Nature Reliance Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, Craig Caudill sits down with Dr. Scott Hardin for a thoughtful conversation on what it really means to live well, not just live longer.

• You can find Dr. Hardin at his website
• You can find some insight into the 20-5-3 concept, here
• Check out the protocol from Prolon Life that Dr. Hardin discussed here.  You can use code SCOTTHARDIN50 for a fantastic discount.

Rather than focusing on lifespan alone, this discussion centers on extending health span, the ability to stay strong, capable, and mentally sharp as we age. Dr. Hardin breaks down the core principles of lifestyle medicine and explains how modern convenience, ultra processed foods, and sedentary habits quietly erode long term health.

Craig and Dr. Hardin also share a mutual appreciation for judo and discuss how purposeful movement practices build strength, balance, coordination, and resilience across a lifetime. Judo serves as a powerful example of movement as medicine and highlights why functional, skill based movement often outperforms machines and isolated exercises.

The conversation expands into the importance of embracing healthy discomfort, inspired by ideas similar to those found in The Comfort Crisis. Dr. Hardin explains why discomfort is not something to avoid, but something the human body needs in measured doses to remain adaptable and resilient.

Additional topics include:

• The pillars of lifestyle medicine and where most people fall short
• Movement as medicine and why hiking, rucking, and outdoor activity matter
• Shinrin yoku or forest bathing and the science behind nature based health
• Ultra processed foods and why dietary fiber is the most common nutritional deficiency
• Hydration, minerals, and electrolytes and why water alone is not always enough
• Blue Zones and what long lived cultures consistently get right

This is a practical, grounded conversation focused on real world application. No extreme protocols. No hype. Just sound principles that support long term health and capability.

If you care about aging well, staying physically capable, and building a body that supports an active, meaningful life, this episode is for you.

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Water Bottle Blowout.  Use code PODCAST to get 25% off.  

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Thanks for listening! Follow us at Nature Reliance School.

 How to sharpen your skills, shift your mindset, and thrive in wild places.

Craig Caudill sits down with survival expert Kevin Estela to unpack his new book Beyond the Field, a deep dive into wilderness living, hunter’s mindset, and leadership in the outdoors. If you're ready to do more than survive, and truly thrive in the wild, this one’s for you. 

• Kevin Estela's Website, Click HERE
• Kevin's new book, Beyond the Field, Click HERE

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Water Bottle Blowout.  Use code PODCAST to get 25% off.  

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Thanks for listening! Follow us at Nature Reliance School.

You don't want to miss this outstanding conversation with Mr. Paul Kirtley.  I have admired Paul's work for many years, and it was a great pleasure chatting with him about his mentors, courses taught, and teaching/leadership insights.  This one has a wealth of information from one of the most respected names in Bushcraft.  

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Water Bottle Blowout.  Use code PODCAST to get 25% off.  

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Thanks for listening! Follow us at Nature Reliance School.

Hunting provides opportunities like nothing else. Great time afield gathering a 100% organic food source is one of many fantastic benefits.  This podcast introduces ethics, how-to, moon phases, gear, and so...much....more.

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Shop our affiliation companies by obtaining discount codes here

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Essential Wilderness Navigation

Ultimate Wilderness Gear

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Timestamp

0:45 Introduction

1:47 Sponsors

2:03 Upcoming Knot Course

2:13 Podcast Begins

3:01 Mindset/Ethics

5:04 Mindset/Safety

6:44 Mindset/Stewardship/Conservation

8:16 Skills

9:00 skills/Terrain

10:18 Skills/Tree/Plant ID

11:58 Skills/Noise

16:15 Tactics

16:40 Tactics/Weather & Moon Phases

20:08 Tactics / Processing the Animal

22:05 Gear

22:26 Gear/Fred Bear 

23:20 Gear/Knife

24:48 Gear/Guns

24:12 Gear/Camo

27:48 Gear/Scent Cover

29:44 Follow up!

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Other Podcast Episode You Might Like

1. Six Habits of Trackers, That Can Help Everyone Including YOU!

2. Knife Safety Tips

3. Epic failure in gardening - but we have to start somewhere.

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Nature Reliance School Online Learning Courses

NRS Courses

· Foraging For Fun, Eating Weeds

· Mindset, Skills, Tactics, and Gear – Survival Fundamentals

· 14 Day Quarantine Skills Summit

· Edible and Medicinal Trees – Winter Season

· Introduction to the Study of Edible and Medicinal Plants

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The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Water Bottle Blowout.  Use code PODCAST to get 25% off.  

