Safety Third

Well, pals. Elizabeth and Paddy are moving on from the show, so Safety Third is closing up shop. But, before we go we’d like to say thank you and goodbye. And remember, Safety Third. Always and forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our third and final episode of The Love Traverse mini-series we explore how couples have fostered their love through the decades. Marriage counselor Hannah Eaton returns to illuminate the issues couples face and the positive characteristics of long-term partnerships. Mountain guides Adam and Caroline George describe how outdoor pursuits have shaped their 13 year marriage and parenting. After 20 years together, heli ski guides Adrienne and John Schaefer use communication and balancing interdependence to thrive. And snowboarding legends Bonnie and Jim Zellers, who’ve been together since 1984, exemplify how a relationship grows richer and more fulfilling over time. Love, as it turns out, does not have an expiration date. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In romantic comedies, the story always begins with a 'meet cute' — a charming first encounter that leads to a wonderfully cheesy romance. But do those really happen in our outdoor community? And after that initial meeting, what’s the reality of building off that first connection? In episode two of our Love Traverse mini series, Real Life Rom Com, climbers Annalissa Purdum and Kris Hampton revisit the beginning of their relationship. Professional matchmaker Annie Mayo and marriage counselor Hannah Eaton illuminate the relationship path and shed light on meet cute truths and myths. And in her first year of marriage, OUT There Adventures founder Elyse Rylander talks about the concrete practices she and her wife use to grow together. Because love is not a movie — real life is much more romantic.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are diving deep into dating, love and relationships in our mini-series, The Love Traverse. Our outdoor community faces a unique set of hurdles when finding and keeping love. The mountain town dating pool can often seem like a murky puddle. Dating is difficult. Apps abound, but do they work? In episode one, Dirtbag Romance, we investigate how outdoor folks are dating. Writer and stand-up comedian Sidni West deploys humor on her hunt for love. After seven years of living in a van, photographer and climber Austin Siadak’s romantic life looks different now that he’s renting a home. And self-described "outdoor adjacent" Nory Emori dissects her fleeting partnership with a van lifer. When you’re devoted to the outdoors, how do you also devote yourself to finding love? And how do you hold on to it? First things first, you try.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Ann Yoshida began physical therapy following an accident that paralyzed her, she was told that the goal of rehabilitation was to 'regain normal function'. But that just didn’t resonate with her. Ann was motivated by goals that went beyond the norm. She became an Paralympian paddler, a World Champion, and the first-ever adapted athlete inductee in Hawai'i’s renowned Waterman Hall of Fame. And she did all of this while earning a Bachelor's degree in speech pathology, a Masters in rehabilitation counseling, and a Doctorate in occupational therapy. She knew she had the ability to go beyond normal. Ann wanted, and earned, the extraordinary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States' Mountain West region contains eight of the top ten states with the highest suicide rates in our country. The suicide rate in the Rocky Mountains is nearly three times the national per capita average, earning the Rockies the nickname, “The Suicide Belt.” But the mountain community doesn't talk about this. Why? Because mental health struggles don’t fit into the carefully curated "best outdoor life” aesthetic. Longtime Telluride, Colorado resident Ben Marshall knows this all too well. Daily panic attacks, anxiety, and depression derailed Ben’s life in his early twenties. After receiving professional treatment and building positive mental health, Ben began to work for Tri County Health Network, a non profit that focuses on mental health services. Ben’s ongoing goal is to help clear away the stigma that shrouds mental health in the mountains. Because truly, this is a life or death issue.