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

Shanti’s Wild Idea: To improve people’s lives, health, and communities by getting families outside through Hike it Baby. Shanti Hodges is a journalist, writer, and mom who started a community called Hike it Baby. The non-profit organization’s mission is to connect families and get them outside, especially when their children are young. Hike it Baby is now responsible for bringing families and babies on over 3,000 hikes a month in over 330 cities. Shanti is an inspiring woman who had a wild idea and made it a reality. She shares insights on how Hike it Baby grew so rapidly, what it takes to start a movement, why nature is so good for babies and adults, and why Facebook called up Shanti and personally invited her to their headquarters. Listen to this episode if:  You love hiking, nature and being outside. You’re a parent or love kids, and want to spend more time with family outdoors. You are a city slicker and intimidated by the outdoors. You want to start a community. For full show notes, including guest lin

Damien’s Wild Idea: To chase his dreams of being a professional athlete while spreading positivity everywhere he goes. Damien LeRoy is a professional and world renowned kiteboarder, paraglider, stuntman, and athlete. Last year he had a terrifying crash where he fell over 150 feet from the air into a forest of mangrove trees and broke his leg, ribs, punctured his lung, and more. He could have easily died, but ten months later he is almost completely recovered and already back on his board.  Damien shares his story with me and talks about what was going through his head while his lines were tangled and he began to spin out of control in the air. He also talks about his unique upbringing (dad was in James Bond movies and he was a pro skier and lived in the mountains for many years). He also shares about working on the new Baywatch movie with the Rock and Zach Efron, how his approach to kiteboarding has changed since his accident, what it is like to be a professional athlete, what he always takes on the road, and

Cyrus’s Wild Idea: To continue to learn about our planet, people, and our passions by making films about these topics and sharing them with the world. To be interested instead of just interesting. Cyrus Sutton is an incredibly thoughtful and introspective person. A director, filmmaker, surfer, adventurer, and sought-after brand ambassador, Cyrus has produced Emmy Award-winning films, including Stoked and Broke, and is the founder of Korduroy TV, a website that explores creativity and sustainability in the outdoors. His latest film, Island Earth, documents how we grow our food, and explores the challenges between using conventional agricultural practices (including the use of science and chemical solutions) versus using ancient techniques to feed our population and our planet. Cyrus has travelled all over the globe, lived in California and even spent some time living and working out of a van. He now resides in the Pacific Northwest where he is working on growing his own food and enjoying documenting others who

Grant’s Wild Idea: To educate and raise awareness about mental health issues through surfing in bright colors, sharing his personal story, and starting a movement. Grant Trebilco is the creator of One Wave is All it Takes (OneWave), a nonprofit tackling mental health issues, literally one wave at a time. The organization started in Australia, and has quickly gained worldwide attention through its “Fluro Friday” events, where participants surf in bright colors and wild outfits, drawing attention to a darker issue. I met Grant while surfing in Australia, participated in a few of his events, and have been inspired by his story. Because he had an experience he was willing to share, Grant’s organization has helped numerous people around the world, both in the water and on land. By doing so, One Wave has become an international movement with coverage in outlets like the BBC. Thousands of people at hundreds of beaches participate in Fluro Friday OneWave surf sessions every week. Listen to this episode if:  You have

Rebecca’s Wild Idea: To be a professional adventure racer and bike the Ho Chi Minh Trail in search of her father, who was shot down as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War. Rebecca Rusch has been a professional athlete for over three decades. She is a seven-time World Champion who continues to shatter the glass ceiling in whatever sport she tackles, whether it is climbing, rafting, or biking. She has a first female ascent rock climbing El Capitan in Yosemite. She has river boarded down the Grand Canyon. And she has beaten most men at endurance mountain bike racing.  Rebecca’s most recent journey goes much deeper. She biked 1,200 miles along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Southeast Asia to search for the crash site of her father’s plane where he was shot down in the Vietnam War over 40 years ago. She shared the journey with another mountain biker, a local Vietnamese woman, and they documented it all in an epic film by Red Bull Media House called Blood Road that just hit theaters. Listen to this episode if:  You love

