1KHO 460: When We Didn't Think We Could Go Another Day | Will Acuff, No Elevator to Everest

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Apr 9, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Will Acuff, author and co-founder of Corner to Corner, shares his inspiring journey through complex PTSD and the importance of self-awareness. He explores unconventional parenting paths and the power of community ties amidst challenges. Will emphasizes the healing potential of nature, play, and curiosity, urging listeners to redefine success and joy. With humor and heartfelt insights, he offers practical tools for cultivating hope and transforming daily life, even in the face of adversity.

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ANECDOTE

Acuff Family Struggles

Will Acuff discusses how his family's life veered off the expected path due to his wife's complex PTSD and his son's multiple diagnoses.
This led to feelings of being in constant triage and a sense of overwhelm.

ANECDOTE

Corner to Corner Success Story

Will Acuff's nonprofit, Corner to Corner, helps low-income neighbors start businesses.
One example is Adrienne Bowling, who successfully launched a mobile notary service.

ANECDOTE

Dreading Summers

Acuff discusses how his family's default future involved dreading summers.
His son's sleep disorder and his wife's depression created challenges, especially during school breaks.

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What happens when life veers completely off the path you expected—and there’s no guidebook for where you're headed? In this deeply moving episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich is joined by Will Acuff, author of No Elevator to Everest, to talk about the transformation that unfolds when we shift from surviving to thriving through spirit-led self-awareness. Will opens up about his raw, honest journey as a husband and father navigating complex PTSD, disabilities, scarcity mindsets, and burnout, while also leading a thriving nonprofit in Nashville. With humor and humility, he shares how learning to ask new questions—like what if we decided to live differently?—radically reshaped his home, his faith, and his future.

From parenting through exhaustion to planning a leap-of-faith summer in the Costa Rican jungle, Will brings the hope-filled message that joy can be cultivated—even when nothing on the outside changes. Listeners will be inspired by his practical tools for healing, the spiritual power of play and curiosity, and the gentle challenge to rethink what we believe about success, provision, and purpose. This episode is a gift for anyone who's ever felt like they couldn’t go another day. There is a way forward—and it may just start with the question, What would it look like if...?

Get your copy of No Elevator to Everest here

Check out Will's nonprofit work Corner to Corner here

Check out Will's Substack here

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