I’ve been doing

[1:30] (Yes, it’s cool)

[1:50] Two quick takeaways so far

When was the last time you took a road trip near where you live and did some of the regular tourist stuff outside?

That’s what I’ve been up to on a week-long adventure traveling a portion of the Kenai Peninsula as I work on a writing assignment. I’ve met all sorts of interesting people and tried a bunch of new (to me) things — river floating, Alaska whitewater rafting, gold mining and ziplining.

The biggest reminder? Don’t let the weather get you down.

Listen now.

[:35] Hey hey from Alaska

[:45] A little scene-setting

[1:17] What the heck I’ve been doing

[1:30] (Yes, it’s cool)

[1:50] Two quick takeaways so far

When summer is short and you want to do everything, having a goal or adventure list for each summer can help keep you from feeling paralyzed by options.

And having one that’s designed to give you something to do for just a few hours on any given afternoon? That keeps the fun rolling without exhausting everyone in the process.

So how can you create a goal list that hits the mark without feeling impossible? Listen now.

[:45] We all know I like lists, OK?

[:58] The “problem” of getting stuck in a rut (or is it?)

[1:22] My summertime planning problem

[1:50] A solution for this

[2:10] Going with easy

[2:30] What we’re doing

[3:10] Bonus: free

[3:52] How this is different than big stuff

[4:15] There are no rules

When summer is short and you want to do everything, having a goal or adventure list for each summer can help keep you from feeling paralyzed by options.

And having one that’s designed to give you something to do for just a few hours on any given afternoon? That keeps the fun rolling without exhausting everyone in the process.

So how can you create a goal list that hits the mark without feeling impossible? Listen now.

[:45] We all know I like lists, OK?

[:58] The “problem” of getting stuck in a rut (or is it?)

[1:22] My summertime planning problem

[1:50] A solution for this

[2:10] Going with easy

[2:30] What we’re doing

[3:10] Bonus: free

[3:52] How this is different than big stuff

[4:15] There are no rules

Most of the time, it’s a little in my head that tells me I can do things or narrates when they feel like they are about to go very wrong. Sometimes it’s more like a movie — a dramatic demonstration of the terrible thing that’s about to happen, or a picture of the upcoming victory. According to our recent podcast guest Sarah Histand, a mental health-informed fitness trainer all of it is self-talk.

Over my days building my outdoor habit, I’ve learned to make self talk work for me with a few phrases, or mantras, I can repeat over and over.

But there’s still one major thing I struggle with.

And leaning into this negative self-talk? It produces that kind of silly outdoor fail that seems to be my personal speciality.

Listen now.

[:30] A little bit of background on self-talk

[1:10] The times I don’t get it right

[1:35] My biggest outdoor problem

[2:00] What I do about it

[2:37] My reminder self-talk

[3:44] Using it for your indoor life

Most of the time, it’s a little in my head that tells me I can do things or narrates when they feel like they are about to go very wrong. Sometimes it’s more like a movie — a dramatic demonstration of the terrible thing that’s about to happen, or a picture of the upcoming victory. According to our recent podcast guest Sarah Histand, a mental health-informed fitness trainer all of it is self-talk.

Over my days building my outdoor habit, I’ve learned to make self talk work for me with a few phrases, or mantras, I can repeat over and over.

But there’s still one major thing I struggle with.

And leaning into this negative self-talk? It produces that kind of silly outdoor fail that seems to be my personal speciality.

Listen now.

[:30] A little bit of background on self-talk

[1:10] The times I don’t get it right

[1:35] My biggest outdoor problem

[2:00] What I do about it

[2:37] My reminder self-talk

[3:44] Using it for your indoor life

Maybe it’s something you quietly tell yourself over and over again — actual words, floating through your brain in a steady monologue. Maybe it’s more like a movie, as you visualize what happens next while you work through any given challenge. But all of it can be categorized as “self-talk,” and it holds surprising sway over whether we feel like whatever it is we’re doing will be incredible — or fail miserably.

