Out There

Ilana Nevins loved backpacking with her father. But after she was diagnosed with an eating disorder, their relationship became strained. She worried that hiking together would put her recovery at risk, because so many of her behaviors were modeled after him. In this episode, Ilana shares the story of the difficult challenge she faced: how to prioritize her own wellbeing without wrecking her relationship with a loved one. --- Links: Support Out There on Patreon Sign up for our email newsletter Follow Out There on Facebook and Instagram --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke

In May of 2022, Maria Ordovas-Montanes set out to become the fastest woman to run the Oxford Greenbelt Way, a 55-mile route through the English countryside. She had always loved running, and this was an exciting challenge. But at the event, something happened that would derail her life — and lead to a life-altering diagnosis. On this episode, Maria shares her story. --- Links: Support Out There Follow Out There on Facebook and Instagram --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke  

Humans are noisy. The National Park Service estimates that all of our whirring, grinding, and revving machines are doubling or even tripling global noise pollution every 30 years.  A lot of that noise is negatively affecting wildlife and human health. In this guest episode, the team from Outside/In takes us on an exploration of three sonic landscapes: noise, silence, and something in between. --- Links: Support Out There on Patreon Follow Out There on Facebook and Instagram --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke  

Many of us have experienced imposter syndrome at some point in our lives. Often it’s at work, where we doubt our own skills and accomplishments. But what happens when you feel like a fraud simply for being yourself? In this episode, we travel from New York State to a national park in Korea and explore how one transracial adoptee made peace with her own identity. --- Links: Support Out There on Patreon Follow Out There on Facebook and Instagram --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke  

Demetria Lynn always wanted to be a scientist. But growing up, no one believed in her. The negative feedback was so overpowering that she stopped believing in herself. In this episode, we follow Demetria from her elementary school classroom to a geology field trip in the desert, and explore what it took to rekindle faith in herself. --- Links: Support Out There on Patreon Follow Out There on Facebook and Instagram --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke  

Alison Világ pays attention for a living. She counts migrating ducks at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory in Michigan. It's key to getting a pulse on different bird populations. But for Alison, counting ducks is more than just science – it's an escape from the expectations of others. This is a guest story from Points North, a podcast about the land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes region. --- Links: Support Out There on Patreon Follow Out There on Facebook and Instagram --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke  

Many of us go outside because the quiet is calming. But what if silence isn't calming for you? What if it’s the opposite? Could you still find a way to love it? In this episode, Florida-based producer Amber Von Schassen explores why silence in the outdoors is so unsettling for her, and shares what happened when she tried to get over her fear by spending 1,000 hours outdoors. --- Links: Support Out There on Patreon Follow Out There on Facebook and Instagram --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke  

For many of us, getting outside is more than just fun; it’s how we find inner stillness. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we decided to turn the mic over to you, our community. We asked how silence in nature has been significant to your mental health. On this episode, we’re sharing some of our favorite responses. --- Links: Support Out There on Patreon Tell a story at our Campfire Stories night Follow Out There on Facebook and Instagram --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke

For Paul Barach, hiking is an antidote to depression. Is it that way for everyone? This episode takes us from Washington State to Joshua Tree National Park and explores what happens when we try to impose our own life solutions on a loved one. --- Links: Support Out There on Patreon Tell a story at our Campfire Stories night Follow Out There on Facebook and Instagram --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke

We’re told to follow our dreams. But often, that’s disappointing. Reality typically doesn’t measure up to what we’d imagined. So what then? How do you reignite your passions? On this episode, we travel from an observatory in Puerto Rico to a hillside in New Jersey, and explore how one scientist overcame the disillusionment of academia. --- Links: Support Out There on Patreon Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke  

Our upcoming season is all about silence. From the Grand Canyon to South Korea, we’ll travel the globe, exploring how we find stillness amidst the noise — whether literal or figurative. Here’s a sneak peak at some of the stories. The season launches April 4, 2024. --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke  

Maya Kroth’s goal for the New Year was to build self-confidence, and she decided to start by taking herself snowboarding. But things did not go well. In this episode, Maya shares her story and explores how we can get our mojo back when life throws us curveballs. --- Links: Support Out There Subscribe to our email newsletter --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke  

Women are often told we can do anything we want in life: ride bikes, scale cliffs, surf waves. But in some areas of outdoor recreation, the gender gap remains shockingly large. In this episode, we visit a women’s mountain bike camp in Wyoming and explore what’s really needed to get people of all genders on equal footing. --- Links: Support Out There Rowdy Gowdy Camp Hub & Spoke  

This is a story about fear. It makes sense to be scared when we're facing danger. But what happens when disasters occur in unexpected places? In this episode, we travel from a desert in Utah to a suburb in Missouri and explore how a flood changed one woman's relationship with fear and risk. --- Support Out There on Patreon Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke.  

Learning something new as an adult can be daunting, especially when it's something that a lot of people have been doing since childhood. On this episode, Naomi Mellor takes us from a beach in Australia to an archipelago in the UK and explores how she got past her fears and pushed herself to take a big plunge. --- --- Links: Sign up for our email newsletter Support Out There on Patreon Follow us on Facebook and Instagram --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke  

Mykella Van Cooten was angry, and she didn’t know why. It got so bad that she began to feel unhinged. And then, she went to a little cabin in the woods. In this episode, she tells the story of what happened. It’s a story about stopping, about letting go, and about uncovering the real feelings that are buried deep beneath the surface. --- Links: Support Out There on Patreon --- Out There is a member of Hub & Spoke  

In Finland, it’s commonplace to go swimming in the winter — outdoors. The practice offers surprising mental-health benefits, and it isn’t just for die-hard adventurers. On this episode, we share the story of one woman who started “ice swimming” in an effort to soothe the brain by shocking the body. --- Links: Support Out There on Patreon --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke

As a nonbinary person, Newt Schottelkotte never felt at home in Appalachia. But then, they went on a road trip with their dad. Driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains, something started to shift. This is a story about figuring out how to be yourself without abandoning where you’re from. --- Links: Take our poll about next season's theme Sierra Club panel: Diverse Perspectives in Outdoor Media Support Out There on Patreon --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke

Carolyn McDonald's depression had gotten so bad that she couldn’t see a way forward. Then, one particularly miserable day, she went to the beach — and something happened that she never could have imagined. Something that opened the door to healing and sparked a deep and genuine joy. --- Links: Take our poll about next season's theme Support Out There on Patreon --- Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke

We’ve all had moments when we feel lost. Sometimes it’s literal; sometimes it's emotional. Either way, it’s unnerving. And lonely. This episode takes us from the deserts of California to the jungles of the Philippines, and explores how one young woman got back on track, when she lost her way, both literally and figuratively.   SUPPORT OUT THERE: Become a patron Out There is a proud member of Hub & Spoke.