Wild Ideas Worth Living | Interviews On Adventure, Outdoors, Travel, Health, Fitness, Running, Business, Surfing, Exploring

Samin’s Wild Idea: To share the power of food with the world and inspire everyone to get in the kitchen and cook with confidence using salt, fat, acid and heat.   If you have been anywhere on the internet lately, you’ve probably seen something about Netflix’s new series, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. The show follows today’s guest, Samin Nosrat, around the world as she teaches the importance of cooking with each of these four elements. On the show, she travels from Italy to Japan to Mexico and back to Berkeley, California working with internationally known foodies to discover how things like miso, soy sauce, corn tortillas and parmesan cheese are made. The whole series is beautifully documented, and she makes cooking and eating accessible and fun for everyone.   Samin’s cookbook of the same name came out just a year ago, and it quickly became a New York Times bestseller and won a James Beard Award (which is like an Oscar of the food world). She has been cooking since 2000, when she started working in the kitchen at

Gabby’s Wild Idea: To continuously learn new ways to optimize health and fitness while helping others be their best selves. Gabby Reece is a woman of many talents. She is a health and fitness expert, a former professional volleyball player, a best-selling author, a model, a TV host, wife to big wave surfer Laird Hamilton, and a mom. She is also the co-founder of XPT (extreme performance training) and founder of HighX Training. I have looked up to Gabby since I was young, and have even written a few stories about her throughout my career. It was pretty exciting to interview her at her house in Malibu (they have a slackline over their pool), and this conversation is different than many that you usually hear on this show. Instead of asking Gabby about her one wild idea, I ask her for advice on health, nutrition, training, how to have a great relationship, being a female athlete, being a mom, and so much more. She has a huge passion for what she does and an incredibly intuitive sense about her. It makes her an aw

Shannon’s Wild Idea: To work for NASA and spend months aboard the international space station. Shannon Walker first dreamed of becoming an astronaut in the 1960s. After getting her undergraduate degree in physics and her Masters of Science and Doctorate of Philosophy in Space Physics, she got her start with the Rockwell Space Operations Company at the Johnson Space Center in 1987 as a robotics flight controller for the space shuttle program. In 2004, she was selected to be a part of NASA, and six years later she served as a flight engineer for a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station. Not only did Shannon need to know how to work a spacecraft, but she had to know how to do it in Russian. In addition to spending time far above the earth, she has also spent time below sea level as an aquanaut on the NEEMO, an underwater space station. She also loves the outdoors and has seen earth from a rare perspective so I was excited to get her thoughts on how the planet and the environment are changin

Tate’s Wild Idea: To climb over 13,000 feet up Grand Teton in Wyoming after seeing an image of the mountain in the hallway where he received cancer treatments. To not let his diagnosis affect his sense of humor and positive attitude.  Today’s guest is a skier, filmmaker, and all around awesome guy who I’ve known for a few years. Tate MacDowell got his start as a filmmaker making ski movies for companies like Teton Gravity Research and Brain Farm. His current company, Death Cookie Entertainment, specializes in editorial action sports films. He’s very present in the outdoor and action sports industry, and I have loved watching his movies. I started following his story more closely the last few years after he shared some vulnerable posts. In 2008, Tate and his wife moved from Jackson Hole, Wyoming to Cardiff, California and a few years later had a son, Wilson. Just two years ago, Tate was diagnosed with cancer, which has now advanced as he is going through stage IV metastatic rectal cancer. While undergoing trea

Rue’s Wild Idea: To start a movement that celebrates diversity, and helps gets more people outside and connected in nature. Rue Mapp is a true force of nature. The activist, nature-lover, and mom of three founded Outdoor Afro as a blog in 2009 and has since grown it to become the nation’s leading nonprofit network that encourages African-American leadership in nature. With nearly 80 leaders in 30 states around the country, the organization has connected thousands of people to outdoor experiences, changing the conversation around who plays outside. Diversity in the outdoors is a hot topic these days, especially at the Outdoor Retailer show where we did this interview. Rue’s voice is a valued leader in the conversation. Outdoor Afro started as something small and personal to Rue, but has grown and become incredibly influential in the outdoor arena. Rue herself has been invited to the White House to participate in the America’s Great Outdoors Conference and was part of a think tank for Michelle Obama’s Let’s Mov

