Chad Brown is a decorated US Navy veteran who struggles with PTSD. A failed suicide attempt eventually led Chad to found a non-profit organization called Soul River Inc. Soul River brings together at-risk youth and veterans who act as mentors. Together they visit threatened wild spaces and embark on mission-driven experiences based around advocacy and outdoor education. In this episode of Anchored, Chad and I discuss his remarkable story, the realities of PTSD, and what it’s like to be a black man in fly fishing.

Team up with Soul River here.
You can donate to Soul River here.

Outline of This Episode

• [3:15] Fishing came later in his life
• [8:22] Fish more was his new prescription
• [17:33] Joining the military was the beginning of the roller coaster ride
• [19:54] Chad describes PTSD
• [26:45] PTSD looked different in each different war era
• [36:57] He didn’t even know what fly fishing was
• [42:07] How did Soul River start?
• [49:47] How does a troubled youth find Soul River?
• [1:00:22] How can people help?
• [1:03:44] Should we see colour?
• [1:13:19] How to get involved without tokenizing the situation?
• [1:20:25] What is the best way to connect on the river?
• [1:25:27] A challenge for the listener

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***Check out our Bow Drill Masterclass here!***

Brad Salon and Sarah Corrigan own the Roots school in Vermont. They teach a variety of skills, including self-reliance, survival, tracking and naturalist studies. In this episode of Anchored we discuss instinctive shooting, mushroom identification, basketry, foraging, hide tanning and more. 

If these sorts of skills interest you, be sure to check out my new website www.AnchoredOutdoors.com where we cover all things fishing, foraging, homesteading and subsistence hunting. Our first masterclass drops this week and the next dozen are soon to follow! If you sign on now, memberships are only $4.99 a month. That will be changing once the first three classes are up, so don’t wait to hop onboard!

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Elena Joy Thurston is an inspirational speaker and founder of the Pride and Joy Foundation. When she reached out to me to see if we might be able to connect for a podcast, I wasn’t sure how her story linked back to the outdoors. So I tuned in to her TED talk, only to be taken aback when I learned that fly fishing changed her life. In this episode of Anchored I sit down with Elena and her partner Kristen to discuss the story of how they met, diversity in fly fishing, feeling trapped in the corporate world and more.

This episode is brought to you by Olukai.

Outline of This Episode

• [4:15] What is the politically correct way to refer to the community?
• [7:55] How did Kristen get into fly fishing?
• [15:05] Elena has a big story
• [28:18] What is it about being outdoors that awakens someone’s soul?
• [32:12] Being trapped in an office job 
• [44:27] Does the LGBTQ community feel underrepresented in the outdoors?
• [52:52] Elena Joy speaks of her divorce
• [58:42] There are some native fish in Arizona
• [1:00:36] A work-life balance discussion

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John Dietsch is perhaps best known in fly fishing circles for supervising all of the fly fishing scenes on the OSCAR winning film "A River Runs Through It", where he also conceived and executed the famous final fishing scene doubling for actor Brad Pitt by swimming a rapid while playing a fish. In this episode of Anchored we discuss John’s new book "Graced by Waters" and the healing properties of immersing ourselves in the outdoors, as well as John’s personal journey through loss, scenes in "A River Runs Through It" and more.

Sign up here for our free live presentation with John at 5:00pm PST this Wednesday, June 17th! 

This episode of Anchored is brought to you by Norvise! 

Outline of This Episode

• [3:15] John grew up fishing around L.A. 
• [9:05] How did he get involved in A River Runs Through It?
• [16:33] Meeting Redford was intimidating
• [20:35] The final scene was all John
• [25:45] The fly fishing is about more than just catching
• [33:22] Fly fishing has the potential to heal
• [44:09] How he lost his brother
• [48:23] How can we process the pain in the world right now?
• [55:54] How to prevent nature deficit disorder

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Hank Shaw is a celebrated chef, author and outdoorsman who runs the award-winning website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. In this episode of Anchored, Hank and I walk through his timeline, stopping along the way to discuss how we age game-birds, our favourite edible weeds, dandelion wine and more.

This episode of Anchored is brought to you by Great Fishing Adventures of Australia. 