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lincoln Dews is a fourth generation waterman from Queensland, Australia. A champion sailor, surfer and paddler from a young age, it’s a wonder he didn’t actually grow gills. At 14, Lincoln won the state Ironman title in his hometown. At 15, he placed third in the Molakai to Oahu race, a 32-mile marathon paddle considered to be the world’s hardest open ocean contest. In 2015, Lincoln joined the SUP World Tour. In his first year, he was among the world’s twenty best paddlers. And after committing himself to solely focusing on stand up paddling, he won a world championship. He is clearly comfortable with water -- but it takes more than just a fishy upbringing to excel like he has. More than podiums, Lincoln believes his personal pursuit of perfection in the water is his ultimate driver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and author Heather Hansman’s passion for whitewater rafting was first born when she was a greenhorn raft guide in Maine. Her love for the beauty and the importance of rivers deepened when she moved West and began guiding on the 730 mile Green River, which runs through ranches, cities, national parks, endangered fish habitats, natural gas fields, and provides water for 33 million people. With so many competing water demands on rivers, Heather wanted a fresh perspective on water in the west. Her book, Downriver: Into The Future Of Water In The West, tells the story of her solo boat trip down the length of the Green and her conversations with the disparate water users in an age of increasing water demand and drought. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professional adventurer Alastair Humphreys has biked 46,000 miles and rowed across the Atlantic. Upon returning from the trips, he noticed an interesting response--your trips are amazing, but I could never do that. While his outdoor exploits were personally fulfilling and inspiring to others, Alastair realized they weren’t necessarily attainable to everyone. So, in 2011, Alastair dedicated a year to Microadventures, bite-sized outdoor fun close to home, like swimming in a river near his house and running in trail races near his hometown. The idea of microadventures took off and Nat Geo named him an Adventurer of the Year in 2012. Alastair challenged, for himself and the outdoor community, how we define adventure and what it means to live adventurously.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When conservation comes to mind, thoughts often go to natural resource preservation and land and animal protections. But what other positivity lies within the act of conservation? Scientist, author, and CEO of Conservation X Labs, Alex Dehgan, worked in Kabul from 2006 to 2007 as the head of the Wildlife Conservation Society Afghanistan Program. The work he did helped establish Afghanistan's first national park, Band-E Amir. But the outcome was more than the sheltering of spectacular wildlife and 70,000 acres of beautiful land. Alex realized that conservation is an integral part of nation building, human security, and diplomacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the voice in your head barks, ‘You can’t do it,’ how do you respond? Pro-skier and climate activist Brody Leven has always chosen to look forward. He created a business when he was 9 years old, paid for his tuition at a Vermont ski academy, transitioned from a competition park skier to a ski mountaineer, and combined his skiing skills with the power of social media to carve out a successful career. Despite his success, Brody continued to feel that he wasn’t quite part of the cool kids club. That feeling worsened when his main sponsor declined to renew his contract at the height of his career and popularity. Rather than allowing that to derail him, Brody harnessed the rebuff. For him, leveraging self-doubt has helped him create a fulfilling life.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we start to think about battling climate change, fighting for conversation and saving Mother Earth, it can make our heads spin it’s so complicated. For ecologist, filmmaker, and conservationist Chris Morgan, the solution is simple: bears. Chris is a self proclaimed bear nut. When he was 18-years-old, Chris assisted a black bear biologist with nighttime field work at a garbage dump; it was enough to change Chris’ entire life. He changed his college major to ecology, took research jobs all over the world, and helped create over 50 films and television programs about bears. Chris has spent over twenty years dedicated to protecting the world’s eight bear species and their habitats. And Chris’ work has illuminated one irrefutable fact: if we save the bear we will save the world.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Going fast is amazing,” says professional windsurfer Zara Davis. “When you’re going over 50 miles an hour, at that point your eyeballs are properly rolling back in your head. It is like being a cork out of a bottle.” In 2012, Zara broke the 500-meter world speed record. She blasted down the course in Luderitz, Namibia at over 50 miles an hour, a feat that took years of physical and mental training, preparation, and logistics. In 2015, Zara’s record was broken and she immediately wanted to try to reclaim the title. Instead of focusing solely on the big goal, she broke it into incremental achievements.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In April, we recorded a live show at the 5Point Adventure Film Festival in Carbondale, Colorado. Joining us on stage first were Jen Zeuner and Anne Keller: pizza shop owners, mountain bikers, and stars of the Felt Soul film “Life of Pie.” Jen and Anne first opened their pizzaria, The Hot Tomato, simply to offer Fruita, Colorado, a tasty slice. But quickly, they learned that their restaurant did more than just satisfy taste buds — it fostered community.  