Best Selema Podcasts (2025)

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When the Outdoors is Bad For Your Mental Health, with Cory Richards 52:39

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29m ago52:39

52:39

When the mountains grab ahold of your heart, they have a way of directing your life, even becoming a keystone of your identity. But what happens when you associate your time adventuring outside with the lowest points in your life? Can you retire from the outdoors? That’s exactly what photographer and mountaineer Cory Richards did. You may have hea…

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Thanksgiving Special: The Wild, Weird, and Sketchy World of Truffle Hunting 30:22

6d ago30:22

30:22

Something funky this way comes. All over the world, deep inside dark forests, hunters tip toe in secret for a wildly expensive delicacy: truffles. The aromatic fungi grows underground, tethered to tree roots, and is exceptionally difficult to find—which is why specially trained dogs are needed to sniff them out, and they’re worth their weight in go…

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What Rock Climbing Teaches Us About Balance in Real Life, with Kai Lightner 43:38

12d ago43:38

43:38

If you’ve ever been bucked off your mogul line, stuffed a front bike tire, caught a toe on a rock, or collapsed the leg of a camp chair, you know that to go outside is to have an intense relationship with balance. But recovering physical balance is a lot easier than emotional balance. Just ask climber and balance Jedi Kai Lightner. Kai has been a c…

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The Ancient Roots of Exploration, with Paleoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi 46:29

13m ago46:29

46:29

Have you ever wondered why you feel a pull to go for that grueling trail run or long bike ride or demanding backcountry ski? We have an innate need for adventure, but why? According to paleoanthropologist and evolutionary biologist Ella Al-Shamahi, it’s in our DNA. Ella’s years of Paleolithic study focuses on the first humans and how they behaved—e…

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Why You Might Consider Jumping Out of a Plane, with Alexey Galda 40:48

6d ago40:48

40:48

They say it’s not the fall that gets ya, it’s the landing. Fear of falling, or smacking one’s face onto the cold hard earth, is an innate human emotion. Even for athletes who’ve spent a lifetime climbing mountains, traversing sheer cliffs, balancing on knife-edge ridgelines, this fear never disappears. And that’s why folks who paraglide, speedfly, …

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Why Adventure is a Form of Art, With Ski Touring Legend John King 37:52

1M ago37:52

37:52

In 1978, skier and kinetic artist John King, along with two pals, set out on a singular and epic adventure: a backcountry ski tour from Durango, Colorado to the Medicine Bow Range near Fort Collins. Over six weeks, the trio skied 490 miles, climbed 65,000 vertical feet. They finished gaunt and sun cooked, with boots held together by tape. Their rou…

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What You Learn About People by Paddling From Ottawa to NYC, with Dan Rubinstein 56:19

1M ago56:19

56:19

Chitchatting is a natural part of any adventure you do with a pal—what else are you gonna do around a campfire or sitting on the tailgate at a trailhead or going for a long walk in the woods? But most of us don’t set out on a journey for the sole purpose of talking with strangers. That’s exactly what writer and standup paddleboarder Dan Rubinstein …

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The Most Insane Event in Mountain Biking is About to Happen, with the Pinkbike Podcast 34:54

2M ago34:54

34:54

For most of us, mountain biking is a great way to get into the outdoors, get a workout, get an adrenaline rush, and hopefully avoid losing any skin or breaking a collarbone. For the mountain bikers of Red Bull’s annual Rampage contest, mountain biking is a means of defining the limits of human performance and fear tolerance. Every year, these men a…

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Outdoor Adventure and the Art of Self Reliance, with Nick Offerman 45:52

2M ago45:52

45:52

Ruggedness, dependability, and handiness define a lot of outdoor archetypes, from the ski patroller to the river guide to the park ranger. So why would you find all three in a famous actor? Maybe because the actor in question—Nick Offerman—is an avid outdoorsman in his own right. Surely you know Nick from one of his many memorable roles, like Ron …

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What the Ocean Teaches You About Perseverance, with Chad Nelsen 46:12

2M ago46:12

46:12

Many outdoorsy folks will happily slog for hours toward outdoor fun, despite the fact that any number of adventure derailing smackdowns await us. Gear malfunctions, crummy weather, and bloodied limbs don’t stop us from heading into the unknown. No one puts this optimistic persistence to better use than lifelong surfer and CEO of the Surfrider Found…

