Humans Outside (Amy Bushatz)

One of the best things about U.S. national and state parks is how accessible they are to every kind of user. Kids to Parks Day, organized by the National Parks Trust, looks to encourage families and kids into parks nationwide.

Chris Rief has made a project of taking his young daughter into the National Park units to do the Jr. Ranger program and collect the Jr. Ranger park cancellation stamps. In this episode Chris talks to us about what he’s learned about taking his own kid into the parks, how to make the most of the Jr. Ranger program and mistakes he’s made along the way.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

Depending on your background of using nature and heading outside, you might think of spending time outdoors as something you go do instead of something that’s on the other side of your front door.

And if you do make a habit of going into the nature that’s close to home, you might be tempted to think that the same-old, same-old isn’t as good as shaking it up and going somewhere news and different.

Dr. Kathleen Wolf has made a career of researching human use of nature and its benefits as a research social scientist at the school of environmental and forest sciences at the University of Washington. She joined in Season 3 for an overview of how much time in nature is really useful (spoiler alert, it’s about 20 minutes a day!). And in this episode she talks about the benefits of nearby nature and how to get the most out of it.

Connect with this episode

Learn more about Dr. Kathleen Wolf

Read Dr. Kathleen Wolf’s long term project, “Green Cities: Good Health”

Find Dr. Kathleen Wolf on LinkedIn

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[3:54] What Kathy’s been doing since we last spoke

[7:54] What is nearby nature?
[10:31] What people think of as nature and why making generalizations isn’t a good idea

[15:23] What nearby nature factors appeal to people?

[19:44] The role of mindfulness in nearby nature

[22:45] Is there any benefit to doing the same thing in nature over and over?

[25:37] What it’s like to stare at the same tree for 70 minutes

[27:33] What Amy has learned by doing the same thing over and over again

[33:33] How people can create a great nearby nature experience no matter where they are

[41:40] Why nature is like nutrition

If you’ve ever spent time living in a major city, you know finding nature takes a lot more intentionality than if you spend all of your time in a rural environment. You might even think about experiencing nature in a city as happening in spite of the concrete jungle, not because of it.

But what if you flipped that on its head? What if you learned ways to appreciate nature because of the city it’s in?

That’s something today’s guest, Brittany Gowan, has become good at as part of her work coaching organizations and executives. With an industrial and organizational psychology master's degree, she works with her clients to lean on nature in and out of the city, a concept also shares in her new book “Turn to the Sun.”

In this episode of Humans Outside Brittany talks about:

• Finding nature wherever you are
• The gifts of an outdoor habit in an urban environment
• How noticing nature can raise awareness for other things

Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Visit Brittany Gowan’s website
Read Brittany’s book “Turn to the Sun” (affiliate link)
Follow Brittany on Facebook
Follow Brittany on Instagram
Join the Humans Outside Challenge
Follow Humans Outside on Instagram
Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:17] Brittany Gowan’s favorite outdoor space

[4:02] How Brittany became someone who likes to go outside

[4:57] How do people react to the idea of nearby nature?

[6:02] Ways to find natures in the city

[8:23] Why birds are cool for this

[10:59] How to build awareness for nature in a city

[13:06] How to create space for nature

[15:03] The art of nature visualization

[22:53] Do houseplants move you towards nature?

[28:00] The top thing Brittany has learned through her outdoor practice

[34:01] Brittany’s favorite outdoor moment

In this Outdoor Diary episode Amy talks about how she fits her outdoor time into every day no matter what, and gives you a few tips for how you can do so, too.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Some of the good stuff:

[:47] Why it’s hard to get outside
[1:45] Tips for making it happen
[1:47] Write it down
[2:37] Be specific
[4:03] Remember your why

When I started my outdoor habit it was because I needed a way to push myself outside daily, no matter what. But over those more than 2,000 days I have discovered facets that are especially meaningful to me. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] Why I first started my outdoor habit

[1:00] Taking photos daily is a good try

[1:40] Things I love about my outdoor habit

[2:00] The favorite of a zillion new hobbies

[3:24] The favorite of new friends

[4:46] The thing I love the very most about my outdoor habit

If the annoying perky people in the world are right and your perspective really does determine your reality, then there’s one tried and true way to make heading outside in less than great circumstances -- weather, schedule, whatever -- just a tiny bit better.

I’ve tested what it’s like to go out there with a bad attitude.

So, what happens when I take a different track?

And what happens if I do when things are really, really hard? I’m talking -15 degrees, blowing, very frosty, don’t want to be there, have other stuff to do hard?

Let’s find out.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] A reality check

[1:03] What happens when you have a bad one

[1:45] I know this because I’ve tested it

[2:20] A little hunting for the good and what I’ve found

[2:58] A smart aleck saying that’s true

[3:59] Check in on me on this

What if going outside isn’t just your inspiration, but also the inspiration you share with others? When Nailah Baldes Wylie looked at her life as a marketer and communicator, she knew she wasn’t happy in her job, and that one thing did make her happy and inspired -- spending time outside. 

And so she founded Color Outside, a coaching and community building company that takes women of color outside to explore and build both themselves and their business goals.

What is it about doing hard things outside that translates so well to business? This inspirational interview with Nailah Blades Wylie is sure to leave you ready to conquer your own challenges both in and out of the office. 

Find Nailah on her website, on Facebook and Instagram.

Mentioned in the show:

Utah

Southern California

Salt Lake City, Utah

Color Outside

Salt Lake City Mountains

Outdoor rock climbing

Indoor rock climbing

Snowshoeing 

Hiking

Skiing 

Snorkeling in a crater in Utah

The 3 Day Effect

Nordic Center

Trailmix

Lip balm

Machu Picchu

Jackson Hole, Wyoming 

Favorite Gear: Eddie Bauer leggings

Most Essential Gear: Eddie Bauer Lukla Pro Mid Hiker or Hoka One One Speedgoat hiking boots

Affiliate links included above.

-----

Register for our newsletter for a chance to win a free Humans Outside decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/

Don’t forget to follow @HumansOutside on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humansoutside/

Share your own outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HumansOutside/

How are you spending your outdoor time? Email us at contact(at)humansoutside(dot)com and share a photo and description of your outdoor time. If we use it, we’ll send you a decal!

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Episode 198: How to Maximize Your Outdoor Life While Creating a Minimalist Lifestyle (Meg Carney)

Some of the good stuff:

[:50] What environmentalism was to Amy growing up

[1:58] How she thinks about environmentalism now

[2:14] Why spending time outside makes you care about the environment

[3:00] The selfishness of loving the environment

[3:22] What this has to do with “leave no trace”

[3:45] What it has to do with buying used stuff

[4:00] What it has to do with how you spend your time

Listen as Amy Bushatz explains why she calls being in a funk “floor time” and how she recovers.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

You’ve heard of the gifts from the 12 Days of Christmas? Well, the gifts of heading outside don’t include any lords-a-leaping (that Amy is aware of) but they do include a parade of other (probably better) things, especially in winter.

In this episode Amy talks about just three of the winter gifts she’s received during her outdoor time and the impact they’ve had. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] Gifts of the 12 days and what they have to do with any of this

[1:28] The gifts of my outdoor time -- focused on winter

[1:35] But first, drama

[2:00] The first gift

[3:10] What getting involved has to do with anything

[3:30] The second gift

[4:27] The third gift

Simple. Boring. Tired. You might think of just going for a regular walk as being something only people with nothing better to do make a part of their daily lives.

But what if going for a walk isn’t only an easy way to spend time outside, but also one that’s so varied and beneficial that understanding the practice is a matter of scientific research?

Author Annabel Streets was so startled by how much better she felt when she started going for walks that she researched the science behind what was happening and wrote a book about it. The result, 52 Ways to Walk, details out -- you guessed it -- 52 different ways to go for a walk and all of the research behind the benefits of each one.

In this episode of Humans Outside, Annabel shares her least and most favorite ways to walk, her walking journey, and why any of it should matter to you.

Connect with this episode:

Read 52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time (affiliate link)

Follow Annabel Streets on Instagram

Follow Annabel Streets on Twitter

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:59] Annabel Street’s favorite outdoor space

[3:36] How Annabel became someone who likes to go outside and also go for walks

[7:07] Why she started researching walking

[8:14] Was it hard to find 52 ways?

[8:52] Why people avoid walking

[9:23] Her favorite new way to walk

[12:19] Amy’s night experience

[16:44] What people always think about walking

[18:43] Her least favorite way to walk

[19:39] Another perfect and underappreciated walking favorite

[24:18] Ways to walk that didn’t make it into the book

[30:38] Want to start walking? Here’s how.

[35:06] Annabel’s favorite outdoor gear

[36:49] Annabel’s favorite outdoor memory

How does Amy celebrate? By getting outside, of course! This week’s adventures included a lot of little pockets of the outdoors between life, as well as hitting the slopes with the family, and a mountain run. Yes, a mountain. 