Next, we spoke with Rob Prechtl: professional photographer, US Men’s Raft Team member, and focus of the Gnarly Bay film “People of Water.” From the outside, Rob exudes high achievement and expertise. But for Rob, staying a novice is important, because he believes mastery is a myth.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you make a decision? Think it out slowly. Methodically weigh all the options. Don’t make a snap judgement. Use a magic 8-ball. None of these decision making methods work for Anne Gaylean, Ph.D scientist and mountain biker. In her field of study and at a literal forks in the road, Anne is fast, always. She quickly processes the data in front of her and makes a choice. Seems easy, right? Easy until she was presented with a difficult life decision: continue her professional mountain biking career or pursue a life in science. Anne Galyean stayed true to form and made the decision at race pace, never looking back.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a pro athlete makes their living jumping out of an airplane, it’s easy to think they’re super human with an immunity to fear and the mental minefields of emotion. That’s not the case for professional skydiver and Red Bull Air Force member Amy Chmelecki. Throughout her life, self doubt and emotional turmoil was as consistent as Amy’s need to pursue skydiving; from low self esteem and dyslexia in childhood to a constant desire to control outcomes in adulthood. But with the help of therapy, Amy was able to decrease her need for rigid control and became more malleable with her approach and reactions to life. Amy used flexibility to find success.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her early twenties, ultra marathon runner Melissa Ossanna began to get dizzy spells and experienced what she describes as temporary brain skips. She dealt with these symptoms for more than four years before, at the age of 28, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. While it was a relief to finally know what was happening, the MS diagnosis made Melissa feel trapped, as did her abusive marriage. With help, Melissa found the strength to leave her marriage and to fight her disease. And her outlook on her life changed. “The MS was a gift because it gave me something to fight for. And it gave me this strength and determination that I didn't really have before.” Melissa earned her PhD and trained for her first marathon, which turned into a full-blown love affair with running. Now at the age of 50, Melissa runs thousands of miles a year. Because if your outlook is right, limitations don’t exist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Teresa Baker has long considered herself an environmental steward. On a 2012 trip to Yosemite National Park, Teresa noticed something stark: she was the only person of color. And she wanted to change that fact. Teresa started by creating the African American National Parks Event, an annual event with thousands of participants that encourages communities of color to enjoy our National Parks, local parks and open spaces. Teresa continued to organize events with a focus on diversity. In 2018, she created the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge, urging outdoor companies to create and enforce policies that expand the diversity, equity, and inclusion of their employees, board members, and customers. Teresa contends that accurately representing the outdoor community and broadening the industry will create more environmental stewards. How do we get there? The outdoors needs a rebrand.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The scientific evidence of climate change is undeniable. As is the feeling in our stomach when we recognize the battle we face. Auden Schendler, VP of Sustainability at Aspen Ski Company, has had his shoulders against the sandbags of climate activism since the 1980s. His sustainability resume is impressive: aided in the clean-up of the Valdez oil spill, worked as a corporate sustainability researcher at Rocky Mountain Institute, pioneered green initiatives at Aspen Ski Co., and helped set the bar for environmental leadership in the outdoor industry. To Auden, the climate change battle is not a point of despair, but hope. Because outdoor people can save the world.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last year, we’ve talked with incredible folks about the origins of their beliefs and how these ideas have shaped their experiences and their lives. And, Paddy and Elizabeth noticed a common theme that connects these stories: after loss came an opportunity for change. It’s true for our hosts, too. Following the devastating loss of her father, Elizabeth found the courage to take a leap of faith in her career. And after hitting an alcoholic near-death bottom, Paddy had a true chance at life. With 50/50 hindsight, are loss and opportunity are a package deal? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices