Wild Ideas Worth Living

Cliff’s Wild Idea: To discover what is happening biologically when we are out in nature. And how outdoor enthusiasts are connected to their environment scientifically. Cliff Kapono is a surfer and scientist from Hawaii. After discovering his love of the ocean at a young age, he later connected it to biology and chemistry, earning a graduate degree in biotechnology from University of Hawaii and working toward a PhD in chemistry from UCSD that he will finish next year. Cliff’s work is all about using science to relate to nature: what happens in our bodies when we spend time outside, and what is biologically happening when we get that feeling of being connected to nature. His current project, The Surfer Biome Project, looks at how surfers relate to each other and to the ocean.  Hearing Cliff talk about his work, his love of science, and his passion for his native Hawaiian culture is inspiring. We talk about his recent work connecting with and swabbing surfers, his favorite boards, how to be a citizen scientist, and why being an academic can in fact lead to an awesome lifestyle. Listen to this episode if:  You want to save the ocean. You’re interested in science. You’re a surfer. You love Hawaii. You feel connected to the environment. For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http://wildideasworthliving.com/50

Willow’s Wild Idea: To quit her job and go on a five-hundred-mile hike in Colorado. Then, to start a podcast that shares unique stories of people in the outdoors. Willow Belden is the host of Out There, a podcast that discusses big life questions in an outdoor setting. Willow talks to ultra-marathoners, Everest climbers, hikers, cyclist, skiers, and all kinds of adventurers about their journeys, giving listeners a chance to hear about the transformative powers of nature. Before she started her podcast, Willow worked at Wyoming Public Radio. You can tell by the way she edits her show and her soothing radio voice. It was a great job, but she decided to quit to hike the Colorado Trail, a thru-hike of about 500 miles.  Willow and I talked about why she quit her job to go on a thru-hike, what she learned along the way, and why chocolate was so important on the trail. We also talk about the challenges of starting a podcast, what she’s learned from losing a parent, and what she has learned from her diverse guests, including great lessons about failure. Listen to this episode if:  You love hiking and the outdoors. You listen to public radio or want to start a podcast. You’ve lost a parent. You want to try thru-hiking. You have ever been afraid to fail. For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http://wildideasworthliving.com/49

Liz’s Wild Idea: To pursue a dream of sailing to remote places, and living life aboard her sailboat, Swell. To encourage people to be brave, search inside themselves, and to help protect the environment and places we play. Liz Clark is an adventurer, surfer, sailboat captain, and now an author, with her first book coming out next year with Patagonia Books.  In 2005, Liz pursued her lifelong dream to live on her sailboat, and set sail from Santa Barbara to French Polynesia. She’s sailed over 20,000 miles since, and along her journey, has learned a lot about herself, life, and the world. She discovered that exploration doesn’t just happen when you travel around the world - it happens within as you challenge and push yourself.  Liz is a good friend, and we had a great time talking. She is so genuine and thoughtful, and I love how open she is in talking about her voyage, her boat, the process of writing a book, and some of the challenges she’s overcome and changes she’s experienced. Listen to this episode if:  You sail, surf or want to learn how. You love books or want to write one. You love traveling. You love adventure. You are curious about going deeper inside yourself. For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http://wildideasworthliving.com/48

Rob’s Wild Idea: To live a sustainable, minimalist lifestyle and inspire others to do the same. To do awesome adventures and spread the message of good in the world. Rob Greenfield is an adventurer and environmental activist who is making a difference for our planet. An Eagle Scout who grew up in a small town of Wisconsin, Rob’s had and executed a ton of wild ideas. He cycled across the U.S.A. three times on a bamboo bike (without a ton of cycling experience and only drinking from natural sources while creating zero waste) to raise awareness about sustainability. He dove into more than 2,000 dumpsters across the country to raise awareness about food waste (and to show we throw away perfect food). He travelled to different countries with just the clothes on his back and zero money just to show that people are inherently good. He lived in a tiny house. And, for one of my personal favorite projects, Rob lived like the average American and wore all the trash he created for a month in New York City, to raise awareness about food waste.  Rob’s written a book (and it’s endorsed by Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream), given multiple TED Talks, and is a fascinating guy who wants to make a positive impact on our planet and the lives we lead.  Listen to this episode if:  You are interested in living with less stuff and needing less money to be happy. You want to hear how someone lives on only $5,000 a year.  You want to live a low impact life or are interested in minimalism. You want to know what he finds in dumpsters. You think people are inherently good.  You love to travel. For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http://wildideasworthliving.com/47

Chris’s Wild Idea: To explore the limits of human potential, and to write amazing stories about it. Chris McDougall is the author of the bestselling books, Born to Run and Natural Born Heroes. His first book spawned the barefoot running movement and altered the running shoe industry forever. It’s also being made into a movie starring Matthew McConaughey. Natural Born Heroes dives into the history of how every-day citizens and amazing athletes on the island of Crete withstood the German forces during World War II. This is the kind of thing he loves: finding amazing stories about less-known athletes achieving amazing feats, and digging in to learn about their strategies, training, diets, and more, then sharing them with readers. In 2011, I traded Chris surf lessons for barefoot running lessons. Since then, Chris has become not only a great writing mentor, but also a friend. On this episode, we talked about his life since the success of his books, what techniques he learned while researching them (including movement based exercises used by the Cretans), why he may discourage you from becoming a writer, and why donkeys (yes donkeys) make great running partners. Chris is an amazing storyteller and I think that really comes through in this podcast. Listen to this episode if:  You’ve read Born to Run or Natural Born Heroes. You’re interested in the minimal running footwear revolution. You want to shift your diet and improve your performance. You’ve thought about moving to the country. You’re a runner of any distance. You want to be a writer. You want to know how the heck he trains with donkeys. For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http://wildideasworthliving.com/46

