She Explores

The power of a two-night backpacking trip in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona is multiplied when it's spent with women who are motivated by a common goal: to help introduce more girls to the outdoors. We backpack with The Cairn Project.The premise of The Cairn Project is simple: they work with ambassadors to help them host adventure fundraisers.  Then they pool the money and give it out in small grants to nonprofits that get girls and young women outside. Featured in this episode: Alison Wright, Sarah Castle, Sally Jewell, Martha Wyckoff, Camille Fiducia, Emily Teitsworth, Marina Fleming, Ashley Carruth, Licia Sahagun, Petrika Peters, and Amanda Neiman.Hosted by Gale StraubSponsored by Smartwool, Stio, and ThirdLove.Join the She Explores Podcast community on FacebookVisit She-Explores.com & Follow Us on InstagramResourcesThe Cairn Project: Website & InstagramApply to be a Cairn Project Ambasador: Application & InformationNonprofits mentioned:Women's WildernessEmbark OutdoorsGirl VenturesWild WhatcomMakeSpaceSan Juan Mountain SolesShe Explores Landing PageSponsors and Discount CodesSmartwool: Learn more at Smartwool.comStio: Get 25% off your order with code 'EXPLORE' at checkout at Stio.comThirdLove: Get 15% off your first order by heading to ThirdLove.com/exploreEpisodes air weekly on Wednesdays-- subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

There's a well-kept secret in the international trekking industry. The Porter Voice Collective is raising up the backbone of the industry to advocate for change. In doing so, they're empowering both porters and tourists to speak up for an equitable workforce.In this episode, we talk with Marinel de Jesus and porter/guide Lucía Merclaluly Vela Sosa to learn about a documentary The Porter Voice Collective is creating to help tell the story of porter treatment on Peru's Inca Trail. They're currently crowdfunding to fund the film - an opportunity for us to take action.Featured in this episode: Marinel de Jesus & Lucía Merclaluly Vela SosaHosted by Gale StraubSponsored by Smartwool, Danner, and RitualJoin the She Explores Podcast community on FacebookVisit She-Explores.com & Follow Us on InstagramLeave us a review on Apple Podcasts.ResourcesSupport KM 82 Documentary: Crowdfunding & Watch TrailerThe Porter Voice Collective: Website, Instagram, and FacebookShe Explores Landing PageNote: Initially this landing page contained a link to Marinel’s business and blog. In order to focus on the Porter Voice Collective and their efforts for change, we have removed them since publication of the episode.Sponsors and Discount CodesSmartwool: Learn more at Smartwool.comDanner: Learn more at Danner.comRitual: Get 10% off your first three months by heading to Ritual.com/exploreEpisodes air weekly on Wednesdays-- subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.Music is by Josh Woodward, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, and Meydan using a creative commons attributions license.

Jennifer McLaren doesn't have a five year plan for her career in the outdoor industry, but she knows her personal values will continue to align with the work she's doing. Why? From her start in finance to her current role as CEO at Smartwool, Jen has worked hard, learned a lot, and developed a personal toolkit that means she can take her skills and apply them in an industry she's passionate about.In partnership with Smartwool, we talk with their CEO Jennifer McLaren about how her love of the outdoors and a career in finance collided to take her where she's at today: the leader of a purpose-driven company.Featured in this episode: Jennifer McLaren, President & CEO of SmartwoolHosted by Gale StraubSponsored by SmartwoolJoin the She Explores Podcast community on FacebookVisit She-Explores.com & Follow Us on InstagramResources mentioned in this episode:Smartwool's Environmental Advocacy CommitmentSOS OutreachThe Nature Conservancy & the Yampa River FundShe Explores Podcast Facebook GroupSponsor Websites & Codes:SmartwoolMusic is by Kai Engel, Josh Woodward, Meydan, and Lee Rosevere using a CC by A license.Enjoy this episode? Rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. It’ll help other people find us. You can also share this podcast with a friend. Thank you for your support!Episodes air weekly on Wednesdays – subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