Pete’s Wild Idea: To surf on the Big Wave World Tour, and create a life and career around surfing. You may have seen today’s guest gliding down a giant wave at Mavericks, or heard his voice behind the microphone as the commentator for the World Surf League. The long-time Quiksilver athlete, WSL commentator, owner of his family surf shop in Santa Cruz, husband and dad, Peter “Pete” Mel has a lot of roles he balances. We talk about how the man with one of the longest and most robust surfing careers does it all. We also chat about the complexities of big wave surfing, how he conquers fear, his sobriety, parenting advice, his take on failure, why he’s so into Eckhart Tolle, and so much more. Listen to this episode if:  You’ve ever wondered how people surf six-story tall waves. You want to ask better questions. You love surfing. You are on a journey to find a better work-life balance. For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http://wildideasworthliving.com/88 Host

Courtney’s Wild Idea: To battle her autoimmune diagnosis by embracing minimalism, being less busy, having more JOMO, and sharing her journey and tips with the world. If you have social media or are connected to our current tech-savvy world, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced some FOMO (fear of missing out). Or maybe you’ve experienced a sense of feeling overwhelmed, being too busy, or had this deep desire to simplify your life and be happy with where you are and what you have right now?  If those questions spark something inside you, you will love today’s guest. After years in a fast-paced career as an ad executive, Courtney Carver was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease that forced her to rethink her whole life. Stress caused major flare-ups for her, so she went about eliminating as many sources of stress as she could. This led to a passion for minimalism, the creation of Project 333, and her book Soulful Simplicity, which has become a huge hit and really touched me when I rea

Alex’s Wild Idea: To climb El Capitan without ropes and tackle some of the world’s most challenging routes, setting records, inspiring others, and giving back through his foundation. *Editors Note: Do not try this at home. Alex Honnold is the most exciting and recognized climber in the world, in addition to being one of the best climbers ever. Last year, Alex completed the most terrifying, challenging climbing feats to date. He climbed 3,000 feet up El Capitan in Yosemite without ropes. (Yes, if he fell at any point he could have died). The film he made with National Geographic about his journey, and the training and everything else leading up to it will hit theaters nationwide in just a few weeks.  For years, Alex has lived the life that many athletes dream of -- living out of his van, traveling around, and climbing some of the toughest and most stunning routes. Along the way, he set plenty of records, but remains humble about his talents. He strives to live his own terms to the fullest, and encourage others

Jamie’s Wild Idea: To overcome asthma and become a world-champion paddleboarder and big wave surfer. To educate himself and the world about sustainable aquaculture practices. Today’s guest exemplifies what it means to make your wild idea a reality. Jamie Mitchell is one of the best athletes in the world and a ten-time winner of the Molokai to Oahu paddleboard race, one of the most challenging, prestigious races in the world where competitors paddle 32 miles between the Hawaiian Islands. Jamie was passionate about a sport, that at the time he started, wasn’t particularly popular, but he pursued it and made a great career out of it. He isn’t paddleboarding much anymore, but he is on the Big Wave Tour where he has taken the podium many times. If he wins the Big Wave Tour, he’ll be the first person ever to win both this title and the paddleboarding title.  In addition to his amazing career, we talk about Jamie’s struggle with asthma as a kid, and how it actually got him into water sports in the first place and ev

Andy’s Wild Idea: To reduce the amount of new items we purchase every year by 25% through his company, Yerdle. Andy Ruben has had a unique career path. He never thought he would end up in the business world, but ended up working as the Chief Sustainability Officer for Walmart. After seeing just how many products are bought and never used or thrown out, he decided to do something about it. In 2012, he co-founded Yerdle, a company that focuses on buying back and reselling products that might otherwise end up in a landfill, a process Andy calls “re-commerce.” Companies like REI, Patagonia, and Eileen Fisher all have their own buy-back programs where they will give you credit for your old gear or clothes, and then resell those items for a fraction of the price.  Andy is a forward-thinker with an untraditional path whose focus is to make a positive impact on our environment. While he’s aware that there’s still a need for new gear, he supports sustainable production practices. Through Yerdle, customers can get the

Scott’s Wild Idea: To renew his sense of purpose by running the Appalachian Trail (which he also set the speed record for), and chronicling his adventures with his wife in a book called North. Scott Jurek is one of the most accomplished ultra-runners of all time. Among his many accomplishments, Scott won the 153-mile Spartathalon, The Hard Rock 100, The Bad Water 135 Ultramarathon, and he’s won the Western States 100-mile endurance run a record-breaking seven straight times. He’s also the author of the New York Times bestseller Eat & Run, a memoir that traces Scott’s journey from his Midwestern childhood to his adventures in ultrarunning, and how he became a vegan. In 2015, Scott had already accomplished much in his life, but found himself wanting a refresh. He eventually decided to run the entire 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail north towards Maine, with his wife, Jenny, as his support crew. The trail not only tested his limits, but also renewed his sense of purpose and love for running and the life he creat

Scott’s Wild Idea: To write about adventure and the outdoors, debunk gurus, and find ways to biohack your body to improve performance and health. Last week, I interviewed “Iceman” and record breaker Wim Hof, who talked about how cold immersion and breathing techniques can help humans achieve better health, happiness, and strength. This week, I thought it was appropriate to follow up our conversation with anthropologist and investigative journalist Scott Carney. In addition to spending a lot of time with Wim Hof, studying his method and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with him in record time wearing little clothing, Scott also wrote a best-seller about Wim called What Doesn’t Kill Us. The book dives deep into the science behind the Wim Hof Method, and also explains how environmental conditioning can help us renew our lost evolutionary strength.   Scott spent much of his career debunking health and spiritual gurus, and writing about them for national publications and books. When he set out to do the same thing with Wi

Wim’s Wild Idea: To help humans connect to their inner power, heal and achieve big goals by using nature, cold exposure, breathing techniques, and commitment. When I started this podcast, my goal was to talk to people who had made their wild ideas a reality, and Wim Hof has been a dream guest for a long time. Over the last few decades, Wim has broken dozens of records and achieved some wild feats. He climbed 20,000 feet up Mt. Everest while wearing only shorts and shoes. He’s run a marathon barefoot above the Arctic Circle. He sat in an ice bath for two whole hours. He even swam 66 meters beneath polar ice caps. Many of his records were attempts to show the world that healing and high performance can be achieved if we go back to nature, and we have healing powers within ourselves.  Wim has worked with researchers all over the globe to back up his theories with the goal to reach more people and help them heal. Today there are several studies showing how the Wim Hof Method works. He’s also has helped thousands

Aspen’s Wild Idea: To rebuild her mental and emotional strength by hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail, and her journey in the book, Girl In the Woods Editor's note: This episode contains references to sexual violence and may not be suitable for all audiences. After being raped her second night of her freshman year in college, Aspen Matis grew depressed and was shocked at how her school didn’t believe her, and how little they did to protect her. She’d spent a lot of time in the outdoors in growing up, and knew that getting into the wilderness could bring her a sense of peace and healing. Instead of returning to school, she dropped out and embarked on a 2,000-mile journey to walk the PCT from Mexico to Canada.  She shared the story of her journey in the 2015 book, Girl in the Woods, which became an international bestseller. It’s a story that’s equally vulnerable and fearless, one where Aspen shares moments of magic from the trail and its healing power. It’s also a book I couldn’t put down and has resonated w

Beth’s Wild Idea: To become a world class rock climber, and inspire others to find their own drive and definition of happiness and success.  Beth Rodden started climbing in indoor gyms when she was 14. She quickly won national competitions, and then began climbing outside around the world. She became famous for free climbing the nose on El Capitan. She also completed many other first ascents, like free climbing the Meltown, a 5.14c route in Yosemite, where she showed the world women can climb as well as men. It hasn’t all been easy on and off the wall for Beth, though. In 2000, Beth and three of her climbing partners were on a climbing trip in Kyrgyzstan when they were captured by members of the IMU, a militant group. They escaped on the sixth day, but no one at home even knew they’d been kidnapped. A few years later, Beth went through a divorce. After that, she decided to break down her own ideals about perfectionism and being a constant overachiever.  I love Beth’s story because it’s honest, and perfectioni

