Breaking Trail

In his book Ecological Literacy, David Orr said we need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. He said we need people who live well in their places. People of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. 

These are the people who are redefining success in today’s terms and this podcast is for the peacemakers, healers, restorers and lovers of every kind.

Every...

Things rarely go as planned and that is very much the case for Robin Hall who had a big fat wrench thrown into her and her family’s life plan. The outdoor brand she was working for relocated and she had to make some decisions.  This is a story about finding purpose and adapting. It’s a story about sitting at home and deciding to take matters into your own hands. And why not, while we’re at it, launch a sustainable outdoor kids appa...

Before joining the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy team in 2016 as a trail planner, Kevin Belanger spent many years in the active-transportation world. He received master’s degrees in both Environmental Studies and Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon, where he wrote his thesis on walking and biking habits in suburban multifamily housing. After completing his formal education, Kevin spent time in the consulting...

Alexis Biddle is the Great Communities Program Director for 1000 Friends of Oregon who’s mission is to work with Oregonians to enhance our quality of life by building livable urban and rural communities, protecting family farms and forests, and conserving natural areas.

Alexis works on issues like housing, transportation, infrastructure, and more, in towns and cities outside of the Portland Metro region. Based in Eugene, he travels...

Josh Lasky is a father, husband, son, amateur endurance athlete, social impact professional, and author. He serves as Director of the Office of Sustainability at The George Washington University, leading the institution’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and fulfill other ambitious commitments. Lasky holds a Master’s in public admi...

I have the privilege of working with her at Their Story is Our Story, where we are working to tell the stories of refugees to change the perception, reception, and legislation in a way that supports people...

I invited Scot to be a guest when I saw he was working to save farmland in Whitefish, Montana. In fact, he founded a nonprofit of that name. But first, some critical background about Scott. He is the cofounder of Classy, a San Diego-based social enterprise and software company that creates fundraising tools for nonprofit organizations. They grew the company to 330 employees and have raised more than $4 b...

Pam Bond is a GIS Analyst in Boise, Idaho but found her confidence and passion on the trail. Starting a...

I am happy to introduce you to Sarah Panus because I feel like in a way we are kindred spirits which is coincidental because her business is named Kindred Speak, LLC. She, like me, had a dream to go into fashion. She pursued that dream farther than I ever did. Life took her in another direction (like it did for me) and after a series of jobs, she left her corporate position to launch her business.

Sarah Panus has nearly 20 years of...

This is a story about not letting our circumstances define who we are. If today’s guest can do that, we can do it. She is not paying it forward. She came from a place of extreme poverty to start this global nonprofit Days for Girls International.

Celeste Mergens is the founder and CEO of Days for Girls. She has led the organization since its beginning in 2008, driven by twenty years of nonprofit and business management experience. ...

What happens when you think you have eight years left to live and then you find out it’s actually probably going to be ok?

I learned so much from Leigh Bercaw of Blue Fingers Farm for the season finale of Breaking Trail podcast. First of all, Leigh was super career-focused when a health prognosis meant she more than likely had only 8 years at the most to live. You’re going to learn how this changed her outlook on life and therefor...

Ryan Egan started Movement Gym, well, if we’re being honest, as a Plan B. His original plan was to be a pro snowboarder but that didn’t go well for him in many ways. And now, after years of beating and battering his body, he helps you, me and everyone, keep your body in shape so you can keep going out and doing adventures and share connection with your kids, grandkids, younger friends with a focus on joint mobility.

We’re going to ...

The Director of Outreach at Tilth Alliance, and lead staff for the Eat Local First Collaborative a multi-partnership collaboration between food system organizations around the state.

An established communicator and narrative storyteller, Sheryl is recognized as a builder of strategic partnerships with career experience in the non-profit, corporate, civic, and media sectors. She is a passionate advocate for sustainable agriculture a...

Typically, I talk to people who have already sort of found their path. After things have landed together for them. Today’s conversation is a little different because with Beth Norton, things haven’t landed into place yet, but I found Beth’s story to be so remarkable I wanted to share it here. But really, if you think about it – we are all in the middle of our stories because we are all currently ALIVE. And that means we will still ...

Can you think of a time where you’ve tried something new and felt like you have no business being there, doing your thing. It’s intimidating, the environment feels unwelcome? Some of us have only experienced it here and there but this is a place many grow up in. Raheim didn’t let that stop him from doing the things he loves. And is now doing work to pay that forward with his work with younger adults and his filmmaking. So we talked...

What are your travel plans?  Maybe not much or something pretty local? Maybe something in the backcountry, our best bet as we hopefully wind down on this COVID era. I miss going to Canada, big time. I miss international travel. I will say though that I have found one silver lining in this time. I have discovered many spots within a five-hour drive, of where I live. I am guessing that might be the same for you. 

In that vein, I want...

John Grollmus opened his first restaurant a long time ago. Today, he and one partner have five restaurants in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. He is also a writer and a ski guide. Here’s what I love about his story. He had to scramble hard to get funding to start that first restaurant. At one point, they had successfully grown to six restaurants and two partners. They could have kept growing. There were opportunities to do so. We talked ...

I’m taking this week off, and we’re running a replay of an interview I did in 2018 with Kikkan Randall. Kikkan and Jessie Diggins won the gold medal in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang exactly three years ago. They are the first-ever cross country skiing gold medal in the women’s team sprint. Kikkan Randall won 17 U.S. national titles, she’s made 16 podiums in the Stage World Cup, five trips to the Winter Olympics, and had the hi...

Brett Kruse recently joined Outdoor Research as their VP of People and Culture. This position is a perfect marriage of his outdoor pursuits and his people leadership skills. You know I’m always fascinated how we all can find meaning and purpose in life through a seemingly meandering path that, in hindsight looks like a neat and tidy story but when we're all in it, who knows what's happening?

In this week’s conversation, you will le...