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Thanks for listening! Follow us at Nature Reliance School.

In this podcast, Nature Reliance Director Craig Caudill takes a look at his top 10 essential gear.  We get asked all the time "what's in your pack" and "what should be our basic load" so this episode answers these basic questions and will serve you well in getting started packing for your outdoor activities.  

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Thanks for listening! Follow us at Nature Reliance School.

With the popularity of using smartphones as the primary navigation device while in the wilderness, extending the battery life is critical.  Tracy Trimble, an assistant instructor with Nature Reliance School, and co-author of Essential Wilderness Navigation discuss ten ways of doing just that.  Having served several years on a local search and rescue team it is apparent that the general hiking public doesn't protect the phone's battery life.  Following these ten options will greatly increase a normal operating modern-day smartphone.    

Thanks for listening, and please consider supporting our work here by utilizing one of these discount codes for us at our affiliates:  https://naturereliance.org/blogs/blog/nrs-discount-codes

Jump into one of our SUPER inexpensive Livestream classes (usually done on zoom).  We cover quite a range of topics that you can join in on right from home:  https://naturereliance.org/collections/online-live-workshops

Consider a monthly direct support of our podcasts here

Essential Wilderness Navigation: A Real-World Guide to Finding Your Way Safely in the Woods With or Without A Map, Compass, or GPS

Check out other popular episodes:

Campfire Chat: Can you track a ghost from a graveyard?

My LOVE/HATE relationship with Leave No Trace ethics

Oops! - Common Mistakes (Part 1 of 3): Before you Hit the Trail

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Thanks for listening! Follow us at Nature Reliance School.

In this podcast Nature Reliance Director Craig Caudill takes a critical look at "bushcrafting" and what he feels most schools are missing.  He discussed how to be both a steward of natural resources and at the same time remove live species during training.   This is a combination that is often missing in most survival and bushcraft schools that Nature Reliance School is uniquely qualified to be different from the "rest of the pack".

Thanks for listening, and please consider supporting our work here by utilizing one of these discount codes for us at our affiliates:  https://naturereliance.org/blogs/blog/nrs-discount-codes

Jump into one of our SUPER inexpensive Livestream classes (usually done on zoom).  We cover quite a range of topics that you can join in on right from home:  https://naturereliance.org/collections/online-live-workshops

Check out other popular episodes:

Six Habits of Trackers, That Can Help Everyone Including YOU

Learn How a Ham Radio Might Save Your Life

My LOVE/HATE relationship with Leave No Trace ethics

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Thanks for listening! Follow us at Nature Reliance School.

Simple but it is SO important.  After a very experienced woodsman cut himself in a recent class, Craig put this podcast out there to jog everyone's memory on the TWO most dangerous parts of a knife.  He also shares his personal and group methods for maintaining safety when using sharp and pointy things around others.

Thanks for listening, and please consider supporting our work here by utilizing one of these discount codes for us at our affiliates:  https://naturereliance.org/blogs/blog/nrs-discount-codes

Jump into one of our SUPER inexpensive Livestream classes (usually done on zoom).  We cover quite a range of topics that you can join in on right from home:  https://naturereliance.org/collections/online-live-workshops

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Thanks for listening! Follow us at Nature Reliance School.

In this podcast, Craig tells a 100% true story of a time in which he encountered.....something....at a wilderness graveyard while out exploring. 


Thanks for listening, and please consider supporting our work here by utilizing one of these discount codes for us at our affiliates:  https://naturereliance.org/blogs/blog/nrs-discount-cod

Jump into one of our SUPER inexpensive Livestream classes (usually done on zoom).  We cover quite a range of topics that you can join in on right from home:  https://naturereliance.org/collections/online-live-workshops

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Thanks for listening! Follow us at Nature Reliance School.

Tracking is a unique scientific method of situational awareness.  The principles, methods, and habits of trackers can be guideposts in many endeavors.  In this podcast, Craig Caudill, the founder and chief instructor for Nature Reliance School, shares six fundamental habits of a good tracker and how they can apply to the daily life of anyone.

Check out this blog to discover our ever-growing list of discount codes and affiliate links.

For links discussed in this podcast, follow this link to the associated blog post on our website.

Check us out at naturereliance.org

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

The NRS Online Membership is THE best way to get the most up to date content for our followers:  https://bit.ly/NRSONLINE

Thanks for listening! Follow us at Nature Reliance School.