This Morning Walk

J.R. Harris is a lifelong explorer and wilderness trekker. Also known as the Red Hat Trekker, J.R. has walked more than fifty multi-week treks since 1966 - most of them on his own - facing terrible weather, hair-raising river crossings and wildlife encounters along the way.  In this conversation with Libby, J.R. shares his love for walking and the outdoors, recounting his experiences on some of the world's great treks. He emphasizes the simplicity and adventure of a walking lifestyle and the importance of curiosity and gratitude along the way. They also discuss his book “Way Out There: The Adventures of a Wilderness Trekker”, highlighting the transformative power of walking and the connection between humans and nature. Read 'Way Out There: Adventures of a Wilderness Trekker': https://www.jrinthewilderness.com/my-book Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Biomechanist and Author Katy Bowman describes how a movement diet, just like a food diet, is important for nourishing our bodies and maintaining optimal health. Just like we need a balanced diet of macronutrients and micronutrients for optimal health, Katy speaks with Libby about how we also need a variety of movements to nourish our bodies. In this practical episode, she suggests adding different movements to our walking routine, such as carrying weight, making movements with our hands, and incorporating strength-building exercises. They explore the concept of movement as a tool that needs to be cared for and maintained, and Katy introduces her new workbook, 'My Perfect Movement Plan,' which helps listeners create a personalized movement routine based on their unique needs and goals. Learn More: My Perfect Movement Plan by Katy Bowman Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nedra Tawwab, therapist and author of the NY Times Bestseller “Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself”, joins Libby and Alex to share her love of walking and how it connects her to nature and spirituality. As the conversation evolves, Nedra emphasizes the value of allowing oneself to be undone and to feel the full range of emotions when you’re feeling them. The conversation touches on the concept of internal boundaries and the continuous process of setting and adjusting boundaries throughout life.  Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good friends Liz Paley and Amanda Hesser join Libby to discuss their recent completion of The Great Saunter -  a walk that covers the entire island of Manhattan in one day. The Great Saunter is a daylong walk that explores Manhattan’s 32-mile shoreline, visiting more than 20 parks and promenades of Manhattan. Liz and Amanda talk about the history of the Great Saunter and the organization behind it, Shorewalkers. Liz and Amanda share their training strategies, the importance of walking at a comfortable pace, and getting the best night of sleep ever after it was over. Snacks and bathroom breaks along the route are also discussed - a very important topic! They also discuss the benefits of walking in a city like New York, including the opportunity to discover new neighborhoods, restaurants, and shops that you’d never see in a taxi or on a subway.  Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Libby welcomes Photographer, Podcaster, and Artist Dario Calmese to discuss abundance and its connection to curiosity. They explore how curiosity leads to the discovery of new ideas and experiences, and how abundance is an artifact of that curiosity. Dario and Libby also discuss the concept of walking as a creative act and its ability to access different parts of ourselves. Dario is the first black photographer to shoot the cover of Vanity Fair amongst many other accomplishments, and is the host of the podcast The Institute of Black Imagination.  Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catherine Bailey, co-owner of Heath Ceramics, discusses the journey of the company and the importance of preserving its soul and values. Libby and Catherine explore the design philosophy of Heath, which combines elegance and utility, and the democratization of high design that company co-founder Edith Heath helped to create in the 20th Century. The conversation also touches on the environmental perspective of Heath and how that ties into the creative act of walking for Catherine. Libby and Catherine conclude by talking about the importance of balance, the connection between the body and mind during walks, and the sense of perspective and gratitude that walking can bring. Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex and Libby catch up in a conversation that explores self-worth, breaks down negative self-talk, and challenges future aspirations (they also try to figure out how to finally open their own tea shop together…someday).  Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fellow Walk Star Silas Grant joins Libby to share his journey of transformation through walking. “I started my walk five years ago, in June of 2019. Around that time, my wife and I had our daughter and I was at home with her on paternity leave. At the time I was teetering around close to 300 pounds. I had a couple of health scares - so I took my daughter out in the stroller with me, I started walking and the bug bit me. I made a commitment. I'm gonna do it every day as long as my legs work. 100 pounds lost later, so many things about life figured out later, I'm still doing it.” Silas also discusses his community work in Washington DC, and continuing the legacy of service that was modeled by his parents. “When I was growing up, my parents were always serving in some capacity or another, helping people out, whether it was at church or in the community." He discusses the impact of walking on his life, his commitment to service, and the power of consistency.  Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Libby welcomes two of her closest walking partners - Cheryl Richardson and Beth Platow - to the show this week for a conversation about friendship, joy, self-care, and a sense of belonging. Cheryl Richardson is a pioneer in the practice of self-care and New York Times bestselling author of multiple books on the subject, and Beth Platow is an author and professor at Berklee College in Boston. As neighbors, they walked together throughout the Covid pandemic as a pod, reminiscing about specific walks that were particularly meaningful during that time, including walks in the woods, on the beach, and even in the cold water. The conversation highlights the joy, spontaneity, and childlike wonder that walking together has brought into their lives. Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Libby welcomes her dear friend Becca Skinner to discuss the loss of Becca's dog and walking companion, Veda. They discuss how Becca established trust and exploration with Veda during their walks, how she’s dealt with Veda’s passing by temporarily stopping her walking practice, and picking it up again after learning how to build trust with a new four-legged walking companion named Bluegrass. This episode is filled with gratitude and hope for anyone who’s recently lost a close friend. Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Libby welcomes Nadya Okamoto, the co-Founder of August, a lifestyle brand working to reimagine periods to be powerful. This episode is an invitation to reflect on the shame that we as a society have put on menstruation and how we think and talk about it. Through August, Nadya encourages open conversations about periods and the importance of inclusivity and diversity in the menstrual health movement.  Libby and Nadya first went for a walk together when Nadya attended Harvard, where they discussed her nascent project that would eventually become August. Nadya and Libby discuss the prevalence of “period poverty” and how that particularly impacts young people all over the country who need better access to menstrual products.  Learn more about Nadya and August at: https://www.itsaugust.co/ Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Libby welcomes author and artist Katrina Rodabaugh to discuss the intersection of walking, creativity, and motherhood. Katrina’s work is focused on the overlap of sustainability, craft, and design, which mostly means that she mends things: Jeans, sweaters, our old farmhouse, and more. After taking one of her classes on mending, Libby met Katrina and discovered that she, too, was a WalkStar. Katrina shares her journey of sustainability and craft with Libby, and they both reflect on the changing dynamics of parenting as their children grow older and the opportunities it brings to their work.  For more on Katrina, visit: https://www.katrinarodabaugh.com/classes Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exciting news is afoot! As Alex has secures a publisher for her next book, she and Libby take some time to catch up and reflect on the process of writing, potential themes for the new book, and plans for the upcoming Summer. Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Elissa Altman joins Libby to discuss her practice of walking, writing, and the themes of her books, including Motherland, which explores her complicated relationship with her mother. She also talks about her upcoming book, On Permission: A Manifesto For Writers, Artists, and Dreamers, which delves into the concept of finding permission in creativity and storytelling. She also discusses the role of walking in her creative process, along with the meditative and healing qualities that walking brings to her life, bringing up familiar themes of walking as a form of art with Libby. For more on Elissa Altman, visit https://www.elissaaltman.com/  Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Libby and Alex catch up on various topics that have emerged during recent walks. They talk about the importance of paying attention to details in life and the process of letting go and embracing change. They also touch on Alex's upcoming book and the emotions that often come when working with new collaborators.  Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex and Libby celebrate two major milestones together - the release of Alex’s fragrance Heal The Way and Libby getting to write a book about her walking practice and the steps she’s taken to make it a reality. Along the way, they emphasize the importance of enrolling supportive friends in the process of celebrating our triumphs and sharing good news with people who can celebrate and hold space for your dreams. Overall, the conversation highlights the power of surrounding ourselves with positive support,  while being mindful of others' capacities to do so.  Alex’s Fragrance: https://snif.co/products/heal-the-way Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Libby and Alex share a recent walk taken together on a recent visit to Libby’s home in Massachusetts.  Alex’s Essay “Healing Through Disappointment”: https://alexelle.substack.com/p/healing-through-disappointment Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex’s 16-year old daughter sits down for a special episode of This Morning Walk. With Libby and Alex, she reflects on this period of her life with a level of insight and wisdom that is beyond her years, revealing how she uses journaling as a tool for self-reflection and growth, the necessity of setting personal boundaries as a safeguard for authenticity, and steering clear of the relentless currents of comparison on social media and the ceaseless pursuit of approval that it often brings. Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Libby shares her personal journey of discovering the missing piece in her life 12 years ago: walking. What started as a desire to simply get outside ultimately became so much more. In this special extended ‘Walking Journal’, Libby highlights the moments in life that led her to start her practice at the age of 50, and commemorates some of the milestones and lessons she’s learned along the way.  Show Notes:  Rise and Write https://www.instagram.com/p/C1EwiToO2kW/?img_index=1 Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex and Libby discuss the concept of being the “strong” friend and the unintended pressure that can often come with it. They explore the importance of setting boundaries and clearly communicating our capacity in relationships and also emphasize seeking reciprocity and mutual support when needed. The conversation highlights the significance of acknowledging and nurturing intimate relationships  while recognizing the limitations of our energy and time, and how practices like walking can provide the clarity needed to help navigate our intentions.  Show Notes:  Rise and Write https://www.instagram.com/p/C1EwiToO2kW/?img_index=1 Keep in touch:  https://www.thismorningwalk.com/ Instagram: @thismorningwalk Alex Instagram: @alex_elle  Libby Instagram: @parkhere     Blind Nil Instagram: @blindnilaudio Please direct business inquiries to: blindnilaudio@magnolia.com Music Credits:  Valante / Ramo / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices