Women in Wild Places

Gabriella DiGiovanni
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Wilderness
  • Updated Daily

Women in Wild Places is a show about women find strength, clarity, and identity in the outdoors. Host Gabriella DiGiovanni sits down with athletes, scientists, artists, mothers, and everyday adventurers to explore ambition, resilience, motherhood, fear, community, and the landscapes that shape us. Recognized by Spotify as a 2025 Instant Hit, WIWP shares honest, long-form conversations about choosing a bold life and protecting the wild places that we love.

  1. Staying Weird and Raising Legends with Julie from The Mothership Collective

    Jun 2

    Staying Weird and Raising Legends with Julie from The Mothership Collective

    Julie Bacon, founder of the Mothership Collective, joins Gabriella to talk about building one of the outdoor adventure world's most beloved communities for active moms, and the real journey that sparked it all. Julie was a mountain biker, bikepacker, and adventure-lover who rode the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and explored the world before becoming a mom. When she got pregnant with her daughter and couldn't find a single resource for women who wanted to keep pushing their limits outside, she built one herself. In this episode, we talk about: The moment that ignited the Mothership Collective and why it took Julie two years to finally launch itNavigating unsolicited opinions about outdoor activities while pregnant (yes, she was mountain biking five days before giving birth)The concept of "type four fun" and why adventure doesn't stop at motherhoodBuilding community from scratch in new cities and why people always make the placeHow the Mothership grew from a digital resource hub to 130+ in-person events globally through Rally the VillageThe "cosmic auntie" and why the women around a mother matter just as much as the village raising the childKeeping your identity, your spark, and your sense of play alive through the identity shift of becoming a momThis fall, Women in Wild Places is heading to Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah for a guided women's adventure trip exploring sacred red rock country, and doing exactly what Julie and Gabriella talk about in this episode: keeping the spark alive. Spots are limited, sign up here. Follow the Mothership Collective: @the.mothership.collective on Instagram, or join the Facebook community to connect with thousands of outdoor-loving mothers worldwide. Follow Women in Wild Places: @womeninwildplaces Keywords: outdoor moms, adventure motherhood, active pregnancy, women in the outdoors, trail running moms, mountain biking pregnancy, motherhood community, Mothership Collective, women's outdoor community, adventure parenting

    46 min
  2. Running, Climbing, and Traveling in Utah - My First Trip Without Baby + Family

    May 20

    Running, Climbing, and Traveling in Utah - My First Trip Without Baby + Family

    I went solo to Utah for the first time since becoming a mom and came back with bruised hands, a summit, and a renewed sense of self. In this solo episode, I recap my whirlwind trip through Moab and Indian Creek: racing the Thelma & Louise 15K through the Behind the Rocks desert, diving into a women's crack climbing clinic, and topping out on Ancient Art at Fisher Towers (the same area where I got engaged the year before.) I talk about mom guilt, the anxiety of leaving my baby for the first time, and what it felt like to remember who I was before becoming a parent. Topics covered: postpartum identity, crack climbing basics, trail racing culture, Indian Creek, Canyonlands, Fisher Towers, women-only outdoor spaces, and getting back to adventure on your own terms. Ready to experience Utah for yourself? Join me, KMAC Guides, and Women in Wild Places on a guided 5-day backpacking trip to Bears Ears National Monument — September 27th, all levels welcome, spots are limited. Keywords: postpartum adventure, women outdoor community, crack climbing, Indian Creek climbing, Moab trail race, Thelma and Louise race, Fisher Towers, Ancient Art tower, Bears Ears backpacking, women in the outdoors, mom identity, outdoor motherhood

    31 min
  3. Building a Life Around the Sea with Salmon Sisters Claire and Emma: Commercial Fishing, Design, and Environmental Advocacy

    Apr 15

    Building a Life Around the Sea with Salmon Sisters Claire and Emma: Commercial Fishing, Design, and Environmental Advocacy

    Claire and Emma of Salmon Sisters join us to pull back the curtain on what it takes to get wild Alaskan salmon from the water to your plate. Growing up on a remote off-grid homestead at the tip of the Alaskan Peninsula, fishing commercially with their father, and building a women-owned small business over the last decade, these two sisters have become some of Alaska's most compelling voices for sustainable fishing, fisheries advocacy, and connection to place. In this episode we cover: Why all Alaskan salmon is wild and what that means for you as a consumerHow commercial fishermen function as scientists and frontline stewards of wild fisheriesThe truth about overfishing, escapement, and sustainable fisheries management in AlaskaWhat it looks like to build a women-owned seafood business from the ground upRaising the next generation of women in commercial fishingHow living off the land shapes values around food, sustainability, and communityWhy small family fishing businesses are the backbone of the Alaska seafood industryAdvocacy work protecting salmon habitat and watersheds for future generationsFind Salmon Sisters at salmonsisters.com and follow them on Instagram @salmonsisters. Find host Gabriella on Instagram at @outsidegabs and the podcast at @womeninwildplaces 🏜️ Join Us in Bears Ears This October This fall, Women in Wild Places is teaming up with KMAC Guides for a five day backpacking trip through Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. We will hike sandstone canyons, explore ancient Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, sleep under some of the darkest skies in the lower 48, and build real community with a group of women who showed up for something that called to them. Optional yoga daily, structured community moments throughout, and KMAC guides making sure every experience level is supported every step of the way. Space is very limited. 👉 Sign up here

