Nature Junkie Radio Jeff Johnson

In this episode Serge and I talked about the founding of Wildcoast/Costasalvaje, their mission, their key programs (like protecting sea turtle nesting beaches in Mexico, mangroves, gray whale habitat, and coral reefs), barriers to conservation, the importance of blue mind, opportunities for nature based, blue carbon solutions for climate change, and the ups and downs of protecting wild places. Serge is a master storyteller and this conversation left me with both inspiration and hope for what’s possible.

Award winning conservation journalist Ben Goldfarb shares the insights and stories from his latest book, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet.

How one of the best water photographers in the world collaborates with nature, the world’s greatest surfers, and the lessons from the ocean he takes back into life on land.

How one of the best water photographers in the world collaborates with nature, the world’s greatest surfers, and the lessons from the ocean he takes back into life on land.

This interview is a special one to me and I think it will be for you too. In the mid-90s, I was a professional snowboarder. It was such a fun chapter of my life because snowboarding was in a wildly innovative phase. Tricks were getting technical, jumps were getting bigger, handrails were getting longer, curvier, and more kinked. But like most board sports, snowboarding has many dimensions. One of those is backcountry riding. Unlike the super technical trick nature of park and pipe riding, backcountry riding is more of an art form. It’s marked by the creativity of the line you choose on big, blank canvases, your flow, the style of your air, and how long you can hold your grab. Today’s guest, Elena Hight, has performed at the top of both of these dimensions of snowboarding.

Elena is a 2 time Olympian snowboarder, an X-games gold medalist, she’s the first female to land a frontside 900 in competition at 13 years old, the first snowboarder to land a double backside alley-oop rodeo in a halfpipe contest, she’s the first female to ride the infamous Tahoe Grizzly Spines, she’s graced the cover of many magazines, and it’s a complete honor to have such a badass Nature Junkie on the show. 

If you’re worried that we’re going to geek out too hard on trick technicalities, don’t hesitate. We checked that stuff at the door. Instead, this is a conversation about Elena navigating life’s transitions, doing extremely hard things, and learning how to better connect with everything through nature. Whether or not you're a snowboarder, I have no doubt you’ll glean something insightful from this convo. Elena dropped all kinds of Nature wisdom hard-earned from her depth of experience in vast mountain landscapes.

Enjoy the Ride,
Jeff  
Episode Links
@ElenaHight on Instagram
Elena Hight’s Website
Elena Hight’s Youtube Channel
Ode to Muir Snowboard Film
Edge of the Earth on Max/HBO
Our Breath Collective
Box Breath
Protect Our Winters (POW) - A non-profit that helps passionate outdoor people protect the places we live and experiences we love from climate change. 
Jeremy Jones
Elena’s Full Part in Ark
Creation Theory Film by Arc’teryx
Flying High Again Snowboard Film by Teton Gravity Research and Mike Hatchett
Wet Fur
Continuum

Connect with Nature Junkie
@NatureJunkieRadio on Instagram
Email: hello@naturejunkielife.com (submit a microdose of nature by emailing a 30-60 second voice memo with your name, how you microdose nature and how it makes you feel so we can share it with the community)
Newsletter Signup

Show Production Credits
Podcast cover art by Ahab Nimry (@ahabnimry, https://bigdaytheagency.com/)
Outro music on acoustic guitar by Tyler Johnson
Editing by Aashish M

Writer Michael Sacasas, or L.M. Sacasas as he’s known by his pen name, is the author of The Convivial Society, a popular newsletter on the intersection of technology and society. His work has been featured in The Atlantic, Vox, the New York Times, and he’s been a guest on The Ezra Klein Show.

I truly enjoy reading Michael’s newsletters because they have depth, they examine topics from multiple angles with nuance, they weave in history and bits of philosophy, and he poses smart questions. As a result, his essays stand out from today’s fast-cut, clickbait, shallow media landscape, with refreshing poise.  

In this thoughtful exploration, we use an essay of Michael’s titled, Whose Time? Which Temporality?, as a doorway to examine how digital, consumerist time is becoming dominant, and has no regard for our biology or wellbeing. Then we discuss the value of moving through life’s transitions in tune with the pace of nature’s transitions. In other words, slow, sauntering, gradual. If you’re feeling uneasy about how much digital time is driving the world these days and looking to explore alternative ways of being, I think you’ll leave this conversation with new perspectives.

Enjoy the ride,
Jeff
Episode Links
The Convivial Society - L.M. Sacasas’ Substack
@LMSacasas on X
Whose Time? Which Temporality? by L.M. Sacasas 
The Questions Concerning Technology by L.M. Sacasas 
Kevin Kelly 
Why We Sleep by Matthew walker
The Circadian Code by Satchin Panda
American Technological Sublime by David E. Nye
The Uncontrollability of the World by Hartmut Rosa 
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
Reconnection by Miles Richardson
The Embers and the Stars by Erazim Kohák
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 
The Hartman Group
The 4 Day Week Global

Connect with Nature Junkie
@NatureJunkieRadio on Instagram
Email: hello@naturejunkielife.com (submit a microdose of nature by emailing a 30-60 second voice memo with your name, how you microdose nature and how it makes you feel so we can share it with the community)
Newsletter Signup

Show Production Credits
Podcast cover art by Ahab Nimry (@ahabnimry, https://bigdaytheagency.com/)
Outro music on acoustic guitar by Tyler Johnson
Editing by Aashish M