Wild Ideas Worth Living

Biking Through the Backcountry with Kait Boyle

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kait Boyle is an elite adventure cyclist who bikes over mountains, across deserts, and through canyons. Early on in her cycling career, Kait found her...

Establishing National Parks in Patagonia with Kristine Tompkins

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kristine Tompkins is one of the world's most successful conservationists. She's the president and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation, which is a non-...

Trail Running with a Blade with Zach Friedley

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Zach Friedley is a professional athlete who is changing the sport of trail running. Zach was born without most of his right leg, and is often the only...

Camping Tips for Your Next Adventure with Lestarya Molloy

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lestarya Molloy is the founder of Fridie Outdoors, an app that has easy, digestible camping tips that you can access from anywhere. In this episode, ...

Kayaking the Hudson River with Chev Dixon

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chev Dixon is a skilled outdoor athlete whose life changed when he learned to kayak. He is the director of an organization called the Hudson River Rid...

Paragliding Through the Skies with Galen Kirkpatrick

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Galen Kirkpatrick is a world class paraglider - in 2022 she was the FAI Women’s Pan-American Paragliding Champion, and in 2023 she became the overal...

Surfing, Cycling and Sharing the Magic of Nature with Mario Ordoñez-Calderón

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mario Ordoñez-Caldéron is a Mayan-American storyteller, surfer, and adventurer committed to pursuing a deeper connection with his Indigenous roots...

Running, Mentorship, and Embodying Bravey with Alexi Pappas

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alexi Pappas is a wildly talented, multi-faceted athlete. She’s a professional runner, an author, a champion for mental health, a guide runner for b...

Climbing, Business, and Chasing Big Dreams with Sasha DiGiulian

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sasha DiGiulian is one of the best female rock climbers in the world. She's spent over a decade competing internationally, she’s a three-time US Nat...

Thru-Hiking, Canoeing, and Dehydrating Food with Renee Miller & Tim Beissinger

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thruhikers, Tim Beissinger and Renee Miller started dating in college and have always been active people. Tim grew up hiking and camping with his fami...

Establishing Bikepacking Routes with Sarah Swallow

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Swallow is a professional adventure cyclist who develops bike packing routes around the country. When she creates a route, she takes the history...

Backpacking Solo with Isabel Riza Cautivo

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Isabel Cautivo has become one of the most prominent solo women backpackers on the internet. She has gone viral for making vulnerable and educational v...

Becoming a Professional Traveler with Jeff Jenkins

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Five years ago, Jeff Jenkins decided he wanted to become a professional traveler. His goal was to make a living traveling around the world and helping...

Merging Freediving and Art with Oriana Poindexter

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Oriana Poindexter is a professional artist whose work weaves together photography, science, and marine life. Her art is very unique. Oriana uses seawe...

Traveling to Every Country Without Flying with Thor Pedersen

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2013, Thor Pedersen left his home in Denmark for the trip of a lifetime. His goal was to travel to every country in the world. He had three rules f...

Cycling Around the World with Lael Wilcox

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lael Wilcox is known as one of the world's best ultra-endurance cyclists. She's ridden over 150,000 miles in more than 50 countries. Now, Lael is goin...

Taking Less on the Trail with Glen Van Peski

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Glen Van Peski is known as the king of ultralight backpacking. While backpackers will hit the trails with a pack that weighs upwards of 20 pounds, som...

Sailing Solo Around The World with Ruby Gates

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At the age of 50, Ruby Gates left her career and home to get on a sailboat for seven months. At the time, she knew nothing about sailing, but the trip...

Retiring From Competitive Skiing at 23 with Grace Miller

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if your wild idea no longer brings you joy?Retired pro skier, Grace Miller, is intimately familiar with a change of course. Grace grew up in Alas...

Microadventuring with Alastair Humphreys

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alastair Humphreys is an author and adventurer who has walked 600 miles across Southern India, ran an ultra marathon through the Sahara Desert, and hi...

