It Matters To Me

“Basically what we’re doing is trying to bridge this gap. We know the problems of climate change, we know the solutions, and what’s going to connect those two is community. It’s people." Welcome everyone to another episode of the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show that seeks out individuals dedicating their time and energy to non-profit causes that are bigger than themselves and the motivations behind that choice. Today I have on the show, Dakota Jones, professional ultra-runner and Executive Director of Footprints, a 501-c-3 non-profit in the U.S. that exists as an incubator for climate action. If you’re a particularly dedicated fan to the sport of trail-running, you might already know Dakota for some of his crazy fast times on courses like Hardrock or Transvulcania but what you might now know about him is his passion for addressing climate change. Originally from Colorado, Dakota, took the ultra-running scene by storm starting in 2011 and has used that notoriety to become a vocal advocate for environmental justice. The camps that Footprints put on are more than just a group of people getting together to run trails and simply talk about how they’d address climate change but instead is a chance for people who apply and are accepted into the program to put those words into action in their own communities. Offering the benefit of mentors who know simply how to get things done, Footprints gives runners the chance to turn their ideas and passions into something tangible that will hopefully go on to protect the outdoor places they love. Before we get started, I recently had the privilege of testing out some new running gear courtesy of Naked Sports Innovations and let me tell you, I can’t sing their praises enough. The waistband and hydration vest they sent is some of the most comfortable pieces of running gear I’ve used in years. I’ve actually just been leaving the waistband on all day because it’s so comfortable and useful. Made with an ultra-breathable mesh material, it fits snug around your waist and can carry poles, phone, water bottles, really whatever you feel like you’re going to need on your run. I’ll include a link in the show notes to their website for you to get your hands on some yourself and to check out some of their other products. Additional Links Footprints (Website): https://runfootprints.org/about Footprints Running Camp Video (Youtube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krWA8vni4F4&pp=ygUXZm9vdHByaW50cyBydW5uaW5nIGNhbXA%3D Footprints (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/footprintsrunning/ Dakota Jones (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/thatdakotajones/ It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/ Protect Our Winters (Website): https://protectourwinters.org/ Honnold Foundation (Website): https://www.honnoldfoundation.org/ Partners and Sponsors Naked: https://nakedsportsinnovations.com/

Stewardship goes further than just picking up trash. Becca Schild and the non-profit she leads, Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers, makes sure it’s a community driven event that nourishes not just the Roaring For Valley but also the people who give their time and energy. Additional Links Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (Website): https://www.rfov.org/ Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/rfovolunteers Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/RoaringForkOutdoorVolunteers/ It Matters To Me (Instagram): ⁠https://www.instagram.com/itmatterstomepodcast⁠ It Matters To Me (YouTube): ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@itmatterstomepodcast It Matters To Me (Website): ⁠https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/

Colorado’s fourteeners don’t maintain themselves you know. Brian Sargeant and the rest of the grew that makeup Colorado Fourteeners Initiative help ensure these towering peaks are here for generations to come through trail stewardship and public education. Additional Links Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (Website): https://www.14ers.org/ Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/colorado14ersinitiative/ Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/Colorado14ersInitiative It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@itmatterstomepodcast It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/ Partners and Sponsors MagicMind: https://magicmind.com/itmatters20

Founded in Aspen, Colorado in January 2013, Huts For Vets provides at no cost to participants, wilderness and communal experiences as therapeutic healing for U.S. veterans and active-duty service members. Erik Villasenor is their Executive Director and being an Army veteran himself with combat deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan, he was once a participant at a retreat before stepping into the leadership role he has now. Additional Links Huts For Vets (Website): https://hutsforvets.org/ Huts For Vets (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/hutsforvets/ Huts For Vets (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnZp3n-6whnzJ6A34UaJNg It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@itmatterstomepodcast It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/ Partners and Sponsors Magic Mind: https://magicmind.com/

Back on My Feet bridges the gap between emergency resources and self-sufficiency to truly help someone recover from homelessness, addiction, and often both. They empower members to break free from those cycles through the unrelenting power of fitness, community support, and employment resources. Additional Links Back on My Feet (Website): https://backonmyfeet.org/ Back on My Feet (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/backonmyfeet/ Back on My Feet (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/user/BackonMyFeetNational/videos  It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@itmatterstomepodcast It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/

Climate change... a topic we're all too familiar with but still have so much to learn about. Aspire Adventure Running organizes single and multi-day running adventures across Cascadia and Northern California. This year, they hosted their first Climate Summit to bring together professionals from all walks of life to discuss current research, technologies, and trends in this ongoing debate. Additional Links Aspire Adventure Running (Website): https://www.aspireadventurerunning.com/ Aspire Adventure Running (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/aspire.adventure.running/?hl=en Aspire Adventure Running (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/aspireadventurerunning/ It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@itmatterstomepodcast It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/