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The Unexpected Benefits of Chopping Wood, with Nicole Coenen 47:26

2M ago47:26

47:26

Wood chopping is objectively awful for all the obvious reasons: blisters, back aches, over-the-counter painkiller expenses. But that’s not what you remember months later, when the fruits of your labor warm you and your loved ones on a cold winter night. See, wood chopping is really an investment—both in terms of that crackling fire, but also your e…

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What You Learn Running Toward, Rather Than Away, From a Tornado, With Pecos Hank 47:33

3M ago47:33

47:33

Spend time outdoors, and you’ll eventually spend time in brutal, even scary weather. Dangerous winds, flash flood-inducing rain, and vision-erasing whiteouts are sometimes the cost of entry. By the same token, you’re as likely to remember the upsides to those experience—the belly laughter of relief, the rainbows after the rain, the waist deep powde…

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Running as Art, With Olympian and Filmmaker Alexi Pappas 43:00

3M ago43:00

43:00

Extreme adaptability and versatility can be found throughout the animal kingdom, but may have found their peak expression in Alexi Pappas. As a runner, Pappas was a two-time All-American for Dartmouth who set a national record running for Greece at the 2016 Olympics. As a performer, she was a member of Dartmouth’s gut-busting Dog Day improv group b…

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36: Mikey February on Flow, Freedom, and Finding Rhythm 1:46:04

3M ago1:46:04

1:46:04

In this episode of What Shapes Us, Selema Masekela sits down with South African surfer and creative soul Mikey February (@mikeyfebruary) for a conversation about carving your own path—on and off the board. From competitive circuits to free-surfing liberation, Mikey opens up about how music, community, and his Cape Town roots have shaped his fluid s…

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Running Toward Love, with Lawlor Coe and Family 31:15

2M ago31:15

31:15

After Lawlor Coe lost his brother Hunter to tragedy, he did everything he could to avoid his pain. Then he laced up his joggers and began to run. At first, it was to elude his grief. But over time, as he began to log miles and miles, he found that the physical suffering he was enduring out on the trail helped him find his way to peace, and then bac…

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35: Jagger Eaton on Going Big and Staying Grounded 1:25:33

3M ago1:25:33

1:25:33

From Olympic podiums to personal pivots, Jagger Eaton (@jaggereaton) joins Selema Masekela on What Shapes Us for a raw and real conversation about what it takes to thrive in the pressure cooker of pro skateboarding. They dive into the mental toll of being the “youngest ever,” the lonely road of elite competition, and the surprising ways self-worth …

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African Surfing and the Ocean as a Source of Joy, with Professor Kevin Dawson 43:54

3M ago43:54

43:54

The blissed out, swell chasing surfer with a single-minded focus on the next great ride is a pervasive outdoorsy archetype that’s completely at odds with the lived experience of many surfers. Take historian Kevin Dawon, a professor at UC Merced, for whom surfing serves as his connection to a rich tradition of African aquatic culture. Dawson is cred…

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34: Faith Briggs Rose on Movement, Meaning, and Making Space 1:46:13

3M ago1:46:13

1:46:13

In this illuminating episode of What Shapes Us, Selema Masekela (@selema) sits down with documentary filmmaker, activist, and lifelong runner Faith Briggs Rose (@faithbriggs) to explore the intersection of identity, storytelling, and the outdoors. From running across national parks in This Land to co-directing award-winning films like Bearlike, Fai…

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What Life in the Grand Canyon Tells Us About Life Everywhere Else, With Cindell Dale 45:55

3M ago45:55

45:55

We love our outdoor archetypes, the folk heroes who reject the trappings of the 9 to 5 life and solely focus on the trail, the powder turn, or the frothing whitewater. River guides live a romantic sunburnt existence, ones in which bucket list adventures are their everyday. It’s not just their ability to read water and navigate huge standing waves d…

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33: Bryce Wettstein on Poetry, Wheels, and the Power of Self-Invention 1:34:46

4M ago1:34:46

1:34:46

In this colorful and captivating episode of What Shapes Us, Selema Masekela (@selema) sits down with Olympic skateboarder and radiant free spirit Bryce Wettstein (@brycewettstein) to explore what it means to live, skate, and dream with unfiltered imagination. Known for her whimsical style and lyrical soul, Bryce opens up about growing up in Encinit…

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What’s Harder Than the Ironman World Championship, with Chelsea Sodaro 50:03

3M ago50:03

50:03

We love our stories of human endurance, from Shackleton’s famed expedition to the 11-hour Wimbledon match to days-long ultramarathons. Hell, even the Coney Island Hot Dog eating contest is broadcast on television; that’s just how much we celebrate a person pushing themselves to the brink. But the moments that inspire the most are the ones in which …

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32: Lindsey Vonn on Speed, Struggle, and Starting Over 1:10:39

4M ago1:10:39

1:10:39

In this powerful episode of What Shapes Us Selema Masekela (@selema) sits down with Olympic gold medalist and alpine skiing legend Lindsey Vonn (@lindseyvonn) for an intimate conversation about identity reinvention and the mental toll of greatness. Lindsey reflects on her journey from a fearless kid on the slopes of Minnesota to becoming one of the…

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Recreating Hollywood’s Greatest, Dumbest Road Trip Of All Time, with Zack Courts and Ari Henning 28:12

4M ago28:12

28:12

In celebration of summertime road trips, this week we’re revisiting an episode from our archives that is one of PaddyO’s favorites. In 2021, two men set out to do something seemingly impossible. And also pretty dumb. Motorcycle gurus and YouTube stars Zack Courts and Ari Henning would squeeze together, buttcrack to belt buckle, onto a minibike—a ve…

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31: Koa Smith on The Healing Power of Surfing 1:42:00

4M ago1:42:00

1:42:00

In this captivating episode of What Shapes Us, Selema Masekela (@selema) sits down with professional surfer and storyteller Koa Smith (@koasmith) for an intimate conversation about surfing, spirituality, and finding resilience through adversity. Koa recounts growing up on the North Shore of Kauai, chasing waves with childhood heroes, and making the…

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Getting Outside of the Hollywood Star Machine, with Tony Cavalero 42:36

4M ago42:36

42:36

Famous Hollywood actors aren’t outdoorsy, right? They’re too busy being…well, famous to enjoy the outdoors and certainly too fancy to listen to a podcast about the surprising impacts of a life outside, aren’t they? Turns out, HBO’s “The Righteous Gemstones” star, Tony Cavalero, is a longtime listener of the Outside Podcast because he’s been obsesse…

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30: Chloe Kim on Gold Medals and Growing Up in the Spotlight 1:39:29

4M ago1:39:29

1:39:29

In this heartfelt episode of What Shapes Us Selema Masekela (@selema) sits down with Olympic snowboarder and global icon Chloe Kim (@chloekim) for a powerful conversation about what happens behind the gold medals. Chloe opens up about the intense pressure of performing on the world stage as a teenager the isolation that came with fame and her decis…

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LIVE! To Alex Honnold, Fear Isn’t Real (From the Outside Festival) 52:31

4M ago52:31

52:31

Alex Honnold is the most accomplished and daring rock climber since the invention of the chalk bag. He grabbed global attention for his free solo ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, immortalized in the Academy Award®-winning documentary Free Solo. This monumental feat solidified his status as a superstar of the climbing community and a …

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29: Gabriella Angotti-Jones on Waves, Words, and Wildness 1:30:16

5M ago1:30:16

1:30:16

In this episode of What Shapes Us, Selema Masekela talks with photographer, journalist, and surfer Gabriella Angotti-Jones (@ga.briella) about carving space in the often-exclusive world of surf media and doing it with radical honesty. Gabriella opens up about growing up as a Black surfer in Southern California, breaking into legacy newsrooms, and w…

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How (Literal) Pants-Wetting Anxiety Can Clarify Life, with Sierra Schlag 39:00

5M ago39:00

39:00

Throughout professional skier Sierra Schlag’s childhood, her Japanese heritage and cultural practices made her the target of racist bullying. Then, when she traveled to Japan to visit family as a child, and later as an adult, she was referred to as “Nisei”—a person born in North America whose parent(s) immigrated from Japan. She couldn’t make sense…

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28: Chris Benchetler on Purpose, Partnership, and Creating Through the Chaos 2:01:07

5M ago2:01:07

2:01:07

In this deeply moving episode of What Shapes Us, Selema Masekela sits down with professional skier, visual artist, and filmmaker Chris Benchetler (@chrisbenchetler) to explore a life shaped by mountains, creativity, and unwavering love. From his legendary skiing career and collaborative art projects with The Grateful Dead to co-parenting and creati…

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David Blaine and Diana Nyad on the Art of Endurance 1:04:03

5M ago1:04:03

1:04:03

For decades, legendary magician David Blaine has completed record-breaking stunts that defy the impossible: He has held his breath for more than 17 minutes, was buried alive for seven days, frozen alive for three days, fasted for 44 days, caught a bullet fired from a gun in his mouth, and so much more. In his new National Geographic series David Bl…

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Surfing The Waves Of The American Culture War, with David Litt 58:22

5M ago58:22

58:22

In 2020, David Litt, former senior speech writer to President Obama, moved from Washington DC to the Jersey Shore, and felt the need for a jolt of life amidst the pandemic. So he did what anyone would do: David decided he needed to learn to surf. As a sensible Yale-educated, New York Times best selling author, David knew he needed help. And that’s …

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How To Walk Through—And Away From—A Digital World, with Craig Mod 50:23

5M ago50:23

50:23

Craig Mod may think in binary code, but he does so from the perspective of a visual artist. Mod is…well, a lot of things. He’s a writer, a photographer, and a digital media designer. And he’s likely influenced your life, even if you have never heard his name. Craig worked on massive digital platforms, like Medium and Flipboard, and has spent two de…

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LIVE! Matt Lyons, Katie Burrell, and Eeland Stribling Don’t Take This Seriously (From the Outside Festival) 56:10

6M ago56:10

56:10

Three comedians walk into a festival…no, this isn’t a joke set up. This is exactly what happened in Denver, Colorado, at the second Outside Festival. Professional giggle-makers Matt Lyons, Katie Burrell, and Eeland Stribling joined host PaddyO on stage to discuss how the outdoors are really just one big punchline. After all, we spend our hard-earne…

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Father’s Day Special: Dad-Level Adventuring in the 70s, With PaddyO’s Dad 28:41

6M ago28:41

28:41

If your father is like PaddyO’s dad, he probably likes to spin a yarn about his wild youth. Hearing about a father’s daring, scruffy, comedy-of-errors adventures is hilarious, but it also gives you a glimpse into how your old man became a man. And also old. And that winds up being a kind of crystal ball into your own past, present, and future, too.…

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How Music Responds to the Place Where You Make It, With Goth Babe 44:16

6M ago44:16

44:16

Griff Wasburn, better known to the world as musical act Goth Babe, had a drive to create since he was a child. He grew up in Tennessee running wild in the woods, skateboarding, and riding bikes on self-built tracks in his backyard. He filmed and scored short films of his adventures, and transformed old cardboard boxes into whatever he dreamt up. At…

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Climbing Everest is Easy Compared to Surviving an Abusive Parent, With Melissa Arnot Reid 44:43

6M ago44:43

44:43

Melissa Arnot Reid’s mountaineering resume is a jaw dropping list of accomplishments; hundreds of summits of the world’s tallest, most dangerous peaks, including becoming the first American woman to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen. Melissa has an uncommon athletic prowess, but what truly fueled her mountain pursuits was a long held and l…

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Bouncing Back From Heart Attacks, With Chef and Angler Ranga Perera 42:01

6M ago42:01

42:01

In and around his home of Bozeman, Montana, Ranga Perera is highly sought after as a fly fishing pal and even more highly sought after as a personal chef. There’s nothing unusual about that combination, until you learn that his family came to the States in 1991 from Sri Lanka after a happy childhood was disrupted by a violent civil war. Less than a…

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27: Trevor Andrew on Snowboarding, Gucci Ghost, and the Power of Obsession 1:33:19

7M ago1:33:19

1:33:19

In this soul-stirring episode of What Shapes Us, Selema Masekela sits down with cultural shape-shifter Trevor Andrew (@troubleandrew) Olympic snowboarder, musician, visual artist, and the creator behind the globally recognized persona Gucci Ghost. From dropping into the halfpipe at the Nagano Olympics to dropping genre-defying albums and art instal…

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The Benefits (and Drawbacks) of Adult Beginner-ness, With Mirna Valerio 43:43

7M ago43:43

43:43

Everyone knows it’s important to try new things, but combating that internal voice, which begs us to stay within our comfort zone ain’t easy—even for a professional tryer of new things like Mirna Valerio. Known on the internet as The Mirnavator, Mirna knows what she’s talking about. She took up running in her late 30s, then road marathons, then tra…

