Meet Natali and Brittany. They are the creators of the Eddy Out Podcast and Rvr 2 Rvr. The river community and the culture around it thrives of the eclectic groups of people that gather at put ins and take outs across the world. In a year that made some of these beautiful conversation tough to have, Natali and Brittany started Eddy Out to bring those types of conversations to your living room!

They have also collaborated to create a company called Rvr 2 Rvr that creates and implements programs to teach others how to whitewater SUP and river surf. The idea is to continue to grow the river community by bringing new people into the fold! 

Extra Links:

Rvr 2 Rvr

Natali's Instagram

Brittany's Instagram

http://bpsurfs.com

https://www.natalizollinger.com

Meet Connor. He's the founder of Reset Outdoors. Reset Outdoors is on a mission to nurture and grow sustainable well-being in the lives of their clients, themselves, their community, and the environment. By offering counseling services for individuals and families as well as leadership development for teams and companies, Reset Outdoors is engaging a wide swath of people and showing them the benefits to enjoying a healthy and balanced life.

In this episode, Connor tells us about his motivation to create Reset Outdoors after experiencing burnout at his previous job, the incredibly powerful ways humans can connect with themselves and others through nature, and how just 22 minutes of exposure to nature every day can have a profound effect on your health.

Check out Reset Outdoors on Social!

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

Connor's Shout outs! Check out other groups who are going great things in this world!

ParkRX America: Park Rx America is a non-profit organization whose mission is to decrease the burden of chronic disease, increase health and happiness, and foster environmental stewardship, by virtue of prescribing Nature during the routine delivery of healthcare by a diverse group of health care professionals.

National Alliance on Mental Illness: the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. 

The Outdoor Foundation: Inspiring the outdoor habit in kids and families by connecting research, knowledge, people and programs. With the goal of everyone experiencing the fun and joy of the outdoors once a week.

Meet Bryan. He's the sales manager for one of my favorite outdoor gear brands, Astral. Astral was started in 2002 with the goal to create the best performing products for wilderness athletes in the least toxic and lowest impact way. Since then, the company has won awards for innovative designs and paved the way in both the world of outdoor footwear and PFD industry. In a market dominated by big names, Astral continues to forge ahead with nature as a key factor in their decision making process.

Follow Astral on Instagram and Facebook!

Here are Bryan's Top 3 Astral favorites:

Bluejacket

Brewer 2.0

Astropad

If you're curious about what other items would be a great addition to your gear quiver or maybe even a great gift to the adventurer in your life, shoot me a message on social or at [email protected]!

Meet Dylan. He's the owner and creator of the River Company Outfitters. Growing up with a love for the river engrained in his heart, Dylan and his brother grew up learning the lessons of whitewater from their dad who starting guiding in the 1970s! Since then he’s handed over the guide stick and the legendary purple Are raft continues to take on wave after wave. Dylan and I talk about the challenges of starting a business, the inspiration of the river, and the big time dreams he has for his brand. 

Shop small this holiday season! Check out the store for RCO.

Follow RCO on Instagram 

Follow Dylan on Instagram 

Check out RCO on Facebook

Welcome to the second installment of the Fireside Short Stories on Camping Out. Not every person loves an hour long interview style podcast so I wanted to create an occasional sprinkle of artistic flair for people to enjoy! A spark was lit and Fireside Short Stories was born. 

This week our featured artist is Nick Roberts. You might recognize him as the vagabond guru from episode 2 of Camping Out. Nick has written and recorded several short stories that he has compiled over past 6-7 transformative years of his life. Nestled between intricate wordplay and lessons taught only by time, Nick bears his heart in these pieces of art.

If you want to connect with Nick, check out his instagram account: @nickroberts9

Meet MK and TJ. After taking a dreamy honeymoon trip to St. Lucia and returning with only a handful of pictures, they made a goal to be more intentional on documenting their future travels. Originally they planned to do some international travel. Since 2020 has been anything but conventional, MK and TJ decided to take it as a nudge to begin their adventure!

What is their adventure? It's a mission to travel to and tent camp in all 50 states! As "normal people" who work full time jobs, they talk about how important planning is to create your own great adventure. I also loved hearing them talk about how they stay motivated to reach their end goal. I'm so excited to share their story and to follow their journey! You should follow along too. Here are some links to their YouTube channel, website, and Instagram page!

Website

YouTube Channel

Instagram- @mkandtj

and if you're ready to leave a 5 star review...

Meet Amanda from Afros in Nature. Afros in Nature is a grassroots collective to connect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color with nature. In a world where everyone should have equal access to connect and play in the outdoors, Afros in Nature is seeking to plant the seeds of safety in natural environments so that individuals of color can create self-sustaining lifestyles with love, support, and community. Amanda’s love for organic farming and sharing her own stories places her at the heart of this mission.

Afros in Nature Instagram

Amanda’s Instragram

www.afrosinnature.org

Please consider donating to Afro's in Nature so they can realize their goals! If you think you'd like to start programs like this in your own community, I can't think of a better group to bounce ideas off of! 

Meet Daniel. A mass of energy and a man of God. In 2018, Daniel Herman Jr set off on a longboard journey that would change his life. With the goal of traveling from Miami to San Francisco with hardly any supplies, Daniel took on state after state on his longboard while also spreading to the gospel to those he met. From encounters with Bob, a gay man in Florida who on the surface had very little in common with Daniel, to eating award winning BBQ and facing celebrity-like status in the state of Texas, Daniel's journey was nothing but incredible. What drove him to take on such an epic feat? An intense personal relationship with God. Whether you consider yourself a person of faith or not, there is a lot to learn from Daniel's incredible story!

Daniel's Instagram Account: @everyday.dan 

If you want to see the videos and behind the scenes action from Daniel's trip, this is the place to do it!

Hey friends! The Fireside Short Stories are a new part of Camping Out that I hope you enjoy! These short stories will be sprinkled in every now and then between interviews and will be created and performed by their creators. The idea is to provide a space where people can share their creative sides with all of you! I'll be featuring a lot of different people and perspectives here. 

If you'd like to share a short story on Camping Out, please reach out to me! You can get a hold of me at www.dancamp.net or through social media. I can't wait to share these with you!

Enjoy the first Fireside Short Story: "Why" written and performed by myself. It's a short look into the "why" moments we often face during extreme outdoor adventures. Are there parallels to the decisions we are forced to make in life as well? 

Meet Coach Derek Leonard. Highly regarded as one of the greatest high school football coaches of all time in Illinois and across the United States, Derek became a mentor for me as I learned both about football and life from him at Rochester High School. As a head coach, Derek has an incredible overall record of 157-32 in 15 seasons. To add to that, Rochester has won 8 state championships in the last 10 years.

In this episode we talk about growing up as a coach's son, the importance of team sports for kids, the teachings best provided by playing on a team, and the value of making quality of life a priority as you seek to create your own impact in the world. 

On Twitter: @coachleonard3

Follow Rocket Football: @rocketnation1