She has a runner’s body. It is also a body that lost 200lbs and has run 100-mile ultras and climbed mountains. All after enduring years of mistreatment from overeating, undereating, binge eating and no eating. Callie Vinson is an ultra-runner and advocate for body diversity and inclusivity within outdoor sports. She shares her deeply personal story in hopes it’ll inspire you to think twice about what’s holding you back. Additional Links Callie Vinson (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/callievinsonn/ Callie Vinson (Outside Magazine): https://www.outsideonline.com/health/running/culture-running/people/callie-vinson-believes-in-herself/ It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@itmatterstomepodcast It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/

Born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Claire took her passion for skiing to the next level when she co-founded SheJumps alongside the professional freeskier, Lynsey Dyer and journalist, Vanessa Pierce in 2007. Since then, SheJumps has created over 46,000 opportunities for women and girls to get outside by offering a variety of outdoor activities ranging from wilderness survival and mountaineering to technical maintenance and skill-building clinics. We talk about what is was like to start SheJumps at the age of 22 and how its mission has grown over the last 16 years to include people who may not have the easiest access to wild landscapes. We also talk about the challenges young women and girls face in participating in the outdoors compared to men and the small but meaningful changes that need to happen to address that. Additional Links SheJumps (Website): https://www.shejumps.org/ SheJumps (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/shejumps/?hl=en SheJumps (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/SheJumps/ It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@itmatterstomepodcast It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/ Partners and Sponsors Naked: https://nakedsportsinnovations.com/

Sexual assault and Type 2 Diabetes are hard enough to process on their own but combined, they can be almost insurmountable. Sydney Williams navigated her way through those experiences on a hike across the Trans-Catalina Trail and is now helping others do the same through her 501c3, Hiking My Feelings. Additional Links Hiking My Feelings (Website): https://hikingmyfeelings.org/ Hiking My Feelings (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/hikingmyfeelings/ Hiking My Feelings (Book): https://hikingmyfeelings.org/hiking-my-feelings-book Hiking My Feelings (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/c/hikingmyfeelings It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@itmatterstomepodcast It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/

They might be younger, faster, or have a bigger engine.... but you can Suffer Better. Peter Downing and Bob Africa are using Suffer Better to tap the inexhaustible commitment of the endurance athlete community to preserve and protect our natural environment while improving local communities. Additional Links Suffer Better (Website): https://sufferbetter.com/about Suffer Better (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/sufferbetter/ It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/ Partners and Sponsors Naked: https://nakedsportsinnovations.com/

“I think anyone will have their own definition of what that means to them and I think for me and for Rising Hearts it really embodies, you know, the passion and the commitment to what you love and care about the most that truly makes it the work that’s coming from the heart.”  Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show where we highlight people working alongside nonprofits that intersect with the outdoors.  Jordan Marie Whetstone, professional athlete, advocate, and founder of Rising Hearts, an Indigenous-led grassroots group devoted to elevating Indigenous voices and promoting intersectional collaborative efforts across all movements with the goals of racial, social, climate, and economic justice.  As a 4th generation runner, Jordan garnered national headlines during her 2019 Boston Marathon race where she ran on behalf of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) with a red hand painted across her face to symbolize the silent voices taken. Through her advocacy work, Jordan's primary focuses are to inform, elevate, mobilize, and organize through strategic and targeted advocacy, establishing collaborative partnerships to help create a better and safer future and environment for all of our relatives who inhabit this planet, past, present and future. Additional Links   Rising Hearts (Website): https://www.risinghearts.org/  Rising Hearts (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/rising_hearts/  Jordan Marie Whetstone (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/nativein_la/  It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/  It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/  Jordan’s Website: https://www.jordanmariedaniel.com/film  Rising Hearts Documentary Film: https://youtu.be/vAbapAmkjFo     Partners and Sponsors Naked: https://nakedsportsinnovations.com/ 

