Make It Happen Outdoors Podcast

In this episode Brandon and I were fortunate enough to catch up with Kirsten Petersen at the 2025 Hunt Expo in Salt Lake City. Kirsten's background is steeped in the outdoors and she continues to find ways to feed her hunger for the outdoor lifestyle. Whether it be shooting sports, hunting, teaching her son about the outdoors, or providing digital marketing solutions for the outdoor industry she will always be immersed in what she ...

No matter how you enjoy your outdoor experience you are going to want to pay attention to this  episode. We had the opportunity to have a down to earth conversation with Dan Gates the Executive Director for Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management. We talk not only about the defeat of Prop 127 in Colorado and how it relates to the rest of the nation, but what it's going to take to keep the momentum going that Dan and his team...

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to decide to completely change what you are currently doing in life? Well, just ask Elena Johnson. We had the unique opportunity to sit down and ask her that very question. Elena is an outstanding artist who in 2024 decided to leave her career in the medical field to follow her heart and start drawing. But that just scatches the surface of what Elena is all about.
In this episode you'll fin...

We say this all the time and not to sound too repetitive, but "you have to listen to this one". In this episode we finally catch up with Emma Schmidt @emma.schm1dt and had a lot of fun learning how she Makes It Happen Outdoors.  Emma is living and loving her outdoor lifestyle every day. Whether she's driving all night to make it to the next rodeo, climbing the next hill looking for elk, stalking game in Africa or competing in a sho...

For this episode we traveled to beaUTiful southern Utah to sit down with Casey from Casey's Off Road Recovery to see what makes Casey tick. Making It Happen Outdoors is almost an understatement for Casey. Years of Search and Rescue mixed with Off Roading, mules, music and just about anything else that involves being outside with family has given Casey a deep appreciation for the outdoors. We could all take a lesson from Casey when ...

In this episode we sit down with Todd Kelley in beautiful Brian Head Utah and  finally get to hear the full rendition of his once in a lifetime Dall Sheep hunt in remote Alaska. This a must listen if you are thinking about booking an Alaskan sheep hunt! But Of course,  that's not all we bs about. We go through the events of the New Mexico archery elk hunt among a ton of other  topics. A special thanks to Todd for having us at his p...

Are you in the kind of shape needed to carry out your hunting buddy if it became necessary? Lorenzo Pavlica has been a personal trainer since 1988 and now is the co-owner of the athletic training center PrimeTime Performance. In this episode we sit down with Lorenzo and he gives us a breakdown what it takes to be our absolute best in the outdoors. We also get into Lorenzo's story of how has become a highly sought after personal tra...

In this weeks episode we have what we would definitely consider an energy packed conversation with Bri Van Scotter (or Full Bore Bri as we like to call her). Bri @wildernesstotable is an accomplished Professional Chef who has made it her life's purpose to show the world how amazing and fulfilling it can be to cook and prepare foraged foods and self-harvested game. Bri leads us through how she got to where she is today and what her ...

It goes without saying that this is an adrenaline packed episode. Skyler Howes definitely thrives on adrenaline while he's powering his motorcycle through some of the harshest terrain on earth.
Skyler takes us through his journey from childhood to full time professional riding motorcycles in the worlds toughest Rally races.
The stories about his career as a privateer and all the adversity that Skyler has had to overcome are definit...

In this episode we catch up with Khris and Nikki Tate and have a blast reminiscing about our shared experiences as well as getting caught up on what we've all been up to for the last year or so.  Some highlights pf this episode are:

1. Khris and Nikki have some amazing news.
2. Their first ever elk hunt with us!
3. Nikki's monster buck!
4. How their waterfowl season shaped up.
5. We make plans for a spectacular 2021 elk season.

Thanks ...

In this episode we were fortunate enough to have a conversation with Sydney Broadaway. @sydneyleann40 
We couldn't have enjoyed ourselves more!
Sydney has followed her  recipe for success perfectly and the proceeds show in her zest for life and ever present positive attitude. Take some time and listen how a girl from Alabama finds herself in Bozeman Montana living her dream of working for one of the nations top conservation organi...

In this episode we had the distinct pleasure of talking with Melissa Hess @melisshess on Instagram. If you're looking for Melissa and you are looking indoors you're sure not to find her. Melissa is currently living her dream of spending the majority of her time outdoors hunting, fishing, trail running and hiking. Melissa told us about her first deer and her first elk along with how she got involved with hunting. Being a part of the...

2020 has definitely been one for the books. Even with all the craziness, the Make It Happen Outdoors Team gets it done!
This episode was recorded at elk camp during the Utah elk archery hunt and just previous to the New Mexico elk archery hunt. Stay tuned for a recap of New Mexico elk archery and two Nevada deer hunts. 

Thank you for all your support and please get ahold of us with any feedback. If you have someone you would like t...

"Get out there. Don't wait around because you'll never get back that day you wasted." Words well spoken from this week guest Lydia Smith @lydiasmith00 
The first word that comes to mind is "Natural".  Everything Lydia puts her mind to she's a natural at. There's three things in Lydia's life that she is supremely passionate about and those three things are hunting, art and horses. In this episode Lydia tells us about her adventures...

This episode was a complete blast to record and we're sure you'll love it! It was recorded onsite at the Mountain Archery Fest mountainarcheryfest.com at  Eagle Point in Beaver, UT. The atmosphere was electrified with the positive energy the organizers bring to every event.
In this episode Brandon sits down with shooters and vendors who were having the time of their lives enjoying everything the event has to offer. Thank you to all...

 Twist on the throttle, hang on and get ready for this high speed episode. If you follow motocross even a little, you've surely heard of Garrett Marchbanks @gmarchbanks36. In this episode we sit down with Garrett and talk motocross racing, his career to date  and definitely the outdoors. Garrett's taking the sport by storm and definitely had the momentum going after winning the 250SX class at Daytona Supercross. It's always a pleas...

Amongst all the craziness we're all thrown into these days, we had the opportunity to sit down, relax, have a meal and chat with JC  known throughout the cooking community as cooking_queen_xo
Jen invited us into her home and we were immediately treated as family. Jen filled our bellies with mouth watering street tacos topped with gummy bears (amazing as a topping by the way). We had a perfectly comfortable night hanging out learni...

Hang on because this podcast is a wild ride! In this episode we chat with extreme snowmobile rider Brooke Gilley  @gilleybrooke
Brooke is an adrenaline junkie who has been involved in motorsports and addicted to the outdoors since she was young. Whether  you're an avid snowmobile rider, beginner or just thinking about trying the sport out this episode is for you. We cover all aspects of riding from safety, to what and how to buy, ...