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Taking the Battle of the Sexes Outside, With Katie Burrell 42:07

7M ago42:07

42:07

You probably know Katie Burrell from Instagram, where she’s built a sizeable following by skewering outdoor stereotypes and having World Cup race ski-sharp takes on how relationships live and die on trails of all sorts. But she’s also a seasoned standup comedian who wrote and starred in 2023’s homage to 80s ski comedies, “Weak Layers,” all of which…

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26: Tony Hawk on Reinvention and the Legacy of Skate Culture 1:51:57

7M ago1:51:57

1:51:57

In this special episode of What Shapes Us, Selema Masekela sits down with the most iconic figure in skateboarding history, Tony Hawk (@tonyhawk). Together, they dive deep into the incredible journey that took Tony from a bullied kid hiding his skateboard in high school to the global pioneer who changed action sports forever. Tony shares raw, powerf…

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How to Hear the Minnesota Wilderness in a Guitar Chord, With Trampled By Turtles’ Dave Simonett 42:39

7M ago42:39

42:39

Minnesota is not always top of mind when it comes to outdoor adventure, but it should be. Just ask lifelong “Land of 10,000 Lakes” local Dave Simonett, lead singer of Trampled By Turtles. Dave grew up in Mankato and spent his youth exploring its rolling woods. And when he formed Trampled in Duluth in 2003, something surprising happened. His love of…

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25: Tyler Bereman on Motocross, Mental Health, and the Power of Resilience 1:51:03

7M ago1:51:03

1:51:03

In this emotional and adrenaline-charged episode of What Shapes Us, Selema Masekela sits down with freestyle motocross legend Tyler Bereman (@tylerbereman) for an unforgettable conversation about risk, legacy, and healing. From his preschool dreams of going pro to 14 X Games medals, Tyler opens up about his deep-rooted passion for two wheels, the i…

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What Everyone Can Learn From Mount Everest, With Ben Ayers 41:10

7M ago41:10

41:10

Ben Ayers has devoted his life to the Himalaya. If that conjures images in your mind of stone-faced mountaineers risking life and limb in pursuit of glory on the world’s highest peaks, you’ve got the wrong guy. Ben knows those guys and gals, but his experiences in these mountains are decidedly more down to Earth. In fact, despite living half the ye…

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24: Gabby Reece on Reinvention, Leadership, and Loving Boldly 1:31:07

8M ago1:31:07

1:31:07

In this profound episode of What Shapes Us, Selema Masekela sits down with legendary athlete, wellness leader, and unapologetic truth-teller Gabrielle Reece (@gabbyreece). From dominating the volleyball court to shaping the future of wellness with XPT and Laird Superfood, Gabby opens up about the evolution of her identity—athlete, partner, mother, …

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If You’re Going Fast, You’re Doing It Wrong, With Ellen Bradley 44:16

8M ago44:16

44:16

We all do it, zip as fast as we can around our favorite trails and rides. Maybe it’s because we feel a pull to get to the next thing, want to rush through the hard part to get to the fun part, or only have a brief window in our overbooked day. Whatever the reason, moving fast often results in missing out on the moment. But what would our time outsi…

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Snowboarding, Surfing, and How to Make Your Dad Cry with Selema Masekela 47:59

8M ago47:59

47:59

Culture is a term that different outdoor communities like to discuss often, but what is culture exactly and how do we make sense of it—how do we define it? To really understand it, you need a person who can wax poetic, you need someone who has dedicated their life to communicating the ineffable to the masses…you know, someone who has held a mic in …

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How a River Trip Can Unburden You of Undeserved Shame With Mikah Meyer 43:05

8M ago43:05

43:05

Mikah Meyer is a persistently-filled-with-joy endurance athlete and the first person to visit all 419 National Parks sites in one continuous three year road trip. But before he was making headlines, Mikah was just a kid growing up in Middle America with a secret he thought was a death sentence. When the stories we tell ourselves become our reality,…

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What Snowboarding Has to do With Parenthood, Loss, and Cancer With Kimmy Fasani 38:41

8M ago38:41

38:41

Mostly, professional athletes are…kind of boring. Not because they’re fundamentally uninteresting. Rather, they’re too polished and are trained to spout canned and cliched nothing burger answers. But not professional snowboarder Kimmy Fasani. Kimmy has a remarkable way of distilling her snowboarding adventures into lessons she uses to navigate chal…