Safety Third

There is no clear way to cope with death and grief. Moving forward is often heartbreaking, baffling, and uncertain. So, how do we best honor those we’ve lost? When he was 12-years-old, Navy Seal and backcountry snowboarder Josh Jespersen tragically lost his father. Confused and angry, Josh drifted in school and got into legal trouble. He joined the Navy Seals, where death was a constant. Josh would drink to celebrate the life of his fallen friends, but this led to more legal trouble, more confusion, more anger. Ultimately, Josh realized that the best way to honor the dead was to embark on an outdoor adventure that would amplify their memory. He realized he had to live for those he had lost. 

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From birth we are often told to be good. But what does that mean exactly? Kate Williams, CEO at 1% For The Planet, created her own “be good” guidelines when she was a child: achieve in the classroom, achieve on the lacrosse field, do what you’re told. Kate stayed within those boundaries until she attended Princeton University, where she realized that being good meant she was stifling her growth. Kate was living in accordance to the expectations and wishes of everyone except herself. In order to realize her full potential, especially within her environmental work, Kate had to find the soft spot between her wishes and the well being of those around her. Kate would have to summon the bravery it takes to be kind. 

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Authenticity is a marketing buzzword that has trickled into our everyday. But what is authentic? And what happens to a person when their persona becomes a commodity? Today, our two guests discuss the intersection of individuals and brands in the age of social media. First up, Luisa Jeffrey. On a Grand Canyon trip, Luisa watched her friends snapping staged camp photos. When she returned home, she realized manicured, curated outdoor photos peppered her Instagram feed. Fed up with the lack of transparency in marketing, Luisa created @youdidnotsleepthere and began to poke fun at the phony presentations of tent sites on social media. Then we talk with Fitz Cahall, creator of The Dirtbag Diaries. Fitz realized the negative potential of acting like a brand following two near-miss climbing accidents-- you limit your ability to grow as a person.

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Skiing with her family in Sun Valley, Idaho, and fishing in Alaska under the tutelage of her father shaped how McKenna Peterson navigates life. She learned dedication, resilience, hard work, and how to adjust plans while on the move. McKenna has an uncanny ability to try new things, seemingly without fear. At the University of Colorado, McKenna balanced studies and ski racing before she committed to competing in the Freeride World Tour. Then she eyed a pro ski career. In 2017, following the tragic death of her father, she took over as captain of the family fishing business. With every new opportunity, McKenna leaps first and then builds her own net.

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Romping around the Wasatch mountains as a kid taught Carl Richards that the outdoors had a certain value, albeit hard to define. Carl majored in finance and and began a career as a financial planner. He worked for some major firms before starting his own business-- managing clients’ money, public speaking, illustrating, and writing the New York Times column, The Sketch Guy. Carl felt successful. And with that came a sense of security and “stuff”-- money in the bank, a big house, international trips, the latest outdoor gear. But after nearly losing everything he had worked for, Carl redefined the value he places on stuff and experiences.

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Bianca Valenti fell in love with surfing in the breaks of Orange County, California, when she was seven years old. Soon after, she started competing, gained sponsorships, and won competitions. Even at a young age, Bianca noticed a discrepancy in the treatment, recognition, and reward of male versus female surfers. It was discouraging and disheartening. She left the surf scene entirely but the siren’s call of riding 30-plus foot waves drew her back in. As one of the sport’s best big wave surfers, it was crushing to discover that the premier big wave competition, Mavericks, didn’t allow female competitors. So, Bianca set her sights on confronting another towering giant — sexism in surf culture.

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Len Necefer grew up splitting family time between the Midwest and the Four Corners, between auto workers and Navajo faith healers. One side of his family taught him the importance of hard work. The other showed him the necessity of connection to the natural world. These two truths have guided Len’s life. When Len returned back to the Southwest to be closer to his passion, he noticed something in the outdoor community. We were good at connecting, but not always good at putting in the hard work to take care of the landscapes we cherish. He thinks we ought to approach our relationship with the natural world the same way we would our finances. It’s time to start saving for the long term. 

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As a first generation Mexican American raised in a strict household, Bam Mendiola felt the pressure to live up to the dreams of his parents. He had to look a certain way, be successful in school, and achieve, achieve, achieve. And he did for as long as he could, but at the cost of hiding his true self. After coming out to his family and friends, Bam found empowerment through mountaineering and cemented his own powerful identity. Bam now takes pride in being his ancestors’ wildest dreams. 

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Sarah Steele grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, surrounded by some of the world’s most famous peaks, as well as a multitude of people dedicated to philanthropy, service, altruism, and conservation. So when she joined the fledgling Virtual Reality team at Google, Sarah had a bold idea to harness the budding technology to protect the places that she loves — our most wild and sacred environments.

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Following a miscarriage, filmmaker Hannah Maia felt that her body had betrayed her. She was angry and felt a growing discomfort in her own skin. In the past, Hannah had bike packed on the Continental Divide Trail, rafted the Grand Canyon — and yet more adulting, plus the miscarriage, had led her to less and less physical activity. To rattle herself out of this dark time, Hannah committed to swim in open water once a month for an entire year. And while filming her endeavor, Hannah moved from devastation to self-love and epiphany.

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