Interested in the neuro-biology of how you can become more resilient to stress? Listen in. Episode 032: #mc_embed_signup{background:clear; clear:left; 18px font: courier,Arial,sans-serif; } Ready to get out of the comfort zone and thrive? Join us! Get in touch if you want some citations to the research that went into this episode - I'd be happy to send out the citations. As a great, readable reference, check out 'The Hour Between Dog and Wolf' - it's a great [...]...
Nov 01, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast Climbing... can you think of a more fun way to master your own personal psychology? To calm yourself down in the face of stressful situations? It not only provides useful skills for everyday life, it's also fun. Boom. Don McGrath and Jeff Elison are psychologists, professors, PhD's, and (perhaps most importantly for our purposes) climbers who put their heads together to write and publish Vertical Mind: Psychological Approaches for Optimal Rock Climbing. In this episode, Don, Jeff, and I had a [....
Sep 30, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast I would be remiss if I discussed the topic of adventure without bringing personal psychology into the equation. I know it seems strange. Allow me to explain in Episode 030. One of the most important, foundational principles in understanding yourself for the purposes of personal development and growth is to understand your biological reactivity - are you inclined to seek out novelty or does doing things outside of your comfort zone make you nervous. Your rea ...
Jul 06, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast Whether or not you believe in climate change, the world is undoubtedly changing rapidly, and disasters that come in and shake our world up (sometimes literally) seem to be happening more often. Earthquakes aside, though, in 2011 insurance companies were disappointed when after just 6 months, the year proved to be the costliest year on record - a statistic that their research tied unambiguously to climate change. I’ve seen it first hand this year in California, where a record drought has broug [....
Jun 01, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast “The essence of socialization is to make people dependent on social controls, to have them respond predictably to rewards and punishment. And the most effective form of socialization is achieved when people identify so thoroughly with social order that they no longer can imagine themselves breaking any of its rules.” -Mihaly Csikszentmihalyl in is national bestseller, Flow: the psychology of optimal experience. I know we’re all in a minority, but I think I speak for a [...]...
May 19, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast David Kroodsma, a Stanford-educated physicist and environmental scientist, decided to embark on a 21,000 mile bike tour in the name of raising awareness for the climate crisis. Can we say wow? Tune in to Episode 027 to hear from him chat about the trip, climate change, and the highs, lows, joys, and challenges of long-distance bicycle touring. #mc_embed_signup{background:clear; clear:left; 18px font: courier,Arial,sans-serif; } Ready to get out of the comfort zone and t [...]...
Apr 28, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast Hey ladies and bros - the Brave Monkeys are back. Coming at you this time from Joshua Tree National Park, we have a climbing story. No, a life story. Wait, I'm not sure which one it is. Enjoy Episode 026: Music courtesy of Holland Hopson on Mevio's Music Alley! #mc_embed_signup{background:clear; clear:left; 18px font: courier,Arial,sans-serif; } Ready to get out of the comfort zone and thrive? Join us! [...]
Apr 14, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast Matthew Lee created a monster of a bike ride - the 2,745 mile Tour Divide. Starting in Canada and ending on the U.S.-Mexico border, the route climbs enough quad-burning vertical to be equivalent to summiting Mount Everest seven times. At some point Brendan Leonard interviewed Matt, asking why for so many years he took a month off his job as a maitre’d in North Carolina to come out West and ride his bike an insane number of miles. “Have you heard of The [...]...
Mar 03, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast Are you ready to stop settling and start living? To stop constantly 'playing defense' in life? Are you ready to play to go for audacious goals? Health guru and men's coach Clark Danger and I discuss the value of personal development in creating a freaking awesome life for yourself. Stop waiting for that magical day to come when you are allowed to start living the epic life you have dreamed of. Create it now. Stop settling, start living in Episode 024. Make sure to connect with Clark at [...]...
Feb 24, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast Call me crazy, call me masochistic, call me just plain stupid, but I decided to go on a run with Michaeline. That’s right - the Michaeline I spoke of last week - the ultrarunner who only seems to get stronger as she goes. Uhh, just hearing her name is a formidable challenge. My alarm clock rang at 6:03 (I don’t like to set alarms for even numbers), and almost immediately I heard Mikey stirring in the other room. Not 30 seconds passed before she had her [...]...
Feb 17, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast Life's a lot like a wintertime night trail run. The dangers out there are real - very real. But if we act like a Boy Scout, plan ahead and prepare (and act accordingly), most things just aren't as serious as our minds can make them out to be. That's my hope for the current environmental crisis. If we can plan ahead, prepare, and change our actions to reflect greater human health and environmental sustainability, we can turn this ship around, and make these issues less serious than they are loo [...
Feb 10, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast How many of us have this story: we tried running for years and kept getting hurt? Or we stopped because we felt beat-up physically even though we still had energy? This was my story until I read Born to Run and found Barefoot Ted's journey (check out the photos below!). Similarly, this was Barefoot Ted's story until he uncovered the discovery - or rediscovery - of barefoot running. What he found was this: "Hey! Human being! You know what? You evolved on this planet, and you happen to be the [......
Feb 03, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast "What's the American Dream anymore? Do I have to buy a house, settle down? Will I ever find that girl? Do I want kids? What is home, anyway? A guy told me once that everybody needs a grand tour - some times away from the walls you have constructed around yourself, to shake you out of your routine, show you your real dreams, to show you your story. I found a story. Maybe the only one I really needed" -Brendan Leonard We get into this and more in Episode 020: Make sure to pick up a copy of Th [......
Jan 27, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast Brendan Leonard is the author of The New American Road Trip Mixtape and writes enthusiastically about things regular folks can do at Semi-Rad. Semi-Rad is what can be done with 52 weekends and a few weeks of vacation a year. It’s adventures for the everyman and woman. It’s a web site for those of us crushing it, kind of. We had a conversation about the struggles of finding work you love, his creative process, and the awesomeness of being passionately mediocre. Check this sample of his wri [...]...
Jan 20, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast Depression has been described as like being trapped in a deep dungeon to which you have the key, but never think you can look for it - or from which you can climb out, but you don't believe you can do it. This is Garrett's story of using adventure to begin to climb out of those depths - both metaphorically and literally. Episode 018: Music today by Zach Schmidt who recently has a new album out! Check it out here. #mc_embed_signup{background:clear; clear:left; 18px font: [...]...
Jan 13, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast This is the story of how Lyle Nelson deferred Harvard to take a gap-year surf trip through Central America. Strap in. Episode 017: Music today by Zach Schmidt, Shattervox, Jeff Mallon, and Mike McGill. #mc_embed_signup{background:clear; clear:left; 18px font: courier,Arial,sans-serif; } Ready to get out of the comfort zone and thrive? Join us! Options for Supporting the Show High Rollin' : $10.99 USD - monthly Monkey Up : $4.99 USD - mont [...]...
Jan 06, 2014•Transcript available on Metacast We all make New Year's Resolutions. Mine failed for many years, until I decided to take a life-altering trip. This is the story of my Everglades thru-paddle. Episode 016: Music today by Big Rain, 8 Ball Aitken, Cipre, the Border Blasters, The Delta Rasa, and Jeff Mallon - these guys are awesome! #mc_embed_signup{background:clear; clear:left; 18px font: courier,Arial,sans-serif; } Ready to get out of the comfort zone and thrive? Join us! [...]
Dec 28, 2013•Transcript available on Metacast Want to design your life around the outdoors? Look into starting a bike shop. CJ tells us his story today, including his career before bikes, soul-searching on sailboats, and finally opening his shop and having a former squatter in the building become his first 'employee' at Flagstaff Bicycle Revolution. All of the music today was from Diamond Down String Band - CJ's work on the banjo makes their music come alive! Diamond Down is currently touring and looking to put out their first album - if [....
Dec 23, 2013•Transcript available on Metacast Clay gives insights into health topics like boosting testosterone and reducing toxin loads, why adventure is inspirational and healthy, and his experiences in Zen meditation. And you know me, I also ask him for tips into staying contented with city life. Episode 014: #mc_embed_signup{background:clear; clear:left; 18px font: courier,Arial,sans-serif; } Ready to get out of the comfort zone and thrive? Join us! Options for Supporting the Show [...]...
Dec 16, 2013•Transcript available on Metacast Close your eyes for a few seconds and take a deep breath, then come back and read this. Back? OK, now imagine you are in the Himalayas hiking through deep snow drifts. You are cold, but the air is pure and refreshing. As you take another deep breath, you see in the distance a small wooden structure. Upon arriving at the structure, you realize it is an abandoned Yurt. You open the door and peer inside, and find that high mountain flowers are growing. Close your eyes and take another deep breat [....
Dec 09, 2013•Transcript available on Metacast What do you do after football? Here's my story. Episode 012: #mc_embed_signup{background:clear; clear:left; 18px font: courier,Arial,sans-serif; } Ready to get out of the comfort zone and thrive? Join us! Options for Supporting the Show High Rollin' : $10.99 USD - monthly Monkey Up : $4.99 USD - monthly Let's Hear It! : $1.99 USD - monthly Why Subscribe? April 28, 2009 I hung up the pads today. [...]...
Dec 02, 2013•Transcript available on Metacast This time of year, like most Americans I think, I try to take some extra time to think about what I am grateful for. I talk about this a lot, but gratitude itself is actually a powerful lifehack - it has been shown scientifically to help you get better sleep, reduce stress, have better eating habits, and even reduce your feelings of physical pain. I try to take advantage of this nice little fact, so I keep a ‘gratitude journal’ next to my bed - I start every day by taking [......
Nov 25, 2013•Transcript available on Metacast Former University of Pennsylvania Offensive Lineman and current Houston Law School Student Garrett Moore, who has recently made massive lifestyle changes, lost 40 pounds in 2 months, and upgraded his mental performance before entering law school, lets us in on some of the secrets to his success. Remember that if you want a FREE Brave Monkey Sticker, write a review on iTunes for us, then sign up for the Brave Monkey Newsletter so you can send me a message with your info [...
Nov 18, 2013•Transcript available on Metacast Four years ago, Jason and I met at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and started adventuring and "getting healthy doses of unavoidable reality". In this episode, I get off track by telling Jason about a recent story - Canyoneering in Water Holes Canyon - before we get into the meat of the show, using Systems of Decision in Adventure and Life. We also discuss Jason's research into ocean circulation patterns and developing a technology that uses physiological markers to track how far out of the [...
Nov 12, 2013•Transcript available on Metacast Have you thought about trying yoga, but afraid to actually walk into a class? Heather Quinn-Wagner not only gives us insights into the benefits the practice can provide in other aspects of life, but also starts the show off by taking us through some poses! We also discussed the habits you can use to become a writer and the challenges of chasing your dreams. Want to get a Brave Monkey Sticker? If you haven't already, please write a review for the show on iTunes. Then, send m [....
Nov 04, 2013•Transcript available on Metacast 