Angela’s Wild Idea: To combine spirituality and athleticism while helping others find their own purpose through fitness. Angela Davis is an international fitness evangelist and motivational coach, who’s helped lead events alongside people like Oprah. In addition to being one of the most inspiring voices and coaches, she’s a former member of the USA track and field team and was a five-time All-American who held world rankings in the 100 meter race. These days, Angela can be found instructing one of the most sought after SoulCycle classes with long waitlists and tons of celebrity clients. There’s countless reasons why. One is that her class feels like being inside an upbeat church, with awesome music. You forget you’re in a dark room getting sweaty, and leave the studio feeling pumped up and ready to conquer the world. Angela shares her journey to finding her purpose and how you can find yours. She also shares why working out on the inside is as important as working out on the outside - it’s not just about that

Izzy’s Wild Idea: To be a rebel, to start the first all-women’s surf school, and to create a thriving business in a bikini. Izzy Tihanyi started the first all-women’s surf school in 1996. Prior to founding Surf Diva, Izzy was a competitive collegiate surfer, competed on the professional women’s longboard circuit, hosted a TV show for action sports, and at one point was even my surf camp counselor. Izzy has an awesome story, which is why she frequently gets asked to speak at business and sports events. She also happens to be one of my best friends ever, so we get a little cheeky on the show. We dive into some pretty serious topics too, like body image, the work ethic that is instilled when you come from an immigrant family, starting a business in a bikini, advice to teens, why surfing naked is awesome, and how to be the best surfer in the water. Listen to this episode if:  You wish you didn’t have to wear shoes to work. You surf or want to know how to surf. You love the ocean.  You are an entrepreneur or want

Gretchen & Taylor’s Wild Idea: To be able to go on an adventure at any moment with minimal planning and packing. To explore the world from a van and start a thriving business around their passion.  Gretchen Bayless and Taylor Hood are the founders of Roamerica Rentals, a camper van rental company based in Oregon that lets you take their vans all over North America and even to Canada. Their vans are decked out with items like Rumpl blankets, Stanley stainless steel cooking ware and local organic coffee, so all you have to do is show up with clothes and hit the road. Van life is all the rage right now, and it’s definitely a passion for these two - which is why they were so eager to start a business around sharing their love of exploring the great outdoors with the world.  What I love about their story is it’s very real. Starting a new company isn’t always easy, and as fun as a camper van rental company might sound, it comes with challenges, like working day jobs! That’s right - Roamerica is their side hustl

Devyn’s Wild Idea: To connect people through films and stories that will change the world.  Devyn Bisson is a documentary filmmaker who got her start as a beach lifeguard in Huntington Beach, Calif. At just 25 years old, Devyn has produced and created several award-winning films, including The Wave I Ride, and a short about Syrian Refugee Crisis, Lighthouse Molyvos, that’s coming out this summer. Even though she’s young, Devyn has a lot of wisdom about the power of telling a story, and how you can tell your story now. She talks about the similarities between making films and lifeguarding – in many ways they can both save lives. She also shares tips on how to find stories, how to listen to your gut, and how to follow a film’s story so it resonates with a greater audience and takes on its own life. Listen to this episode if:  You love documentaries. You’re a surfer or a lifeguard. You want to be a filmmaker. You are interested in telling important stories. You’re an artist, poet, or a rebel. You care about the

Brogan’s Wild Idea: To disrupt people’s idea of fitness by creating awesome, fun free workouts and build community around the globe. Brogan Graham is a former collegiate rower and coach with a giant heart, a great sense of adventure, and a huge personality. He and a buddy needed a way to work out in the winter months in Boston, so they started the November Project. What started with a few people running stairs at the Harvard Stadium and doing workouts around Boston has now grown to a movement with thousands of followers at over 37 cities around the globe. The November Project has been described as like Fight Club, but with hugging and some pushups instead of punches.  Today, thousands of people of all abilities show up in cities all over for free group workouts with the most positive people. Brogan is also a captivating speaker, which is why huge corporations like Facebook have called him to speak to thousands of employees. Even though he says he got thrown out of every school he went to, he has some great ti