Mentioned in this week’s episode:

Kahtoola MICROspikes Traction System: https://www.rei.com/product/890608/kahtoola-microspikes-traction-system

-----

Follow @HumansOutside on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humansoutside/ 

Share your own outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

Register for our newsletter for a chance to win a free Humans Outside decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/ 

Connect with us on Facebook: https://humansoutside.com/

How are you spending your outdoor time? Leave us a message and we might feature you on our weekly Outdoor Diary episode. Call ‪(360) 362-5317‬. 

Happy solstice! Summer solstice is a big deal in Alaska where there’s plenty of reason to celebrate the endless light. But midnight sun is not why Amy celebrates it, exactly. In this episode Amy talks about why the solstice is important to her -- and what she doesn’t do on it.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] The first thing you need to know

[1:00] What this means for endless light

[1:35] What I mean when I say I celebrate summer solstice

[2:28] Why I celebrate these things

[2:50] What the solstice means to me

[3:00] (Am I old?!)

[3:20] The patterns it brings

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] The place understanding created by going outside

[:55] A reminder that I love where I live (as if you forgot)

[1:39] Why a sense of place matters

[1:55] Lessons from a morning in town

[2:28] What other people have to do with this

[2:53] The emotional connection to the changes of nature

[3:40] The appreciation that drives it

[4:10] The safety of pattern

[4:30] The recent festival that was a reminder of all this

With my unexpectedly dangerous and near-disaster Grand Canyon hike two weeks in the rearview, I’ve been surprised by how raw I still feel, especially when it comes to facing discomfort outside near my house.

Is it normal to feel like this after a big scare? And why is it happening?

If you missed the recap of my dangerous (and dramatic) Grand Canyon rim-to-rim adventure, you can hear it here -- plus I have a very important but easy thing that I really need your help with.

Hear it all in this episode of Humans Outside. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge
Follow Humans Outside on Instagram
Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] It’s been two weeks since the canyon and I’m still feeling like this

[:46] First a short recap of what happened

[2:26] A thing I really do need your help with, pretty please

[4:01] I’m still feeling raw and here’s why

[5:15] This is a human thing, and I’m good with that

[6:05] Here’s your permission to experience this human thing, too

[7:04] No, but really please rate and review! Help a friend out.

We know so much about success is determined by having - or not having - a good attitude. So why is it so hard to learn?

In this episode Amy talks about a few recent challenges as well as details on their first family camping trip in the Vanimal.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

They clear-cut part of my backyard trails and I’m devastated (Outdoor Diary)

When I heard the saws, I should’ve known it was not a good thing, not just a trail crew clearing wood downed on the trail.

I never guessed the loss those sounds were bringing. And when I saw it, I stood in disbelief.

I guess that’s the risk brought by loving something. When it’s taken away, a piece of you feels gone, too.

Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] Man-made destruction without warning

[1:45] I assumed it wasn’t major. Boy was I wrong.

[2:55] Only Treebeard has the words for this

[3:45] These trees were my friends

[4:50] It feels like a heavy loss

[5:12] My bad for trusting anyone on the internet

[6:22] But I do think this is a universal experience

What’s the difference between wilderness therapy and just, well, going outside? Judith Sadora, a licensed therapist based in Oregon, practices wilderness therapy with clients outdoors and is an expert in how spending time outside can help us work through trauma. Hear why the outdoors is a great “container” and how to create your own therapeutic experience outside in this thoughtful and insightful episode.

Some of the good stuff:

[2:06] Judith Sadora’s favorite outdoor space

[3:33] Difference between wilderness therapy and therapeutic recreation

[9:50] Why nature makes a good ‘container’

[18:01] Does nature heal trauma?

[20:09] Connecting nature to city life

[22:12] Changing the narrative around what nature is (and isn’t)

[30:14] Judith’s ‘why’

[40:34] How to find your own therapeutic recreation

[45:23] Judith’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear

[48:18] Judith’s favorite outdoor moment

Connect with this episode:

Judith Sadora, Triune Health and Wellness: https://triunehealthandwellness.com/

Evoke Therapy: http://www.evoketherapy.com

Follow Judith on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadorawellness

If you’re building or keeping an outdoor habit, you might’ve wondered what, exactly, counts as “outside” time? Are there any rules? Do you have to be in a specific place, see a specific thing, do a specific activity? Must be only daylight? Only a park? Do you have to be moving?

In this episode Amy talks through the guardrails she thinks you should - or shouldn’t - have, and talks about the ones she has for herself.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal:

https://humansoutside.com/habit-tracker-month-newsletter/

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

When schools is out and so is the sun, it can feel like a waste to spend the day inside. But soaring temperatures can make getting outside just seem so hard -- especially if you’re trying to take children with you for more than just some fun in the backyard.

How do you get outside with kids in the heat, avoid the meltdowns -- literally and figurative -- and have an enjoyable and enriching time?

Adventure mom India Tate makes a lifestyle of getting out for adventures with her two little boys. And since she lives in Atlanta, Georgia, she knows what hot looks and feels like. In this Best Of episode she shares her best tips and tricks for making it through hot adventures with her family.

Connect with this episode:

Follow India Tate on Instagram

Follow India Tate on Facebook

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:44] How India Tate became someone who likes to go outside

[6:12] How she started getting her kids outside, too.

[8:35] Mini golf league?

[10:24] Keeping kids cool through what they wear

[14:57] Keeping it cheap

[16:40] All about shoes

[18:00] We are strongly pro-snack

[23:40] Tricky water and hydration

[27:27] Getting ready for that hot weather

[32:48] Tricks for hot summer day fun

[38:40] How to get ready for all kinds of heat

[44:19] Favorite outdoor gear

[46:57] India’s favorite outdoor moment

Are you ready for Season 3 of Humans Outside? We are! Season 3 is all about those practical insights and how-tos for building and keeping that outdoor habit. Come with me as I talk to experts and enthusiasts learning about creating a life focused on the outdoors and how to make the most of the gifts it offers. 

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

If you’ve been following the Unplugging Challenge, you know Amy was trying to unplug over her outdoor time each day for a week. So what did the challenge teach her? Here she shares what she learned over the seven days of unplugging that you might want to know, too.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

In this Outdoor Diary episode, Amy talks about getting outside without self-judgment and how hard it is for her to do so.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] The deal with expectations

[1:10] What the real problem is

[1:29] What I can control

[2:04] The balancing act

[3:13] Start listening

[4:37] Why spending 20 outside is perfect for this

[5:22] What I’m working on

[5:40] What I’m doing outside now

You probably know that “solstice” marks the shortest or longest day of the year. But did you know why it’s worth celebrating?

In this Outdoor Diary, Amy talks about Summer Solstice and why it matters so very much. Listen now!

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

Tackling big challenges outside offers plenty of opportunities to learn big lessons. But this one? This takeaway is something I am going to be able to leverage for every outdoor experience. It all started with some insight from a Humans Outside podcast guest and became crystal clear during a recent big adventure on a very windy mountain run. So what’s the lesson and how can it help you? Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Visit Sarah Histand’s website

Hear more about being nice to your nervous system in this Humans Outside episode

Join the Humans Outside Challenge
Follow Humans Outside on Instagram
Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:58] What is the most important thing I’ve learned?

[1:05] Woooooo, nervous system

[1:20] Sarah Histand, master of this topic, so check her out

[1:45] The secret power of your nervous system

[2:00] All the ways you might hear your nervous system talking

[2:40] Training your nervous system

[3:00] The fun words: titration and pendulation

[3:30] How this lesson helped me.

[3:50] The most important part of this lesson

[4:20] A reason example of this particular learning

[4:30] All about the Crazy Lazy Mountain Race and exactly how crazy it was

[6:12] The moment my nervous system left the party

[6:45] Why this understanding matters

[7:25] How this might apply to you even if you’re not on Lazy Mountain in big wind

In this installment of the Humans Outside Outdoor Diary, Amy discusses how she finally had a breakthrough last week and which aspects of the outdoors got her there.

Mentioned in the show: 

Altra Escalante 2 (women’s): https://cutt.ly/0tN1OqS

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/
Share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

How are you spending your outdoor time? Tell us at ‪(360) 362-5317‬.

A window into Amy’s why and an important ask make up this week’s Outdoor Diary. With Memorial Day just a few weeks away, you can take a moment to plan how you are going to mark it, and Amy has a suggestion. 

Mentioned in the show:

wear blue: run to remember: https://www.wearblueruntoremember.org/

wear blue: run to remember Memorial Day walk/run pledge: https://www.wearblueruntoremember.org/memorial-day

--------

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

When Hannah Wolt and Jennifer Everheart found themselves stationed really far away from home in the kind of exotic location most folks only dream about, they knew two things: that had to make the best of it, and they needed some new friends. Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean, is a whole other world for mainlander Americans, complete with exotic waterfalls, amazing hiking and tree snakes (yes, tree snakes). 

Their solution? An outdoor group for military families, Military Wild. Hear about friendship in the outdoors and some of the peculiarities of Guam (like the need for a “spider stick” -- we wish we were kidding) in this fun episode.