Kimi’s Wild Idea: To practice sustainable hunting, spread the message about the importance of the ocean and make a living doing what she loves. If you’ve heard of Kimi Werner, you’ve probably seen the picture or video of her gracefully swimming along, holding onto the dorsal fin of a great white shark. Kimi is fearless, and she’s a force of nature. Growing up off grid in Hawaii, Kimi’s father taught her to free dive. She gave it up for years, then rediscovered it later in life and went on to become the national spearfishing champion, a chef, an award-winning artist, and sought-after speaker. Her work as an environmental advocate wasn’t always her goal, and her path has taken unexpected turns as she has built a career that combines many of her passions. Kimi is a great storyteller, and she has some amazing stories to share with us, like her famous encounter with one of the biggest predators of the ocean, the magic that took her on a trip to the Azores, and the fearlessness of standing up for herself in asking for equal pay. Her biggest lessons she wants to share though are the power of trusting your gut, and slowing down in order to speed up.  Listen to this episode if:  You love the ocean. You are interested in spearfishing. You believe in equal pay and equal rights. You want to learn to free dive. You’re passionate about saving the ocean. You believe in magic. For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http://wildideasworthliving.com/45

JP’s Wild Idea: To use humor to empower people to be the best versions of themselves. JP Sears is a spiritual comedian, author, emotional healing coach, and a curious student of life. You may know him from his hilarious YouTube videos that feature great underlying messages about relationships, spirituality and how self-righteous we can be as groups -- whether we are yogis, vegans, raw foodies, or even ultra-spiritual people.  It took JP a while to find a way to use his humor for good, and he’s not afraid to make fun of his own lifestyle. His work is intended to empower people to be their best selves, and to live more meaningful lives. On this episode, JP shares how he uses humor to talk about serious issues, his advice for living wildly, how to make a living using your passions, and the importance of getting out of your comfort zone. Listen to this episode if:  You love to laugh. You are in touch with your spiritual side (or want to be). You like watching hilarious YouTube videos and comedians. You’re a vegan or a meat eater. You want to cultivate your own humor and use it for good. You want to try some nootropics.  You want to become a better human. For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http://wildideasworthliving.com/44

Karen’s Wild Idea: To share bold, brave, wild stories, both her own and by others through books and essays with the world. Also, to embrace surfing at an older age, a sport that’s taught her why it’s so great to suck at something. Karen Rinaldi is a writer, publisher, and the creator of Harper Wave, an imprint of Harper Collins that has published the work of three past guests: Jaimal Yogis, Mark Lukach and Steph Jagger. Karen has also published books by authors like Dave Asprey of the Bulletproof Coffee movement, Dr. Gundry of The Plant Paradox, and Tony Horton of P90X, to name a few. In addition to her literary life, Karen is also a surfer. She started at age 40, and recently wrote an essay in the New York Times that every surf writer’s mom sent them (including my own) titled, “It’s Great to Suck at Something.” I loved her story, and all of her essays I’ve read. I also don’t have a lot of mentors that are females, writers, publishers, and surfers, so when I find someone like Karen, I have to share her knowledge.  Karen talks about her perspective on surfing, why it’s important to suck at something, the difference between a good adventure and a great story, how to get published, and the books you should be reading. Listen to this episode if:  You suck at surfing (or anything, really). You like trying new things, no matter how good you think you’ll be. You’re an avid reader. You want to write a book and get published. You love the Modern Love column in the New York Times. Your family is important to you. For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http://wildideasworthliving.com/43

Ari’s Wild Idea: To cross canyons and mountains hundreds of feet in the air. To highline at challenging locations, and to apply lessons of life learned in the air to life on the ground. Ari (pronounced Air-ee) DeLashmutt is a professional highliner, skier, paraglider and an enthusiastic adventurer, who also hosts the How To Adventure Podcast. He lives a dream life, eager to spend most of his time in the air or on the mountains. I met Ari at the OutFound Festival in Oregon, and I love that he thinks outside of the box.  Ari has some incredible perspectives on life, fear, confidence, and failure. These are lessons he’s learned from spending so much time pushing the envelope, doing what he loves, and confronting fear in the face. He shares some of his best lessons learned from highlining, rigging ropes tethered to rocks in precarious locations, why play is so important, and so much more. Listen to this episode if:  You want to challenge your notion of fear. You’ve tried slacklining.  You love going on adventures. You love traveling to beautiful, natural locations. You want to try highlining. For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http://wildideasworthliving.com/42

Courtney’s Wild Idea: To become a professional surfer, and to achieve tough goals in and out of the water. Courtney Conlogue is a professional surfer on the World Surf League, currently ranked towards the top three on the women’s tour. Known for her powerful turns, positive attitude, work ethic, and incredible fitness capacity, she has an amazing ability to set goals and achieve them. Last year, she modeled naked for the Body issue in ESPN Magazine. She also missed a world title by one spot. On this episode, we talk about what you can learn from losing, how Courtney trains and sets goals, what she does when she achieves her goals, and her loves outside of the water. Listen to this episode if:  You surf. You want to achieve your goals. You are interested in training, nutrition and fitness. You love drinking coffee.  You’re an artist. Your family is important to you. For full show notes, including guest links and books mentioned during the episode, visit: http://wildideasworthliving.com/41