The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

I have been enjoying this podcast for the last year. Not only has it inspired me to spend much more time outdoors, but it has awakened the joy and wonder of the world around me. Ginny always interviews the most interesting people in such a refreshing way. I’ve increased my reading log exponentially because Ginny has an amazing ability to help her guests share their story in such a wholesome way that you feel connected and want to know more.

I’ve been a listener to this pod since it first started and have enjoyed so many episodes. But I was really disappointed in the recent episode with Fortesa Latifi. The episode discusses the nuance behind having children featured in online content that is being monetized by influencers. It was a great discussion highlighting both sides of the spectrum until the very end when Ginny felt the need to make a jab at the Mormon church by saying that “they pay their women influencers” without giving any context or leaving any time for context to be given by Fortesa, who apparently included an entire chapter in her book about Mormon influencers. I hope more context is given in that chapter and people take time to understand what kind of content the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is actually paying for and why. It seemed very unprofessional the way she brought it into the discussion and left listeners with the impression that the church is crazy and pays an army of highly attractive, blonde women with a lot of kids to go online and portray a perfect life featuring their kids and lying about the help they receive. All of that is just factually wrong and a gross oversimplification. In an episode that discussed nuance so much you think she would have taken the time to include the nuance of that topic and explain what kind of content the church does pay for and release that is user generated (UGC) by influencers. Looking at the actual content would help clue you into the basic fact that the vast majority of church members aren’t blonde or even American for that matter. The church puts a lot of effort into representing their global demographic in the content they release. It just felt like an intentional jab at the church that was unnecessary, missing context and not pertinent to the conversation. I know Ginny is Christian and probably strongly disagrees with the Mormon church. I don’t think she needs to be fact checking every author she interviews. But as the host she is responsible for guiding the conversation and asking deeper questions. I was disappointed in the way she chose to handle the topic - especially since the podcast tends to usually be very positive and uplifting.

I love listening to Ginny; she’s so full of joy and hope and tackles hard topics with trademark optimism and positivity! When everything else feels too heavy to listen to, Ginny is there with her excitement and enthusiasm to get our kids outside!

This used to be my favorite podcast of all time, however the intentional tone-deafness, mind numbing silence, and intentional pretend lack of awareness of the suffering and evil of our time, is far too much to bear. You have lost ALL credibility and respect from me, and I suspect others who have a conscience, a mind, and a true faith. It’s absolutely disgusting now to listen to these happy, peppy shows as the world is literally on fire, with ZERO acknowledgement of that FACT!!! What is wrong with you????? Your complicity is GLARING!!!!