The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Modern life is quietly thinning out things that matter like friendship, purpose, contentment, and presence. In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich talks with pastor and author Noah Herrin about what it actually looks like to grow into manhood in a culture that keeps lowering expectations while demanding more attention than ever. They talk about why real friendships don’t happen by accident, why community without commitment never lasts, and why some men need to stop waiting for connection and start “friend hunting” on purpose. This is a hopeful, honest conversation for husbands, fathers, teen boys, and the parents raising them. Noah shares simple boundaries that protect family life, tools for using technology without being owned by it, and a brilliant system for capturing ideas without mental clutter. If you’ve felt the tension between wanting a meaningful life and feeling pulled in ten directions, this episode names it—and offers a better way forward. Get your copy of Welcome to Manhood here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Gustin didn’t set out to be a parenting voice. He became one the hard way. In this conversation, Jon talks honestly about early exposure to alcohol, years of running from anxiety, and what happened when becoming a father forced him to stop numbing and start paying attention. He shares what it was like to quit drinking, face anxiety head-on, and rebuild his marriage and inner life while raising young kids. There’s no dramatic turnaround story here—just the quiet, difficult work of changing patterns so they don’t get passed down. From there, the conversation turns to modern childhood. Screens. Phones. Messy houses. Kids growing up too fast. Jon makes a simple but urgent case: childhood needs protection—not through fear or control, but through attention. Paying attention to what kids are doing, who they’re becoming, and whether they’re being pushed into an adult world too soon. This episode is for parents who sense something is off, who don’t want to overreact or opt out of modern life—but who also refuse to sleepwalk through it. Thoughtful, steady, and deeply reassuring. Learn more about Jon and all he has to offer here Pre-order Jon's book, The Tired Dad here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your *FREE* 2026 1000 Hours Outside Tracker Sheet here: https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/trackers Focus, confidence, and emotional regulation don’t start with worksheets. They start with crawling, climbing, messy hands, and sensory play. In this conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with pediatric physical therapist and TimberNook provider Kathryn Kraft to talk about why the developing brain needs touch and movement and what happens when kids are rushed, managed, and transitioned every 20 minutes. You’ll hear why TimberNook’s “time and space” makes such a radical difference for child development, why free play looks chaotic before it looks creative, and why the simplest outdoor objects can become the best kind of therapy. Kathryn’s work is built for all kids. She shares how her nonprofit LIVEfor began after insurance cut off therapy for a baby who still needed support and how that moment grew into outdoor programs where children with mobility challenges and neurodiversities aren’t separated from other children. You’ll hear practical ideas for making outdoor play accessible for all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you feel like you’re living at hummingbird speed—heart racing, always “behind,” never quite done—this conversation will feel like a deep exhale. Eryn Lynum is back for her second appearance, and she brings the kind of gentle, sturdy wisdom about how all of nature rests and prepares to rest. Through the stunning design of creation Eryn helps us see what we’ve forgotten: rest isn’t a reward for finishing everything. It’s part of the design. It’s how we were meant to live. Together, Ginny and Eryn talk about Sabbath in a real-life family rhythm—preparing for it, protecting it, and letting it become the day that reconnects you to God and the people you love most. They explore “Selah pauses,” seasons of waiting , and the quiet truth nature keeps repeating: everything fruitful has a rhythm. If you’re heading into a new year craving calm, clarity, and a pace that actually feels sustainable, press play—then share this one with a friend who’s running on fumes, and leave a quick review so more families can find it. Get your copy of The Nature of Rest here Check out the Nat Theo Podcast here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Sina McCullough did everything “right.” She had a PhD in nutrition. She cooked from scratch. She bought organic. And still, her health fell apart. Autoimmune disease. Chronic infections. Miscarriages. Crushing fatigue. At her lowest point, she couldn’t lift a cup to drink without her young son helping her. In this episode, Sina tells Ginny the moment she hit rock bottom and the prayer she prayed asking God for one more chance at life. What happened next is hard to explain away: off the floor in three days, pain-free in three months, disease-free in a year. And a promise she made to spend the rest of her life helping others find their second chance too. This conversation isn’t about perfection or fear or doing everything. It’s about clarity. Sina explains why food labels often give a false sense of security, why “gluten-free” and “organic” don’t always mean what we think they do, and why healing can’t be reduced to a sticker on a package. She and Ginny talk about getting outside as real medicine—breathing in microbial diversity, regulating the nervous system, letting nature do what it’s always done best. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, confused, or quietly discouraged because you’re trying so hard and still not feeling well, this episode will meet you where you are. No shame. No hype. Just hope, wisdom, and the reminder that your body and your life may be more resilient than you’ve been led to believe. Get your copy of Beyond Labels here Learn more about Dr. Sina McCullough and all she has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this unforgettable conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with viral kindness creator Jimmy Darts, author of Undercover Kindness to talk about the stories behind his videos and his book: the grandparents sleeping in their car who stopped to help wrap a gift, the mom who handed over a burrito from her backpack without hesitation, and the quiet power of people who give even when they don’t have much. The heart of this episode is simple and surprisingly practical. You don’t have to fix anyone. You don’t have to be heroic. You just have to notice people. Jimmy shares how generosity shaped him as a child, why five dollars matters more than we think, and how walking, slowing down, and being present opens the door to real connection. It’s a conversation about faith, parenting, and choosing an outward posture in a culture that trains us to look away. If you’ve ever wondered how to raise generous kids or how to soften your own heart again this episode will stay with you. Jimmy on Instagram: @jimmydarts Jimmy on YouTube: @JimmyDarts Undercover Kindness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ginny Yurich sits down with Dr. Kelly Cagle, educational researcher, former teacher, and host of the Parenting IQ Podcast, for a practical, hopeful conversation about what kids actually need to thrive in today’s school-and-screen-saturated world. Kelly shares her story of moving from Brazil to the U.S. at age 11, learning English through sheer curiosity (and PBS’s Arthur), and being pushed ahead through school, an experience that made her question how quickly we rush children through development. Together, they zoom out to look at what other countries do differently (including Finland’s later start and play-based early years), why the American system often rewards compliance over growth, and how that pressure can hit certain kids, especially those with ADHD, extra hard. You’ll also get immediately usable ideas for supporting ADHD at school and at home without turning your child into a “problem to manage.” Kelly explains why small accommodations can be game-changing (gum or mints for sensory input, permission to stand or pace, movement breaks, flexible seating), and why partnering with teachers matters more than picking the “perfect” school. The heart of this episode is Kelly’s grounded message: real school success starts at home, and “less is more” isn’t a vibe, it’s a strategy. If you’re trying to un-bubble-wrap your kids, rebuild healthy rhythms, and raise children with self-control, perseverance, and a sense of belonging, this conversation will leave you encouraged and equipped. Learn more about Kelly and all she has to offer here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this colorful and joy-filled episode of the 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with gardener, photographer, and author Sandra Mao (@sandraurbangarden) to talk about how a garden can become a feast for the eyes, and an adventure for the whole family. Sandra shares how she grew up gardening alongside her parents and grandmother, and how her own family’s garden began with simple container planting during quarantine… then blossomed into half a backyard full of vibrant surprises. Together, Ginny and Sandra explore the magic of colorful vegetables and flowers, from rainbow carrots and radishes to striped peppers, purple cauliflower, “dragon’s egg” cucumbers, and even yard-long beans. They also dive into practical, confidence-building tips for beginners: choosing a color palette, finding seed sources, saving seeds, managing pests, and keeping gardening fun (even when things grow wonky!). You’ll also hear about Sandra’s favorite easy-to-grow flowers like zinnias, marigolds, and calendula, plus how she dries herbs and petals, makes infused oils, and preserves harvests through canning and sun-drying. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by gardening or you’re looking for a way to get your kids excited to grow (and actually try vegetables!), this conversation will leave you inspired to plant something vibrant and step outside together. Get your copy of Vibrant Harvest here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adolescence is a training ground for belonging. Rosalind Wiseman (the Queen Bees and Wannabes author whose work inspired Mean Girls) names what adults forget: wanting to be part of a group isn’t a character flaw, it’s a deep developmental need. And the stakes aren’t superficial. The way kids handle loyalty, conflict, embarrassment, betrayal, and speaking up (or staying silent) becomes muscle memory they carry into adulthood. In a world where many kids feel the “middle-class script” they were promised doesn’t pay off, that longing to belong can turn into paralysis, resentment, or disengagement—and parents are left wondering when to step in, what to say, and how to be credible again. This conversation gets beautifully practical: how to respond when your child comes home with “the story” (and you weren’t there), why