“That’s really become my focus, that’s what I like to think of my niche, my differentiator on Youtube is I’m taking viewers to places they maybe forget having been but maybe never would’ve thought of going to.” Welcome everyone to another episode of the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show that seeks out the passions in all of our lives and the motivations behind why we pursue them. Today I have the one and only, Jeff Pelletier, professional ultra-runner and filmmaker. You might know Jeff from some of his wildly popular and simply beautiful documentary films about trail-running all over YouTube these days. Hailing from Vancouver, Jeff has traveled the world and filmed his adventures in places like Namibia, France, Patagonia, Georgia, really the list just goes on and on. Finding running, specifically trail-running at a later age in his late twenties and early thirties, Jeff has made quite a name for himself in the endurance community. And while he maybe isn’t setting course records at races like Western States, he’s encouraging more and more people to get outdoors through his films and work. Knowing this was going to be my 50th episode, I really wanted to have someone on that I think embodies the narrative of this show, of finding that one thing in our life that gives us pure joy, and Jeff is just the perfect person to do that. Before we get started, I recently had the privilege of testing out some new running gear courtesy of Naked Sports Innovations and let me tell you, I can’t sing their praises enough. The waist band and hydration vest they sent are some of the most comfortable pieces of running gear I’ve used in years. I’ve actually just been leaving the waist band on all day because it’s so comfortable and useful. Made with an ultra-breathable mesh material, it fits snugly around your waist and can carry poles, phone, water bottles, really whatever you feel like you’re going to need on your run. I’ll include a link in the show notes to their website for you to get your hands on some yourself and to check out some of their other products. Additional Links Jeff Pelletier (Website): https://jeffpelletier.com/ Jeff Pelletier (Youtube): https://www.youtube.com/@JeffPelletier/videos Jeff Pelletier (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/jpelletier/ It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/ Partners and Sponsors Naked: https://nakedsportsinnovations.com/

“My promise to my readers is I’m going to be honest and I’m going to be fair and when we’re explaining the issue at the top, like I will be as neutral and balanced in that section as I can.” Welcome everyone to the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show that seeks out the passions in all of our lives and the motivations behind why we pursue them. Joining me on this episode is Isaac Saul, the voice and curator of Tangle News. Isaac is a politics reporter who grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, one of the most politically divided places in the United States. In 2020, he created Tangle in an attempt to get people out of their information bubbles and only hearing stories that reaffirmed their existing beliefs. His dream has been to create the most trusted brand in political news — all inside a newsletter you can read in just 10 minutes a day and a daily podcast that synthesizes major news events into a format free from political punditry. What really drew me to interviewing him though was recognizing how much work Isaac has put into making Tangle what it is today. And even though I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a news junkie, I do like to have at least a high-level understanding of what’s happening around the world and I’ve really enjoyed listening to Tangle every day to get that information. From how he takes a single story and turns it into a newsletter and podcast to how he manages the stress of being on a daily deadline, our conversation is a peak behind the curtain into how Tangle is fast becoming people’s go-to news source. Additional Links Tangle News (Website): ⁠https://www.readtangle.com/⁠ Tangle News (Youtube): ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@tanglenews⁠ Tangle News (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/tangle.news/ It Matters To Me (Instagram): ⁠https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/⁠ It Matters To Me (Website): ⁠https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/⁠ Sunsama App: ⁠https://www.sunsama.com/⁠ Isaac’s most extreme political view (Why prisons don’t work): https://www.readtangle.com/evidence-prisons-dont-work/

“Some of the most meaningful… some of the most emotional things I’ve experienced as an RD [Hardrock Run Director] has been standing at the finish line and what kissing that rock means to people.” Welcome everyone to the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show that seeks out the passions in all of our lives and the motivations behind why we pursue them. With me on this episode is Dale Garland, Race Director for the one and only Hardrock Endurance Run. First held in 1992, this 100-mile race icon of the ultra-running community celebrates the legacies of the Hardrock miners that used to live in and around the town of Silverton, Colorado. After serving in the Army just after high school, Dale became the race director and makes it a priority to maintain its goal of celebrating every single person who participates, whether they come in first place or dead last. One thing I kept harping on in our talk was just the shared sense of community you feel even if you’re only at Hardrock to watch other people run. And it’s absolutely true because, for me, I’ll always remember my first Hardrock experience back in 2021 and how everyone was treated with a genuine welcoming attitude. Like every episode that features running in some way, I try to steer away from the usual talking points of training plans, nutrition, and god forbid I use the word “bonk”. Thankfully that’s still true for this one and I hope makes it something any non-runner can listen to and enjoy. Alright, let’s get to it, here’s my talk with Dale Garland Additional Links Hardrock Endurance Run (Website): https://www.hardrock100.com/ Hardrock Endurance Run (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/hardrock100run/ It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/ Kissing The Rock (Film by Matt Trappe): https://vimeo.com/232655585