Briana Feola gets to wear the hats of biologist, geologist, and environmental scientist through her work at Brainstorm---all by creating affordable, nature-inspired screenprints and other art that we can hang on our walls.This is an episode is for creatives, but it’s also for people who dream big in small towns. Because it can often feel like the grass is greener or the opportunity is another stop on your journey, but Briana's story is one of striving to build a simple life while achieving some notable accomplishments in her business.Gale heads to Briana's studio to learn more about her art, why Briana's chosen New Hampshire as her home, and how she hopes her work helps others dream big, too. Featured in this episode: Briana FeolaHosted by Gale StraubSponsored by Smartwool and StioJoin the She Explores Podcast community on FacebookVisit She-Explores.com & Follow Us on InstagramLeave us a review on Apple Podcasts.ResourcesBriana Feola: @wearebrainstorm on InstagramBrainstorm: Website, Instagram, FacebookShe Explores Landing PageSponsors and Discount CodesSmartwool: Learn more at Smartwool.comStio: Get 25% off your purchase by using code 'EXPLORE' at checkout by heading to Stio.com.Episodes air weekly on Wednesdays-- subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.Music is by Josh Woodward, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, and Meydan using a creative commons attributions license.

In partnership with Sherpa Adventure Gear, guest host Laura Hughes interviews Wasfia Nazreen-- mountaineer, activist, and writer-- to learn about what it was like to take a journey up each of the Seven Summits, what it was like to be the first person from Bangladesh to do it, and how approaching external mountains in our lives mirror the personal work it takes to summit our internal ones.Resources mentioned in this episode:Follow Wasfia on Instagram - @wasfianazreenWasfia’s websiteWasfia’s foundation - Ösel FoundationListen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on She-Explores.comShe Explores Podcast Facebook GroupSponsor Websites & Codes:Sherpa Adventure Gear Music is by Kai Engel and Lee Rosevere using a CC by A license.Enjoy this episode? Rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. It’ll help other people find us. You can also share this podcast with a friend. Thank you for your support!Episodes air weekly on Wednesdays – subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

Jenny Bruso's multi-day trek on the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru transformed what she thought was possible for herself; it's opened her up to the idea of hikes around the world and helped refine her mission as the founder of Unlikely Hikers. And while Jenny's enthralled by all this possibility, she's still working through how to trek internationally in a respectful way.Featured in this episode: Jenny BrusoHosted by Gale StraubSponsored by Smartwool , Danner, and ThirdLoveJoin the She Explores Podcast community on FacebookVisit She-Explores.com & Follow Us on InstagramLeave us a review on Apple PodcastsResourcesJenny Bruso: Instagram & WebsiteUnlikely HikersNew York Times Article: 'Unlikely' Hikers Hit the TrailCurvy Kili Crew: Instagram & Jenny's Autostraddle articleWHOA Plus TravelMountain Gods PeruJenny's first She Explores Episode, "Fat & Outdoorsy" Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on She-Explores.comIf you like this episode, you might enjoy listening to these She Explores episodes:Kara Richardson Whitely, "Forever Unfolding" Sam Ortiz, "When Your Path Finds You"Curvy Kili CrewShe Explores Landing PageSponsors and Discount CodesSmartwool: Learn more at Smartwool.comDanner: Learn more at Danner.comThirdLove: Get 15% off your first purchase by heading to ThirdLove.com/exploreEpisodes air weekly on Wednesdays-- subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.Music is by Swelling, Josh Woodward, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, and Meydan using a creative commons attributions license.

Krystle Wright is an Australian adventure photographer who's worked really hard to make a name for herself taking risks and creating images all over the world: base jumping in the arctic, storm chasing in the American West, free diving with orcas, wandering the desert in Morocco. As she looks ahead to the new year, she's welcoming rest and building more room in her life for play. Featured in this episode: Krystle WrightHosted by Gale StraubSponsored by Stio, Smartwool , and RitualJoin the She Explores Podcast community on FacebookVisit She-Explores.com & Follow Us on InstagramResourcesKrystle Wright: Website & InstagramFilms Mentioned:Chasing MonstersWhere the Wild Things PlayWhere the Wild Things Keep PlayingShe Explores Landing PageSponsors and Discount CodesSmartwool: Learn more at Smartwool.comStio: Get 25% off at checkout with code 'EXPLORE' when you shop at Stio.comRitual: Get 10% off your first three months subscription by heading to Ritual.com/exploreEpisodes air weekly on Wednesdays-- subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.Music is by Swelling, Josh Woodward, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, and Meydan using a creative commons attributions license.