Mark’s Wild Idea: To share his family’s story of mental illness and help others. To also choose commitment and love over fear. Mark Lukach is a father, husband, teacher, surfer, bodysurfer, and the author of the new book, My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward, published by Harper Collins and on shelves this month. Six years ago, Mark submitted an essay about his wife’s struggle with mental illness and its effect on their marriage that was immediately accepted and published in The New York Times’ famous Modern Love column. The story quickly led to a book deal, and to many reaching out thanking him for sharing about such a difficult topic.   In addition to being an awesome writer, Mark is a teacher and the Dean of a high school in northern California. He loves trail running, body surfing and surfing, especially in Ocean Beach. His message about sacrifice, commitment and being vulnerable is so important to living wildly, and also inspiring. Listen to this episode if:   You have or know someone with a mental illness.

Norah’s Wild Idea: To create an innovative company that makes seafood not only sustainable and delicious, but helps improve the health of the oceans while connecting people with their food and where it comes from. To also empower other young female entrepreneurs to take risks in businesses even in industries primarily dominated by men.  Norah Eddy is the co-founder of Salty Girl, a sustainable seafood company with an innovative way of doing business. She grew up in a small New England fishing town and has worked on and around fisheries and boats all over the world. As a surfer and all around water-woman, her love for the ocean is apparent not just in her work with Salty Girl, but in her personal life too. I talked to Norah just before she gave her first TED Talk, and I can see why they invited her. Norah’s created an inspiring company that’s helping connect people with the food that they eat while encouraging sustainable practices. We talked about sustainability, becoming an entrepreneur, being a young busine

Becky Mendoza and Emi Koch’s Wild Ideas: To advocate for the environment, give back to local communities, travel the world, and encourage other surfers and travelers to use their voices and make a difference. Becky Mendoza is the founder of Changing Tides Foundation, and Emi Koch created Beyond the Surface International. Both non-profits connect surfers and travelers around causes that give back to local communities, and create positive change. These young women are inspiring not only because they took their wild ideas to do good on a local level, but because they’ve also been able to organize others to implement their ideas on a global scale. We talked about how to find the cause that lights you up, how to seek joy now, and why you get so much more from giving than you ever get from getting. Listen to this episode if:  Giving back is important to you. You want to protect the environment.  You want to travel the world. You love meditation and exercise, especially surfing. You want to know how to get more inv

Eric’s Wild Idea: To travel around the world, cook with different cultures, and then inspire others through photography. Eric Wolfinger has been called the Annie Leibovitz of food photography. He’s published over a dozen award-winning books, and done even more photo and film commissions with amazing chefs from around the world. While he wasn’t always a photographer, after college Eric, who was also a longtime surfer, wanted to find a way to combine his passions for traveling and cooking. The unexpected answer was photography. While working as an apprentice at the famous Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, Eric traded surf lessons with owner Chad Robertson for bread baking tips, and soon after was commissioned to take the photos for the Tartine Bread cookbook. It was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2011 for Best Cookbook Photography, and since then, he’s become a sought after food photographer. I’ve known Eric for a long time - we went to high school together and grew up surfing. He’s gone on to do some pret

Sarah’s Wild Idea: To bring all of you, to everything you do. To be your most extreme version of yourself and live to your fullest in work and life. And to stop being so afraid of failure. Sarah Robb O’Hagan is the Founder and Chief Extremer of Extreme You. Formerly the President of Gatorade and Equinox, she’s also worked at Nike, Virgin, Air New Zealand, and is currently the CEO of Fly Wheel. Sarah shares about success,  failure and how to thrive in work and life. Her new book, Extreme You, interviews everyone from Condoleezza Rice to Skier Bode Miller, with nuggets of wisdom from superstars in their fields. Sarah has a great Kiwi accent and a positive sense of self. We talk about how to live wildly even if you work at a big company, why failure is a good thing, bringing your all to your business, and how to have a work-life balance.  Listen to this episode if:  You are afraid of failure or have ever failed. You work at a large company and want to be a badass, even 9 to 5. You are a fitness and adventure fa