“When we’re able to step into the shoes of that person who’s struggling, people start to open their minds about what their willing to allow to be an ok answer to helping those people and I think psychedelic healing is really starting to jump into that lane and into the driver seat.” Welcome everyone to the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show seeks out the passions in all of our lives and the motivations behind why we pursue them. With me on this episode is Sam Chapman, Executive Director for the nonprofit organization, Healing Advocacy Fund.   With over a decade of experience in advocating for progressive drug policy reforms at the local, state, and national level, Sam co-authored House Bill 3460 in 2013 that legalized medical marijuana dispensaries. More recently, he’s served as the Campaign Manager for Measure 109 in Oregon, the law that legalized the first ever psilocybin therapy program in the United States.   We talk about how his upbringing in Oregon helped pave the way in his fight for psychedelic therapies to become publicly available and how Oregon is setting the standard for other states to follow in their legislative footsteps. We also get into where the future of legal psychedelic therapies can go and why it’s important to learn from the mistakes over the past decade in legalizing cannabis sales. Full of great insights into how the tools we use to support mental health are starting to evolve, our conversation really hits home and is one I hope you’ll enjoy. Additional Links: Healing Advocacy Fund (Website):  https://healingadvocacyfund.org/   Healing Advocacy Fund (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/healingadvocacyfund/   It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/   Oregon Measure 109: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Oregon_Ballot_Measure_109   Colorado Prop 122: https://www.denverpost.com/2022/11/08/colorado-results-prop-122-legalizing-psilocybin-psilocin-mushrooms/

“The people that you share the experience with and the land that you are traversing are really the two most important things and how they make you feel.” Welcome everyone to the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show that seeks out the passions in all of our lives and the motivations behind why we pursue them. Today, my guest is Rickey Gates, professional runner and writer whose most recent book, Cross Country, is a first-hand account of his 2017 journey across the United States on foot. Rickey’s career has always stood out to me not just because of his physical accomplishments but more due to his ability to bring a different, experiential side to running. His relationship with the sport has evolved over the years and with that has come a sincere wish to help others experience running that doesn’t involve setting course records or finish line medals. For years now, Rickey has put together guided running trips that include, Hut-Run-Hut, which is a six-day, one-hundred-mile, Aspen-to-Vail mountain running adventure with a priority of fun over fast. If you’ve heard any of the other episodes with professional runners, you know I try to stay away from any sort of dialogue around training regiments or race-day nutrition because I believe that running can be so much more than a competition against a clock. And true to form, this was a conversation focused more on the personal growth a runner goes through over their career and less about the stats behind their name. Additional Links: Rickey Gates (Website): http://www.rickeygates.com/ Rickey Gates (Instragram): https://www.instagram.com/rickeygates/?hl=en It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/ Bus Run Bus: http://busrunbus.com/ Santa Fe Fastpack: http://www.rickeygates.com/santa-fe-fastpack Hut Run Hut: http://hutrunhut.com/ A Walk Across America: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122781.A_Walk_Across_America

“Mental health is not a destination, it’s a journey. You know, it’s continuous work.” Welcome everyone to the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show seeks out the passions in all of our lives and the motivations behind why we pursue them. Today, my guest is Jennings Hester, founder of Fishing The Good Fight, a non-profit that helps Colorado men overcome depression, anxiety, and substance abuse through the simple act of fly-fishing. After a promising athletic career on the University of Alabama’s football team was cut short, Jennings went through an all too familiar period of his life where he suddenly was forced to question who he was, or at least, who he thought he was. And like most men his age, he thought he needed to keep that uncertainty and struggle to himself because of the stigmas around masculinity and mental health. But after realizing just how damaging the effects were having on himself and those around him, he decided to seek help and part of that came after realizing just how positive of an impact being outdoors could have on him. Out of that realization and coupled with a serendipitous birthday gift, Fishing The Good Fight was born. When I met Jennings just a week or so ago, I could tell from the outset just how authentic he is and how sincerely personal the mission of Fishing The Good Fight is to him. And as I become more and more comfortable talking about my own struggles with depression and loneliness, this conversation couldn’t have meant more to me personally. What he and the rest of his board are doing is simply astounding and I can’t encourage you enough to check out their cause and help support their work. Additional Links Fishing The Good Fight (website): https://www.fishingthegoodfight.org/ Charlie’s FlyBox: https://charliesflybox.com/ It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/ Revital Colorado: https://www.revitalcolorado.org/ Man Uncivilized: https://www.manuncivilized.com/ The Mask You Live In (Documentary): https://therepproject.org/films/the-mask-you-live-in/