Find full shownotes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

You’ve heard me talk about getting outside every single day, and you know I go for at least 20 consecutive minutes. But do you know why I picked 20 minutes? In this episode I go over the background of why I decided 20 minutes was the perfect amount of time for my daily outdoor habit.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal:

https://humansoutside.com/habit-tracker-month-newsletter/

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

It might also be trendy, but backyard chicken keeping isn’t just a delightful way to source a parade of fresh eggs and endless chicken entertainment, it’s also the perfect lure for getting outside regularly right where you are. And while, yes, keeping any outdoor animal provides the obligatory outdoor chore list, a backyard coop can also draw you into nature in ways that don’t include coop cleaning or flock feeding, says podcast guest Tove Danovich.

A journalist and author of the new book Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them, Tove has an insider perspective on all the ways keeping a parade of chickens can connect you with your own nearby nature, too. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Read Under the Henfluence (affiliate link)
Visit Tove Danovich’s website
Follow Tove on Instagram
Follow Tove’s chickens on Instagram (yes, really)
Follow Tove on Facebook
Follow Tove on Twitter
Join the Humans Outside Challenge
Follow Humans Outside on Instagram
Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[3:16] Tove Danovich’s favorite outdoor space
[4:23] How Tove became someone who likes to go outside
[6:42] Tove’s chicken story
[8:45] Chicken math
[11:02] Is there such a thing as too many chickens?
[14:40] How chickens help Tove get outside
[18:00] Warning warning she might a birder
[22:30] Rooster problems
[23:53] Why it matters that the chickens don’t need her
[29:05] The inside scoop on chicken culture
[32:17] What people should know about chickens that the books don’t really say
[37:00] Keeping chickens from becoming a chore
[42:47] Tove’s favorite outdoor moment

It’s good to take a beat, think about the past few seasons and decide with intention how you want to go forward. My preferred method for memory? Photo scrolling.

And so I dove into some memories of outdoor time from the past year, and when I was done I had found two important outdoor lessons that I can take with me to make my future choices and adventures that much better.

… And they can help you, too.

Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] Taking a cruise through old photos

[1:05] A few lessons from the past year

[2:03] The first lesson

[2:49] Lesson, the second

[4:26] My hope for you

When Amy first started her outdoor challenge it wasn’t to inspire anyone but herself to make getting into nature a daily habit. It wasn’t even because she had found heading outside to be so transformative she had to do it every day. Originally, the 20 minute daily challenge was born of a question: how would her life change if she went outside for a certain amount of time every day for a year?

The experiment started September 1, 2017. And there at the beginning was Amy’s friend Holly Wise, helping her develop the concept just as she had for all of Amy’s big ideas since 2004.

In this “best of” episode recorded four years after starting her experiment and hundreds and hundreds of hours outside as part of her daily practice, Amy and Holly discuss what Amy learned over the course of her habit -- and what you can learn, too.

Connect with this episode:

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Some of the good stuff:

[2:42] Amy’s favorite outdoor space

[4:37] A question no one is asking

[5:47] What Amy has learned over the last four years

[9:02] Was this a surprise?

[12:00] The importance of incremental changes

[16:24] How doing hard things outside helps with life inside

[20:45] How she gets herself to do hard things

[31:49] The stories we tell ourselves and why they matter

[37:49] The going outside pep talks

[49:02] Amy’s relationship with nature

[51:28] Amy’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear

[55:51] Amy’s favorite outdoor moment

Maybe it’s part of the loss or grief process - first Amy was in denial about the changing season, then there was some anger and now there’s acceptance. Part of that acceptance is hunting for the good stuff, including the things she actually likes about fall. And doing that takes two steps. Listen to this episode to hear what those are, plus a quick preview of what’s coming for Humans Outside season 6.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] The problem with skipping the PSL

[1:30] My attachment is about to change

[1:54] What to do about the opposite problem

[2:18] Opening to hope

[2:36] 2 steps: a thought and a action

[4:30] A Season 6 preview - here is what’s coming

Alaska Day is the perfect to contemplate what we love about living in Alaska. When it happens to correspond with the first snowfall of the year? Well, how could we not talk about Alaska Day -- and even sing for you. 

Enjoy this episode of the Outdoor Diary and the only time you’ll probably ever hear Amy do this.

Find full show notes on humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

There are just certain outdoor things that drive me absolutely bonkers. They make my nerves feel like tattered edges, especially if they’ve been going on for awhile.

And that’s a problem, because I am committed to getting outside every single day, no matter what. … and that “no matter what” includes stuff I don’t like, and even stuff I hate.

So what do I do when this happens? I take these three steps.

Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] I’m betting you have some outdoor thing you hate. Don’t be a hero about this.

[1:01] Here are some really good examples

[1:55] And here’s the thing I hate, thank you.

[2:04] I need you to hang on while I get this off my chest.

[4:06] Obviously, it’s not going to keep me inside

[4:34] Which means I have to take a few steps to move through it

[6:54] Here’s a fun fact about Amy in March

Your journey to be and stay the kind of person who loves to head outside no matter the weather deserves all the support it can get. And Humans Outside Season 6 is here to make things interesting and inspirational, with insights from a parade of guests who know it because they live it. Coming soon! 

So what exactly has Amy been doing outside this summer? Probably not what you would guess. Listen to hear all of the exciting adventures she has had, and also how she has dealt with the disappointment of the summer not being what she expected.

Check out the full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

Have you ever woken up to find that things are way harder and more sad than you expected? That’s what happened to Amy this week when she got some bad news about a hip injury she started dealing with over the podcast break. Hear how she’s handling it in this episode of the weekly Outdoor Diary.

Check out the full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

What happens when you head outside way past your comfort zone into a risky area like staying up after bedtime? You might just see what Amy got to see in the early morning light on Resurrection Pass, Alaska during the Resurrection Pass 100 race. Amy recently presented a version of this story at Trail Tales in Anchorage and had such a good time doing so, she decided to share it here, too.

Connect with this episode:

Learn about Trail Tales

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Some of the good stuff:

[:46] Invited to Trail Tales and it was oh so fun

[1:30] What this story is about

[1:40] The first thing you need to know

[2:02] The next thing you need to know

[2:22] An entirely different kind of risk I don’t like

[2:38] Why that made me try to run 100 miles, which is crazy

[3:00] Your Resurrection Pass briefing

[4:15] What I found thanks to the risk

[4:30] And so the run begins + snacks

[5:00] The thing we saw worth seeing

[6:10] Why it was worth the risk

[6:33] What I’ve been seeing recently

When life comes at you hard -- pain, trauma, injury, loss, grief -- the outdoors is there just waiting for you to use it for healing. You just have to go outside.

That’s what Denali Strabel, a semi-professional mountain runner and life-long Alaskan has found as she navigates the wide variety of victories and challenges life has thrown at her. From addiction to the loss of her identical twin sister, Rubye, Denali knows that by keeping the mountains a part of her, she can move through pain.

In this episode Denali gifts us a rare window into what it’s like to actively move through grief after loss while still in the thick of it as she's daily making the decision to heal and move.

Hear Denali share how the mountains, ocean and running have been key in helping her with this challenge and so many others -- and learn how you, too, can lean on heading into nature to get through the hard stuff.

Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Follow Denali Strabel on Instagram

Follow Rubye Blake (Denali’s identical twin) on Instagram

In honor of Denali’s nephew, Gunnar

Visit Denali’s website

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[3:20] Denali Strabel’s favorite outdoor space

[5:45] Denali’s outdoor story

[8:35] What it’s like to grow up in Seward

[12:31] About Mount Marathon

[16:05] Using nature to recover

[22:25] The importance of reconnecting with the outdoors

[29:53] All about Rubye Blake, Denali’s identical twin sister

[35:44] What it’s like to lose a twin

[44:22] Advice for dealing with grief when you’re in the thick of it

[53:44] Denali’s favorite outdoor memory

The things we find comfort in as kids stay with us -- even if we’ve forgotten what they are until we find them in an unexpected place.

That’s what Amy found when she stumbled upon the Palmer community piano sitting out on a patio on a cool fall Alaska day. And when she sat down she was transported. Hear about it in this Outdoor Diary episode.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Some of the good stuff:

[:46] Homeschool Amy friend problems

[1:21] So I did this instead

[1:33] Playing the piano was not actually an option but I liked it anyway

[2:15] The piano + beach = escape

[3:00] When I bought a piano for myself

[3:20] How this is like going outside

[3:51] What happened when I found a piano on the sidewalk

For thousands of years, Tribal Nations have leaned on an understanding that everything is connected to keep themselves healthy and their communities successful. But western culture has lost or, worse, purposefully ignored the wisdom of those teachings -- and it hasn’t made us exceptionally healthy and happy.

In their new book The Seven Circles, indigenous wellness advocates Thosh Collins and Chelsey Luger lay out seven interconnected principles for pursuing whole-life health. In this episode of Humans Outside Chelsey and Thosh dive into the “land” principle and use indiegnous cultural teachings to show us how spending time outside and connecting with the land can have whole-life benefits.

