Episodes
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Hailing from Half Moon Bay, California, August Howell grew up surfing up and down the stateâs northern coast. He studied journalism at the University of Oregon and was a reporter for his hometown newspaper, the Half Moon Bay Review, for nearly five years. But he was raised on a diet of surf magazines, and surfing (and writing about it) remains his passion. He has written about teenagers at Maverickâs, shark researchers in the Farallon Islands, the nuances of big-wave guns, and is a staff writer for SURFER Magazine. In this podcast, we talk about the importance of physical magazines to consume information and preserve surf culture.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Chas Smith (@BeachGrit) is a luminous figure in surfing, an adept journalist, and author. Born in San Jose, California in 1976, Smithâs family uprooted and landed in Coos Bay, Oregon where he learned to surf. After studying intercultural studies in undergrad, Smith graduated with a masterâs in linguistics, going on to study in Egypt and at Oxford. Following a story he published in Australia Surfing Life about surfing in Yemen in the wake of 9/11, Smith went on to report in Lebanon, Somalia, Israel-Palestine, and wound up a captive of Hezbollah reporting for Current TV. In the early-aughts, Smith worked for Vice. Soon, he joined Stab magazine at the behest of Derek Rielly, then editor-in-chief, and they set in on an unparalleled era in surf journalism. Some of Stabâs more controversial content garnered unsavory public spats that earned Smith some anti-Semitic epithets, and then in 2014, Smith and Reilly began Beach Gritâa deep well of incendiary, tongue-in-cheek honesty drenched in satire, sans filter. Heâs now a regular contributor to The Surferâs Journal, with bylines at Esquire and Playboy, and the author of Paradise, Now Go to Hell, a cultural vignette of Oahuâs North Shore, which was a finalist for the PEN Center USA Award for Nonfiction.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Episodes manquant?
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Robin Greenfield (@RobinGreenfield) is an American environmental activist, adventurer, and humanitarian known for his bold, experiential campaigns that challenge consumerism and promote sustainable living. He has become widely recognized for living in radical simplicity to inspire others toward sustainability, self-sufficiency, and ecological awareness. Greenfieldâs work has included biking across the United States on a bamboo bicycle while living off the grid, creating public displays from edible food found in dumpsters to expose food waste, and famously wearing every piece of trash he generated for 30 days to visually demonstrate consumer impact. In 2018, he undertook a yearlong project in Florida, during which he ate only what he grew or foraged himselfâan effort to show what's possible outside industrial food systems. Rejecting modern excess, Greenfield has lived without a personal car, phone, or permanent home. He owns fewer than 50 possessions and donates 100% of his media income to grassroots causes. His campaigns have been featured by National Geographic, The Guardian, and TEDx, where he has shared his vision of a world rooted in harmony with nature.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Captain Liz Clark (@CaptainLizClark) spent her youth dreaming of traveling the world by sailboat and surfing remote waves. At the age of 22, she met a mentor who helped turn her desire into reality. Embarking on an adventure that most only fantasize about, she set sail from Santa Barbara, California, as captain of her 40-foot sailboat, Swell, headed south in search of surf and self. Liz captured her voyage in her memoir, Swell, sharing tales of sailing in high seas, of solitude and surprises. During this podcast, we explored Lizâs relationship to God, her experience setting down roots in Tahiti, and her daily habits that led to her completed memoir.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global organization that holds businesses accountable to donate 1% of their annual sales to environmental causes. In 2002, Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, created 1% for the Planet and started a global movement. Today, the network of 4,800+ business members have given more than $700 million in certified donations to vetted environmental organizations. Simply put, businesses commit, give and get certified. Itâs low lift for them and high impact for the environmental partners. In this conversation, Kate and I explored the psychology of giving, egregious examples of greenwashing, and how we can change philanthropy norms among the super-rich in the years ahead.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Every plastic bag has a silver lining, and Ethan Estees has made a career out of finding it. The marine biologist and artist specializes in turning ocean trashâfrom plastic bottles to discarded fishing ropeâinto spectacular art pieces. His seascapes give a second life to the otherwise mundane material, offering an attractive introduction to the often depressing topic of ocean pollution. In this conversation, Ethan and I explored his process as an artist and spent a good chunk of time talking about the state of MPAs in California. Despite dedicating his career to environmental protection, Ethan has stuck his neck out for fishing communities over the past two years, calling out the misbegotten proposals by some environmental groups to close large swaths of Californiaâs fisheries. It takes courage not to blindly join a tribe in 2025, but some could argue this quality is requisite to make great art.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
