Today on the podcast, we welcome author, Banning Lyon. Banning was an average 15-year-old living in Dallas, Texas. He enjoyed skateboarding, listening to punk rock, and even had a part-time job. But his life quickly changed after a school guidance counselor believed he was suicidal after giving away his skateboard. Days later he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and what he was told would be a two-week stay turned into 353 days that would change his life forever. Coming from Maria Shriver’s imprint, The Open Field is Banning’s first book, THE CHAIR AND THE VALLEY: A Memoir of Trauma, Healing, and the Outdoors 

Banning takes readers through his fraught relationship with his family, the mistreatment he suffered at the hospital, the lawsuit against the owners of the facility, and his desire to make sense of what happened to him. We witness Banning navigate the difficult landscape of trauma and his daily battle to live a normal life. After years of highs and lows that include being adopted by his attorney and mentor, falling in love, grieving the death of his fiancée, and being sued by the same doctors who mistreated him, Banning decides to take control of his life and finds hope in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park, where he discovers new purpose in being a backpacking guide. Through friendship, nature, and eventually giving therapy another chance, Banning summons the courage to keep moving forward. This was a really powerful conversation and is a must-listen — and we hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

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