forced kindness scripts backfire, and how real social learning happens through messy, unsupervised, multi-age play—especially outside. Wiseman makes a compelling case that overly adult-driven schedules (and even toxic youth sports) can shrink a kid’s identity until it collapses under pressure, while neighborhood moments expand it: friend, helper, teammate, kid-who’s-known-by-name. You’ll leave with language that lowers defenses, strengthens connection, and helps your kids navigate their social world with dignity—plus a reminder that some of the best confidence-building on earth still looks like racing Big Wheels downhill and climbing trees. Learn more about Rosalind and everything she has to offer here Get your copy of Queen Bees and Wannabees here Get your copy of Masterminds and Wingmen here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the deepest friendships aren’t built on independence—but on dependence done with dignity? In this unforgettable conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with Kevan Chandler (living with spinal muscular atrophy) and pastor Tommy Shelton to talk about their new book, The Hospitality of Need—and the startling idea that letting people help you can be a form of generosity. Kevan’s life is filled with “weirdly clear needs,” and he shares how friends who volunteer to help him each morning don’t experience it as a burden, but as a gift: a predictable rhythm of brotherhood, trust, and real presence in a distracted world. Together, they reframe hospitality as more than hosting—it’s also showing up to be fed, allowing others to step into purpose, and creating communities where people don’t have to pretend they’re fine. From the friends who carried Kevan across Europe (and now help other families adventure through We Carry Kevan) to the biblical picture of friends lowering a man through a roof to meet Jesus, this episode will leave listeners asking a brave, practical question: What if my needs could become a doorway to love rather than something to hide? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve ever looked around your house, your calendar, or your marriage and thought, Why is this so hard for me?—this conversation is for you. In this episode, Ginny Yurich talks with licensed therapist and Struggle Care founder KC Davis about why overwhelm isn’t a character flaw, a lack of discipline, or a sign you’re doing life wrong. KC names the invisible mental load of daily living—meals, laundry, cleaning, caregiving, relationships—and explains why these repetitive responsibilities were never meant to be proof of your worth. Together, Ginny and KC explore practical, compassionate ways to lower that load without adding shame. From reframing household work as morally neutral, to letting go of “just clean as you go,” to rethinking fairness in marriages and families, this episode offers language and tools that actually help. KC shares gentle strategies for building momentum when you’re stuck, wisdom for dividing labor and rest more honestly, and a powerful reminder that community is built through realness and not perfection. This is an episode to save, share, and return to when you need permission to stop measuring your life by impossible standards. Learn more about what KC Davis has to offer including her podcast, courses, training, and more here: https://www.strugglecare.com Get your copy of How to Keep House While Drowning here Get your copy of Who Deserves Your Love? here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trauma therapist and bestselling author Aundi Kolber join us to name the pattern so many of us live in: trying harder when our nervous system is begging for gentleness. Aundi shares the moment a mentor asked her a question that changed everything—Have you ever tried softer?—and why real healing is “thousands of tiny decisions” that slowly move us toward safety, connection, and joy. This conversation is full of hope you can actually use: cues of safety, the power of repair (for us and our kids), and a beautiful practice Aundi calls beauty hunting—learning to notice what restores you, especially outdoors. You’ll hear why play matters, how our early stories shape attachment and even our view of God, and why compassion is not weakness. Explore Aundi’s work at her site aundikolber.com and find her writing on Substack ⁠aundikolber.substack.com⁠. Get your copy of Try Softer here Get your copy of Strong Like Water here Get your copy of Take What You Need: Soft Words for Hard Days here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the most loving thing you could do for your child today is protect their right to play? In this landmark 650th episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with Heather Shumaker, author of the modern classic It’s OK Not to Share, to talk about why childhood no longer feels like childhood and how we can change that. Together, Ginny and Heather paint a compelling vision of kids outside for hours, solving their own conflicts, learning impulse control while they wait for the truck or the swing, and discovering that deep, creative play (and not early academics) is what truly prepares them for life. If you’ve ever felt the pressure to enroll in one more class, push early reading, force sharing at the park, or make everyone “be friends,” this conversation will feel like a deep exhale. Heather gives you concrete scripts (what to say instead of “be nice,” “share,” or “say you’re sorry”), shows why “play fighting” and chase games are often exactly what kids need, and shares the powerful toolbox behind her follow-up book It’s OK to Go Up the Slide and her middle-grade