Outline of This Episode

• [9:15] Ancillary information makes you a good angler, but also a good hunter
• [15:22] His Master’s in History
• [22:02] Hunting is about more than just the meat
• [34:37] Do you have to let all meat age a while to actually taste it?
• [38:30] His newspaper career taught him restraint
• [45:44] He made the transition to running the website fulltime in 2010
• [51:03] Does he want to take it to the next level?
• [52:55] He is a seasonal eater
• [1:03:33] Dandelion wine is all about the aroma
• [1:12:54] Be a conscious harvester

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Jay Johnson has a mission of instilling a passion for the outdoors in others. You may have seen Jay Johnson on the Trout Bums diaries, Geo Bass, or most recently, the Fisher Guy series on Animal Planet. Jay had a challenging background that molded him into the multifaceted person that he is today. In this episode of Anchored, you’ll hear about Jay’s early life, how he got into fishing, and why he thinks it’s so important to foster a love of the outdoors in others. You won’t want to miss a minute of Jay’s story so grab your headphones and press play now. 

This episode is brought to you by Cross Current Insurance Company.

• [3:15] Jay had a heavy childhood
• [7:00] When did he start fishing
• [14:22] Jay studied string bass in college on a scholarship
• [17:25] How did he get started fly fishing?
• [25:12] He got out of the music business
• [27:44] When did he get into the business of fly fishing
• [36:25] What is Pig Farm Ink all about?
• [41:08] How did he get into film
• [50:24] He’s a farmer too
• [55:56] He just wants to spread his message

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Jenna McRae is somewhat new to taxidermy, but she is full of passion, knowledge and talent. Although she has only been practicing for a year and a half, she has a natural ability for the craft and her artistic talent shows in her work. In this episode of Anchored I find the answers to all of my questions, including how to choose a taxidermist, if there any animals Jenna won’t work with, and how to field dress a deer if you want to mount it?

Outline of This Episode

• [7:45] How did she get into taxidermy? 
• [14:44] Working at home is her dream
• [16:16] How do I field dress a deer if I want it mounted?
• [22:55] Why would a taxidermist want a hide from an animal they aren’t working with?
• [28:18] Does she have any boundaries as to what she will mount?
• [32:30] What is the hardest part of doing a bird?
• [33:34] What should people look for when choosing a taxidermist?
• [38:35] Does taxidermy cause people to hunt more mature, impressive animals?
• [40:03] How to get an animal to her from another country?
• [41:40] What is the coolest thing about working on these animals?
• [45:14} What is a Euro mount?

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Have you ever wondered if freediving and spearfishing are as peaceful as they seem? My guest today describes them as transcendent. Born and raised in Hawaii, Kimi Werner is a chef, an award-winning artist, motivational speaker, a U.S. National Spearfishing Champion, and most recently, a new mother. Join us for a conversation about life as a new mother, freediving, spearfishing, and hunting.

Listen in to hear why Kimi Werner is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met.

Outline of this episode

• [2:55] Started diving at a young age
• [6:00] Hunting deer
• [12:30] shooting underwater 
• [13:33] Is the appeal of hunting similar to that of spearfishing
• [18:02] The day that changed her life
• [27:22] Why she quit competing
• [35:39] What makes a good dive partner
• [40:39] The shark 
• [46:55] The word huntress
• [49:00] Motherhood

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Over the last few years, a surprising amount of troll accounts have emerged on social media platforms. While some are humorous and light-hearted, others thrive on the mistakes and misfortune of others. In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with the person who runs Copper Plated Sixes, an account that focuses on the fishing and hunting industries. We discuss why he feels the need to run such an account, who’s really behind the posts, where to draw the line and whether or not it’s cowardly to hide behind anonymity.

Outline of this episode

• [1:15] @copper_plated_sixes believes he's not a troll
• [9:40] One pet peeve he has is using sex to sell fishing
• [12:20] Hunting is also portrayed poorly online
• [20:22] He focuses on influencers
• [26:10] Do the actions of troll accounts fuel hatred and discord?
• [30:22] What can come of a large following?
• [32:12] Why is he so passionate about women showing skin?
• [38:42] What comes from all this negativity?
• [46:55] He knows that conversation can spur great change

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Erin Block works as a librarian and freelance writer. She is the author of countless articles and 2 books including, The View from Coal Creek and By a Thread. But of course, Erin is more than that, she is an angler, hunter, and forager. In this episode, we dive into Erin’s life and she reveals how she got into fly fishing and hunting for food and why she has chosen to step away from fly fishing. You’ll also want to hear about her views on feminism and fishing so make sure to listen to the end of this episode of Anchored. 

Outline of this episode

• [3:15] Erin grew up on a hobby farm
• [12:44] Erin is closer to the food she eats than most
• [18:55] She ended up at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
• [26:49] Marriage ended up being different than she thought
• [31:12] She took up hiking as a way to get away and think
• [37:15] She met her husband through his blog
• [48:06] She doesn’t want to be treated differently because she’s a woman
• [59:01] Why she has taken a step back from fishing
  
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