Casual Space

This week on the Casual Space Podcast, I'm joined by my friend, adventurer, and all-around visionary Jessica DeAngelo — founder of Hike to Become®, author of the international bestseller The Wild Advantage, and the leader behind a movement that encourages us to step outside (literally) to find the clarity, creativity, and calm we keep trying to chase indoors.

Jessica works with leaders from companies like Amazon, Nike, and Uber to ...

What does life after space look like for an astronaut? For Mike Foreman, it looks like community, connection, and continuing to serve — just a little closer to Earth.

Mike is a retired NASA astronaut, a U.S. Navy veteran, and the current Mayor of Friendswood, Texas. Over the course of two Space Shuttle missions — STS-123 and STS-129 — Mike logged more than 637 hours in space and completed five spacewalks (that's over 32 hours worki...

In this exciting new episode of Casual Space, Beth is joined by Alex Martin to share all the details about STORIES of Space MISSION 03, launching soon from Canada's first commercial spaceport in beautiful Nova Scotia!

Together, Beth and Alex talk about what it takes to prepare for this historic suborbital mission — from planning and partnerships to payloads and the people who make it all possible. Listeners will get an insider's lo...

This week on Casual Space, Beth is joined by Alex and Chad for a lively and candid conversation about their unforgettable underwater MISSION 05 STORIES of Space adventure! 

Together, Paul, Alex, Chad and Beth took STORIES of Space to new depths—literally—by bringing human stories into an underwater research habitat.

Join us as we swap stories, laughs, and lessons learned from this one-of-a-kind mission. From the early days of plann...

What if Walt Disney's real magic wasn't perfection…but persistence?

In this episode, Beth takes you behind the myths of creative genius to explore how Disney built through failure, loss, and uncertainty—and why those moments became the foundation for his greatest successes.

From bankruptcy to Mickey, from "Disney's Folly" to Disneyland, Walt's story reminds us that the impossible often starts in the middle of adversity. Beth conn...

It's that time of year for back-to-school!  What does that mean for grown-ups and space explorers like us? For me,it means diving into the stack of books that keep me learning, curious, and inspired. As the host of Casual Space Podcast, I'm fortunate enough to receive books from our incredible guests, so sometimes I choose what to read, and other times the stories find their way to me.

Right now, I'm re-reading two standouts so ric...

Something magical happens when you bring the right people, the right purpose, and one wild idea together — and then take it 30 feet below the ocean's surface.

In this episode, we're celebrating STORIES of Space MISSION 05, where our crew lived for four days in the world's only underwater habitat, Jules' Undersea Lodge. We didn't just bring gear… we brought hundreds of YOUR stories — the same ones that have flown to the Internationa...

In this episode, Beth introduces and personally invites you to join MISSION 05: STORIES of the Sea, the latest adventure from STORIES of Space — and it's unlike anything she's done before. Beth and her crew are heading to Jules' Undersea Facility, to live, work, and explore from beneath the ocean's surface, bringing YOUR stories along with! 

Why? Because space and sea have more in common than you might think. Confined environments,...

Ever feel like you can't take a break because there's always one more thing to do?

In this heartfelt episode in the abbreviated Summer-ease (summeries) series, host Beth Mund explores the myth of "earning" your time off — and how a much-needed family vacation almost didn't happen because of it.

Tune in as Beth shares:

• The chaotic lead-up to pressing pause on work, life, and laundry
  
  

• How her family rediscovered joy, spontane...
  

John A. Read is no stranger to reaching for the stars—both figuratively and literally. Fresh off earning his Master's in Space Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins (without an undergrad in engineering—yes, really), John joins Beth to explore his fascinating journey from finance to astrophysics, and from a $15 pharmacy telescope to founding Stargaze Nova Scotia, a public dark-sky observatory.

Along the wa...

Mark O'Connell returns to Casual Space to discuss one of the most extraordinary scientific collaborations in human history: the 1957 International Geophysical Year. With his signature wit and storytelling style, Mark takes us on the journey behind his NEW book, The Year Science Changed Everything, revealing how 6,000 scientists from 66 nations put aside political differences to study Earth's greatest mysteries—from the...

Have you ever looked up at the stars and wished someone could walk you through the wonders above your head — without needing a PhD for confusing telescope parts? Well, you're in luck. In this episode, I'm thrilled (and honestly, a little misty-eyed) to reconnect with my lifelong friend and kindred curiosity-seeker, Kevin Rehberg!  Kevin is the founder of his newly- launched company,  ClearSky Events, providing a truly magical mobil...

Hazel Ying Lee was a fearless pilot and a true aviation pioneer — the first Asian American to fly with the Women Airforce Service Pilots. But for decades, her remarkable story was left untold, until now. 

In this episode, author Susan Tate Ankeny tells us how she uncovers Hazel's legacy in her book, American Fly Girl. Through rich research, Susan brings Hazel's courage, wit, and determination back into the...

Michelle Lucas knows what it means to chart your own course—especially when the stars aren't clearly mapped. In this heartfelt conversation, Michelle recounts her unexpected trajectory from a third-grader dreaming about rockets in a refrigerator box "space station" to becoming a NASA flight controller and the founder of Higher Orbits, a nonprofit bringing students' experiments to actual space. Beth and Michelle explore...

Shawn Linam, Aerospace Entrepreneur & Host of In Her Orbit Podcast 

Shawn Linam's journey didn't start with a telescope or dreams of rockets—it began with candy striping, biomedical engineering, and a resilient heart that would eventually take her to NASA. Listen for a candid conversation about the challenges and joys of being a woman in the space exploration industry, raising kids while growing a company,...

With zero prior flight experience but a deep love for space (and Star Trek), Matt Gohd took the helm of Zero G during a pivotal moment and helped guide the company into a new era—one marked by resilience, accessibility, and unforgettable experiences that allow everyday people to float like astronauts.

In this episode, Beth and Matt explore the incredible evolution of Zero G—from its bold beginnings inspire...