Underneath it All

Season 3, Episode 3 - Managing Mental Health with the Climate Crisis

The climate crisis becomes more apparent each day, and while on the CDT, Grizel faced many of its effects. From rising temperatures, to endless wildfire smoke, it’s hard to not feel its effects on our mental health as well. In this episode, Grizel talks with her good friend Ben Bishop, who is an agroforestry researcher at the University of Missouri studying agroforestry systems and tree crops. Through his research, he hopes to expand the utilization of trees and woody shrubs as both profitable crops and as a strategy to off-set greenhouse gas emissions. They discuss ways to stay hopeful, how to navigate the connection between mental health and the climate crisis, and about the different ways we can all make a change.

As Grizel prepared to start the CDT, she sat down with her husband Eric for a candid conversation about mental health, the importance of therapy and how they handle the struggle of having a long distance relationship on the trail. In this episode they’ll answer a series of questions asked by the Underneath It All community and through this process hope to encourage important conversations about mental health with those you trust.

In the first episode of this season, Grizel reflects on previous backcountry experiences as she prepares to backpack/bikepack the CDT and introduces us to Alex, her friend and trail support for this summer’s adventure. This season of Underneath It All will be recorded while on trail, following the journey in real time. Grizel will be sharing her holistic approach to this outdoor adventure and hopes that these conversations will help others to talk about mental health and break the negative stigma that surrounds the topic.

Being in the backcountry for an extended amount of time can be a vulnerable experience for many of us, but if you add mental health issues in the backcountry, it can get scary, fast.

After a 6 month hiatus from the podcast, Grizel, the host, jumps right in after working on her own mental health before she leaves for her big adventure: bikepacking/backpacking the Continintal Divide Trail. Assisting Grizel on this grand adventure is her coach, Dr. Eliza Sampey. Liz is professional endurance athlete in multiple backcountry sports, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and an Integrative Adventure Coach that believes in the power of outdoor adventure to transform lives when pursued in a mindful, integrated, and sustainable way.

In this episode, Grizel and Liz share how they have faced their darkest demons in the backcountry, and how Grizel is mindfully training for the CDT, bringing her mental health with her.

Underneath It All Show Notes

Season 2, Episode 2 - Feeling Big, Feeling Loss

Hosted by Grizel

Grief is complicated. It’s messy. It’s exhausting. And it’s SO much. But that doesnt mean we can't talk about it. On this episode, Grizel interviews Meg Yingling, who is a climber and guide based out of Estes Park, Colorado. Grizel and Meg have a vulnerable and raw conversation regarding the loss of two climbing friends, Kalley and Tom.

Meg values the playfulness of outdoor adventure, and loves to provide experiences for people of all ages, skill level, and background to access wild places. She loves practicing handstands, playing with her nieces and nephew, and wearing ridiculous bird shirts.

Season 2, Bonus Episode 1

Hosted by Grizel Caminas

In the first Bonus Episode for Underneath it All, Grizel and Lauren discuss what family boundaries look like in a time of COVID and the holiday season. They go over questions like how to communicate our mental health needs when visiting family, how to have conversations with family about not going home for the holidays, and much more.

Lauren Walther, LCSW/LCDC, currently lives in Austin, TX  with her husband, baby and doggie. She works as a program director at Driftwood Recovery, which is a dual-diagnosis residential treatment center. She is particularly passionate about providing comprehensive therapy for families whose lives have been impacted by addiction.

"I've never been interviewed like this. I wanted to show you all the real me. I wanted to share with you who I was and why I do the work that I do. Because for all you know, I'm just some person who's hosting a podcast about mental health stories in the outdoors. But there's a lot more to me than just my passion for storytelling. And before we dive deep into season 2, I thought it may help you , the listener, to understand why I'm so passionate about this work."

On the Season 2 premiere of Underneath it All, Grizel shares her personal mental health story with podcast host and friend, Julie Hotz. Together, they discuss the complexities of maintaining mental health wellness, experiences with medication, and why being aware of your mental health is so important.

At the end, Grizel releases new song, "Be Alright," by Passiflora available on Spotify on Monday, November 23rd.

Laura Niblack is a metalsmith living in New England with her husband Isaac and husky, Minka. In 2016, she quit her job to start her own small business, The Wild Pine, and has been handcrafting jewelry in turquoise and silver ever since. Only two years ago, Laura was hospitalized due to her most recent finding, being diagnosed with Bipolar Type 2.

On the season finale, Laura and Grizel talk about growing up unknowingly with mental illness, experiencing a psychiatric hospital, being diagnosed with Bipolar Type 2, medication, and how nature has been a constant source of healing throughout the process.

Dr. Christopher Spromberg was raised in a small mill town in the beautiful PNW, but didn’t develop a relationship with the great outdoors until later in life. He recently completed his doctorate degree in clinical psychology and is now working as a psychologist in Montana, and is passionate about exploring the connection between masculinity and shame, which he wrote his dissertation on and is working towards publishing some of his findings.

And then there is Jake Kenobi, a Freelance Illustrator & Muralist working under the moniker Spring Break Jake. The goal of his work is to make the heavier parts of life feel conquerable by creating fun, low-brow art with a message.

On this episode, Grizel and the guys talk about the effects of toxic masculinity in a variety of ways--They discuss what happens biologically in the brain when men attempt to be vulnerable and why it's difficult to get men into therapy. They also discuss the global impact of toxic masculinity.

Muffy J Davis is a dyke, a Pisces, a working class femme, a writer, a person who has recovered from an eating disorder, and a long distance hiker. She wrote a book called, “Ink in Water: An Illustrated Memoir (Or, How I Kicked Anorexia’s Ass and Embraced Body Positivity).”

In Episode 4, Muffy and Grizel talk about one of the more challenging conversations in today’s society: Eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Muffy shares her personal journey of recovering from several different eating disorders, and how she fought against society’s version of being “healthy.” They also talk about different tools that can assist others who are struggling with body image and self-efficacy.