Kyle Thiermann is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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Devin OâDea grew up backpacking and fishing the Trinity Alps and Sierra Nevada Mountain ranges of Northern California and has been abalone diving, spearfishing and foraging in the Pacific Ocean for several decades. After getting a degree in Political Science from UC Santa Barbara, he worked in the environmental consulting industry and as a marketing manager for a carbon fiber division of Mitsubishi, but the allure of the backcountry, bowhunting, and a love for wild places and wild food brought him to his current role as the Western Policy & Conservation Manager for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), a non-profit dedicated to wild public lands, waters and wildlife. Follow Devin on The Gram, heâs got some great adventure posts.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
Kyle Thiermann is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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Foster Huntington is a photographer and filmmaker from Skamania, Washington. In 2011, he left his fashion job in New York City and moved into a camper van. For the next three years, he traveled around North America, driving some 120,000 miles, surfing and camping. He began the popular Tumblr account and hashtag, #Vanlife and self-published a book, âHome Is Where You Park It,â with photos from his time on the road. He now lives in a treehouse in the Columbia River Gorge and works on short films and photo projects in his studio. Follow Foster on his Substack.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
Kyle Thiermann is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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I first saw Brent Pella perform standup at MUD\WTR: Gather for an LA fires benefit show. The dude set the place on fiâ. Though his comedic talents span the range of current events across the political spectrumâfrom Rogan impersonations to Kamalaâs impressive assortment of accents (depending on where she was campaigning)âhe hit the cultural version of a nuclear reactor when he started writing jokes about new age spirituality, conspiracy theories, and human optimization. His videos have gained 500M+ views online and he was recently named a "Creator to Watch" by the New York Comedy Festival. His debut comedy special, âConscious Broâ is live on YouTube now. In this conversation we dove into Brentâs past. He told the story of his first open mic, rapping at UC Santa Barbara, and why, despite the devil on his shoulder, he feels politically homeless.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Amy Baldwin (@amyshamelesssex) is a Somatic Sex and Relationship Coach (trained in the SomaticaÂź Method), Certified Sex Educator, and host of the Shameless Sex podcast. Amy has a passion for promoting shame-free, pleasure-focused sexuality education while emphasizing the deep emotional and energetic forces behind great sex and intimate connection, offering everything from how-to workshops to erotic empowerment retreats. This was Amyâs fifth or sixth time on the show, so if youâre not sick of us yammering, feel free to scroll through the archives to keep the party going.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Adam Skolnick (@adamskolnick) is an award-winning independent journalist and author covering adventure sports, environmental issues, travel and human rights for The New York Times, Outside, Playboy and Lonely Planet. He is the author of One Breath: Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits, the ghost writer and narrator of David Gogginsâ smash hit memoir and audiobook Canât Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds, and he is a co-host on the Rich Roll Podcast. Adam and I do ocean swims together. Sometimes I let him win.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Nina Simon has worn many hats in her career: slam poet, NASA engineer, game designer, and museum director at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. If that didnât make her busy enough, she went ahead and wrote two nonfiction books: The Participatory Museum and The Art of Relevance. In 2020, Ninaâs mom was diagnosed with advanced cancer, so Nina quit her job to help care for her. The two had always enjoyed reading mysteries, so they started imagining one that featured characters a bit like themâhardworking California women trying to balance professional ambition and motherhood. She wrote, her mom read, and the creative process helped them heal and grow closer. Today, Ninaâs mom is doing well, and Mother-Daughter Murder Night is a New York Times Bestseller. (Talk about turning lemons into lemonade.)