novel The Griffins of Castle Cary. As we celebrate 650 episodes, Ginny invites you to join the mission: listen in, send this episode to a friend who’s worried they’re “behind” because their child just wants to play, and leave a podcast rating and review. Your share might be the nudge another parent needs to slow the schedule, protect those long, muddy hours outside, and finally believe: there will always be time for academics, but there won’t always be time for play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when the life you’ve worked for—your city, your career, even your identity—dies overnight? In this tender, hope-filled conversation, Ginny sits down with Bible teacher and missionary kid Mikella Van Dyke, whose childhood stretched from refugee camps on the Thai–Myanmar border to hiking the Himalayas and dancing for the princess of Thailand. As a “third culture kid” who never quite fit in either Thailand or the U.S., Mikella shares how a lonely ninth-grade year, culture shock, and years of bouncing between countries left her with a deep identity crisis that eventually drove her into the pages of Scripture. Later, an unplanned pregnancy ended her dream of dancing professionally in New York City—and yet that loss became the doorway to Chasing Sacred, the ministry and new calling she never could have imagined. Learn more about Mikella’s story and her new book Chasing Sacred. Together, Ginny and Mikella explore a simple, powerful way to read the Bible through the inductive Bible study method—asking good questions, honoring context, and letting God’s Word move from head knowledge to heart change in the middle of real life with kids, frogs, dirt bikes, and dishes. They talk about daily “manna” moments in Scripture, how to spot teaching that’s pulled out of context online, why courage sometimes means defying cultural norms, and how family missions trips to Little Lambs International in Guatemala have given their children a bigger vision for God’s world. If you’ve ever felt like your dreams died with motherhood—or you’re longing for an anchor in the chaos—this episode will invite you to see your own story, and your hours outside, as sacred ground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this riveting conversation, West Point graduate, Iraq veteran, and pediatric chiropractor Dr. Stanton Hom shares how he went from a “clean bill of health” on paper to a body and nervous system in crisis and how surfing, sunlight, grounding, and neurologically focused chiropractic care completely reset his life. He and Ginny dig into why over half of kids now have at least one chronic illness, how belief systems about genes and medicine quietly shape our parenting, and why so many teens say they “feel old” long before adulthood. They also talk about birth culture, homebirth vs. hospital norms, the pressure around pediatric visits and heel-prick tests, and why it can feel tyrannical when parents are punished for asking questions or wanting slower, more thoughtful care. Dr. Stan paints a hopeful, practical path forward: freedom-focused care that helps families need the system less over time, protects informed consent, and puts the nervous system back at the center. He explains how spinal health, heart rate variability, and movement (including unstructured play and time in nature) act as powerful epigenetic inputs that can change the trajectory of a child’s health and even a family tree. If you’ve ever felt uneasy about “standard of care,” or wondered why your outdoor kids seem to skip so many of today’s common problems, this episode will give you language, courage, and a roadmap. Learn more about Dr. Stanton Hom and Future Generations Chiropractic at futuregenerationssd.com Explore his Future Generations Podcast and Future Foundations course at thefuturegen.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

*FREE DOWNLOAD* - Birth Locations Pros and Cons Sign up for Beth's newsletter here Birth used to be surrounded by aunties, sisters, grandmothers, and the kind of generational wisdom that quietly steadied women through one of life’s most transformative experiences. Today, many of us enter motherhood with “no idea”—no idea what our options are, what our bodies can do, or how deeply birth shapes not only our babies but us as well. In this incredibly personal conversation, Ginny sits down with her dear friend and longtime midwife Beth Barbeau for Beth’s 8th appearance on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast. For the first time, Ginny walks through the early chapters of her own birth story from planning an elective C-section, to being “disqualified” from a birth center, to navigating confusing hospital interventions and how a single gracious sentence from a friend changed everything. Together, they explore why modern maternity care leaves so many women scared and uninformed, what we’ve lost as a culture when birth moved out of community spaces, and how reclaiming knowledge can shift an entire motherhood journey. This episode offers hope, validation, and a path back to confidence for any woman who has ever felt swept along rather than supported. Learn more about Beth and all she has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this tender, hope-filled conversation, Ginny sits down with father, farmer, author, and Grammy-winning songwriter Rory Feek to trace the surprising path from growing up in poverty in Kansas to writing hit songs in Nashville, building a 150-year-old farmhouse life at Hardison Mill, and hosting The Homestead Festival on his Tennessee farm. Rory shares how the “big breaks” in his story actually came from tiny, hidden moments: a stranger insisting he read Rick Bragg’s All Over but the Shoutin’, a small charity concert that quietly opened the door to a TV show and film, and a simple hymns album recorded quickly and cheaply that went on to win a Grammy and comfort countless grieving hearts. Along the way he talks about Joey, about loss and love, and about how books like This Life I Live and Once Upon a Farm grew out of his own search to understand what God was doing through hardship, homesteading, and ordinary days. If you need a reminder that your simple, unseen faithfulness matters, this episode will meet you right where you are. Rory and Ginny also step straight into the questions parents are asking right now: What do we do with AI, screens, and an attention-starved world and how do we give our kids a rich “curriculum of life” instead? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin Whitmel Earley once believed he could outwork sleep, outrun stress, and think his way out of anxiety until his body forced him to face the truth. In this powerful return to The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Justin shares how a sudden collapse into panic, insomnia, and intrusive thoughts exposed the danger of living as if we are machines instead of human beings with God-given limits. Together, Justin and Ginny unpack the core message of his newest book, The Body Teaches the Soul—that many of our deepest struggles aren’t solved by trying harder, but by relearning how to live inside the design of our bodies through breath, rest, rhythm, and habit. From box breathing and breath prayers to Sabbath, sleep, and the quiet power of daily “trellis habits,” this conversation brings theology down into the lungs, the nervous system, the dinner table, and the bedtime routine. You’ll hear how limits are not a punishment but a gift and how ignoring them quietly erodes our peace, our families, and our faith. This episode is for anyone who feels stretched thin, chronically tired, or quietly anxious as well as for parents trying to pass something better to their children. Check out Justin’s podcast here: https://www.intentionalfatherhood.org Get your copy of The Body Teaches the Soul here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our attention is quietly falling apart and it’s changing who we are as parents, partners, and people. In this powerful conversation, Dr. Marc Berman, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago and a pioneer in environmental neuroscience, explains why our “directed attention” is at a breaking point in the age of constant pings, dings, and screens. Drawing from his groundbreaking research and his new book, Nature and the Mind, Dr. Berman gives us language we can use to understand why we’re so depleted and why a walk outside can feel like someone quietly handing us our life back. This episode weaves together childhood memories under Michigan spruce trees, the birth of a new field (environmental neuroscience), and the sobering reality that our ability to focus may be one of the most important moral and relational issues of our time. But this episode isn’t just a diagnosis. It’s also a deeply hopeful prescription. Dr. Berman unpacks the “50-minute miracle,” showing how a simple walk in a park can boost attention and memory by around 20%, rivaling more invasive interventions and even helping people with depression and ADHD think more clearly and act with more self-control. You’ll hear why kids often melt down after school (their tanks are empty), how nature time after school pickup can restore their capacity for homework and kindness, and how design choices like trees on your street, plants in the classroom, fractal patterns and natural light in your home offer “micro-doses” of restoration throughout the day. From grief and rumination to screen time, executive function, and school policy, this episode is a roadmap for parents who sense that something is off and are ready to rebuild our children’s attention and joy through simple, consistent time in nature. Get your copy of Nature and the Mind here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a world of shifting sands, where kids are nudged toward algorithms, apps, and endless activities, S. D. Smith returns to the 1000 Hours Outside Podcast to talk about giving our children something sturdier to stand on. Ginny and Sam share stories of real-life hospitality, hikes in West Virginia, rainbows over the New River Gorge, and the way shared adventures and shared stories bind families together. From the Green Ember universe to his newest book Helmer and the Dragon Tomb, Sam describes his mission to offer “new stories with an old soul” that root kids in courage, virtue, and hope—stories that still matter fifty years after we’re gone. Together they wrestle with the pressure modern parents feel: rising anxiety about the future, the lure of AI shortcuts, and the constant competition for our kids’ attention. Sam and Ginny make a compelling case that reading and writing are not outdated school tasks, but deeply human practices that shape a child’s inner world, imagination, and even their sense of calling. You’ll hear practical ideas for “tricksy parenting” that makes reading the reward, setting cozy book “traps,” inviting dads into the culture of story, and helping young writers grow in skill instead of outsourcing their creativity to machines. This episode is a gentle but galvanizing invitation to choose books over bots, shared chapters over scrolling, and to give our kids a living connection to something timeless. See everything S.D. Smith has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices