My first episode is one not to be missed, with 32 year ld legend (yes, legend) Alex Honnold. For those out of the know, Alex is that guy who is known for his ability to climb just about anything...without the aid of ropes. Yes, that means if you make one mistake, you likely will die.
What makes Alex tick? List to find out...
Sachi Cunningham is a documentary filmmaker and Professor of Multimedia Journalism at San Francisco State University. Her award winning stories have screened at festivals worldwide, and on outlets including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, PBS FRONTLINE, FRONTLINE/World and the Discovery Channel. The Emmys, Webbys, and Pictures of the Year International have honored Cunningham's work. A graduate of UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and Brown University, Cunningham's documentaries focus on international conflict, the arts, disability, and the ocean environment. On land she has turned her lens everywhere from the first presidential election in Afghanistan, to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In the water, she has swum with her camera alongside everything from 350-pound blue fin tuna to big wave surfers, to Olympian, Michael Phelps. Once an assistant to actress Demi Moore and Director/Producer/Writer Barry Levinson, Cunningham brings a decade of experience in feature films and commercial productions in New York, Hollywood and Tokyo to her career in journalism and filmmaking.
Keala Kennelly is a professional surfer, DJ, and actress from Kauai, Hawaii. After spending a decade ranked in the top 10 of the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), Kennelly took a break from the tour in 2007 to explore her passions for acting and music. She now continues her surfing career by progressing the sport of female Big Wave surfing.
In this conversation we discuss what it is like riding giants like Teahupoo as well as her journey progressing the sport of female big wave surfing. I grabbed Keala at a recent event in Hawaii when she was with Sachi Cunningham promoting and fundraising for a new film they are working on together.
James Q Martin is photography and filmmaker. Q is dedicated to regional and international conservation and we stepped aside from a recent Protect Our Winters summit to chat. Q has worked with Brands such as Patagonia, Keen, REI, HBO and Editorial’s like Outside Magazine and Nat Geo Adventure. He hopes that through his art he will raise awareness for issues facing our communities worldwide, and unite people in taking steps to preserve and protect the special places on this planet for future generations. Q has traveled extensively throughout the American Southwest and to more than 30 countries, spanning six continents, documenting the stories of world-class athletes, artists, conservationists, filmmakers, and scientists who inspire him.
Beth's work encompasses a wide range of issues related to human rights, forced migration, humanitarian action, the role of civil society in protecting displaced populations and the security implications of displacement. The goal her work with the Brookings Institute is to develop global and regional normative standards on internal displacement, to support governments, civil society and international actors in their work with internally displaced persons(IDPs), and to carry out independent research on situations of internal displacement.
Prior to joining the Brookings Institution in November 2006, Ferris spent 20 years working in the field of humanitarian assistance. Most recently, she worked in humanitarian response and long-term development for the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. Ferris served as the Director of the Church World Service’s Immigration and Refugee Program and the Research Director for the Life & Peace Institute in Uppsala, Sweden. She also served as chair of the International Council of Voluntary Agencies from 2003-2006 and, in that capacity, was an active participant in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. She has been a professor at several US universities, including Lafayette College, Miami University and Pembroke State University, and served as a Fulbright Professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Our conversations ranges from her start in Humanitarian work to Environmental Disasters which displace people all over the world. From Draught to Sea levels rising and their impacts on communities, Beth is on the forefront of trying to get Government agencies to be prepared for these disasters and finding future solutions. I am honored to have gotten to sit down her and truly inspired. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!
An avid rock climber and entrepreneur based in Boulder, Colorado, Asa often describes himself as a washed up explorer turned hotelier. He co-founded of the Boulder Adventure Lodge (A-Lodge) and also co-founded several successful non-profit organizations focused on introducing the outdoors to at-risk youth; Climb for Colorado, Adventure Forward, and the Centro de Escalada Urbana. Asa was a National Geographic Young Explorer for his first ascent big wall expedition in the Venezuelan Amazon in 2008.
In this conversation we talk about Asa’s journey to becoming a hotelier and his journey in the outdoors brought him to where he is today. This is an awesome conversation, and I hope you enjoy.
Amy Roberts is OIA’s executive director. Amy was previously the director of sustainability and a member of the executive leadership team at Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) where she guided the Canadian outdoor retailer’s commitment to business and product sustainability and innovation. Amy also serves on the boards of The Conservation Alliance, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.
In this conversation we talk about Amy’s journey to becoming such an integral part in the Outdoor Industry and we can continue to move forward protecting our lands and building sustainable products. This is an awesome conversation, and I hope you enjoy.
Ian McIntosh has built up a reputation over the last few years as a bit of a charger.
His ability on skis doesn’t really come as much of a surprise when you look at his background. Growing up in the Kootenays in British Columbia, Ian was Immersed in the race scene from an early age, and it is easy to see where he got both his love for speed and his technical ability.
He entered the World Heli Challenge and met a fellow Canadian, Pierre Yves LeBlanc who persuaded him to try a season in Whistler. Ian did exactly that and tried his hand at Big Mountain competitions, culminating in a second place at the Verbier Xtreme 2004. Since he has had the chance to film with industry leaders TGR in 2005, and Ian scored the opening segment in ”Anomaly” at first go. Ever since he has been a regular in TGR’s groundbreaking movies. In the Summer, Ian McIntosh can be found mountain biking near Pemberton, B.C.
As a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, espnW and ESPN.com, Alyssa published her first book in 2007. She joined ESPN’s broadcast team in 2012 and recently published an ESPN The Magazine cover story on Olympic snowboard sensation Chloe Kim. In this conversation I discuss with Alyssa her journey to the journalist she has become today traveling to six continents, seven olympics, and countless Superbowls. This is an awesome conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as i did.
Over the course of a decade, Luis Benitez has quietly emerged amongst a growing field of inspirational adventurers as one of the more experienced, respected and busiest professional guides and leadership development consultants in the world. Throughout his career, Luis has summited the top of the famed “Seven Summits” a cumulative 32 times, including being a six-time summiteer of Mt. Everest. Benitez also has attempted the famed K2 in 2010. Currently he serves at the first Director for the Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry for the entire state of Colorado.