Connect with this episode:

Visit Well for Culture

Read The Seven Circles

Follow Chelsey Luger on Instagram

Follow Thosh Collins on Instagram

Follow Well for Culture on Instagram

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:42] Thosh Collin’s favorite outdoor space

[3:01] Chelsey Luger’s favorite outdoor space

[3:42] How Chelsey and Thosh learned the value of spending time outside

[7:22] A caveat on “indigenous” wellness

[10:37] What are the seven circles of wellness?

[17:38] Looking at the circles as an interconnected ring

[20:17] All about connecting with the land

[27:30] Why we have to learn to be connected to the land

[31:26] What we spend time with shows what we value

[35:51] How the land circle interacts with the other circles

[40:53] The stages of understanding the circles

[46:29] Thosh and Chelsey’s favorite outdoor moments

No matter how you define “hard,” heading outside offers plenty of chances to tackle it. Many people who choose to tackle hard stuff outside are pushed to do so to honor some kind of “why.”

For some of us, that “why” is health or to push our own personal boundaries. For others, the “why” is on behalf of someone else.

Ultrarunner Emily Halnon’s “why” has everything to do with her mom, who died from an aggressive form of cancer in early 2020. To honor her she headed out to tackle a major challenge running on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). It’s a story she’s now shared in her new book “To The Gorge.”

Through her journey, she learned the power of moving through hard stuff. In this episode you’ll hear Emily share the things she’s learned through that journey and how you can make yourself do hard things outside, too.

Connect with this episode:

Read Emily Halnon’s new book, To The Gorge (affiliate link)

Visit Emily’s website

Follow Emily on Instagram

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[4:06] Emily Halnon’s favorite outdoor space

[5:36] How Emily became someone who likes to go outside

[7:05] How Emily’s mom inspired her running career

[10:29] All about Andrea Halnon’s adventurous life

[15:27] The grief and grit in running across Oregon

[22:37] How to get mentally tough to prepare for a mega run

[30:01] Why hard stuff outside helps us prepare for life's challenges.

[33:04] The internal dialogue of pushing through the tough stuff

[35:07] Why it’s not a bad thing to feel a little scared

[36:39] Emily’s favorite outdoor moment

Do you love where you live? If you’ve been listening to Humans Outside you know Amy loves her small town, Palmer Alaska. But she hasn’t always lived there — or loved it.

In this episode Amy reflects on how spending time outside has helped her love where she lives, and why that matters.

Some of the good stuff:

[:30] Do you love where you live?

[1:37] Palmer, Alaska

[3:14] The Alaska State Fair

[5:17] Where to find Humans Outside

Connect with this episode:

Check out Melody Warnick’s book on loving where you live

Listen to Melody on the Humans Outside podcast: https://amzn.to/2W8WI4Phttps://humansoutside.com/podcasts/melody-warnick-humans-outside-podcast/

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humansoutside/

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humansoutside

Sign-up for the Humans Outside newsletter for a chance to win a free decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter/

Tim Moss thought the key to having a life focused on outdoor challenges was to them his job. But instead the UK-based adventurer found that adventure work brought fewer adventures to his life, so he shifted his mindset to make adventure a part of regular life -- and help others fund theirs through his Challenge Grants program.

Listen to Tim’s thoughts on leaving life as a professional adventurer and how to incorporate outdoor adventures into your normal, everyday life.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

How does your connection to nature change when you focus on experiencing it through each of your five senses? With the chance to literally taste the outdoors at every turn, I leaned into the gifts of the land and explored how experiencing nature through my mouth (and stomach) makes me feel.

Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Listen to Gretchen Rubin on Humans Outside (“Advice for Making Outdoor Time Better via Life in 5 Senses”)

Some of the good stuff:

[:40] The best senses intentions

[1:08] It was a deliciousness emergency

[1:28] A delicious pit stop

[2:31] Blueberries in all the places

[2:40] Even more berries and even more deliciousness

[3:15] Wherein someone else feeds me and I hit my limit

[3:48] And here’s the theme

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Episode 20: The Powerful Connection of Movement, Nature & Grief (Lisa Hallett)

Wear blue: run to remember Memorial Day registration

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] One thing to know about Amy

[1:12] Secret background of the original Humans Outside challenge

[2:09] Something for you to think about

[3:00] Where to find more about the Humans Outside challenge

[3:15] A new challenge for everyone around Memorial Day

[3:35] Why Memorial Day is important to Amy’s family

[3:50] The point of Memorial Day

[4:25] How you can mark Memorial Day

Looking for ways to add outdoor traditions to the holiday season. Over the years Amy and her family have added a variety of outdoor activities to how they celebrate. In this episode Amy shares a few ways you can easily do that with your family and friends, too. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:52] What I learned right off the bat

[1:26] Here come the traditions

[1:45] It’s not just me a thing

[2:10] Do you want to do it too?

[2:15] A little theme here

[3:00] Start simple with some lights

[3:35] Next: try community events

[4:40] One more idea for day specific stuff

One of my favorite things I’ve gained from heading outside every day? The discovery that I have an incredibly useful superpower.

No, it’s not x-ray vision, time travel or flying, which is a bummer because those would all be very cool. It’s a move power -- the power to make myself do things I don’t want to do. And you cannot imagine how helpful this superpower is in all sorts of circumstances.

I think you have a superpower, too. Let's figure out what it is.

Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] I was here when I remembered my superpower

[1:14] This is my superpower and why I love it

[2:35] I think you have a superpower, too -- here’s what it might be

[3:29] Why these superpowers matter

Today, four years after starting her experiment hundreds and hundreds of hours outside as part of her daily practice Amy and Holly discuss what Amy has learned over the course of her habit -- and what you can learn, too.

Some of the good stuff:

[2:42] Amy’s favorite outdoor space

[4:37] A question no one is asking

[5:47] What Amy has learned over the last four years

[9:02] Was this a surprise?

[12:00] The importance of incremental changes

[16:24] How doing hard things outside helps with life inside

[20:45] How she gets herself to do hard things

[31:49] The stories we tell ourselves and why they matter

[37:49] The going outside pep talks

[49:02] Amy’s relationship with nature

[51:28] Amy’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear

[55:51] Amy’s favorite outdoor moment

Connect with this episode:

Follow Amy Bushatz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amybushatz

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram: https://instagram.com/humansoutside

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HumansOutside/

Register for the Humans Outside newsletter for a chance to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter/

When your outdoor time becomes such a habit that it’s just something you naturally do every day, you might find a new problem. Instead of experiencing the wonder of heading into nature, now you just do it as something to get done. In this episode Amy talks about the problems that brings, what causes it for her and what she noticed when she took the time to be present.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

Here at Humans Outside we practice getting outside every day for 20 minutes no matter the weather -- and that means sometimes we go outside when it’s wet, cold or otherwise not that pleasant. Sometimes we go outside when the weather is bad. 

But if you’ve never had an outdoor habit or spent a lot of time outside in the winter, then you might be feeling a little overwhelmed by what some folks think of as the basics, like what kind of jacket to wear or how to keep your hands and feet warm. 

No matter where you live you’re likely to at some point face what you see as less than ideal weather. Cold is relative to your experience, whether you’re in Alaska or in Florida. So how do you know what to wear?

The good news is that learning how to dress for cold weather is basically the same wherever you are. What largely changes is how much you wear or the thickness or warmth of your choice.

Mollie Foster is an Alaska-based guide and outdoor author. Her guide company, Traverse Alaska, helps all sorts of people get outside, and her book, Hiking Alaska, tells others where to go.

In this highly practical episode of Humans Outside Mollie tells outdoor-lovers what to wear for going outside and how to dress for cold weather.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

Did you know that the vast majority of New Year resolutions fail by mid-February? If your outdoor habit is feeling wishy-washy, it’s never too late to get it back on track. In this week’s Outdoor Diary episode, Amy talks about re-energizing a lost or slightly broken habit.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

Winter seems to be just dragging on and on in Alaska, and to pull herself out of a late-winter funk, Amy spent a week reminding herself about the things she actually likes about Alaska by doing some of her favorite winter activities. 

Listen to this week’s edition of Amy’s Outdoor Diary to find out what those winter things are and be inspired to make the most of whatever season you’re in.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

The deep, cold, dark winter of the north is a unique experience that both challenges and inspires. On the one hand, it shows you things about nature and about yourself you'd never see in the long hours of warmer daylight. On the other, it carried a depth that at times feels insurmountable.

Among the winter enthusiasts and survivors are cyclists, people out there riding their bikes through, on and over the ice. They are part of a rich history of people not just exploring the Arctic under their own power, but leaning into the experience despite all the odds. In today’s episode writer and editor Jessica Cherry talks about the experience of cycling through Alaska’s winter. Listen now.

