Wild Ideas Worth Living

For Chris Burkard, photography has always been more than just taking spectacular pictures. He’s used his craft as a way to tell stories, inspire people to adventure outside, and most of all, to push himself to the edge of his comfort zone. He’s caught freezing cold-water waves with professional surfer Pete Devries. He’s biked with champion mountain biker Rebecca Rusch. He’s hung off cliffs in Moab, surfed in Iceland, and skied near the Arctic circle. After spending much of his career documenting other people’s lives and adventures, Chris recently decided to turn the camera on himself and share stories from his own travels in his memoir called Wayward.Other episodes to listen to:Chris Burkard 2017 episodeConnect with Chris Burkard:WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagramResources:The book that Chris mentioned, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

For Raquel Gomez, getting outside has always been a way to be playful and adventurous. She’s done a lot of hiking, rock climbing and camping around the U.S. Raquel also has a passion for working with kids — she’s a youth climbing coach and has worked as a Wilderness Therapy Guide. But building a career in the outdoors wasn’t easy for Raquel. She loved to get outside as a kid, but didn’t see many outdoor athletes that looked like her. That’s why she founded Atabey Outdoors, a program that provides safe and fun outdoor adventures for Black, Indigenous and Girls of Color in Phoenix, Arizona.Connect with Raquel:WebsiteInstagram

In the summer of 2018, many of us were glued to news for updates on the Tham Luang cave rescue. A Thai youth soccer team and their coach were exploring the Tham Luang caves when the monsoon rains came early. The rising water trapped the boys inside a cave. While the rest of the world was watching from afar, cave diver Rick Stanton was diving into the situation head on. His team was able to guide all twelve boys and their coach to safety. No one had ever done a rescue like this before, and suddenly Rick became an international hero. Resources:Learn more about Rick Stanton's book, AquanautWatch The Rescue Learn more about the film, Thirteen Lives, coming out November 18th 2022

Helmets reduce the likelihood of getting a serious head injury by 60%. Even though they make it safer to ride your bike, skateboard, one-wheel, or even roller skates, a lot of people don’t wear them, citing bulkiness and inconvenience. Gloria Hwang felt the same way, so she designed a more exciting, user-friendly helmet and launched the product on Kickstarter. Since the first sale, her company Thousand has become a thriving brand in the outdoor industry and is changing the helmet game. Connect with Gloria:WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagram

Steph Jagger’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2015. Despite their complicated relationship, Steph decided to take her mom on one more adventure — a two week camping and road trip through three national parks. In a time when she needed comfort, confirmation of her own identity, and strength to confront her mother’s decline, Steph turned to Mother Nature. Her new book, Everything Left to Remember, documents the women’s trip and beautifully captures Steph’s reflections on childhood, motherhood, and losing the woman who guided her through life.Connect with Steph:WebsiteInstagramResources:Everything Left to RememberSteph Jagger's website

Davis Smith is an outdoor adventurer and mission-driven entrepreneur. That’s why he founded Cotopaxi in 2014. Best known for their bright colors, Cotopaxi doesn’t just make good gear, they make gear for good. The brand is committed to minimizing their impact on the planet, and maximizing the benefit for the people who live here. Davis spent a lot of his childhood in Latin America, and his parents were committed to serving others and getting outside, values that he still carries with him today. For him, Cotopaxi is a perfect way to honor his upbringing and the places that mean a lot to him.Episodes to listen to:Cotopaxi ambassador, Nicole Ver KuilenConnect with guests:WebsiteTwitterInstagram

At 10 years old, Nicole Ver Kuilen was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, that led to the amputation of her lower left leg. Nicole has always been an athlete, but the prosthesis supplied by her insurance was holding her back. In 2017 Nicole completed an ultra triathlon down the western coast of the United States, walking, biking, and running over 1,500 miles to raise awareness about the lack of access to prostheses. Based on that journey, she founded a nonprofit organization called Forrest Stump to fight for better equipment for amputees. Show artwork photo: Adam Wells (@ajwells)Connect with Nicole:WebsiteFacebookInstagramResources:Forrest StumpCotopaxi Do Good AmbassadorsROMP

Max Lowe is an adventure filmmaker whose award-winning films have screened at festivals like Cannes and Tribeca. He’s also the son of the famous mountaineer, Alex Lowe. Late last year, Max came out with his biggest documentary yet, a personal story called Torn. It tells the story of his iconic father’s death and how it has impacted his family.Connect with Max Lowe:WebsiteFacebookVimeoInstagramResources:Learn more about TornShow art photo credit to Elliot Ross. 

Lucienne Nicholson is passionate about the inherent human right to spend time in nature. Lucienne discovered her love of the outdoors during her childhood in Haiti, where she spent summers on her grandmother’s farm. After immigrating to the United States in the 1970s, she was greeted with the harsh reality of segregation — nature became inaccessible. Lucienne vowed to fight against this lack of access. She founded the nonprofit Inclusive Woods and Us to help get more kids outside in Rochester, NY.Connect with Lucienne: WebsiteFacebookInstagram

Florence Williams is a science journalist known for examining the relationship between nature and our mental health. A painful divorce prompted Florence to put her research to the test in her new book, Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey. She started to investigate the impact of breakups on the brain and body. Florence conducted self-experiments and interviewed experts to explore the questions — How does heartbreak physiologically affect our bodies? How can going outside help us heal?Episodes to listen to:The Power of Nature with Florence Williams (2021)Wild Ideas Worth Living: Florence Williams (2018)Connect with Florence:WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagramResources:Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey