The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Caroline Miller joins The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with host Ginny Yurich for a really grounded conversation about something most of us think we understand—goals—and why we actually don’t. She explains the difference between goals that work and goals that fall apart, why so many people lose momentum, and why feeling okay first isn’t optional if you want to follow through on anything meaningful. The conversation moves into things that don’t get talked about enough—how women are often treated when they aim high, what kids are missing when everything comes too easily, and how grit can either help you or quietly wreck you if it’s pointed the wrong way. It’s thoughtful without being complicated, practical without being formulaic, and full of ideas you’ll keep turning over after it ends. Learn more about Caroline and all she has to offer here Get your copy of Big Goals here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This conversation with Debra Fileta on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with host Ginny Yurich gets right to the ache so many women are carrying: the feeling of being stretched thin by good things, needed by everyone, and running on empty. Debra brings the kind of wisdom that makes listeners feel both seen and steadied as she talks about burnout, boundaries, soul care, screen time, motherhood, friendship, homeschooling, and the deep-rooted beliefs that keep so many of us overextending ourselves. Her reminder to stop living at 100 percent and start building margin is extremely practical. This is the kind of episode that helps you exhale, tell the truth about how tired you are, and start making a way back to joy. Learn more about Debra here Also check out her books: Soul Care, People Skills, Any Day Emotions, and ⁠True Love Dates Listen to her podcast here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colton Dixon has spent years singing about faith, grit, and holding on when the road in front of you does not make sense yet, and this conversation on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with host Ginny Yurich gets right to the heart of that. From American Idol (WATCH PIANO MAN ON THE RED GRAND PIANO!!) to fatherhood, touring, the staying power of “Build a Boat,” and the kind of courage it takes to keep showing up for your calling, this episode is full of the stuff that lasts. This particular conversation is extra unique because it happened in person and Ginny's daughters joined in with some of their own questions. It's personal and funny and it reminds you that a meaningful life is often built before the evidence arrives. The episode also includes a special performance featuring Colton on lead vocals, Brooklyn (13) on backup vocals, and Vivian (16) on guitar. Here the chorus off the top and the whole song at the very end Explore Colton’s music and tour, and find his Build a Boat children’s book here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Gary Chapman joins The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with host Ginny Yurich for a warm, deeply practical conversation about why love can be sincere and still miss the mark, and what it looks like to really know the people right in front of us. This episode goes beyond the familiar idea of the five love languages and into the small but life-changing details that make someone feel seen, understood, and genuinely cared for. This is important for whether you’re loving a spouse, raising kids, or learning how to stay connected in the middle of a very full life. It’s thoughtful, hopeful, and full of the kind of wisdom that makes you want to pay better attention starting today. Learn more about Dr. Gary Chapman here , find The Love Language That Matters Most here , and take the Love Language quiz here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Licensed therapist Eli Harwood joins The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with host Ginny Yurich for a deeply helpful conversation about attachment, emotional maturity, and the hidden ways our own unresolved feelings shape the atmosphere our kids grow up in. From anger and loneliness to body disgust, sadness, and numbing habits, Eli brings so much wisdom to the idea that healing ourselves is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. This episode is honest, practical, and full of hope for parents who want to become a safer, steadier place for their kids without pretending they have it all figured out. Eli’s new book, How to Deal with Your Emotions So Your Kids Don’t Have To, along with Raising Securely Attached Kids, offers real help for the work that matters most. Find Eli at attachmentnerd.com, on Instagram at @attachmentnerd, and through her books How to Deal with Your Emotions So Your Kids Don’t Have To and Raising Securely Attached Kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with host Ginny Yurich, Jeff Dillon and Ty Dannenbring talk about what happens when you stop waiting for community and just start right where you live. It doesn't need to be big, impressive things. Pancakes in the driveway or popsicles from a cooler can go a long way in helping establish and build close relationships. Sitting out front instead of disappearing into the backyard works, too. They talk about how small shifts turn into real relationships, the kind people are missing more than we realize. Learn more: https://partyinthefrontbook.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/partyinthefrontbook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ginny Yurich sits down with Rachel Swanson on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast for a conversation that feels both grounding and hopeful for anyone thinking about fertility or walking through it. Drawing from her work in functional medicine, Rachel shares what she’s seeing as more women struggle to get pregnant and what can help. They talk through the everyday things that matter more than we think: food, light, time outside, stress, and the hidden environmental factors that quietly affect the body. This isn’t about doing everything perfectly or adding more pressure. It’s about understanding how the body works and making small, doable changes that support overall health—which, in turn, supports fertility. You can find Rachel at https://rachelswanson.com and on Instagram Get your copy of Trying! here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlie Tyrell joins The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with host Ginny Yurich for a conversation sparked by his remarkable new documentary The AI Doc, Or How to Become an Apocaloptimist. This episode explores what it feels like to be raising kids in a world changing at an incredible pace and why this technology isn’t something people can simply ignore. Through the lens of filmmaking and new fatherhood, Charlie offers a thoughtful, grounded perspective on AI, creativity, work, and the future. The conversation moves beyond fear and into awareness, helping listeners better understand what’s happening and where they still have a voice in it. It’s honest, steady, and deeply relevant for anyone trying to make wise decisions in a rapidly shifting world. Sign up here to learn more and get involved: https://theaidocgetinvolved.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with host Ginny Yurich, Ginny sits down with Fortesa Latifi to talk about her fascinating and deeply nuanced book Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online. This conversation stays with you because it refuses easy answers. Together, they explore how sharing family life online can create income, flexibility, and opportunity for parents while also raising real questions about privacy, consent, and what it means for a child to grow up in front of an audience. Fortesa brings thoughtful reporting and real stories from both parents and kids, and instead of rushing to judgment, this episode leans into the tension. It’s an honest, layered look at a world we’re all participating in, whether we realize it or not—and one that may change how you see the content you scroll past every day. Learn more about Fortesa and her work here Get your copy of Like, Follow, Subscribe here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get our top ranked mobile app for iOS or Android! Jon Acuff is back for his seventh appearance on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with host Ginny Yurich, and this conversation is packed with the kind of practical, funny, encouraging wisdom that makes you want to change your life before the episode is even over. In this episode, Jon shares the heart behind his new book, Procrastination Proof, and the conversation moves far beyond productivity into the real stuff like fear, doubt, regret, ambition, family, motivation, future selves, and how to stop waiting for perfect conditions before you begin. It is possible to build something meaningful right where you are. Listen in and share with friends! Jon has a special link just for our listeners at jonacuff.com/outside Check out Jon's motivation ideas here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this moving episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with host Ginny Yurich, Dr. Lee Warren shares what a lifetime in neurosurgery, war, devastating loss, and deep faith has taught him about pain, hope, grief, resilience, and the real power of the mind to change the brain. This conversation goes far beyond medicine into the places a scalpel cannot reach like automatic thoughts, unanswered prayers, the fear that follows heartbreak, and the daily choice to love tomorrow more than we hate how we feel today. It is wise, tender, and unexpectedly practical, especially for parents trying to raise strong kids in an anxious world, and it will leave listeners with something we all need more of right now: a steadier way to face what hurts and keep living with courage. Find Dr. Lee Warren and links to his books, substack, and podcast at DrLeeWarren.com Get your copy of The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery here Get your copy of I've Seen the End of You here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, I’m joined again by my dear friend Rachel Kovac, and this conversation is for anyone who has ever wondered if they can really keep going through the high school years. Rachel has written an incredibly practical, deeply encouraging book called Their Future Is Shining Bright , and we talk through everything parents actually need like dual enrollment, college applications, trade paths, transcripts, and all the options most of us didn’t even know existed. But more than that, we talk about what’s at stake during the teen years like identity formation, the messages kids internalize, and the opportunity we have to stay close and guide them through it. If you’ve felt that tension between wanting to continue and wondering if you’re enough, this episode will steady you and remind you why these years might be the most important ones to keep. Pre-order your copy of Their Future is Shining Bright today! And get your pre-order bonuses here. Learn more at RachelKovac.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Releasing on Easter day, this conversation with Addison Bevere meets us right in the tension so many of us are living in where we are overwhelmed, overthinking, and worn down from trying to hold everything together. Addison shares his own story of burnout, insomnia, and the unraveling that comes when life is driven by control. He offers a compelling invitation into a different way of living marked by surrender, presence, and a restored connection with God as Father. Together, we explore why prayer often feels ineffective, what it actually is meant to be, and how shifting our attention can move us out of anxiety and into something steadier and more life-giving. LINKS: Words with God Words with God Prayer Journal https://messengerx.com https://rediscoverprayer.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Pamela Stephens Lehenbauer joins Ginny Yurich for a rich and refreshing conversation about why so many of us feel worn thin, why the wellness industry often leaves us chasing the wrong things, and how wonder, joy, nature, and real relationship can help bring us back to life. Drawing from her beautiful book Wonder and Joy for the Wired and Tired, Pam shares jaw-dropping truths about the natural world—from deep oceans and monarch butterflies to flowers, trees, and the human body—while gently reminding us that we were made to notice, to delight, and to be restored by what God has placed all around us. This episode is a hopeful invitation to step off the hamster wheel, recover your sense of awe, and remember that even in hard seasons, there is still beauty to be found. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crystal Paine returns to The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast for a deeply encouraging conversation about what it takes to move from constantly behind and worn out to a life marked by peace, purpose, and intention. In this episode, Crystal and Ginny talk about motherhood, margin, money, home rhythms, digital distraction, raising capable kids, learning from failure, and the long view that changes everything when your days feel full and frayed. Crystal’s wisdom is practical, honest, and full of hope for moms who feel like they are carrying too much, and this episode will leave listeners believing that small shifts really can change the atmosphere of a home. Check out Crystal’s website, as well as her books including: Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, The Time Saving Mom, Love Centered Parenting, and her latest book that releases in September The Seven Habits of Financially Healthy Women . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Daniel Amen joins Ginny Yurich for a powerful conversation about what might be the most important (and most overlooked) part of our lives: our brain. Drawing from decades of brain imaging and clinical work, Dr. Amen explains why so many struggles with mood, focus, motivation, and even parenting are rooted in brain health—and why that’s incredibly good news. You are not stuck with the brain you have. From the impact of screens and overstimulation on kids to the brain-building power of kindness, learning, purpose, and time outside, this episode is filled with practical ways to start changing your brain today so your life can follow. LINKS: Amen Clinics Good Neighbor Day America Change Your Brain Every Day podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sadie Robertson Huff returns for a grounded, honest conversation about doing hard things before you feel ready. She and Ginny talk about raising kids in a screen-filled world, choosing media that actually shapes your family well, and what it looked like for Sadie to step into Dancing with the Stars with zero experience and keep going even when it was uncomfortable and misunderstood. They also get into the realities of public life—friendship strain, pressure, and the tension of being known—and why courage isn’t a personality trait but a practice built one step at a time. Links: https://liveoriginal.com https://minno.io https://www.aetv.com/shows/duck-dynasty-the-revival Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this eye-opening and surprisingly relatable conversation, Dr. Tracy Dalgleish returns to unpack the hidden dynamic quietly straining so many marriages: the mother-in-law triangle. Drawing from years of clinical experience, she explains why even confident, capable women can feel stuck in these relationships, how family patterns long predating the marriage shape current conflict, and why so many couples end up in the same painful loop without a clear way out. This episode offers a wiser path forward—one rooted in strengthening the marriage, setting boundaries without guilt, and learning how to step out of the triangle instead of fighting harder inside it. If you’ve ever felt caught between keeping the peace and protecting your family, this conversation will give you language, clarity, and hope. LINKS: Dr. Tracy Dalgleish’s book You, Your Husband, and His Mother; Be Connected Digital community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christine Caine joins Ginny Yurich for a life-giving conversation about what the olive tree can teach us about resilience, slow growth, healing, identity, and the kind of faith that keeps bearing fruit even in hard seasons. This episode is a beautiful reminder that God does some of His deepest work underground, that flourishing is possible even after pain, and that getting outside with our kids is not just good for their bodies and minds, but for their spiritual formation too. If you’ve been feeling stretched thin, discouraged, or like growth is taking too long, this one will steady you and lift your eyes again. Explore Christine’s book The Faith to Flourish, and learn more about A21 and Christine’s podcast and resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some conversations feel like a deep breath, and this one does. In this beautiful episode, Ginny Yurich sits down with singer-songwriter and author Ginny Owens to talk about disappointment, longing, burnout, bullying, unchanging circumstances, and the faith it takes to keep going when life does not turn out the way you hoped. With warmth, honesty, and so much wisdom, Ginny Owens shares how God meets us in the plod, how our deepest aches can stop being the center of the story, and why even the most hidden seasons may be full of purpose. This is an episode for anyone who feels tired, sidelined, overlooked, or stuck and needs the reminder that the dark is not empty, and the slow parts of life are not wasted. Follow Ginny Owens at her official website, explore her book Singing in the Dark, listen to Different Kind of Water, and keep up with her on Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Money habits do not magically appear at eighteen, and in this warm, practical conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with Dr. Stephen Day—author of Teach a Kid to Save—to talk about how families can help kids learn stewardship, saving, work, patience, generosity, and wise decision-making long before adulthood. What makes this episode so refreshing is that it is not just about chores, allowance, or percentages—it is about building a tiny household economy where kids get real practice making choices, creating value, setting goals, solving problems, and understanding that money is deeply connected to character and the good life. If you have ever wondered how to raise kids who are thoughtful, capable, and not ruled by impulse, this episode will give you a hopeful, hands-on framework you can actually use. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something essential has quietly slipped away and Dr. Arthur Brooks puts words to what so many of us have been feeling but couldn’t explain. In this deeply moving conversation, Ginny Yurich and Arthur explore why so many adults and kids alike feel anxious, distracted, and strangely empty in a world that’s never been more connected. The answer isn’t what we’ve been told. It’s not about money, success, or even opportunity, it’s about living almost entirely in a simulation of life instead of real life itself. Together, they unpack the hidden cost of screens, the lost power of boredom, why beauty and nature are not luxuries but necessities, and how love, suffering, and even asking big questions are the very things that give life meaning. This episode doesn’t just diagnose the problem—it offers a hopeful, practical path back to a fuller, richer, more human way of living. Get your copy of Arthur's newest book The Meaning of Your Life here Register for Arthur's virtual book launch event here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Meg Meeker returns to The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast for a deeply encouraging conversation about motherhood in an age of guilt, exhaustion, comparison, and constant pressure. With the steady wisdom that has made her one of the most trusted voices in parenting, Meg reminds mothers that their children do not need a perfect mom—they need a present, peaceful, confident one. Ginny and Meg talk about why simplicity matters, why friendship and faith are not extras, why so many moms are carrying expectations they were never meant to carry, and why kids flourish when their mothers actually enjoy being with them. This episode feels like a long exhale for weary moms and a gentle invitation back to joy, sanity, and the kind of family life that lasts. Get your copy of The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers here Listen and find more from Dr. Meg at Meeker Parenting and her podcast Parenting Great Kids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**Purchase Ginny's trio of books: ⁠Until the Streetlights Come On⁠, ⁠Homeschooling⁠, and ⁠1000 Hours Outside Activity Book Public education was built to develop minds, not manage devices—and somewhere along the way, we lost that. In this powerful second conversation, Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath joins Ginny Yurich to unpack what decades of research actually say about screens in the classroom, why more technology is not leading to better learning, and how we may be unintentionally trading deep thinking, memory, and creativity for convenience. From paper vs. screens to handwriting, boredom, and the lost art of downtime, this episode offers a clear-eyed look at what kids truly need to thrive—and what we can do right now to help them get it back. Check out Jared’s INCREDIBLY book The Digital Delusion here Follow Jared on Instagram here Learn more about Jared and all he has to offer here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to woom.com and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at www.kiwico.com  and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**Get our free Top Ten 1000 Hours Outside Podcast Books from 2025⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ On this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down again with Shannan Martin to talk about what it actually looks like to live inside a life that feels heavy and not run from it. Drawing from her new book Counterweights, Shannan shares the simple but profound practice of carrying both the hard and the good at the same time, from grief and church hurt to sea glass on a Michigan beach, Taylor Swift on repeat, and healing found in ordinary moments. This conversation is a reminder that we don’t need to escape our lives to endure them. Explore more of Shannan’s work at her website and Substack The Soup, and one of her earlier books Start with Hello. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to woom.com and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at www.kiwico.com  and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**Get our top ranked mobile app for iOS or Android! Poet, author, speaker, and comedian Tanner Olson joins Ginny Yurich for a warm, funny, unexpectedly tender conversation about slowing down, looking up, and finding language for the hard parts of being human. From orange groves and fresh-squeezed juice to infertility, adoption, faith, friendship, distraction, and the quiet ache so many people carry, this episode feels like a long exhale—a reminder that hope does not erase pain, but it does help us keep going. If you have ever felt a little off, a little overwhelmed, or a little tired of the noise, Tanner’s words will meet you right where you are and gently point you back to what matters most: presence, beauty, connection, and the grace to keep getting through what you’re going through. Explore Tanner’s new book Getting Through What You’re Going Through and more of his work (including tour dates) here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to woom.com and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at www.kiwico.com  and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**Get your free 2026 tracker sheet⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! In this thoughtful and deeply encouraging conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with author Jenna Lee Dillon to talk about what it really looks like to travel well with kids without numbing them out along the way. Drawing from her book Look Up: A Wild and Screen-Freed Roadmap to Enjoying Travel with Kids, Jenna shares why the journey matters just as much as the destination, how boredom and discomfort can become gifts instead of problems, and why children do not need constant entertainment to thrive. This episode is a fresh reminder that family travel can be slower, richer, more connected, and far more memorable when we choose presence over convenience and model a life our children will actually want to grow into. Learn more at Screen Freed Revolution Get your copy of Look Up here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to woom.com and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at www.kiwico.com  and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learning to have deeper friendships, better conversations, stronger families is actually a skill we can learn. In this conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with bestselling author Charles Duhigg to unpack the science behind connection, from the surprising way our brains sync during meaningful conversations to the simple habit that instantly makes people feel seen: asking better questions. Drawing from his book Supercommunicators, Duhigg explains why most conversations fail, how to recognize the three types of conversations we’re always having, and why a 45-second moment of preparation can transform everything—from your marriage to your parenting to the way your kids relate to others. This episode is practical, hopeful, and life-changing because the people we love most don’t need us to be perfect communicators, just more intentional ones. Links: Learn more about Charles and all he has to offer here Get your copy of Supercommunicators here Get your copy of The Power of Habit here Get your copy of Smarter, Faster, Better here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this deeply moving conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with Summer Joy Gross, author of The Emmanuel Promise and host of The Presence Project Podcast, to talk about attachment, delight, childhood wounds, and the life-changing truth that God is not distant or disinterested, but fully present with us in our pain, our parenting, and our becoming. This episode is tender, wise, and immensely practical—an invitation to notice how a child’s inner world is shaped, how our own stories affect the way we relate to God, and how healing often begins with being seen, soothed, and loved. Find Summer at A Thirst for God, on Instagram, and through The Presence Project community . A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this fascinating conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with MacKenzie Price, founder of 2 Hour Learning and co-founder of Alpha School, to talk about what happens when kids stop spending their best hours trapped in an outdated system and start using that time to actually live. Together they explore personalized learning, the promise and tension of AI, the loss of childhood margin, and why giving kids their time back may be one of the most hopeful ideas in education right now. If you’ve ever wondered whether school could look more human, more effective, and more aligned with real life, this episode will leave you energized, challenged, and imagining something better. Alpha’s model centers on “2 Hour Learning,” where core academics are completed in about two hours and the rest of the day is opened up for life skills, projects, and real-world experiences. Learn more here ! A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danielle Kartes returns for her third visit to The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, and this conversation is about so much more than food. Ginny Yurich and Danielle talk about cooking with kids, making do with what you have, learning through failure, feeding people as an act of love, and the surprising ways ordinary kitchen work builds confidence, resilience, creativity, and connection. They also dive into Danielle’s joyful new children’s cookbook, My Very First Baking Book, her work on Next Level Chef, and the deeper story underneath it all: that a beautiful life is often built with imperfect ingredients, open hands, and the courage to keep creating anyway. Find Danielle at Rustic Joyful Food, explore My Very First Baking Book and My Very First Cookbook. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wendy Speake joins Ginny Yurich for a rich, honest conversation about the quiet ways modern distractions shape our homes, our attention, and our souls. Drawing from The 40-Day Social Media Fast, The 40-Day Sugar Fast, and Triggers, Wendy shares why a wanting life never leads to a satisfied life, how putting down our phones helps us lift our eyes to God and the people right in front of us, and why small acts of self-control can change the whole atmosphere of a family. This episode is thoughtful, practical, and deeply encouraging for any parent who wants more peace, more presence, and a more grounded way to live. Learn more about Wendy and all she has to offer here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brittany Price Brooker never imagined becoming a widow at 25 with three boys under the age of three, but what followed is a story of grief, resilience, community, and unexpected redemption. In this deeply moving conversation, Brittany shares how sudden loss reshaped her life, how faithful friends and family stepped in during the darkest days, and how hope slowly grew again in places that once felt impossible to heal. From remarriage and a blended family of six kids to homeschooling, ministry, and helping widowers find support through Refuge Widowers (https://www.refugewidowers.com), Brittany’s story is a powerful reminder that even when life takes a turn you never wanted, the road ahead can still hold beauty, purpose, and joy. Learn more about Brittany at https://www.brittanypricebrooker.com . A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to woom.com and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at www.kiwico.com  and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this honest and deeply comforting conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with author Abbey Wedgeworth to talk about the hidden shame so many mothers carry and the hope that real change is still possible. Drawing from her new book Help! I’m Ruining My Kids, Abbey offers a tender, practical, gospel-centered word for moms who feel frazzled, regretful, overwhelmed, and stuck in patterns they wish they could break. This episode is full of relief: you are not alone, you are not beyond repair, and even the most ordinary parts of motherhood can become holy ground when guilt gives way to grace. Learn more about Abbey and her work here and find Help! I’m Ruining My Kids here . A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this thoughtful and surprisingly hopeful conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with sociologist Dr. Tracy Brower to talk about why so many people feel disconnected right now—and why friendship, belonging, and real-life community matter more than ever. Drawing from her new book Critical Connections, along with The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work, Tracy shares practical, memorable insight on loneliness, work, friendship, empathy, optimism, and the small but meaningful ways we can build stronger relationships in every season of life. It’s an encouraging episode about what makes life richer, healthier, and more human—and why the people around us are never just extra. Tracy is a sociologist, author, and longtime contributor whose work appears through her own site and in places like Forbes. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Heath has spent his career helping people think more clearly about change, decisions, and what makes life memorable, and in this conversation with Ginny Yurich, he brings that wisdom straight into family life. Drawing from The Power of Moments and his podcast What It’s Like to Be…, Dan makes a compelling case that childhood, work, school, and family rhythms don’t have to blur together into flatness—we can intentionally create moments that lift, surprise, connect, and last. This episode is full of fresh insight for parents raising kids toward meaningful work and meaningful lives, and it will leave you thinking differently about everything from school and vocation to praise, transitions, and the small kinds of magic children never forget. Learn more about Dan Heath here . A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this deeply moving conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with author, mother, and midwife Amanda Lancaster to talk about what it looks like to build a life around the things that matter most: birth, family, faith, food, home, and the kind of community that carries people through both joy and hardship. Drawing from her memoir A Time to Be Born, Amanda shares a beautiful vision of sustainable relationships, generational wisdom, home-centered life, and the bonds that happen when people are truly available to one another. It’s a tender, thoughtful episode about motherhood, courage, belonging, and the longing so many of us feel for a more rooted way to live. Learn more about Amanda at her website and Instagram, and find her book A Time to Be Born here. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This conversation with William Deresiewicz, author of the bestselling Excellent Sheep, gets to the heart of a question so many families are quietly carrying: what does it actually mean for a child to flourish? Ginny and Bill talk about the way college admissions can cast a shadow backward over all of childhood, turning kids into performers instead of people, and why playtime, downtime, family time, books, boredom, risk, and real freedom are not extras but essentials. It’s a deeply thoughtful episode about stepping off the treadmill, resisting fear-based parenting, and giving children the space to become fully themselves. Get your copy of Excellent Sheep here Learn more about Bill and all he has to offer here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this deeply personal and illuminating conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with Dr. Russell Kennedy—author of the bestselling book Anxiety Rx and the founder of The Anxiety MD —to explore why anxiety has become one of the defining struggles of our time. Drawing from decades as both a physician and someone who personally battled crippling anxiety, Dr. Kennedy explains why so many traditional approaches fall short and why lasting healing requires addressing not just the mind, but the body and the old wounds stored within it. Together they discuss the rising anxiety rates in children, the powerful role of connection and touch, the hidden addictive nature of worry, and practical ways to calm the body’s alarm system and reconnect with the present moment. This thoughtful conversation offers hope and clarity for anyone who has ever felt trapped in their own mind. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Books entertain us but they also build us into the people we are. This conversation with Geoff and Janet Benge is about the kind of books that can change a family for good. In this warm and deeply encouraging episode, Ginny talks with the husband-and-wife team behind the bestselling Christian Heroes Then and Now and Heroes of History series about how true stories form courage, imagination, resilience, and faith, often in ways we don’t even notice until years later. Their own story is remarkable too: two unlikely writers from New Zealand—one dyslexic, one once in remedial reading—who went on to write dozens of biographies that have shaped readers around the world. This episode is a beautiful reminder that shared reading is never just educational; it becomes part of the fabric of a home. Explore their books at Benge Books and YWAM Publishing, and check out their teaching work through Epic Learning. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Protein isn’t just for athletes or people tracking macros, it’s one of the simplest ways to feel fuller, steadier, and more energized in everyday life, and this conversation with registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, and bestselling cookbook author Rachael DeVaux makes that feel wonderfully doable. In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich talks with Rachael about why so many women and families feel stuck in the snack spiral, how front-loading protein can calm cravings and cut decision fatigue, and why healthy eating works best when it’s practical, satisfying, and genuinely enjoyable. If dinner has felt like one more exhausting thing to figure out, this episode is a breath of fresh air—and The High-Protein Plate and Rachael’s work at Rachael’s Good Eats offer the kind of approachable help busy families actually need. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Kleiner joins Ginny Yurich for a fascinating conversation about why so many modern health struggles may have less to do with willpower and more to do with rhythm—light, sleep, hormones, timing, and the simple healing power of getting outside. Sarah shares her deeply personal story, the long road that led her into circadian and quantum health, and the small changes that helped her body begin to heal when nothing else seemed to work. This episode is thoughtful, hopeful, and practical—especially for parents who want to understand how morning light, screens, meal timing, and outdoor life shape energy, mood, metabolism, and overall well-being. Explore Sarah’s work at Sarah Kleiner Wellness, read her Substack, and learn more about MyCircadian App . A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kerry McDonald makes a calm, compelling case for something many parents can feel but struggle to name: kids don’t need more pressure—they need more trust. In this conversation with Ginny Yurich on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Kerry (author of Unschooled and Joyful Learning, and host of the LiberatED Podcast) unpacks how modern schooling became increasingly standardized—and why families are steadily walking toward homeschooling, microschools, hybrid models, and learner-led environments that bring curiosity back to the center. You’ll hear why “seat time” and one-size-fits-all metrics can miss what matters most, what joyful learning actually looks like in real life, and how freedom—paired with meaningful community—can turn education from compliance into aliveness. (Explore Kerry’s writing at Forbes and The 74.) Check out The Liberated Podcast here Get your copy of Joyful Learning here Get your copy of Unschooled here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jennie Allen is back on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, and this conversation goes straight for the thing most of us can’t name—but feel every day: the hidden “core lie” running beneath our thoughts. With warmth, honesty, and that signature Jennie clarity, she helps us spot the patterns that keep showing up (striving, spiraling, numbing, isolating), trace them back to what we’re really believing, and start fighting for actual freedom—especially because our kids are absorbing more than we realize. You’ll hear the three core lies that tend to drive us (worthless, helpless, unlovable), why “trying harder” is a trap that burns you out, and why surrender can be the most practical, clear-headed path forward. Get your copy of The Lie You Don't Know You Believe here Learn more about Jennie and all she has to offer here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We weren’t built to live in a constant state of “what’s next.” Yet that low-grade restless hum has become normal in modern family life. In her third appearance on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Michaeleen Doucleff — author of Hunt, Gather, Parent — returns with a powerful conversation about her new book Dopamine Kids and the science behind why screens and ultraprocessed foods leave us chasing instead of satisfied. This episode unpacks the overdrive of wanting, the illusion of pleasure, and the practical shifts that can help you take back the steering wheel of your home. Less frantic scrolling. Less food noise. More calm. More creation. More real joy. We deserve better than Netflix. Get your copy of Dopamine Kids here . It's one of the best books I've ever read! Get your copy of Hunt, Gather, Parent here Learn more about Michaeleen and all she has to offer here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to woom.com and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at www.kiwico.com and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ginny Yurich sits down with writer and researcher Alex Soojung-Kim Pang to reclaim something our culture keeps treating like a reward: real rest. Drawing from Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less and his work on the four-day workweek, Alex makes the case that rest isn’t what you do after life finally calms down—it’s the engine that makes good work, good parenting, and a good life possible. You’ll hear why history’s most creative people didn’t grind nonstop (they worked in focused bursts, then walked, napped, played, and protected their attention), why shorter workweeks tend to make people more present and “ridiculously wholesome,” and why kids’ independence and unscheduled time are not luxuries but developmental fuel. This conversation will make you want to put your phone down, step outside, and start building a life where work and rest are equals on purpose. Get your copy of Rest here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Bevere joins host Ginny Yurich on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with the kind of story that wakes you up—in the best way: a kid who struggled with writing (his SAT English score was a 370) becoming the author of 25 books… because he couldn’t shake the sense that God was asking him to put something on paper. From an unexpected college conversion to a decades-long reluctance to talk about end-times, John explains why his newest message isn’t about charts, dates, or fear—it’s about preparation, eager anticipation, and living with an eternal perspective that actually makes you kinder, steadier, and more alive right now. You’ll hear a surprisingly beautiful “relationship, not religion” moment, a fresh picture of eternity that sounds nothing like floating on clouds, and why “the King is coming” is meant to produce courage—not escapism. Explore The King Is Coming and The Awe of God and check out MessengerX - the free discipleship app John mentions. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Woom Bikes - Go to⁠ woom.com⁠ and use code OUTSIDE10 at checkout for 10% off your bike purchase KiwiCo- Get up to 50% off your first monthly crate at ⁠www.kiwico.com ⁠ and use code 1000hours. Pocket Hose - text OUTSIDE to 64000 to.get a FREE, 360 degree rotating pocket pivot, AND a FREE thumb drive nozzle with purchase. IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Youth sports can feel like a treadmill you can’t step off—more time, more money, more pressure, and a nagging fear that if you don’t start at age six, you’ve missed your chance. In this episode, Ginny Yurich sits down with Pure Athlete co-founder and Parenting the Pure Athlete author Britt Lee to zoom out and ask the question parents rarely get to ask: what is this really all for? Britt unpacks why most kids quit organized sports by early adolescence, why “early dominance” doesn’t predict much before puberty, and how the real ROI isn’t a scholarship—it’s the transferable stuff: resilience, belief, coachability, leadership, and learning to handle nerves when it matters. They talk time audits, parental body language, why the car ride home can make or break a kid’s love of the game, and how to keep sports from stealing family culture while still letting it build something lasting. Learn more about Britt and all he has to offer here Get your copy of Parenting The Pure Athlete here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anne-Laure Le Cunff—founder of Ness Labs and author of Tiny Experiments—joins Ginny Yurich to offer a freeing alternative to the ladder-climbing, goal-obsessed