So you're 13 years old and your doctor just told you that you have cancer. Well, shit. How does that blow up your world? How do your committed parents take the news? And how do these experiences affect your adult life after you survive? Today on Wisconsin Notes we have Matt Schaar to tell us his story and to answer all my nosey questions.

You know the milk mustache athletes? The ones that are celebrated in Sports Illustrated as “Athletes to watch” and they all end up being either CEO’s of major companies or olympics athletes? Well our guests today, Carly and Andrew, were two of those athletes. The story is short and sweet, but even after 3 and a half years of being together you can hear the endearing corny love in their voices as they recount how they first got together.

"Let's make a pact. If we are still single at the end of the month, we will meet up in the middle of England for a run and brunch." A simple plan turned into an adventurous romance. A weekend away on the first date. Meeting the family on the third date. Moving in together-halfway around the world- after only seeing each other in the flesh a half dozen times. The story of Iain and Katie is both hilarious and inspiring. Part 1 of our love fest podcast starts right now.

Today we have a quick story from Jason Shaw, co-leader of November Project Indy. Jason gives us a little background on his childhood, growing up with a birthmark on the right side of his face, and it will hopefully give you a little perspective shift this morning. It's a short one, so enjoy!

So we all do it, but most people don’t love talking about it. I guess unless you’re a November Project leader. Today we have 3 short stories about…poop. A few weeks ago there were about 15 leaders from around the globe gathered in a San Francisco home, telling stories and learning more about one another. The poop topic just kept coming up, so we rolled with it. The Wisconsin Notes today are the following: First up is a 4 minute story from Ryan Wooderson, co-leader of November Project Denver, about the first time he told his now wife he loved her. And how his stomach had other plans. After that is a 7 minute story from Paul Leak, former leader of November Project NYC and the biggest running fan boy on the planet, he talks about the time he completely blew out his running shorts in a HS cross country race. And last but not least is a quick 2 minute story from Melissa Garner, Co-leader of November Project Vancouver, who found herself silently plunging a friend’s toilet on her first visit to his home. We all do it, but these people just really enjoy talking about it.

It’s no secret that there is a lack of diversity in the outdoor world and our guest on Wisconsin Notes today, Jorge Moreno, is on a mission to change that. My conversation with Jorge paints a picture of what growing up in an urban environment with little exposure to the outdoors was like for him and how he stumbled upon a community in San Francisco who forced him out of his comfort zone and into the woods. Now, he’s working with the National Outdoor Leadership School to educate kids from a young age so they don’t have to wait until they adults to learn about the beauty of the wilderness.

Today on Episode 11 we have Kelly Roberts. Kelly is a body positive activist who jumped on an opportunity 4 years ago and turned it into an international following to inspire women across the globe to start believing in themselves and show the world that strength doesn’t just look one particular way, nor is achieved alone. She has a force of powerful women behind her who have helped her launch her blog and Podcast “Run, Selfie, Repeat” and continue her quest to empower females through her platform “She Can And She Did.”

You know those people who light up your day just by saying hello? That's Lindsay Bolt. A UCSF nurse and educator, runner, comedian, and cat enthusiast, today she tells her story about being the younger sister to Becky Bolt, one of November Project SF's most beloved members.

Chris Heuisler is a lot of things. He is the RunWESTIN Concierge for Westin Hotels and Resorts, an actor, a father & husband, a competitive runner, and a really great storyteller. His job and excellent networking skills have gotten him in the mix with some of the fastest runners in the world, but we rarely get to hear more about who Chris actually is. Start your new year off with some great banter with one of our favorite people.

This week's short story is brought to you by Annelise Mecca, who tells us a story from when she lived and worked on the Greek island of Lesvos. She went with a plan to simply fulfill her six-week fieldwork requirement for her masters program, and instead stayed for five months as a researcher in Kara Tepe refugee camp. It's a short summary of how, once again, community can be built in one of the most unsuspecting places.