For Sydney Williams, “Hiking My Feelings” means identifying trauma, figuring out how it manifests in our bodies through physical and mental disease, and figuring out how to heal from that. For Sydney, it’s been hiking - and taking her story on tour to connect with other people who benefit from it. She believes that showing up as your whole self is how we’ll changed the world: one hike, kayak, bike ride, (fill in the______) at a time.Featured in this episode: Sydney WilliamsHosted by Gale StraubSponsored by Danner & SmartwoolJoin the She Explores Podcast community on FacebookVisit She-Explores.comResourcesHiking My Feelings: Website & InstagramPre-order Sydney's Book: Hiking My Feelings - Stepping into the Healing Power of NatureSydney Williams' personal Instagram: @sydneyunfilteredShe Explores Landing PageSponsors and Discount CodesSmartwool: Learn more at Smartwool.comDanner: Learn more at Danner.comEpisodes air weekly on Wednesdays-- subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.Music is by Josh Woodward, Lee Rosevere, and Kai Engel using a creative commons attributions license.

Kara Richardson Whitely is the author of Gorge, a memoir about her climb up Mount Kilimanjaro and her lifelong experience with binge eating disorder, the most common (but least talked about) eating disorder. Kara's proud to be part of a growing community of plus-size adventurers, while simultaneously acknowledging that her relationship with food and her body is forever unfolding.Featured in this episode: Kara Richardson WhitelyHosted by Gale StraubSponsored by Danner, Smartwool , and ThirdLoveJoin the She Explores Podcast community on FacebookVisit She-Explores.comIn this episode, you'll hear:How's Kara's definition of a "hiker girl" has changed over timeWhat binge eating disorder is, how it's not talked about enough, and why it needs to be talked about moreWhy, when Kara wrote about her third hike up Mount Kilimanjaro in her memoir Gorge, she decided to include her relationship with foodHow hiking gives Kara space to think, and how it's basically the opposite of bingeingAbout the first of Kara's Moving Mountains Retreat series Why Kara is proud to be part of a growing community of plus size hikersResourcesKara Richardson Whitely: Website, Instagram & FacebookMove Mountains Retreat: Reset Your New Year - January 12, 2020; Learn more here.Books: Gorge (2015), The Weight of Being (2018), and Fat Woman on the Mountain (2014)She Explores Landing PageOther ResourcesMirna Valerio: InstagramWNDR Outdoors: InstagramAbout Binge Eating DisorderListen to the Curvy Kili Crew Hike on She ExploresJenny Bruso's guide to plus size activewearNational Eating Disorder Association: HelplineSponsors and Discount CodesSmartwool: Learn more at Smartwool.comDanner: Learn more at Danner.comThirdLove: Get 15% off your order by heading to ThirdLove.com/exploreEpisodes air weekly on Wednesdays-- subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.Music is by Swelling, Josh Woodward, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, and Monplaisir using a creative commons attributions license.

Verna is Navajo, a mother of four, and days away from running a 50-mile ultra run. She started running after having her second child 12 years ago. Hear about Verna's journey as a runner and how it’s underlined her resilience as a person. Now she's bringing native women together by uplifting their running journeys, too.Featured in this episode: Verna VolkerHosted by Gale StraubSponsored by Smartwool & StioJoin the She Explores Podcast community on FacebookVisit She-Explores.comIn this episode, you'll hear:About growing up Navajo in Northwest New MexicoHow Verna took up running after her second childThe ways running has emphasized Verna's resilienceWhy Verna shares the stories of other native runners through her Instagram: @native_women_runningVerna's annual virtual run to raise awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous WomenWhy Verna places an emphasis on safety (not fear) when runningWhat excites her about the future of Native Women RunningResourcesVerna Volker: InstagramNative Women Running: InstagramNative Women's Wilderness: Instagram & WebsiteRed Earth Running Co: WebsiteAbout the inaugural virtual run for MMIWAbout Missing & Murdered Indigenous WomenUrban Indian Health InstituteWomen's Running: The Importance of Running in Native American CultureLearn more about the land you're exploring on: Native-Land.ca She Explores Landing PageSponsors and Discount CodesSmartwool: Learn more at Smartwool.comStio: Get 25% off your order when you use the code 'EXPLORE' at checkoutEpisodes air weekly on Wednesdays-- subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.Music is by Swelling, Josh Woodward, Kai Engel, and Monplaisir using a creative commons attributions license.