Becoming the First Woman to Travel Around the Moon with Christina Koch

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if you had an opportunity to travel around the moon? Christina Koch has worked at NASA for the last 10 years, and has been a part of groundbreaki...

Snowboarding as a Creative Expression with Travis Rice

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Travis Rice has been pushing the envelope of what's possible in snowboarding for over 20 years. He has won prestigious awards for his riding, and comp...

Birding and Nature Photography with Dudley Edmondson

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dudley Edmondson is a legendary outdoorsman and birder, nature photographer, cinematographer, speaker and an author. In 2006, he published a book call...

Biking Across Latin America with Erin Azouz

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if swiping on a dating app led you to your partner and an epic bike ride the length of Latin America? This was the case for Erin Azouz and her no...

Surfing, Fitness, and Plus-Size Adventuring with Kanoa Greene

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kanoa Greene was born into a family of surfers in Hawaii, but for a long time she didn't feel like she belonged in the ocean. She'd never seen a plus ...

Thru-Skateboarding America's Trails with Moondog Roop

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past few years, Moondog Roop has done three major thru-skates. First in 2021, he spent 45 days on the 1,100 mile Florida Trail. In 2022, he t...

Exploring the North and South Pole with Ann Bancroft

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if your life revolved around leading groundbreaking polar expeditions? In 1986, polar explorer Ann Bancroft became the first woman to ski to the ...

Becoming Mentally and Physically Elite with Chad Vanags

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In September of 2022, at 39 years old, Chad Vanags was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal lung cancer. Chad is a surfer, runner, and all-around athlete. ...

Climbing Through Fear with Nina Williams

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Professional climber Nina Williams is known for her highball bouldering career. Highballing is somewhere between bouldering and free soloing. Climbers...

Listeners Wild Ideas and Looking Back at 2023

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

That's a wrap on lucky season seven! Join host Shelby Stanger to celebrate the 50 phenomenal guests who shared their adventures with us this year as w...

Winning the Triple Crown of Ultra Running with Courtney Dauwalter

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ultra runner, Courtney Dauwalter is known as one of the greatest athletes of our time She's also know for running in long basketball shorts, scarfing ...

Running For the Visually Impaired with Eavan O'Neill

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Eavan O'Neill started running at 21 years old when she was diagnosed with Stargardt Disease, a rare degenerative disorder that leads to visual impairm...

Bikepacking Through History with Erick Cedeño

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Erick Cedeño is known for bikepacking around the U.S. He rides through some of the most beautiful parts of the country, but his trips aren’t just a...

Hiking Patagonia in a Wheelchair with Alvaro Silberstein

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Alvarez Silberstein was 18 years old, he was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Before his accident, Alvaro had a dre...

Surviving Alone in the Wild with Kielyn Marrone

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019, outdoor guide Kielyn Marrone was put to the test when she competed on the TV show Alone. On the show, contestants are dropped into remote pla...

Mastering the Mindset of a Wild Idea with Michael Gervais

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Michael Gervais is one of the world's top high-performance psychologists. He's the co-creator of the Performance Institute at USC, and he's the ho...

Writing and Roadtripping Through Mother Nature with Jedidiah Jenkins

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jedidiah Jenkins is a bestselling author who embraces outdoor adventurer as inspiration for his beautiful and deeply personal work. When he turned 30,...

All Native Team Climbs Tahoma with Rachel Heaton

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Heaton, member of the Muckleshoot Indian tribe, with Duwamish Ancestors, led an All Native Tahoma (Mount Rainier) Climb this September with the...

Studying the Cosmos with Sarafina El-Badry Nance

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sarafina El Badry-Nance is a scientist, an author and a speaker, she's dedicated the last several years to studying the stars and is currently working...

Telling Hawaiian Stories through Film with Justyn Ah Chong

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hawaiian filmmaker, Justyn Ah Chong, focuses his work on telling the stories of his people. A few months ago, Justyn won a regional Emmy for a short f...

Foraging & Cooking Over The Fire with Ashley Rodriguez

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ashley Rodriguez is a certified nature and forest therapy guide who is passionate about sharing her love of foraging and cooking over an open fire as ...

Finding Fulfillment in the Outdoor Industry with Gabaccia Moreno

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Gabaccia Moreno is an outdoor enthusiast and advocate, whose career centers on encouraging people to rethink how they engage with nature. Over the yea...

Uncovering Climate Mysteries with Lonnie Thompson

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Renowned paleoclimatologist Dr. Lonnie Thompson has been on over 60 expeditions to collect ice core samples from glaciers around the world. These samp...

All Faces and All Running Paces with Ashley Davies

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ashley Davies is a lifelong runner who's building community her own way.  In 2017, she co-founded Club Seattle Run Division with the intention to mak...

Life Lessons from Big Wave Surfing with Shane Dorian

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shane Dorian is a legendary surfer, winning his first surf contest when he was just 11 years old. At 21, he joined the World Surf League and traveled ...

Submerging Into the Deep Ocean with Susan Casey

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Casey is an accomplished journalist who's spent years writing about the ocean, and most recently, the deep sea. The deep sea generally starts ar...

Cultivating an Adventurous Relationship with Emily Harrington & Adrian Ballinger

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Professional climber Emily Harrington met her husband, pro mountaineer Adrian Ballinger, on an expedition 11 years ago. While their paths to become pr...

100 Peaks in 50 Days with Jason Hardrath

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jason Hardrath is a runner and mountaineer based in southern Oregon. He holds over a hundred records for being the fastest person to complete trails a...

Thru-Paddling the Mississippi River with Cory Maria Dack

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cory Maria Dack is an outdoor adventure guide and she recently completed a thru-paddle of the entire Mississippi River. It took her 134 days to canoe ...

The Freedom of Free Surfing with the Gudauskas Brothers

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dane, Patrick and Tanner Gudauskus have spent a lot of their lives in the water riding some of the most epic waves. They've traveled the world for com...

Innovating Adaptive Adventure with Vasu Sojitra

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

 In 2021, Vasu Sojitra became one of the first adaptive athletes to ski down Denali, and he's made groundbreaking descents in the Grand Tetons and th...

From Track Star to Trailblazer with Alysia Montaño

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alysia Montano is a professional runner who's competed at the highest possible level.  She's a two-time world champion and an Olympian. She's breakin...

Filming The Climb with Chris Sharma & Cat Runner

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At a young age, Chris Sharma was considered a climbing prodigy and won multiple competitions. He established some of the most challenging routes aroun...

Freediving for Inner Peace with BJ Griffin

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

BJ Griffin is a musician and freediver from Virginia Beach. Freediving is where you hold your breath and dive deep underwater to explore the ocean. Fo...

Journeying Through the National Parks with Emily Pennington

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2020, Emily Pennington set off on the trip of a lifetime. Her goal was to visit every national park in the United States. Emily wasn’t sure what ...

Running Across the U.S for Trans Rights with Cal Dobbs

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2022, Cal Dobbs became the first known transgender person to triple crown, which means he hiked all of the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail a...

Manifesting Big Waves with Garrett & Nicole McNamara

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Garrett McNamara is one of the best big wave surfers on the planet. In 2011, Garrett broke a world record when he rode a 78-foot wave in Nazare, Portu...

The Will to Wild with Shelby Stanger

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Wild Ideas Worth Living's host Shelby Stanger gives us a behind the scenes look at her wild journey to becoming an adventure journalist, host of an RE...

Raising Kids Wildly

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In honor of those who are raising the next generation of wild ones. Host Shelby Stanger shares insights from past guests on how to raise adventurous k...

Creating Hipcamp with Alyssa Ravasio

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alyssa Ravasio is the founder and CEO of the online campsite booking platform, Hipcamp. Many people think of technology and the outdoors as complete o...

Rowing Across the Pacific with the Latitude 35 Team

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 2022, four women, Sophia Denison-Johnston, Brooke Downes, Libby Costello and Adrienne Smith, set a new record for the fastest all fem...

150 Marathons in 150 Days with Erchana Murray-Bartlett

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In January, 2023, Erchana Murray-Bartlett set the Guinness World record for running the most consecutive marathons. She ran 150 marathons in 150 days ...

Riding Free with Izzy Sederbaum

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Izzy Sederbaum is a trans-masculine cyclist and policy scholar who survived a rare cougar attack on a ride outside of Seattle in early 2018. Izzy was ...

Greening Our Cities with Cecil Konijnendijk

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cecil Konijnendijk has been studying, teaching, and advising on urban forestry for more than 25 years. He is interested in how trees can improve our c...

Gender Inclusive Racing with Cal Calamia

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cal Calamia has been a runner their entire life, but in 2018, their relationship with the sport changed when Cal came out as trans non-binary. Most ra...

Culinary Farming and Backyard Gardening with Courtney Guerra

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Courtney Guerra is a culinary farmer who loves the intimacy of planting seeds, watching them sprout, and harvesting rich, colorful produce. She's grow...

Surfing, Hollywood, and Dwarfism with Christophe Zajac-Denek

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Christophe Zajac-Denek was just a couple of days old when he was diagnosed with a rare form of dwarfism called cartilage-hair hypoplasia. Doctors told...

Hooked on Fishing with Myishia Haynes

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Myishia Haynes is one of the most cheerful, exuberant fisherwoman you'll ever meet. She practices catch and release fishing, and has a pretty good tra...

Parkour and Embracing Identity with Sara Mudallal

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sara Mudallal was 20 years old when she decided to try parkour. She also decided to start wearing a hijab as an expression of her Muslim identity. Ove...

Life on a Highline with Faith Dickey

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Faith Dickey is one of the greatest highliners in the world. In 2012, Faith broke the record for the longest free solo, that's highlining without a sa...

Ice Swimming with Melissa Kegler

07 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Melissa Kegler is an elite open-water swimmer who specializes in cold water, long distance swims. She recently broke the U.S. national distance record...

Climbing and Conducting with Deanna Tham

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the fall of 2022, the Oregon Symphony hired Deanna Tham as their new associate conductor. Deanna is incredibly talented and she's an expert at draw...

Soy Sauce Nation with Nirvana Ortanez

21 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nirvana  Ortanez is a former pro park rider who was once sponsored by Salomon. She has been a change maker in the sport. Early on, Nirvana was one of...

Culture and Ultra Running with Brandon Dugi

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brandon Dugi is a competitive ultra runner who grew up in LeChee, Arizona, a small community in the Navajo nation. He runs several miles a day and com...

Veteran turned Everest Climber with Dom Mullins

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In May of 2022, a group of 11 climbers became the first all-Black expedition to summit Mount Everest. The team was called Full Circle Everest, and the...

Exploring Tree Canopies with Nalini Nadkarni

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nalini Nadkarni is an ecologist who helped revolutionize the study of forest canopies. In 1980, Nalini started using mountain climbing techniques to a...

The Wisdom of Expeditions with Conrad Anker

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Conrad Anker is a legendary mountaineer and one of the most prolific explorers alive today. He has successfully ascended and completed dozens of major...

Climbing K2 with Lisa Thompson

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Thompson has climbed 14 mountains in the last 14 years. She has reached the seven highest summits on each continent, scaled many mountains in the...

Running Across America with Greg Nance

10 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In July of 2022, Greg Nance returned from an adventure of a lifetime. He ran across America, from New York to Washington State, in 84 days. For Greg, ...