Chris’s Wild Idea: To establish and climb the most challenging routes in the world.  Chris Sharma is one of climbing’s most accomplished athletes. He started climbing at the young age of twelve in gyms in his native Santa Cruz, CA and now searches out the most difficult, beautiful, and seemingly impossible climbs known to man. He continues to push the limits of what’s possible in the sport, and isn’t afraid to pursue routes that can take him years to accomplish. In 2013, he opened a gym, Sender One, in Los Angeles. He now lives in Barcelona, Spain with his wife and daughter, where he just opened his own climbing gym, Sharma Climbing. I recently had a chance to sit down with Chris at a friend’s dinner party and got to ask him about his climbing and life philosophies, his passion for deep water soloing, the evolution of the sport, being a stunt double on the movie Point Break, and so much more.  Listen to this episode if:  You’re a climber.  You want to try deep water soloing. You love travel and adventure. F

Amy’s Wild Idea: To impact the world though yoga and activism.  Amy has the dream job of a traveling around the world as a yoga teacher, which she started doing in the 1980s. She has a different take on yoga than many. It’s not just about working out and breathing. The practice of yoga also has ties to activism, which is why Amy does things like take her yoga to the oceans to raise awareness for the environment and animal conservation.  Amy is a faculty member at the Omega Institute, Esalen, and Kripalu, and a regular presenter at Yoga Journal Conferences, Asia Yoga Conference, Wanderlust Festivals, and more. She’s also a prAna ambassador, which is how I was lucky to meet her.  Listen to this episode if:  You practice yoga or want to get more involved in yoga. You want to live a healthy lifestyle physically and mentally. You’re an activist. You want to help save our planet. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adverti

David’s Wild Idea: To optimize your health, athletic and mental performance, and sex appeal with a plant-based diet and intermittent fasting. David has some unique ideas when it comes to nutrition, fasting, and health. He’s all about using fasting as well as an exclusively plant-based, whole foods diet to promote optimal health and performance. David studied physiology and nutrition at Columbia University and is a registered dietician. He worked at Columbia Athletics as a strength and conditioning coach, and has been a nutrition consultant at Facebook. Most recently David is at True North Health in Santa Rosa, CA which is a supervised water fasting center, where he manages the fitness program. In addition to all of this, he also works with professional athletes on plant-based nutrition and using intermittent fasting to improve their performance. David eats every other day, does some wild experiments when it comes to his health and nutrition, and is always pushing the envelope and testing new ways of using the

Brendan’s Wild Idea: To create a more environmentally and socially sustainable world.  Brendan Brazier is one of the most well know plant-based elite athletes on the planet. He’s the author of bestselling book Thrive, and the founder of several companies including Vega, a plant-based nutrition company. His new magazine, Alive, is available for free at health food stores around the country. He also advises celebrities like Venus Williams, Hugh Jackman, and entire pro-sports teams about their nutrition.  Brendan is all about living a healthy, sustainable lifestyle, and his mission is to help educated people about the possibilities when it comes to an environmentally friendly diet. Listen to this Episode if: You’re interested in a plant-based life You want to know how to train hard while eating a plant-based diet You’re interested in starting a business You’re passionate about environmental and social sustainability For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http

Caroline Paul’s Wild Idea: To overcome fear, cultivate bravery, and encourage others to live with more adventure. Caroline Paul is the New York Times best-selling author of four books, including Fighting Fire, a memoir about being a San Francisco firefighter; the illustrated Lost Cat, A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology; East Wind, Rain; and The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure. She’s competed alongside Olympians as a luger, swam for dead bodies in the San Francisco Bay, made first ascents down Class V rapids, surfed giant Ocean Beach waves, attempted a Guinness Record (in high school), and even walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. She just presented @TedWomen, and is a highly entertaining and empowering story-teller. Listen to this Episode if: - You want to cultivate bravery. - You want to overcome fear or look at it from a new perspective. - You want to become a firefighter, writer, or just live with more adventure. - You want to listen to an amazing story-teller and