In this tender, unflinching conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with author Amber Emily Smith to talk about the kind of loss that splits life into “before” and “after”—and the slow, sacred work of learning to live in the “after.” Amber shares the astonishing love story that began on a music video set with her husband, Granger Smith, and the devastating day their little boy River drowned—followed by the spiraling “what ifs,” the pressure of public opinion, and the choice to keep getting out of bed when everything in you wants to disappear. You’ll also hear the practical, hope-filled layers that carried their family: faith that meets you on the bathroom floor, grief support and play therapy, honest talk about fathers and hidden despair, and the water-safety lessons they wish they’d known. It’s a story about heartbreak—but also about purpose, organ donation, and unexpected friendships. Listen, share with a friend who’s hurting, and find Amber’s book and work here: The Girl on the Bathroom Floor • Arise with Amber

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New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor joins Ginny Yurich to talk about his newest novel Cold Zero, a high-stakes Arctic thriller centered on a race for powerful AI technology after a commercial plane goes down at the top of the world. Brad shares how he almost walked away from writing before committing to two disciplined hours a day, why loyalty and strategy matter more than bravado, and how real-world geopolitics shape his fiction. They explore mental toughness, celebrating small wins, and what it means to choose wisely when there is no perfect option — only the best bad one. A thoughtful conversation about resilience, craft, and the human element behind global power struggles.

Get your copy of Cold Zero here

Learn more about Brad and all of his books (including the Ultimate Reader Experience) here

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Dr. Robert Lustig—pediatric endocrinologist, bestselling author, and one of the clearest voices on what’s happened to our food—joins host Ginny Yurich on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast for a conversation that feels equal parts wake-up call and real hope. Lustig explains why so much chronic disease isn’t really “druggable” but foodable, how ultra-processed food quietly sabotages the mitochondria that power everything, and why the “calories in, calories out” story is the perfect industry shield. Along the way, he breaks down the eight internal “pathologies” that turn our bodies from a shiny red Corvette into a jalopy, shows why kids are paying the price first (from school lunches to baby food), and offers a simple way forward that doesn’t require perfection—just a steady return to real food. Mentioned in the episode: Eat Real schools initiative (eatreal.org), Lustig’s fiber project BioLumen and Monch-Monch (monchmonch.shop), the grocery-filter tool Perfact (perfact.co), plus his books Metabolical, Hacking of the American Mind, and Fat Chance.

Learn more about Dr. Lustig and all he has to offer here

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Ginny Yurich sits down with bestselling thriller writer and longtime airline captain Ward Larsen for a conversation that will make you want to put your phone down and pick a book up. They talk about Cold Zero—his high-stakes, teen-safe thriller co-written with Brad Thor—where a sabotaged jet crash-lands on Arctic ice with world-changing AI tech in the wreckage, and suddenly survival, espionage, and global power collide in the most inhospitable place on Earth. Ward shares how a fighter-pilot background and real crash-investigation experience shape his page-turners, how technology (and deepfakes) are rewriting the rules of modern warfare, and why small mistakes can be fatal—on the page and in real life.

Get your copy of Cold Zero here

Get your copy of The Perfect Assassin here

Find Ward’s books, tour stops, and signed-copy options at WardLarson.com, and learn more about Cold Zero (and Brad Thor) at BradThor.com.

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Home is supposed to be where a child can exhale—but for Stephen McWhirter, growing up in a preacher’s family meant watching public faith and private violence collide, then carrying that silence into years of rebellion, addiction, and rage. In this tender, unforgettable conversation with Ginny Yurich, Stephen shares what it cost to keep the “everything’s fine” mask in place, how a copy of The Case for Christ landed in the middle of his darkest night, and why real healing often begins when we stop hiding and start telling the truth. You’ll hear a refreshingly grounded take on parenting kids who act out, the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, and the surprising kindness of God that can meet someone right where they are and change everything. Stephen’s book is Radically Restored: How Knowing Jesus Heals Our Brokenness and his music includes “Come Jesus Come” and “My Right Now.”

Learn more about Stephen and all he has to offer here

Get your copy of Radically Restored here.

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Clinical psychologist Dr. Janissa Jackson has spent 20 years evaluating kids and watching childhood change. In this conversation, she explains why reading struggles can make everything feel harder (for kids and parents), what many interventions miss beneath dyslexia and attention issues, and why building cognitive skills like processing speed and working memory can change a child’s entire trajectory (and quickly!) You’ll also hear hopeful insight for adults dealing with ADHD, brain injury, or memory decline, plus the surprisingly grounding ranch life that keeps her anchored in the real world. Learn more about Dr. Jackson’s centers at LearningRx: https://www.learningrx.com/ and explore locations here: https://www.learningrx.com/locations/ — and if you want to follow her work in Northwest Arkansas, start here: https://www.learningrx.com/fort-smith/

Learn more about evaluation services here

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Ginny Yurich sits down with Dr. Nicole Cain—author of Panic Proof—for a conversation that makes anxiety feel less mysterious and a whole lot more workable. Nicole explains why panic is often protective, how to spot your early “pay attention” signals before you hit crisis mode, and why the same tool won’t always work. You’ll come away with practical ideas like building a “panic pack,” using cold to calm the nervous system, and simple brain-and-body resets that matter even more in a screen-saturated world. They also go deeper on hormones, sleep, SSRIs, and why creativity and movement can be real medicine especially for kids.

Learn more about Dr. Cain and her work at drnicolecain.com, get a copy of her book Panic Proof, and check out her podcast Holistic Inner Balance.

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Harvard-trained psychologist and resilience expert Dr. Robert Brooks has spent decades watching what helps kids thrive and also what breaks them down. In this conversation with Ginny Yurich, he flips the script from “what’s wrong” to what’s strong: how to spot and honor your child’s islands of competence, why resilience is rooted in at least one steady adult a child can “gather strength” from, and how empathy changes everything from discipline to screen habits to the way we speak when kids melt down. You’ll walk away with language you can use today, a fresh way to think about technology and AI without panic, and a deeper reminder that children don’t need perfect parents but they do need present ones who help them feel valued, capable, and truly known.

Learn more about Dr. Robert Brooks and all he has to offer here

Check out Dr. Brooks extensive list of books here

Read Dr. Brooks articles (a new one every month!) here

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James Nestor joins host Ginny Yurich on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast for a conversation that can change how you think about energy, sleep, focus, and stress starting with the air you’re breathing all day. You’ll learn why indoor CO2 can quietly drag down cognition (especially in schools, offices, and hotels), why mouth breathing can spiral into snoring, fatigue, and anxious “air hunger,” and how nasal breathing supports calmer nervous systems and better performance. From kids to adults, athletes to desk workers, this episode connects the dots between modern living and the most overlooked pillar of health and leaves you with practical takeaways you can try immediately.

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On this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich talks with science journalist and bestselling author Alex Hutchinson about a shift that’s been happening for decades: kids are exploring less, adults are settling sooner, creativity is declining, and screens are filling the space where real-world discovery used to happen. Drawing from his new book The Explorer’s Gene and the research behind the “explore vs. exploit” dilemma, Alex explains why safety, convenience, and passive entertainment may be costing us more than we realize—and why active exploration is the key to building adaptable, confident, creative humans in an uncertain future. This conversation reframes how we think about play, risk, childhood freedom, and even our own life choices, offering practical language for what families are up against and a hopeful vision for how small, everyday adventures can restore the skills we’re losing.

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Get your copy of Endure here

Learn more about Alex and all he has to offer here

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