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Soraya Simi is the director of the new documentary, ROW OF LIFE, which follows renowned Paralympian and Marine Veteran Angela Madsen on her solo row across the Pacific Ocean. The film quite simply rocks, if I do say so myself. It's on a nationwide tour now; see dates here. In this podcast, I grilled Soraya about the art and craft of documentary filmmaking. How to get funding with a sizzle, A plot and B plot, truth as subtraction, and much more. Soraya is a damn good filmmaker.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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In 2017, Wilem Banks (@Wilembanks) made headlines when he suffered a horrific fall at Mavericks and won WSLâs Wipeout of the Year (the most embarrassing award in surfing). The award seemed to put a chip on Wilemâs shoulder, and since then, heâs set out to prove that he can do more than paddle into gigantic wavesâhe can make them, too! This year, the humble warrior took his first trip to Jaws on Maui and bagged what some say was the biggest wave ever completed at the spot. In this episode, Wilem recounts the story in detail. Beyond the ocean, he is a hunter, carpenter, and co-owner of Banks&Banks Saunas, a custom-built sauna service he runs with his brother.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my Youtube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Arthur (@arthurbourbon) was born and raised on a small French Caribbean island called Guadeloupe. He started surfing at a very young age with his parents, and competitions led him to move to France as a teenager. After graduating from high school, Arthur began a professional surfing career, competing on the European Pro Junior and QS circuits for a few years before switching to a free surf career. While traveling to the worldâs most beautiful surf spots, he discovered a new passion that would also become a profession: filmmaking. Since then, Arthur has divided his time between surfing and filmmaking. Primarily focused on documentary films, he seeks to tell surf-related stories that go beyond the sport itself, often addressing broader themes like environmental or social impact. In 2020, he released the critically acclaimed documentary âWater Get No Enemyâ about the Liberian surfing community. Last year, Arthur had the chance to return to Liberia to continue documenting their story. A new film titled âWe The Surfersâ will be released soon.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Jarrett Rose, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Community & Behavioral Health and Sociology at the State University of New York (SUNY) Polytechnic Institute. His research focuses on psychedelics, mental health, and surf culture (Spoiler: theyâre all connected). Dr. Rose's interest in mental health research began during his time as a teacher in a "trauma reduction unit" at a juvenile detention facility in San Diego. This experience inspired him to pursue graduate studies in Toronto, Canada, where he participated in a weeklong group-based psychedelic-assisted therapy retreat in Jamaica. There, he explored the combined effects of psychedelics and group dynamics on healing and self-transformation.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Dersu Rhodes is the former Creative Director at Vice and MUD\WTR. He helped launch Vice TV, worked on VICE on HBO, and has led creative teams to launch literally hundreds of brands. Raised by hippie parents in Montana, he didn't have a television until he was nine. And from a quiet yearning to fit in as a child a necessity for storytelling emerged. Dersu lives in Ojai and possesses an above-average style on mid-length Bonzers. Stalk Dersu on Instagram. His reel is also impressive.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
Kyle Thiermann is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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Born and raised near Toronto, RJ had a thirst for adventure from a young age and moved to the coast to work at a remote salmon fishing lodge in Haida Gwaii. Now 34, heâs the co-owner of the Nootka Wilderness Lodge, a floating fishing and surfing resort off the remote west coast of Vancouver Island. In the winter, he manages ops at a new heli ski operation in Bute Inlet, home of the tallest coastal mountain in BC. Most importantly, though, when I asked RJ to send me his bio, he made sure to include the fact that he has an above-average beard and is below average in height (unless wearing my cowboy boots). Follow RJ on Instagram; heâs a true salt-of-the-earth badass.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Thomas Kemeny is a Creative Director/Copywriter and author of the advertising book Junior. I own the book, recommend the book, and when Iâm feeling completely lost on a copywriting job, occasionally smear goat blood on the book and pray to it. An idea always arrives. Thomas has worked at top creative agencies all over the country and has won The One Show, Cannes Lions, and ANDY Awards. His work has been discussed in the New York Times, NPR, and Vanity Fair. He has an equally impressive list of failures (his words, not mine). Follow the man on LinkedIn.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
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Paige Alms (@Paigealms) is 2x Big Wave Surfing World Champion and a fellow Patagonia Surf Ambassador. Recently, we spent a week on a ship together, huffing diesel fumes and salt water through unruly seas on an adventure to British Columbia. Paige is widely considered to be the best female big-wave surfer in the world and the only woman to ever get barreled at Jaws. She was instrumental in fighting for equal pay in womenâs competitions and was a subject in a Page 1 New York Times piece titled, The Fight for Gender Equality in One of the Most Dangerous Sports on Earth. This podcast was recorded on a beach at the base of a shallow, gurgly, righthand slab and was by far the most splendid location I have ever done a show.
If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can join my newsletter on Substack. Itâs glorious.
Photo: Christa Funk
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