Michael’s Wild Idea: To write captivating stories about people who live on the fringes of society and do wild things. Michael Finkel is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, which we dive deep into on today’s show. The story chronicles a highly intelligent man that lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years without lighting a single fire, or talking to a single soul. An outdoors lover himself, who splits time between Montana and Southern France, Michael has a penchant for stories about those who live on the edges of society, and people who live with less. On assignment as a journalist for the likes of the New York Times and National Geographic, he’s skied off the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, set sail on a Haitian refugee boat, joined a cult in Colorado, been in a car that was run over by a tank in Afghanistan, and covered the last hunter-gatherer tribes. His previous book, True Story, was adapted into a 2015 major motion pi

Rebecca’s Wild Idea: To encourage others to take risks, push themselves physically and mentally, and get everyone in the world on a bike. Today we welcome back Rebecca Rusch, this show’s first repeat guest. Rebecca has been called a modern day wonder woman and the queen of pain for her ability to not only withstand harsh conditions in endurance racing, but for her well-versed career. She has been a pro athlete for over three decades. She’s a seven-time world champion, author, philanthropist, and she’s shattered the glass ceiling in everything she’s done from finishing ahead of every guy in major mountain bike races, becoming a fire fighter, breaking records, and winning major adventure and endurance mountain bike races. Since we last spoke, Rebecca was on tour with the feature film Blood Road, which follows her journey along the 1200km Ho Chi Minh Trail to find the site of her father’s plane crash during the Vietnam War. This year, Rebecca is about to celebrate her 50th birthday, and she’s had some time to re

Cheryl’s Wild Idea: To share her story of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, encourage others to get outside, share their stories, and embrace kindness.  Cheryl Strayed is the author of #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Wild about her trek along the Pacific Crest Trail. The book was adapted into an Oscar-nominated movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. In addition to writing Wild, Cheryl also wrote the New York Times bestsellers Tiny Beautiful Things and Brave Enough, as well as her first novel, Torch. She is the co-host of Dear Sugar, an advice column turned WBUR podcast, and a true force of nature.   On this episode, we talk about hiking, how to choose your best adventure, how to make better decisions about what to do with your life, the party she’d throw, and so much more. I have wanted to interview Cheryl since I read her first book, so this was a real treat. I hope you enjoy this show. *Please note, we are taking next week off, which is important for living wildly.  Listen to this episode if: 

Catra’s Wild Idea: To spend maximum time outdoors trail running while breaking ultramarathon records and helping people and dogs along the way.   After battling drug addiction, Catra Corbett hit her bottom, finding herself in jail. Soon after she got sober, Catra discovered her love of fitness. She also started running, and running more. To date, Catra, aka “the Dirt Diva” has run over 260 marathons, over 137 100-mile runs, and set numerous records including becoming the first to run the 424-mile round trip of the John Muir trail in just over 12 days. While she is known in the ultra-running community for her brightly-colored hair, loud running outfits and, numerous piercings and tattoos, most know her now for her tenacious spirit and giant heart.   A lover of animals, the vegan runner has adopted numerous dogs including a dachshund named Truman who she’s trained to run and who now has a following larger than most Instagram stars himself.  Catra recently penned a book, Reborn On The Run, where she shares her s

Karen’s and Adriana’s Wild Idea: To encourage diversity in the outdoors and change how the media portrays who plays outside. Part of living wildly is standing up for what you believe in. After not seeing people who looked like them represented in the outdoors, today’s guests took action. Karen Ramos and Adriana Garcia are two young women who started movements to encourage diversity and representation in the outdoor industry.   The daughter of migrant farmers turned entrepreneurs, Karen loved being outdoors and camping with her family when she was younger. She wanted to provide that same opportunity to kids today, so she founded Get Out, Stay Out, an organization that connects indigenous-migrant children with the outdoors through hikes, camping trips and multi-day backpacking adventures.  Adriana Garcia grew up Mormon, half-Mexican, and in the south. She said she never felt like she belonged until she got outside. Last year, she left her accounting job to co-found LatinX Hikers with her friend, Luz Lituma. It’