Some of the good stuff:

[2:56] Jessica Cherry’s favorite outdoor space

[3:45] How Jessica became someone who likes to go outside

[6:21] Jessica’s personal connection to cycling

[9:42] What is a “fat bike?”
[17:01] About Frank Soos

[18:58] The experience of recreating over winter in the arctic

[21:01] The surprising sound factor

[24:56] What people miss by not going outside in the winter’s darkness

[28:36] How being a climate scientist changes how Jessica experiences nature

[33:09] What Jessica learned from her book, Wheels on Ice

Connect with this episode:

Read Wheels on Ice, edited by Jessica Cherry and Frank Soos

Visit Jessica’s website

Find Jessica on Facebook

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Just because nature is right outside your front door doesn’t mean everything you want to do in it must be done alone or leaning only on your own experience and knowledge. There’s a world of people out there who want to assist you if you just ask them. That can be a hard mindset for Amy, who likes to do things on her own. But asking for a little help has made her outdoor time much better than it was when she was trying to fly solo. In this episode she talks about two easy ways you can get help with heading outside.

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] Amy’s solo mindset

[1:15] Why asking for help can make outdoor time better

[2:15] The first kind of outdoor help

[3:59] A second type of help

[5:00] Help from the Humans Outside 365 Challenge

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Remember my rim-to-rim hike in the Grand Canyon that became a dangerous disaster after another member of the group put us all at risk? Yeah, that wasn’t great. But when I shared that story, I immediately received a parade of messages from Humans Outside followers and podcast fans with their own stories of outdoor misadventures caused by someone else’s poor choices.

There’s some comfort in knowing my experience wasn’t unique. But it also made me think maybe there’s a lesson there on what we can all do better next time. If so many of us have had a similar problem, maybe we need someone to help us avoid it happening again.

Enter: Luc Mehl and Sarah Histand, adventure experts who happen to be married to each other.

You’ve probably heard Sarah here before, bringing insight on adventuring in ways that feel safe. Luc is a trip planning expert who has done major expeditions in Alaska and teaches courses on heading into the wilderness while having fun and not dying. Together they’re the perfect pair to help us with this problem.

In this episode hear:

• Luc’s advice for building a solid adventure group
• What to do if you’re stuck on adventure with someone who is falling apart
• How to be kind to yourself (and others) while deal with the whole thing.

Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Check out coaching with Sarah on Mind & Mountain

Take one of Luc’s cool adventure courses

Follow Sarah on Instagram

Follow Luc on Instagram

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[3:33] Sarah’s favorite outdoor space

[4:04] But wait, Luc has a different favorite

[4:50] Luc and Sarah’s outdoor stories (plus, how they met)

[8:05] What is risk management and why is it important?

[11:04] It sounds harsh, but are there simply people who shouldn’t be invited on adventures?

[12:20] How to figure out who is the right fit for your trip

[13:45] What to do when you thought your had it figured out, but actually you did not

[17:41] The role of people picking in trip planning

[20:24] What to do when you get into the adventure and now you’ve got real problems

[26:45] The fear of offending someone

[29:29] Think about it as “carrying pride”

[32:28] So you’re in a bad situation. Here’s what to do next.

[37:50] The rumors are true: don’t leave a buddy (or frienemy) behind

[41:40] How to avoid an emotional stress injury

[45:16] Luc and Sarah’s favorite outdoor moments

Stephanie Puglisi and her family want to make traveling a part of their lifestyle, but with twin infants, the idea of tent camping seemed kind of crazy and staying in hotels was just super stressful.

Enter: RVing. Stephanie and her husband Jeremy changed their entire lives by investing in an RV and making traveling, camping and spending time in nature just a part of who they are as individuals and as a family.  

If you’ve ever thought about taking up camping but just hate the idea of sleeping on the ground or in a tent, this one is for you. Listen to this episode for great tips on purchasing an RV and shaping your professional life to support your personal goals.

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

You’ve heard them mentioned, you’ve seen their pictures -- and now you get to hear them on the Humans Outside podcast: Amy’s “running wives,” Clare Shea and Rachel Gernat. In this podcast Season 2 premier, Amy, Clare and Rachel discuss outdoor-based friendship, what makes it special and how, exactly, you, too, can make outdoor-minded friends. What’s the secret sauce? How do you even find great friends?

Connect with this episode:

Follow Clare Shea on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatinwild/

Follow Rachel Gernat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/32rkg/

Register for the Humans Outside newsletter for a chance to win a free decal: http://humansoutside.com/newsletter/

Some of the good stuff

[1:51] Rachel Gernat’s favorite outdoor space

[2:20] Clare Shea’s favorite outdoor space

[4:12] How Amy met her Running Wives

[4:34] How Rachel and Clare met

[6:12] What makes us such great friends

[9:19] Favorite memory of the wives together

[16:30] The importance of finding friends who push you

[18:15] What brought us to Alaska

[23:00] How to find outdoor friends

[34:16] How doing hard things outside helps you find friends

[47:22] Clare’s favorite outdoor gear

[48:30] Rachel’s favorite outdoor gear

[50:04] Clare’s favorite outdoor gear again

[51:00] Rachel’s favorite outdoor gear

[55:57] Amy’s favorite outdoor moment

[56:35] Rachel’s favorite outdoor moments

[57:59] Clare’s favorite outdoor moment

Among the lifestyle challenges of living in a city are finding ways to create nature spaces near your home. While many city community green spaces are in the form of parks, everything from their upkeep to ease of access varies widely. And those spaces often aren’t designed with a focus on what the community needs or who lives and plays there, creating a block for use by all.

In Washington, D.C. the organization City Blossoms is working to change that by creating garden spaces focused on youth involvement across the city. With two of their core values focused on diversity and equity, the organization partners with communities to create gardens that don’t just live in the neighborhood, but are centered around its needs.

In this episode, Rafael Woldeab, City Blossom’s executive director, shares his organization’s mission, why it matters and how outdoor-lovers anywhere can use what City Blossoms has learned to connect them with nature right where they are.

Connect with this episode:

Learn more about City Blossoms
Find City Blossoms on Facebook
Follow City Blossoms Instagram
Follow City Blossoms on Twitter
Join the Humans Outside Challenge
Follow Humans Outside on Instagram
Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[3:54] How Rafael Woldeab became someone who likes to go outside
[5:05] Why the National Arboretum is a good example of nature inequity
[10:19] What is City Blossoms?
[18:31] Should we focus our resources on community gardens or curated garden spaces?
[20:32] Why diversity and inclusion are central to gardening
[26:23] Why do gardens matter?
[33:51] What gardening can teach you about life
[36:52] How anyone can experience the power of gardens
[44:01] Rafael’s favorite outdoor gear
[45:44] Rafael’s favorite outdoor moment

Ever made plans for the winter in the summer? All sounds like a good idea when it’s sunny outside. So here we are in November, and it’s time to enjoy the plans we made six months ago.

Find full show notes on humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

If the weather outside is frightful or simply not delightful, how do you make yourself go outside anyway? What’s the trick for getting past the discomfort and I-don’t-want-to so you can experience what nature has to offer even in bad weather?

I lean on two tools to help me -- and you can lean on them, too. Learn how in this episode. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge
Follow Humans Outside on Instagram
Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] Yes, it really is hard out there

[2:00] So how do we make ourselves go out?

[2:57] Here are two tools

[3:29] First tool: gear

[4:02] Second tool: a plan

You know those moments in the outdoors where you’re standing on the cusp of things going very, very wrong? That was the beginning of Amy’s weekend adventure when her son, Dave, briefly went missing. 

Hear the drama and all about Amy’s outdoor time last week on this episode of the Humans Outside Outdoor Diary. 

Mentioned in the show:

Ptarmigan Lake, Alaska

Balega socks

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

affiliate links above

--------

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

It took months of planning, but Amy and her family headed out for a three-day, totally unplugged adventure in a dream Alaska spot: a wild lagoon off the coast in an Alaska State Park. From otters to birdsong, kayak trips to perhaps too many days without a shower, this adventure was a picturesque keeper in Halibut Cove Lagoon of Kachemak Bay State Park. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Hear Charles Wohlforth on Humans Outside

Hear The 3-Day Effect by Florence Williams

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] An important question

[:55] Why we were MIA

[1:25] All the planning for this

[2:00] How we got there and tide problems

[3:05] About the public use cabins in Alaska

[3:45] About the Halibut Cove Lagoon Overlook Cabin

[4:12] Here’s something weird about this place

[4:45] Wildlife center and some wildlife sounds for you

[5:50] What we did out there

[6:05] The 3-Day Effect and how to learn more about that

[6:50] Why these trips matter for me

At what point is heading outside for your daily habit really, truly just a part of who you are? That’s a question Amy tackled this week when she realized she’d skated right by the 1,900 day outdoor habit mark without even noticing. Hear more on this episode of the Humans Outside weekly Outdoor Diary.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] How I usually keep track of my day tally

[1:01] For a long time, this was important

[2:20] Why this was a surprise

[2:35] Here’s a quick tally of what that means

[3:06] Is this what happens after this much time?

[3:30] It’s just a part of who I am, I guess

[4:37] Here’s how you get this, too

When you love a daily schedule as much as I do, it can feel very risky to just drop what you’re doing and chase a last-minute outdoor adventure. But sometimes that’s just what the weather, conditions or mood calls for. And whether I seize the day or walk by the opportunity is up to me

I want to be someone who lives in the moment, knowing that I really do have time for outdoor adventures when they come calling. But was it so hard to remember that I do? And what happens when I step outside my comfort zone and go for it?

340: Why Is It Hard to Remember That I Do Have Time for Adventure? (Outdoor Diary)

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram
Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] It’s “drop everything” conditions time

[2:04] Here are a bunch of reasons why I can’t drop everything (actually they’re excuses)

[3:09] A little bit about Nordic ice skating

[5:00] And then I did drop everything and go … twice

[6:41] Here’s a few things I learned in the process

Imagine this: you live in a city or very urban environment, maybe close enough to a major highway that you can hear it, or far away enough from a space you consider a park to make heading there every day seem impossible. You can’t imagine really enjoying being outside all the time where you live because it’s just so not “nature.”

If that sounds familiar or like it could be you, Claire Dunn is just who you need. Author of “Rewilding the Urban Soul: Searching for the Wild in the City,” Claire is an Australia-based rewilding and urban nature expert who joined us to talk about what it takes to find nature wherever you are.

Connect with this episode:

Find Claire Dunn online

Buy Claire’s book (affiliate link)

Find Claire on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

The Humans Outside podcast hits its two-year anniversary this week. Two years! That’s two years of episodes with outdoor-minded guests who have taught Amy (and you) countless lessons about heading into nature. In this episode hear about why the Humans Outside podcast got started and just some of the things Amy has learned through podcasting for two years.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (affiliate link)

As we confront racial injustice in our world, Amy reflects in this week’s outdoor diary on both her privilege and those providing inspiration as they fight that injustice.

It’s a question I’ve heard several times over my more than 2,300-day outdoor streak: ‘what do you do if you’re sick?’

Since I’ve never missed a day, and I’ve definitely been sick more than once, you can easily guess that I still go outside. And fortunately the benefits I find there -- even though getting out in it takes extra effort -- make it all worth it. Of course they do.

In this episode I talk about how (and why) I get outside even when I’m sick and down for the count. Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] You can tell when I’m sick -- probably

[:59] But then you might assume this

[2:11] I gotta get out there, but it’s winter, so…

[2:37] The best thing about the 20-minute minimum

[3:10] Plus, then I’m grateful

When trauma or difficult events seep into your life, it’s easy to get angry or sad -- and hard to process them. Thanks to some advice from a past podcast guest, this week Amy hit the great outdoors to process some tough stuff going on, and use nature as a “container” for that work.

Some of the good stuff

[:26] Some current events and emotions

[1:46] Using the outdoors as a safe place

[3:23] Brainstorming outside

[4:30] Changing seasons

[4:56] Where to find Humans Outside

Listen to Humans Outside with recreational therapist Judith Sadora: https://humansoutside.com/podcasts/judith-sadora-how-use-outdoors-therapy/

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humansoutside/

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humansoutside

It’s still a weird time of year for weather, as the fall transitions into the winter. In Alaska, that means some rain, some snow and a lot of slushy yuck, Amy’s least favorite kind of weather. So how do you get outside when it’s less than ideal? And what do you wear? Listen to this Outdoor Diary to find out how Amy is handling that.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

If you have a kid or have been a kid, you’ve probably heard or uttered this phrase at some point over the summer. And even as adult, you may have lingered over the feeling of boredom, then quickly pivoted to something like picking up your phone or switching on the TV to ease that discomfort.

In this ‘best of’ episode we hear from author Michael Easter on his book The Comfort Crises: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self and why getting bored in nature makes you happier.

Some of the good stuff:

[2:31] Michael Easter’s favorite outdoor space

[4:47] How Michael became someone who likes to go outside

[7:18] What, exactly, the middle of nowhere in Alaska is like

[10:41] Why being open to stuff matters

[15:47] What it’s like to be out there for 33 days

[18:41] Why do we get bored?

[23:43] What does boredom do to your brain?

[27:47] What’s the intersection of discomfort, boredom and going outside?

[30:37] Why does it make us happier?

[33:05] Why do we shy away from risk and boredom?

[36:19] How do we insert boredom into our lives?

[38:52] How to get bored and stay bored

[44:07] Michael’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear

[50:37] Michael’s favorite outdoor moment

Connect with this episode:

Visit Michael Easter’s website

Buy The Comfort Crises affiliate link

Follow Michael Easter on Instagram

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

How do you handle zero-fun outdoor time? Push through and get the goal anyway before calling it quits? Wrap it up and head back to the car? Beat yourself up about quitting? Know that it’s OK?

This week on a mountain adventure with a few friends I found myself having zero fun time. The whole thing just didn’t feel right. And I was big done. So what did I do?

Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:46] OK, so I like a challenge

[:59] But even I have to draw a line

[1:55] So I started trying to work with my nervous system

[2:48] But you know what? No.

[3:44] Here’s the permission we didn’t need but we have anyway

Do you have one person whose work you’ve looked to for inspiration? For me, that’s Gretchen Rubin, author of the Happiness Project, and it’s why I was so excited to get her on Humans Outside for a sit-down. 

It was such a fun conversation that I want to make sure you get to hear it in this best of humans outside episode. I hope you love this interesting and inspirational conversation with Gretchen Rubin. 

Connect with this episode:

Read Life in 5 Senses (affiliate link)

Visit Gretchen’s website

Follow Gretchen on Instagram

Follow Gretchen on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[3:05] Gretchen Rubin’s favorite outdoor space

[4:10] How Gretchen became someone who likes to go outside

[6:35] The problem of things taking effort

[8:47] Why Gretchen started her Life in 5 Senses project

[11:33] Does she still go to this place every day?

[11:38] How that practice is like a sit spot

[14:40] The freedom (and challenge) of doing something every day

[18:28] Gretchen’s favorite sense and how her experiment impacted it

[19:41] What do we lose when we ignore our senses?

[22:27] All about Gretchen’s daily outdoor project

[24:15] The difference between a chore and recess outside

[27:00] Why the freedom to choose your own rules is important (and hard)

[30:13] The inspiration for Gretchen’s project

[33:17] How her five sense are influencing her outdoor project

[36:19] Personal habits that make her outdoor time better

[40:21] Gretchen’s favorite outdoor moment

It’s that juxtaposition that Melody Forsyth, a mom of four, discovered after her daughter, Ruby, was born with Down Syndrome. While the experience of Down can span a broad spectrum, Ruby, now age 5, is nonverbal, uses oxygen overnight and can only hike short distances. Still, it was her birth and learning how to care for her that first pushed Melody and her family into nature to find calm and adventure.

The family now backpacks together with one parent typically carrying Ruby, explores National Parks and other wild spaces and makes an intentional habit of spending time together outside not just in spite of their challenges, but because of them.

It’s that experience of watching Ruby and each other grow and discover their own interests and abilities outside that inspired Melody to start her Instagram feed, DownWithAdventure. There she shares her family’s journey to connect in nature and raise awareness around Down Syndrome.

But chasing big dreams in nature doesn’t come to Melody’s busy family without some really careful planning, factoring in the needs of all of her children and each of their special interests -- not just Ruby. In today’s episode Melody gifts us insight into not just how she makes it work, but how you can, too.

Some of the good stuff:

[2:13] Melody Forsyth’s favorite outdoor space

[3:18] How Melody learned to head outside

[4:25] All about Ruby

[5:42] What it’s like to adventure with an awesome but heavy daughter

[9:44] What nature means to their family

[12:10] Does nature mean different things to different family members?

[15:00] How it connects them

[20:24] How nature has helped her connect with her kids

[30:02] How do we bring the calm nature gives our families to our inside life?

[33:00] How do we set and chase big outdoor family goals?

[39:27] Melody’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear

[43:09] Melody’s favorite outdoor moment

Connect with this episode:

Follow DownWithAdventure on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downwithadventure/

Watch this cool video about Melody from Salomon Women: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=150297497071018

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram: www.instagram.com/humansoutside

Win a Humans Outside decal by signing up for our newsletter: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter/

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

https://www.humansoutside.com/podcasts/

Do you head outside for your mind, body, spirit -- or all three? And when you’re out there, do you find there’s one specific activity or facet that is simply your favorite? That really moves you -- literally or figuratively? That heals whatever part of you is feeling the most neglected today?

Tammah Watts followed a bird from her kitchen window while she was working on ways to physically heal. But what she found through bird watching is so much more. So what can a little connection with birds do for you? Listen now to find out.

Connect with this episode:

Visit Tammah’s website

Read Tammah’s book (affiliate link)

Follow Tammah on Instagram

Follow Tammah on Facebook

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:38] Tammah Watt’s favorite outdoor space

[5:30] How Tammah became someone who likes to go outside

[6:50] How Tammah became a birder

[11:33] How this is sort of like The Secret Garden

[14:22] The difference between birding and birdwatching and is there one?

[19:29] What intentionality has to do with it

[22:29] Why birding is healing to Tammah

[25:44] Why birds are easier for this connection than mountains or trees

[29:32] How birds can lead to mindfulness

[35:44] Why birding is so hot right now

[38:30] Tammah’s favorite outdoor moment

When did you last hug a tree? I mean literally, actually hug a tree?

Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but hang with me, because this silly thing has been recharging and reshaping how I feel about heading outside.

Listen now!   

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Listen to Alastair Humphrey’s episode on Humans Outside

Listen to my episode about my scary Grand Canyon trip

Some of the good stuff:

[00:35] Tree Hugging as Gratitude

[01:20] Grounding Experience of Tree Hugging

[01:41] Winter Contrast and Appreciation in Seattle

[02:49] Monthly Sit Spot Reflection 

[03:08] Observations and Gratitude for Trees

[04:36] Emotional and Sensory Connection with Nature

Been feeling in a bit of a funk recently? Grumpy about summer ending or winter approaching? Even if you love fall, it can be a way too short a bridge to cold weather.

If you’re feeling the feels or have felt them, you’re not alone. In this Outdoor Diary episode Amy talks about dealing with that certain sense of loss that comes with the changing of the seasons.

Some of the good stuff:

[:30] In a funk

[1:16] Unusual weather

[2:06] Sitting in the sadness

[4:10] Embracing the changes

[5:14] Where to find Humans Outside

Connect with this episode:

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HumansOutside/

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram: instagram.com/humansoutside

Subscribe to the Humans Outside newsletter for a chance to win a free decal: http://humansoutside.com/newsletter/

Are you too grown-up to notice and enjoy play? I don’t mean you avoid it on purpose. I mean your grown-up brain just doesn’t see it, isn’t used to allowing it, crowds it out with other stuff and is just so, well, responsible.

Kids don’t have this problem. Play is how they learn and what they know. But adults, on the other hand …

Here’s what I learned this week by taking time to seize the play, and what it did for me. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:31] Setting the stage on a beautiful summer day

[1:15] And then I forgot this thing

[1:36] The relief of play

[2:00] The burden of being a grown-up

The outdoors offers space -- both physical and mental -- for deep thought and conversation. And when it comes to sorting through the racial issues with which America is grappling right now, it’s the perfect setting for tough stuff. Here’s how Amy experienced that this week.

Connect with this episode:
Black Lives Matter Protests

REI Kingdom 8 Tent

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Before Amy really started to learn how to get outside and long before her 20-minute daily challenge, she discovered the National Parks cancelation stamps program and the club of people that enthusiastically participate. 

As Humans Outside celebrates National Parks week we couldn't think of anything better than talking to the people who spearhead that club and bringing podcast guests the join of the obsession … we mean hobby … straight from the people who know it best. Yvonne Manske, the club’s current president, in this episode shares everything you need to know about the cancelation stamp program, and maybe even a little bit more.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

It’s remarkable how a single day of nice weather can impact attitudes -- and Amy is no different. In this episode of the Humans Outside weekly Outdoor Diary, Amy considers the huge impact a swing towards warmer temperatures has had on her. She also updates us on the project to remodel the interior of their 1997 Ford Coachman conversion van.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

One of my favorite benefits of spending time outside is how doing so daily has worked to better my relationships, giving me space to grow them in the context of nature.

But did you know nature can also help when a relationship ends -- that it can literally be a part of healing heartbreak? In this Best Of episode we hear from best-selling author Florence Williams about her up close and personal study on that topic.

You might remember Florence from her work on one of her previous books, The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative. She joined us to talk about the book in a previous episode of Humans Outside. In her new book Heartbreak (and the immersive audio book) Florence pairs her own experience with the kind of research she’s known for, and in the process lays out a map for using nature to heal from a broken heart.

Connect with this episode:

Read or listen to Heartbreak by Florence Williams (affiliate link)

Hear Florence Williams’ previous episode on Humans Outside 

Listen to Amy and Luke Bushats with Florence on the Outside Magazine podcast

Follow Florence Williams on Facebook

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the Good Stuff:

[4:33] Florence William’s favorite outdoor space

[5:46] All about Florence’s heartbreak

[7:00] The not entirely secret story of Amy’s heartbreak

[8:53] Why heartbreak becomes a book

[12:58] Why she decided to try a nature cure

[17:01] What she tracked for her project

[23:00] Exactly how to heal heartbreak by going outside

[29:00] Can healing happen close to home?

[32:55] Why this is all actually really simple -- but not immediate 

[40:05] One surprising thing Florence learned

If you’ve followed Humans Outside for even a millisecond, you know how incredibly important we think coffee is. We might be a little obsessed. But there’s just something about a hot cup of coffee by the campfire, in a mug on a cold day, brewed at the top of a mountain, sipped over a walk on a beach, or happily enjoyed basically anywhere outside that’s just entirely perfect. 

Luckily we’re not the only people who think that. Tim Gravel, co-owner of the Alaska-based Kaladi Brothers doesn’t just know good coffee, he knows good coffee outside. And in this episode he helps us dial into the best ways for brewing coffee outdoors.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

If you’ve been keeping your outdoor habit for awhile just like me, you might be looking for a way to give it a little boost. Or maybe you’re new to this, but want to add a little spice or specific outings to your outdoor life.

If that’s you, this easy new outdoor habit I’m trying this year is probably the perfect fit. It’s a simple, low time commitment and interesting option and I can’t wait to see how it goes over the coming months.

Want to join me? Learn all about it in this episode of Humans Outside. Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

About Alister Humphrey’s “year in a tree”

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:28] I was worried about getting stuck in a rut

[:54] I was curious about forest bathing

[1:22] And then I heard this idea from Alastair Humphreys -- brilliant!

[2:19] How I picked my own version

[3:24] Here’s what I picked

[4:05] Here’s what I did while I was there

[5:04] You should do this, too!

Do you ever just need an attitude adjustment? Here how Amy worked through her bad attitude last week and how she finally found her solution in the outdoors!

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/
Share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

How are you spending your outdoor time? Tell us at ‪(360) 362-5317‬.

I know what you’re thinking. “What is a ‘pee cloth?’” And, maybe, “do I want to know?” And possibly also “gross.” If you’ve ever been a woman trying to pee outside you know that the struggle is real and the solutions are sparse. Your options for good hygiene while taking care of business are limited to: a drip-shake dry method, which is ineffective at best; packing out dirty toilet paper, which is not great for obvious reasons; or using some kind of fabric that you plan to wash later. (And if you’re a dude who is thinking “what about those female urination devices like a ‘She-wee?’” -- great idea for solving the squatting issue, but it doesn't actually impact this hygiene conundrum at all.)

So what’s a girl to do? That’s exactly the problem Anastasia Allison was trying to solve when she got the idea for Kula Kloth. Instead of using an ugly piece of fabric, why not create and produce a product for women that can make using the outdoors not just more sanitary, but at the same time also create community and be fun.

In this episode Anastasia shares her infectious joy, personal story of getting close to nature -- including the time she literally stole toilet paper during her first-ever backpacking trip -- and a window into how she is working through her small brand to make heading outside more accessible for everyone.

Some of the good stuff:

[2:50] Anastasia Allison’s favorite outdoor space

[5:00] How Anastasia became someone who likes to go outside

[9:35] How a change of identity changes your perspective

[14:55] How Kula was born

[20:30] The danger of over-thinking

[27:55] What exactly is a Kula Kloth?

[34:35] What has running Kula taught her about inclusivity?

[40:00] Why Kula is a small step for inclusivity

[44:31] That time she stole toilet paper -- like, literally stole it.

[53:49] Anastasia’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear

[56:45] Anastasia’s favorite outdoor moment

Connect with this episode:

Follow Kula Kloth on Instagram (seriously, do it): https://www.instagram.com/kulacloth/

Follow Anastasia Allison on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anastasia.allison/

Shop Kula Cloth: https://kulacloth.com/
Sign-up for a Kula Academy class: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/kula-cloth-30263713380

Win a decal by signing up for the Humans Outside newsletter: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter/

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

https://www.humansoutside.com/podcasts/

How are you embracing spring? In Alaska it means marking the Vernal Equinox and finding ways to lean into those bright spring sunshine hours. Hear in this Outdoor Diary how Amy is doing that, plus details on how to submit your crazy wildlife story and appear on an upcoming Humans Outside episode.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

You’ve heard them mentioned, you’ve seen their pictures -- and now you get to hear them on the Humans Outside podcast: Amy’s “running wives,” Clare Shea and Rachel Gernat. In this podcast Season 2 premier, Amy, Clare, and Rachel discuss outdoor-based friendship, what makes it special and how, exactly, you, too, can make outdoor-minded friends. What’s the secret sauce? How do you even find great friends?

For full show notes, visit humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

Time management can be used to make you more productive -- or it can be used to simply make your life better. Dr. Cassie Holmes, a happiness researcher, author and professor, shared how to make that happen in a recent episode of Humans Outside. But what does that mean on a practical, day-to-day level in Amy’s life? In this episode Amy talks about the small yet important changes Cassie’s advice and research has prompted in her own life. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

How to Make Time for Joy and Heading Outside (Dr. Cassie Holmes, happiness researcher)

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] What I’ve always focused on for time management

[1:00] A shift in how I thought about it

[1:22] My conversation with Dr. Cassie Holmes about this

[1:40] A little bit about “Happier Hour”

[2:35] Here’s how I reframed it and the resulting action

[3:10] The secret sauce is this (yet again)

[3:35] What I did about it this week

Ready to explore how building a daily outdoor habit can change your life, amp up your hapiness and help you find yourself? It’s been four years since we started our own daily outdoor habit -- and now we’re bringing you with us through insights and helps from nature lovers, outdoor enthusiasts and experts.