BONUS EPISODE with The Trail Ahead Podcast

03 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week we have a BONUS EPISODE featuring The Trail Ahead podcast  hosted by Faith E. Briggs and Addie Thompson. On the show, Addie and Faith bring...

Looking Back at 2022

27 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

2022 was a pretty amazing year for Wild Ideas Worth Living. We released fifty episodes this year and interviewed some pretty awe-inspiring guests. We ...

Movement Diet with Katy Bowman

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Whether we’re hiking a favorite trail or mountain biking for the first time, one of the benefits of adventuring outside is that we get to move our b...

Para Cycling with Meg Fisher

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Meg Fisher is one of the greatest para cyclists in the world. Twenty years ago, Meg was in a car accident that changed her life. During her recovery, ...

Streets to Peaks with Ryan Hudson

06 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Growing up in poverty with little access to outdoor adventure sports, Ryan Hudson never imagined he’d be snowboarding in big-time competitions and e...

Rafting for Peace with Mauricio Artiñano

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mauricio Artiñano, a former mission planning officer with the United Nations, has worked to bridge the gap between former combatants and civilians wi...

Hike Clerb with Evelynn Escobar

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Evelynn Escobar is a changemaker in the outdoor industry who’s building her movement a little differently. As the founder of Hike Clerb, Evelynn has...

Motorcycles and Mindfulness with Monica Ramos

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2021, yoga instructor Monica Ramos packed up her home and went on a motorcycle adventure with her husband and their eight-year-old daughter. The fa...

Building Green Space with Stacy Bare

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2017, Stacy Bare took fellow veterans back to Iraq, where they had all served during the war. The team skied some of the highest mountains in the c...

Winter Treks with Emily Ford

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Emily Ford loves winter. She does most of her adventuring during the coldest months of the year in the most frigid parts of the U.S. In March of 2021,...

Camp Monster Stories with Weston Davis

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Halloween approaches, and spending time outside is a little spookier than usual. As it gets dark earlier and leaves start to fall, our minds can run w...

Wild at Heart with Stacy Gold

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Outdoor romance novelist Stacy Gold gave up her day job at a mountain biking nonprofit to write steamy romance novels. Her characters are strong, adve...

Bridging the Continental Divide with Teresa Martinez

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Teresa Martinez knows all about building trails. She’s spent the last 30 years working on some of the longest and most well-known trails across the ...

Making Indigenous Art with Louie Gong

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Louie Gong is one of the most successful Native American visual artists in the country. At the beginning of his artistic career, he wanted to find a w...

Indigenous Brewing with Missy Begay and Shyla Sheppard

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shyla Sheppard and Missy Begay are the founders of the first and only Native-women owned brewery in the U.S. They use Indigenous and local ingredients...

Equity and Climate Justice with Leah Thomas

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Leah Thomas, the blogger behind Green Girl Leah, is an outdoorswoman and activist who loves learning about science and society. In 2020, Leah posted a...

We Are Nature with Rue Mapp

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rue Mapp spent her youth swimming in creeks and playing on her family’s ranch in California. As she got older, Rue explored new ways to get outside ...

All Bodies on Bikes with Marley Blonsky

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A few years ago, Marley Blonsky bought a bike as a way to get to work. Soon after, she started bike camping and fell in love with the freedom of cycli...

Walking Around the World with Tom Turcich

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The day before his 26th birthday, Tom Turcich walked out the door of his home in Haddon Township, NJ. He was setting off to walk around the world. Sev...

Wildfires and Imperfect Activism with Graham Zimmerman

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past few years, alpinist, filmmaker, and climate activist Graham Zimmerman has watched his home in Bend, Oregon get consumed by smoke over an...

Riding Waves with the Boogie Board Wave Chasers

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Boogie Board Wave Chasers is a club of women between the ages of 55 and 95. Five days a week, on the beaches of San Diego, these women charge wave...