“We’re going to pay for you to go to mortuary school so you can be a licensed funeral director in the state of Oklahoma” Welcome everyone to the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show that celebrates the random through 1-on-1 conversations with people and the passions they pursue. Today, my guest is Rick Farbro, founder of Green Country Arbor Services in Tulsa Oklahoma, and just an authentic and hilarious human being. Now a little bit of background before you listen is that Rick and I had the most stereotypical of meetings between two men in their thirties when we struck up a conversation at a locally owned gym in Colorado. Rick is so personable and socially magnetic that even though we just met less than a month ago, I’ve already spent the night at Rick’s house in Tulsa when I was recently driving through. Even further proof of just how genuine Rick is is that he’s able to run his tree services business without any digital footprint whatsoever and instead operates by simple word of mouth. You’ll soon find out that Rick can spin quite the storytelling yarn and I just loved every second of it. This conversation is pretty raw in that I am publishing it without much editing because I think it is a beautiful example of how it’s possible to still in fact make new friends as you get older. I know I’m not alone in admitting that I very much feel more isolated and alone these days so meeting Rick couldn’t have come at a better time in my life. So next time you’re out and around strangers, go ahead and spark up a conversation and hopefully you’ll make a new friend out of it too. Alright, here’s my talk with Farbro. Additional Links It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/

“To hear that there were people out there that were willing to help me out and willing to take care of me and give me everything that I needed to try and get better, that was life changing.”  Welcome everyone to the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show that celebrates the random through 1-on-1 conversations with people and the passions they pursue.  Today, my guest is Zach Riggle, former U.S. Marine Special Operator and now the COO for the Heroic Hearts Project.  Their mission is to build a healing community that helps veterans suffering from military trauma recover and thrive by providing them with safe, supervised access to psychedelic treatments, professional coaching, and ongoing peer support.  After Zach’s eleven years and four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Zach separated from the military and attended MIT as a Sloan Fellow for Innovation and Global Leadership.  And while you might think this is going to be a story of one success after another with a background like that, you’d be wrong.  No, this is a conversation about Zach’s own experience with PTSD and the deeply personal effect it had on him both mentally and physically.  And how after a fortunate encounter with a fellow Marine Raider when he seemed to be at his lowest led Zach to an Ayahuasca retreat in Pero that was sponsored by the Heroic Hearts Project.  With the stigma around plant-based medicines seemingly shifting across the nation as more and more stories like Zach’s are told and backed up with solid scientific research, our talk couldn’t be more relevant.  It’s one I truly treasured and once you listen to it I think you’ll understand why.  Additional Links  Heroic Hearts Project (website):  https://www.heroicheartsproject.org/  Heroic Hearts Project (Twitter):  https://twitter.com/weheroichearts  Heroic Hearts Project (Instagram):  https://www.instagram.com/heroicheartsproject/  Marine Raider Foundation: https://marineraiderfoundation.org/  The Body Keeps The Score:  https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score  It Matters To Me (Instagram):  https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/  It Matters To Me (Website):  https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/

“I told him, like, when I saw Everest, I said ‘Oh it doesn’t look so high!’” Welcome everyone to the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show that celebrates the random through 1-on-1 conversations with people and the passions they pursue. Chances are you’ve probably heard of Mt. Everest and know that summiting it can be the pinnacle of any climber’s career. But did you know that Everest is just one of 14 peaks overall that can boast a staggering height of over 8,000m? To date, only 44 people can claim to have stood atop all 14 of those peaks and the current record for doing so lies with a Nepali climber who did it in 6 months and 6 days back in 2019. Enter today’s guest, Kristin Harila, a 36-year-old professional athlete from Norway. A former cross-country skier, Kristin currently runs her own guiding company and leads ski expeditions in the arctic. In May 2021, she set a world record becoming the fastest woman to climb Everest and Lhotse in less than twelve hours and used that to springboard into trying to claim the 14 peaks title for herself and become the first person from a Scandinavian country to do so. Unfortunately, that goal was derailed through no fault of her own when her team was unable to secure the necessary permits from the Chinese government but that doesn’t mean she’s given up trying. From the outset, even though we've never met before, my conversation with Kristin felt like I was catching up with an old friend and I hope you get that same feeling too. She's not just a tremendous athlete but also someone who radiates positivity and kindness. It was an absolute highlight to be able to do this interview and I can't wait to follow her career as it no doubt continues to break records. So let’s dive right in, here’s my talk with Kristin Harila. Additional Links Kristin Harila (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/kristin.harila/?hl=en Kristin Harila (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/people/kristin_harila/100063575313015/ Kristin Harila (Bremont): https://www.bremont.com/pages/kristin-harila It Matters To Me (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/ It Matters To Me (Website): https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/