    53 min
  4. Skiing the Catskills High Peaks with Julie McGuire - Backcountry Skiing, Spiritual Awakening & One Woman's Solo Record

    Mar 18

    Skiing the Catskills High Peaks with Julie McGuire - Backcountry Skiing, Spiritual Awakening & One Woman's Solo Record

    Julie McGuire is a South Bronx high school English teacher, backcountry skier, and the first woman to ski all 33 of the Catskills High Peaks — mountains that top out at 4,200 feet and are far more rugged, technical, and unforgiving than most people realize. In this episode, Julie joins host Gabriella in a conversation that's as much about inner wilderness as outer wilderness. She shares how the abrupt end of her marriage sent her into the Catskills and how skiing solo through these dense, cliffed-out New York mountains became a spiritual practice, a healing journey, and eventually a record-breaking achievement documented in her award-winning short film, Queen of the Catskills. We talk about backcountry skiing in the Northeast, what makes the Catskills so technically challenging compared to Western and Alpine terrain, skinning up steep bushwhack terrain with no snowpack, following your intuition in the mountains and in life, the spiritual experience of solo wilderness adventures, and bringing her South Bronx students into wild places for the first time. Whether you're a skier, a hiker, a Catskills lover, or someone who's ever rebuilt their life one mountain at a time, this one's for you. Connect with Julie:📸 Instagram: @queenofthecatskillsny🎬 Queen of the Catskills — film still on tour, link in show notes Connect with Women in Wild Places:📸 Podcast Instagram: @womeninwildplaces🌿 Host Instagram: @outsidegabs🎒 Gear Lists & Favorites: shopmy.us/outsidegabs💬 Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend who belongs in wild places. Topics: backcountry skiing New York | Catskills High Peaks | ski touring Northeast | women in the outdoors | solo female adventurer | Catskill 3500 Club | wilderness and healing | outdoor education South Bronx | Queen of the Catskills film | ski mountaineering | nature and spirituality | women who ski | Catskills hiking | upstate New York adventure

    1h 6m
  5. Defying Gravity with Steph Davis: Free Soloing, Base Jumping, and Living a Life that Fits

    Mar 9

    Defying Gravity with Steph Davis: Free Soloing, Base Jumping, and Living a Life that Fits

    In this episode of Women in Wild Places, host Gabriella sits down with Steph Davis — professional climber, base jumper, wingsuit pilot, and one of the most accomplished female alpinists in the world. Steoh has freed El Cap in a day and the Salathe Wall, free soloed the Longs Peak Diamond and put up first ascents in Patagonia, Pakistan, and the Arctic. What makes this conversation so compelling is how accessible Steph makes it all feel. We talk about what it's like to stand at the edge of a cliff before a base jump, how she thinks about fear and decision-making in high-stakes environments, and why she believes the goal isn't to be fearless , but to be present. We also get into her unconventional path from classical pianist to professional climber, what it was like living out of a car to climb full time, her years of expedition climbing in Patagonia and beyond, and the mindset it takes to free solo big walls in Yosemite. Whether you climb, jump, or simply want to live more intentionally, this episode will shift the way you think about risk, intuition, and staying true to yourself. Find Steph Davis: 🌐 Website: https://stephdavis.co/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highsteph/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephdavisclimb/ Steph's Books: 📖 High Infatuation: A Climber's Guide to Love and Gravity — essays on climbing, life, love, and risk 📖 Learning to Fly: A Memoir of Hanging On and Letting Go — her memoir on skydiving, wingsuiting, BASE jumping, and rediscovering purpose through flight Follow Women in Wild Places: 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninwildplaces/ 🎙️ Host: https://www.instagram.com/outsidegabs/ In this episode we cover: free soloing, base jumping, wingsuit flying, rock climbing, El Capitan, Patagonia climbing, women in adventure sports, fear and decision-making, intuition, living simply, following your passion, expedition climbing, backcountry flying, Moab Utah, women climbers Cover image taken by by Jimmy Chin.

    1h 9m
  6. Exploring the World Beneath Our Feet: Caves, Beetles & 80% of Life We Haven’t Met Yet with Dr. Iva Njunjić

    Feb 23

    Exploring the World Beneath Our Feet: Caves, Beetles & 80% of Life We Haven’t Met Yet with Dr. Iva Njunjić

    In this episode of Women in Wild Places, host Gabriella sits down with Dr. Iva Njunjić, a cave biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and co-founder of Taxon Expeditions, to explore the hidden worlds beneath our feet. Dr. Iva studies life in extreme underground environments, focusing on cave-dwelling insects and biodiversity in some of the most remote places on Earth. Her work has taken her to Europe’s deep cave systems, rainforests in Borneo, the Amazon and more. She shares how a childhood visit to a cave at age 13 sparked her lifelong passion for exploration and science, and what it takes physically, mentally, and technicallyto access places few humans ever see. In this conversation, we discuss: Why nearly 80% of Earth’s species may still be undiscoveredHow caves function as “living laboratories” for evolutionThe story behind naming a beetle after Leonardo DiCaprioWhy insects and small organisms are essential to ecosystemsHow citizen science helps protect biodiversityWhat it means to care for the natural world without burnoutPractical ways anyone can support conservation in daily lifeDr. Iva also explains how Taxon Expeditions allows everyday people to join real scientific research expeditions and help document new species around the world. This episode is for anyone interested in conservation, biodiversity, cave exploration, citizen science, environmental protection, and reconnecting with nature above ground and below. 🎧 Listen now to learn how paying attention to the smallest creatures can change how we see the planet. Links & Resources 🔬 Dr. Iva Njunjić Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cavernella/🌍 Taxon Expeditions Website: https://www.taxonexpeditions.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taxonexpeditions/🎙️ Women in Wild Places PodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninwildplaces/Host: https://www.instagram.com/outsidegabs/ Substack: https://substack.com/@womeninwildplaces? Cover Image by Sotiris Kountouras / Taxon Expeditions

    49 min
  7. Hunting for Food and Freedom with Christie Green

    Feb 10

    Hunting for Food and Freedom with Christie Green

    What does it mean to hunt as a deeply embodied, emotional, and relational practice? In this episode of Women in Wild Places, I sit down with writer and landscape architect Christie Green to explore hunting as a path to connection: to food, to place, to the animal world, and to our own bodies. Christie shares her journey of beginning to hunt later in life after growing up in Alaska, and how what started as a desire to harvest her own food became a personal and creative practice. Together, they talk about the sensory world of the hunt, the moment of deciding whether to take a life, the paradox of grief and gratitude, and what it feels like to see your own anatomy reflected in the body of an animal. We talk about why the topic has become so polarizing, and how these charged topics can actually open space for deeper dialogue, humility, and mutual respect. This is a conversation about nuance, belonging, and paying attention. Connect with Christie Green 🌿 Website: https://www.christiegreen.net/📸 Instagram 📖 Moonlight ElkChristie's fashion brandConnect with Women in Wild Places 📸 Instagram: @womeninwildplacesJoin the free community on SubstackShop essential gear

    58 min
  8. Hotshotting and the Myth of Control: Wildfire, Community, and Creativity with Amanda Monthei

    Jan 21

    Hotshotting and the Myth of Control: Wildfire, Community, and Creativity with Amanda Monthei

    In this episode of Women in Wild Places, I’m joined by Amanda Monthei, a former hotshot wildland firefighter, writer, and the creator of the Life With Fire podcast, for a deep, thoughtful conversation about wildfire, creativity, and what it means to live and work inside powerful & uncontrollable landscapes. Amanda spent multiple seasons working on fire crews and hotshotting, witnessing massive wildfires most people will never experience up close. Through years on the line, she came to understand something many of us resist: fire is never really “in control,” and the idea that humans can fully control it is largely a myth. We talk about what it’s actually like to live in survival mode all summer, the nervous-system crash that comes in the off season, and the emotional and psychological toll of increasingly long, intense fire seasons. Amanda shares what it means to see communities burn, to work inside catastrophe, and to carry that weight long after the season ends. We also explore her transition from firefighter to storyteller, and her current chapter pursuing an MFA in Creative Nonfiction at the University of Montana and returning to craft, attention, and creative practice as a way of making sense of the world. We talk about writing, observation, landscape, and how learning to really see the places we live changes how we tell stories. This episode is about hotshotting, the creative process, and how living with uncontrollable forces shapes the way we pay attention, write, and understand our place in the world. It’s also about humility, limits, fire ecology, and what wildfire teaches us about being human in a changing climate. Connect with Amanda Listen to her podcast: Life With FireFollow her on Instagram: @a_montheiCheck out her website and SubstackConnect with Women in Wild Places Follow us on Instagram: @womeninwildplaces @outsidegabsJoin our SubstackSubscribe to our PatreonIf you loved this episode, please consider following the show, leaving a rating or review, and sharing it with someone who loves wild places, good stories, and thoughtful conversations about the world we live in. Note: Toward the end of the episode, Amanda accidentally say “prescribed fire councils” when she meant to say “prescribed burn associations.”

    57 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Women in Wild Places is a show about women find strength, clarity, and identity in the outdoors. Host Gabriella DiGiovanni sits down with athletes, scientists, artists, mothers, and everyday adventurers to explore ambition, resilience, motherhood, fear, community, and the landscapes that shape us. Recognized by Spotify as a 2025 Instant Hit, WIWP shares honest, long-form conversations about choosing a bold life and protecting the wild places that we love.

Information

  • Creator
    Gabriella DiGiovanni
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Gabriella DiGiovanni
  • Show Website
    Women in Wild Places

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