Join us for Humans Outside Season 4 to hear from experts like Karla Amador, founder of the world-famous 52 Hike Challenge, author Michael Easter whose new book explores the benefits of discomfort and activists Mikah Meyer and Melody Forsyth.

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram: https://instagram.com/humansoutside

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humansoutside

Register for our newsletter and enter to win a decal: http://humansoutside.com/newsletter/

On the one hand is time management -- using steps to get the most out of every hour. On the other hand is energy and having the bandwidth to get it all done. So what happens when you’re great at time management but always find yourself energy poor? You’ve got time to do everything you need to do, but lack the energy to get around to the things you want to do. Instead you feel rushed at best, or simply exhausted at worst.

In her new book Tranquility by Tuesday author and time management expert Laura Vanderkam lays out nine guidelines that she has found make a measurable difference in how satisfied people feel about how they spend their time. In this episode she digs into two of the nine and gives tips on how we can make them work for us.

Connect with this episode:

Visit Laura Vanderkam’s website

Follow Laura on Instagram

Follow Laura on Facebook

Follow Laura on Twitter

Listen to Best of Both Worlds

Listen to Before Breakfast

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[3:39] Laura Vanderkam pretty much just writes books for me

[4:50] Laura’s favorite outdoor space

[7:13] What is tranquility?

[9:37] What are the ‘Tranquility by Tuesday’ rules?

[12:44] Why is ‘three times a habit?’ And what does that mean?

[17:28] Intensity vs. consistency

[21:00] All about ‘one big adventure, one little adventure’

[24:15] There are no adventure police

[27:00] We’re back to intentionality again

[30:30] Overcoming inertia

[33:57] ‘Police the muscle’

But if you’ve never had an outdoor habit or spent a lot of time outside in the winter, then you might be feeling a little overwhelmed by what some folks think of as the basics, like what kind of jacket to wear or how to keep your hands and feet warm.

No matter where you live you’re likely to at some point face what you see as less than ideal weather. Cold is relative to your experience, whether you’re in Alaska or in Florida. So how do you know what to wear?

The good news is that learning how to dress for cold weather is basically the same wherever you are. What largely changes is how much you wear or the thickness or warmth of your choice.

Mollie Foster is an Alaska-based guide and outdoor author. Her guide company, Traverse Alaska, helps all sorts of people get outside, and her book, Hiking Alaska, tells others where to go.

In this highly practical episode of Humans Outside that originally ran in late 2020, Mollie tells outdoor-lovers what to wear for going outside and how to dress for cold weather.

Join the Humans Outside 365 Challenge: https://humansoutside.com/challenge

Learn more about Mollie on her website: https://www.molliefostermedia.com/

Visit Alaska with Traverse Alaska: https://www.traversealaska.com/

Follow Mollie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molliefostermedia/?hl=en

Follow Traverse Alaska on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traversealaska/?hl=en

Buy Mollie’s guidebook Hiking Alaska: https://amzn.to/2HMe28B

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humansoutside/

Some of the good stuff:

[2:26] Mollie Foster’s favorite outdoor space

[3:40] Mollie’s outdoor story

[7:03] Why outdoor attitude matters

[9:50] The most important advice for dressing for cold weather

[13:13] Why cold is relative

[16:22] How to know what is right for you outside

[23:32] The power of the wind layer and the vest

[27:32] Down vs. synthetic

[29:44] The glory of The Pants

[31:57] How to keep cold hands warm

[39:26] How to keep cold feet warm

[45:18] The glory of the face buff

[48:05] Keeping kids warm outside

[49:00] Mollie’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear

[51:22] Mollie’s favorite outdoor moment

Find full show notes: https://humansoutside.com/podcasts/mollie-foster-humans-outside-podcast/

It can be easy to think of practices like rewilding and mindfulness as being habits of only extra-zen, nature-based people. But if you’re someone who likes to go outside or is building an outdoor habit, they are probably already a part of what you’re doing, at least a little.

So how can you do it more? And if you don’t think you’ve added them, how can you make them happen while balancing a modern life?

In this episode Micah Mortali, rewilding expert and dean of the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership, shares his insights and tips of rewilding, mindfulness and even meditation. Author of the book “Rewilding, Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening in Nature,” Micah’s extra-practical tips make a rewilding habit accessible for any outdoor-lover.

Connect with this episode:

Buy “Rewilding, Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening in Nature” by Micah Mortali (affiliate link)

Follow Micah’s school, Kripalu, on Instagram
Listen to Brene Brown talk with Dr. Amishi Jha about productivity and meditation

Visit Kripalu’s website
Follow Humans Outside on Instagram
Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Some of the good stuff:

[1:52] Why this recording is a little different

[2:41] Micah Mortali’s favorite outdoor space

[4:41] Amy’s regular moment of mindfulness

[5:16] What Micah thinks about that moment

[6:34] How Micah became someone who likes to go outside

[9:32] The spiritual connection of nature and how it’s weird some religions are confused

[10:55] Other Christian faith traditions and nature

[13:42] What is “rewilding?”
[20:45] How a nature draw plays out for city-dwellers

[23:35] Mindfulness and task-focus in nature

[29:56] The challenge of meditation for focused people

[32:22] How rewilding and mindfulness fit into a daily nature habit

[37:02] What the pandemic taught us about rewilding

[40:27] Simple tips for rewilding and mindfulness in nature

[42:47] Micah’s favorite outdoor moment

A new feature-length documentary streaming and airing on PBS nationwide and showing in some theaters is all about mental health and healing from trauma -- and it features me and my family and follows our life in Alaska. Want to see it? Here’s how.

Connect with this episode:

Watch the “Unconditional” trailer
Get tickets to see Unconditional in person until May 6
Join the Humans Outside Challenge
Follow Humans Outside on Instagram
Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:40] I know it’s wild, but here it goes

[1:00] What the movie is about

[1:30] Some words from the director

[2:40] Why I think you should watch it

[3:14] Here’s what I hope you take away

[4:25] All the ways you can see the film

As of May 27, 2020 Amy hits an incredible milestone: 1,000 days in a row doing her daily outdoor time challenge. That’s 1,000 days spending at least 20 consecutive minutes outside every day. In this week’s Outdoor Diary she gives a window into what those 1,000 days mean now that they are over.    

-------

Visit the Humans Outside website

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

Do you think of yourself as “outdoorsy?” Nature lovers and “outdoorsy” people aren’t just folks who scale mountains or go on long runs -- despite what the outdoor industry and even this podcast might (accidentally) have you believe. Instead, outdoor users come from all perspectives, backgrounds, sizes, shapes and interests. Like plants? Enjoy listening to birds? Appreciate coffee on the porch? Make going outside a part of your life? You’re a nature-lover. It’s as simple as that. 

But getting to the point where you see yourself that way is a journey -- even for people who have mastered building their lives around making more time for what they enjoy. In this week’s episode digital nomad Esther Inman talks about the power of learning to see yourself as outdoorsy, how she built her life to give her more time for what she wants to do and how she helps other people do the same.

Find full show notes at humansoutside.com

Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter

Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Some of the good stuff:

[:45] A Spring-ish confession

[1:20] What “over it” means right now

[2:30] Why this is when you need to be out there

[2:50] The muscle you build when you get out there

[3:40] The outside time you’ll absolutely regret

It’s something I’ve noticed over and over again: the more bold steps I take outside, the more life adventures I’m willing to tackle in my home and work life.

That’s a theme Shelby Stanger has heard over and over again from guests she interviews on REI’s Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast and something she experienced in her own life. It’s also the theme of her new book, “Will to Wild: Adventures Great and Small to Change Your Life.”

But what is the will to wild? How do you find it and how do you chase it? Is it something that can be gained only by the super outdoorsy or those privileged enough to spend lots of time outside?

Shelby tackles those questions and more in this exciting episode of Humans Outside. Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Get $20 off Ski Babes fitness with coupon code “HUMANS”

Read “Will to Wild” (affiliate link)

Follow Shelby Stanger on Instagram

Listen to Wild Ideas Worth Living

Sign-up for Shelby’s newsletter

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:08] Shelby’s favorite outdoor space

[4:13] How Shelby became someone who likes to go outside

[9:17] What is the ‘will to wild?’

[10:40] What this is all really, actually about

[13:18] What’s happening out there

[18:01] An example from here in Alaska

[20:35] Hello! Register for Ski Babes!!

[22:30] The biggest limiter

[25:11] How to get over that limiter

[28:54] Is the will to wild a matter of privilege?

[32:42] A few times others’ wild ideas got Shelby out there

[35:37] The truth of JOMO

[38:38] Steps for chasing wild ideas

[41:19] Shelby’s favorite outdoor moment