Wild Ideas Worth Living

A Spiritual Approach to the Seven Summits with Wasfia Nazreen

Record-Breaking Expedition to the North Pole with Eric Larsen

Shelby Stanger interviews Eric Larsen, a polar explorer, about his early life in Wisconsin, which fostered his love for the outdoors and adventure. Eric recounts his journey from odd jobs to becoming a polar explorer, including a challenging summer expedition to the North Pole and completing the "Save the Poles" challe...

Winning the World Snowshoe Championships with Jennifer Britz

Shelby Stanger interviews Jennifer Britz, a snowshoe running champion, about the history of the sport, her personal journey into it, and her experiences competing at world championships. Jennifer details the challenges and joys of snowshoe running, including training techniques, mental preparation, and the unique exper...

Chatting Gear & Gifting with Emily Pennington

Shelby Stanger interviews REI Expert Advice Gear Tester, Emily Pennington, about outdoor gear recommendations for gifting during the holidays. Emily shares her expertise on camping essentials like tents, sleeping bags, and ground tarps, as well as her preferences for hiking boots versus trail runners, emphasizing foot ...

Skydiving & Becoming a Paralympic Snowboard Champion with Tyler Turner

Shelby Stanger interviews Tyler Turner, a Paralympic gold medalist in snowboarding and the first bilateral amputee to fly in a wingsuit. Tyler discusses his early attraction to adventure sports, a skydiving accident in 2015 that led to the amputation of both legs, and his recovery process. He shares his journey back to...

Setting a Scuba Diving Record on All 7 Continents with Barrington Scott

Shelby Stanger interviews Barrington Scott on the Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast. Barrington discusses his journey from growing up in the Bronx and South Carolina to joining the Marines, where he learned to swim. A cruise to the Bahamas introduced him to scuba diving, which later became therapeutic as he dealt with PT...

Skateboarding Across America with Chad Caruso

Shelby Stanger interviews Chad Caruso, a skateboarder who set a Guinness World Record for the fastest crossing of America on a skateboard. Chad discusses his journey, including overcoming addiction, training, and the challenges he faced, such as navigating difficult terrain, dealing with wildlife, and the kindness of s...

Discovering the Explorer's Gene with Alex Hutchinson

Shelby Stanger interviews Alex Hutchinson, a science journalist and human performance expert, about his new book, "The Explorer's Gene." They discuss the science and psychology behind exploration, including the role of dopamine and the DRD4 gene. Hutchinson explains that exploration isn't limited to physical adventures...

Climbing the 14 Highest Peaks in the World with Tracee Metcalfe

Shelby interviews Tracee Metcalfe, the first American woman to climb all 14 of the world's tallest mountains. Tracee discusses her unexpected journey from a non-athletic childhood to record-breaking mountaineering, including her gap year in Colorado, medical career, and experiences on Denali and Everest. She shares her...

Cycling 38,000 Miles Around the World with Jacob Lemanski

Shelby Stanger interviews Jacob Lemanski about his wild idea to cycle around the world until he couldn't go any further. Jacob recounts his initial cross-country bike tour in the US, which sparked his love for bike touring, and details his three-year, 38,000-mile journey across 42 countries, starting in Portugal and en...

A Community Mission to Summit Mount Everest with Nelly Attar

Shelby Stanger interviews Nelly Attar on the Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast, exploring Nelly's journey from growing up in Saudi Arabia where she loved desert walks with her father, to opening the first dance studio in Saudi Arabia, and ultimately becoming a record-setting mountaineer. The discussion covers her initial...

Connecting HBCU Students to the Outdoors with Ron Griswell

Shelby Stanger interviews Ron Griswell, the founder and director of HBCUs Outside, about his journey into the outdoors and his work to create outdoor opportunities for HBCU students. Ron shares his early experiences in nature, his transformative trip to Belize, and his time as an adventure guide. Inspired by a promise ...

Running Every Single Street in San Francisco with Rickey Gates

Shelby Stanger interviews professional athlete Rickey Gates about his transition from competitive running to long-distance adventures. Gates recounts his experiences, including running across America in 2017 and running every street in San Francisco, emphasizing the personal connections and discoveries made during thes...

Empowering Muslim Women Through Outdoor Experiences with Nadah Feteih

Shelby Stanger interviews Nadah Feteih, the founder of Ma'wa Collective, an adventure company for Muslim women. Nadah shares her journey from being a software engineer to starting her company after a layoff and a transformative climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. She discusses the mission of Ma'wa Collective, which focuses on ...

Biking and Birding for 18,000 Miles with Dorian Anderson

Shelby Stanger interviews Dorian Anderson about his journey from a neuroscientist to a birding enthusiast who embarked on a year-long, 18,000-mile bicycle trip around the U.S. to spot over 600 species of birds. Dorian recounts his childhood fascination with birds, his struggles with alcohol, and the pivotal moment when...

Leading the First All Black Team to the North Pole with Jeska Clark

Shelby Stanger interviews Jeska Clark, a human performance specialist and mountaineer, about her journey from overcoming childhood asthma to becoming an explorer. Jeska discusses her early fascination with maps and adventure, her experiences with climbing, scuba diving, and skiing, and her studies in human performance ...

Living on the Road Full-Time for 17 Years with Marlene & Dan Lin

Shelby Stanger interviews Dan and Marlene Lin, who have been living on the road full-time with their three children and two cats since 2008. They share their love story, how they cultivated their adventurous spirit, and the evolution of their nomadic lifestyle. Initially, they transitioned to remote work to spend more ...

Walking & Cold Plunging as a Meditative Practice with Libby DeLana

Exploring Ancient Civilizations with Albert Lin

Embarking on a 2,000-Mile Kayak Expedition to the Gulf of Mexico with Ann Rose

In this episode of "Wild Ideas Worth Living," Shelby Stanger interviews Ann Rose, a 58-year-old farmer from rural North Carolina, about her epic kayaking journey from her farm to the Gulf of Mexico. Ann recounts the inspiration behind her 2,000-mile trip, which was sparked by a desire to escape a series of droughts tha...