So how do you learn to have positive self-talk, especially while in the middle of something extremely challenging or even more than a little scary? Can you self-talk your way to success? Can learning how to do so outside translate to your indoor life, too?

Sarah Histand says “yes.” A mental health-focused fitness trainer and Humans Outside fan favorite guest, in this episode Sarah shares her secrets to create self-talk that can get you through the challenge and on to victory. Listen now!

[2:28] Sarah’s favorite outdoor space (this time)

[3:20] Sarah’s outdoor story, plus bonus info on how she met her adventure partner/husband, Luc

[7:05] What is self-talk and what are “mantras”

[9:57] Why do we so clearly experience self-talk outside?

[13:13] When self-talk is visual

[14:12] Taking negative self-talk and making it positive and empowering

[17:36] The problems with a negative loop

[19:29] Mantras and self-talk that work for Sarah

[21:03] Examples of Amy’s useful self-talk

[29:01] How to create positive self-talk

[32:06] Example of negative visualization and how to fix it

[38:00] The mega importance of pausing to note what this feels like

[39:50] Mantras for you to try

[41:42] How to find Sarah and her (recent) favorite outdoor moment

Maybe it’s something you quietly tell yourself over and over again — actual words, floating through your brain in a steady monologue. Maybe it’s more like a movie, as you visualize what happens next while you work through any given challenge. But all of it can be categorized as “self-talk,” and it holds surprising sway over whether we feel like whatever it is we’re doing will be incredible — or fail miserably.

So how do you learn to have positive self-talk, especially while in the middle of something extremely challenging or even more than a little scary? Can you self-talk your way to success? Can learning how to do so outside translate to your indoor life, too?

Sarah Histand says “yes.” A mental health-focused fitness trainer and Humans Outside fan favorite guest, in this episode Sarah shares her secrets to create self-talk that can get you through the challenge and on to victory. Listen now!

[2:28] Sarah’s favorite outdoor space (this time)

[3:20] Sarah’s outdoor story, plus bonus info on how she met her adventure partner/husband, Luc

[7:05] What is self-talk and what are “mantras”

[9:57] Why do we so clearly experience self-talk outside?

[13:13] When self-talk is visual

[14:12] Taking negative self-talk and making it positive and empowering

[17:36] The problems with a negative loop

[19:29] Mantras and self-talk that work for Sarah

[21:03] Examples of Amy’s useful self-talk

[29:01] How to create positive self-talk

[32:06] Example of negative visualization and how to fix it

[38:00] The mega importance of pausing to note what this feels like

[39:50] Mantras for you to try

[41:42] How to find Sarah and her (recent) favorite outdoor moment

We’re outside for the joy of nature and to experience all heading out there has to offer us. But sometimes the thing it offers is a little bit less earthy and a little more human. It’s a chance to see humans at their best, moving through something challenging together and holding each other up along the way.

Experiencing that is the joy of being outside with humans. And it’s something you shouldn’t miss.

[:35] My favorite fitness thing of the year

[:50] What the humans have to do with it

[1:15] Why the Gold Nugget triathlon is a little different

[1:40] A few of the complications and reasons that it’s great

[2:00] Why humans together outside shows what we need to see

[3:15] Other adventures just this week that showed that humans outside are the best

We’re outside for the joy of nature and to experience all heading out there has to offer us. But sometimes the thing it offers is a little bit less earthy and a little more human. It’s a chance to see humans at their best, moving through something challenging together and holding each other up along the way.

Experiencing that is the joy of being outside with humans. And it’s something you shouldn’t miss.

[:35] My favorite fitness thing of the year

[:50] What the humans have to do with it

[1:15] Why the Gold Nugget triathlon is a little different

[1:40] A few of the complications and reasons that it’s great

[2:00] Why humans together outside shows what we need to see

[3:15] Other adventures just this week that showed that humans outside are the best

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

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

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

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

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