script so many of us are living by. Drawing from her own pivot from Google to startups to neuroscience, she explains why uncertainty isn’t a problem to solve—it’s a place where you can learn who you actually are, one tiny experiment at a time. This conversation is super practical and it's hopeful—especially for parents raising kids in a world that worships productivity. If you’ve been pushing hard, feeling behind, or quietly wondering if you’re building the wrong life, this episode will help you trade pressure for curiosity—and make room for more play, presence, and real progress. Get your copy of Tiny Experiments here Learn about Anne-Laure and all she has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this warm, science-backed conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with developmental researchers Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Dr. Roberta Golinkoff—the longtime collaborators behind the newly revised Einstein Never Used Flashcards—to name what so many parents feel but can’t quite put into words: childhood has been sped up, pressured, optimized, and drained of joy. They unpack why “earlier” doesn’t mean “better,” how screens and constant distraction are reshaping family life and even college campuses, and why play isn’t extra—it’s the way kids build flexible, future-ready brains (and calmer homes). If you’ve been parenting with a low-grade panic that your child is falling behind, this episode offers something better than another checklist: relief, perspective, and a simple path back to connection. Get your copy of Einstein Never Used Flashcards here Learn more about Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and all she has to offer here Learn more about Dr. Roberta Golinkoff and all she has to offer here Follow their practical parenting clips at @drkathyanddrro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ginny Yurich sits down with neurologist and neuroscientist Dr. Majid Fotuhi to flip the script on what most of us assume about memory: it isn’t something you either “have” or “lose”—it’s a skill you can build. Drawing from decades of work with brain health, ADHD, concussion recovery, and cognitive decline, Dr. Fotuhi explains why everyday forgetfulness is often normal (and not an automatic sign of Alzheimer’s), then gives a clear, doable framework for getting sharper at any age through his five pillars of brain health—exercise, sleep, nutrition, stress reduction, and brain training. You’ll hear why movement supercharges the brain, why racquet sports and “thinking + motion” activities are especially powerful for kids and adults, how to make names and information stick by adding emotion and play, what’s actually happening during menopause brain fog, and why optimism and purpose aren’t just nice ideas—they’re linked to real changes in the brain. This episode is practical, hopeful, and immediately motivating—you’ll finish it feeling like your brain isn’t fragile… it’s trainable. So exciting!! Get your copy of The Invincible Brain here Learn more about Dr. Fotuhi and all he has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ginny Yurich sits down with Dr. Ross W. Greene to examine a hard truth: if consequences were going to fix chronic behavior challenges, they would have worked by now. Greene’s central premise—kids do well if they can—shifts the focus away from motivation and toward lagging skills and unsolved problems. In this conversation, they unpack why the same students are repeatedly punished, why taking away recess often makes things worse, and how reacting in the moment keeps adults “late” instead of proactive. You’ll hear a practical framework for identifying predictable triggers, listening in a way that builds clarity rather than conflict, and solving problems collaboratively without lowering expectations. This episode is a thoughtful look at what actually changes outcomes—for the kids who are struggling most and for everyone around them. https://livesinthebalance.org/Get your copy of The Kids Who Aren’t OkayGet your copy of The Explosive Child Get your copy of Lost at School Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Easter returns for his third appearance, and this one feels like a relief: a simple way to get stronger, steadier, and more clear-headed without adding another complicated “wellness” project to your life. Ginny Yurich and Michael talk about the Two Percenter mindset, why walking is already powerful, and how adding a reasonable load can quietly upgrade nearly everything—muscle, bone density, core strength, endurance, mood, and even the way you move through everyday life (yes, even airports and errands). They also get practical about getting started with what you already own, why this works especially well for busy parents, and how time outside can turn down the mental noise and help you hear yourself again. Check out Walk with Weight , follow Michael’s Two Percent newsletter/substack , and learn more about Walkfully Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Archaeologist and author Amanda Hope Haley joins Ginny Yurich for a conversation that makes the Bible feel both more historically grounded and more alive. From sixth-grade “digs” and a life-changing biblical archaeology class to fieldwork near ancient sites and fresh discoveries that keep rewriting what we think we know, Amanda explains how archaeology doesn’t “prove” Scripture—it illuminates it, clears away centuries of assumptions, and restores the texture of the ancient world. They talk Noah’s Ark (and why the obsession misses the point), the surprising power of stone memorials, why traditions sometimes get mistaken for text, and how new finds—like the excavation of Magdala—can sharpen our understanding of familiar stories without shaking faith. Plus, an unforgettable Amish family story, a quick, mind-bending detour into space and the James Webb telescope, and a closing childhood memory under the stars that perfectly fits the 1000 Hours Outside message. Find everything Amanda Hope Haley offers here: https://www.amandahopehaley.com Get your copy of Stones That Speak here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hope isn’t a personality trait—it’s a practice, and Dr. Julia Garcia is here to show us how to build it when life feels heavy. In this honest, energizing conversation with Ginny Yurich, Dr. Garcia shares her own journey from deep hopelessness to earning a PhD in psychology and helping families, students, and leaders strengthen what she calls our “goal-directed” brain circuits—the ones that help us regulate emotions, make plans, and keep going. You’ll hear the science behind loneliness and despair and how simple habits like risk (letting yourself be seen) and release (finding healthy outlets—from poetry to nature to movement) can change everything. Learn more about Dr. Julia Garcia and her work: https://journeywithdrj.com Get her book The Five Habits of Hope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get our top ranked mobile app for iOS or Android! Healthcare shouldn’t be the thing that decides whether you can take a risk, build a business, stay home with your kids, or say yes to the life you actually want—and in this conversation, Ginny Yurich talks with real-life friend Dustin Garrett from Samaritan Ministries about a different way forward. Instead of paying premiums into the ether and hoping the fine print works out, Dustin explains how healthcare sharing works person-to-person—real families helping real families—often with surprising clarity, freedom of choice, and a kind of human connection you don’t get from an insurance portal. They dig into why the system feels so broken, why price transparency matters, how Samaritan has been doing this for decades, and what’s new with Redeem Healthshare, the next-generation, all-digital option that adds features many families have asked for. If you’ve ever felt boxed in by “good benefits,” this episode will feel like someone opening a door. Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org Explore Redeem Healthshare: https://redeemhealthshare.org A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Purchase Ginny's trio of books: ⁠Until the Streetlights Come On⁠, ⁠Homeschooling⁠, and ⁠1000 Hours Outside Activity Book Leadership isn’t just for boardrooms—it’s for breakfast tables, hard conversations, and the million tiny decisions that shape a home. In this powerful, practical conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with Jamie Cochran, COO of Echelon Front, the leadership company founded by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, to talk about why Extreme Ownership changes everything—especially for parents. Jamie shares how SEAL-proven principles like taking ownership instead of blaming, simplifying communication, role-playing hard conversations, and “seeing a need and filling a need” can transform family culture from the inside out. You’ll also hear the story behind Echelon Front’s growth, why women’s leadership needed a clearer on-ramp, how Warrior Kid equips kids with discipline and courage, and the surprising freedom that comes when you realize: if you’re the problem, you can be the solution. Get your copy of Extreme Ownership here Find Echelon Front resources, events, and training at https://echelonfront.com/ Explore the Online Academy at https://academy.echelonfront.com/ Learn more about The Assembly (Women’s Leadership) at https://echelonfront.com/the-assembly/ A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get our free Top Ten 1000 Hours Outside Podcast Books from 2025⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Kartik Hosanagar has been tracking AI long before “ChatGPT” became a household word, and in this conversation with Ginny Yurich, he helps parents see what’s already shaping their homes (and possibly children). AI can affect what we watch, what we buy, what we believe, who we date, and our career paths. Drawing from his book A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence, Kartik explains how machines stopped simply following “recipe-like” instructions and began learning like children do—surprising us, improvising, and sometimes operating as black boxes we can’t fully interpret. You’ll hear the jaw-dropping story of the early chatbots that felt like real friends, why recommendation engines narrow our options without us noticing, and what it looks like to reclaim agency by adding “friction” back into family life. This episode is both a wake-up call and a steadying roadmap for staying human in an algorithmic world. Get a copy of the Book: A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence Check out Kartik’s Substack Creative Intelligence: https://hosanagar.substack.com A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jinger Duggar Vuolo grew up in front of millions of viewers on 19 Kids and Counting, raised inside a tightly controlled religious subculture that promised certainty, safety, and success if you followed the rules exactly right. In this deeply honest conversation, Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo sit down with Ginny Yurich to talk about what it actually took to separate the truth of Jesus from a system built on fear, performance, and man-made expectations. They discuss growing up under public scrutiny, the exhaustion of people-pleasing, the stress of trying to get every decision “right,” and the courage it takes to question teachings that once defined your entire world. This episode is about freedom. It’s about what happens when faith becomes personal instead of performative and when belonging replaces approval-seeking. Find Jeremy + Jinger’s show here: The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast. Get your copy of You Always Belong here Get your copy of People Pleaser here Get your copy of Becoming Free Indeed here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melissa Ferguson is back for her second appearance—and she’s very pregnant, wildly funny, and living proof that dreams don’t arrive on your schedule. In this conversation with host Ginny Yurich, Melissa pulls back the curtain on the book world: why publishing wants you to “stay in your lane,” how rejection and slow progress can still lead to a long-tail payoff, what writers really need to watch for in agents and contracts, and why the pressure to market everywhere can crush the very work you’re trying to create. Along the way, she shares the surreal joy of watching her beloved rom-com Meet Me in the Margins move toward the screen (with her credited as Executive Producer) and what it’s like to juggle farm life, homeschooling, deadlines, and a baby on the way—while still choosing relationships, rest, and meaning over the endless chase for more. *Get your copy of Meet Me in the Margins here *Get your copy of Without a Clue here *Check out Melissa and all she has to offer here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Azure Standard founder David Stelzer joins Ginny Yurich for a direct, fascinating conversation about how food quality, farming practices, and community are tied together. David tells the origin story of Azure: his family’s early move away from chemical-intensive farming, the hard years of transition, and the moment they lost a major buyer forcing him to start delivering organic grains himself, one small route at a time. That scrappy beginning grew into today’s nationwide drop system (now 3,000+ locations), where families can access organic and carefully vetted products at scale while staying connected to independent farms and producers. Along the way, David explains what healthy soil actually does, why nutrient density matters, and why he believes rebuilding health has to start with rebuilding what we grow and what we eat. If you care about feeding your family well without getting lost in labels and marketing, this episode will give you a bigger framework—and a practical path forward. Learn more about Azure Standard and all they have to offer here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is a little Valentine’s gift with a backstory: Ginny recorded it in 2024 during Chelsea Damon’s launch week—back when her brand-new marriage book had just come out—and then thought she lost the file in a computer crash… until now. She found it! And thought this was the perfect day to post it. Chelsea (author of I Thought This Would Make Me Happy) shares the hard-won lessons that actually hold a marriage together when life gets loud—role-swaps, job loss, living with in-laws for three years, the pressure-cooker years (she cites the 5–8 year window as a common breaking point), and the small resentments that quietly stack up if you don’t deal with them with grace and honesty. You’ll walk away with practical, doable ideas and a hope-filled reminder that joy in marriage isn’t found in a perfect season, but in learning how to grow together through the imperfect ones. Get your copy of I Thought This Would Make Me Happy here Learn more about Chelsea and all she has to offer here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Play isn’t a break from learning — it is learning. In this powerful conversation with Lauren and Mia Sundstrom — daughter and granddaughter of renowned play researcher Dr. Stuart Brown — we explore why play is practice for the future in a world that feels increasingly uncertain. From rough-and-tumble childhood experiences to teenage burnout, adult loneliness, brain health, and even leadership, this episode makes a compelling case that unstructured, self-directed play builds resilience, creativity, emotional regulation, and adaptability — the exact skills our kids (and we) will need in an AI-shaped world. If you’ve ever wondered whether play is “productive,” this conversation will change how you see your afternoons, your marriage, your parenting, and your own sense of joy. Learn more at nifplay.org and connect with Mia at miasundstrom.com. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this tender, unflinching conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with author Amber Emily Smith to talk about the kind of loss that splits life into “before” and “after”—and the slow, sacred work of learning to live in the “after.” Amber shares the astonishing love story that began on a music video set with her husband, Granger Smith, and the devastating day their little boy River drowned—followed by the spiraling “what ifs,” the pressure of public opinion, and the choice to keep getting out of bed when everything in you wants to disappear. You’ll also hear the practical, hope-filled layers that carried their family: faith that meets you on the bathroom floor, grief support and play therapy, honest talk about fathers and hidden despair, and the water-safety lessons they wish they’d known. It’s a story about heartbreak—but also about purpose, organ donation, and unexpected friendships. Listen, share with a friend who’s hurting, and find Amber’s book and work here: The Girl on the Bathroom Floor • Arise with Amber A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor joins Ginny Yurich to talk about his newest novel Cold Zero, a high-stakes Arctic thriller centered on a race for powerful AI technology after a commercial plane goes down at the top of the world. Brad shares how he almost walked away from writing before committing to two disciplined hours a day, why loyalty and strategy matter more than bravado, and how real-world geopolitics shape his fiction. They explore mental toughness, celebrating small wins, and what it means to choose wisely when there is no perfect option — only the best bad one. A thoughtful conversation about resilience, craft, and the human element behind global power struggles. Get your copy of Cold Zero here Learn more about Brad and all of his books (including the Ultimate Reader Experience) here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Robert Lustig—pediatric endocrinologist, bestselling author, and one of the clearest voices on what’s happened to our food—joins host Ginny Yurich on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast for a conversation that feels equal parts wake-up call and real hope. Lustig explains why so much chronic disease isn’t really “druggable” but foodable, how ultra-processed food quietly sabotages the mitochondria that power everything, and why the “calories in, calories out” story is the perfect industry shield. Along the way, he breaks down the eight internal “pathologies” that turn our bodies from a shiny red Corvette into a jalopy, shows why kids are paying the price first (from school lunches to baby food), and offers a simple way forward that doesn’t require perfection—just a steady return to real food. Mentioned in the episode: Eat Real schools initiative (eatreal.org), Lustig’s fiber project BioLumen and Monch-Monch (monchmonch.shop), the grocery-filter tool Perfact (perfact.co), plus his books Metabolical, Hacking of the American Mind, and Fat Chance. Learn more about Dr. Lustig and all he has to offer here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ginny Yurich sits down with bestselling thriller writer and longtime airline captain Ward Larsen for a conversation that will make you want to put your phone down and pick a book up. They talk about Cold Zero—his high-stakes, teen-safe thriller co-written with Brad Thor—where a sabotaged jet crash-lands on Arctic ice with world-changing AI tech in the wreckage, and suddenly survival, espionage, and global power collide in the most inhospitable place on Earth. Ward shares how a fighter-pilot background and real crash-investigation experience shape his page-turners, how technology (and deepfakes) are rewriting the rules of modern warfare, and why small mistakes can be fatal—on the page and in real life. Get your copy of Cold Zero here Get your copy of The Perfect Assassin here Find Ward’s books, tour stops, and signed-copy options at WardLarson.com, and learn more about Cold Zero (and Brad Thor) at BradThor.com. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Home is supposed to be where a child can exhale—but for Stephen McWhirter, growing up in a preacher’s family meant watching public faith and private violence collide, then carrying that silence into years of rebellion, addiction, and rage. In this tender, unforgettable conversation with Ginny Yurich, Stephen shares what it cost to keep the “everything’s fine” mask in place, how a copy of The Case for Christ landed in the middle of his darkest night, and why real healing often begins when we stop hiding and start telling the truth. You’ll hear a refreshingly grounded take on parenting kids who act out, the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, and the surprising kindness of God that can meet someone right where they are and change everything. Stephen’s book is Radically Restored: How Knowing Jesus Heals Our Brokenness and his music includes “Come Jesus Come” and “My Right Now.” Learn more about Stephen and all he has to offer here Get your copy of Radically Restored here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clinical psychologist Dr. Janissa Jackson has spent 20 years evaluating kids and watching childhood change. In this conversation, she explains why reading struggles can make everything feel harder (for kids and parents), what many interventions miss beneath dyslexia and attention issues, and why building cognitive skills like processing speed and working memory can change a child’s entire trajectory (and quickly!) You’ll also hear hopeful insight for adults dealing with ADHD, brain injury, or memory decline, plus the surprisingly grounding ranch life that keeps her anchored in the real world. Learn more about Dr. Jackson’s centers at LearningRx: https://www.learningrx.com/ and explore locations here: https://www.learningrx.com/locations/ — and if you want to follow her work in Northwest Arkansas, start here: https://www.learningrx.com/fort-smith/ Learn more about evaluation services here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ginny Yurich sits down with Dr. Nicole Cain—author of Panic Proof—for a conversation that makes anxiety feel less mysterious and a whole lot more workable. Nicole explains why panic is often protective, how to spot your early “pay attention” signals before you hit crisis mode, and why the same tool won’t always work. You’ll come away with practical ideas like building a “panic pack,” using cold to calm the nervous system, and simple brain-and-body resets that matter even more in a screen-saturated world. They also go deeper on hormones, sleep, SSRIs, and why creativity and movement can be real medicine especially for kids. Learn more about Dr. Cain and her work at drnicolecain.com, get a copy of her book Panic Proof, and check out her podcast Holistic Inner Balance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harvard-trained psychologist and resilience expert Dr. Robert Brooks has spent decades watching what helps kids thrive and also what breaks them down. In this conversation with Ginny Yurich, he flips the script from “what’s wrong” to what’s strong: how to spot and honor your child’s islands of competence, why resilience is rooted in at least one steady adult a child can “gather strength” from, and how empathy changes everything from discipline to screen habits to the way we speak when kids melt down. You’ll walk away with language you can use today, a fresh way to think about technology and AI without panic, and a deeper reminder that children don’t need perfect parents but they do need present ones who help them feel valued, capable, and truly known. Learn more about Dr. Robert Brooks and all he has to offer here Check out Dr. Brooks extensive list of books here Read Dr. Brooks articles (a new one every month!) here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Nestor joins host Ginny Yurich on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast for a conversation that can change how you think about energy, sleep, focus, and stress starting with the air you’re breathing all day. You’ll learn why indoor CO2 can quietly drag down cognition (especially in schools, offices, and hotels), why mouth breathing can spiral into snoring, fatigue, and anxious “air hunger,” and how nasal breathing supports calmer nervous systems and better performance. From kids to adults, athletes to desk workers, this episode connects the dots between modern living and the most overlooked pillar of health and leaves you with practical takeaways you can try immediately. ** Get your copy of Breath here Learn more about James and all he has to offer here Get the Free Guided Audio Breath Reset Tracks here ** ⁠700 EPISODES TSHIRT LAUNCH⁠... "⁠Yes, I've Eaten a Bug Or Two⁠" toddler tee launches for just $10 this week. All other 1000 Hours Outside apparel is 20% off as well. No discount code needed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich talks with science journalist and bestselling author Alex Hutchinson about a shift that’s been happening for decades: kids are exploring less, adults are settling sooner, creativity is declining, and screens are filling the space where real-world discovery used to happen. Drawing from his new book The Explorer’s Gene and the research behind the “explore vs. exploit” dilemma, Alex explains why safety, convenience, and passive entertainment may be costing us more than we realize—and why active exploration is the key to building adaptable, confident, creative humans in an uncertain future. This conversation reframes how we think about play, risk, childhood freedom, and even our own life choices, offering practical language for what families are up against and a hopeful vision for how small, everyday adventures can restore the skills we’re losing. Get your copy of The Explorer's Gene here Get your copy of Endure here Learn more about Alex and all he has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bart and Shannon Millard of MercyMe share the story behind the years they now call “the flower chair”—a season of grief, chronic stress, parenting strain, and quiet disconnection that nearly reshaped their family for good. What followed wasn’t a dramatic rescue but a slow return through counseling, community, and the hard grace of facing what they had tried to survive alone. In this honest conversation with Ginny Yurich, they talk about the pre-2004 and post-2004 turning point, a child’s type 1 diabetes diagnosis, marriage under pressure, the surprising role of mentor Tim Timmons, and the real story behind how I Can Only Imagine changed their lives. Their new book Even If and the film I Can Only Imagine 2 reveal what they call “personal evidence of God’s goodness” in the middle of the mess—especially for parents carrying something that doesn’t just go away. Preorder 'Even If' here Learn more about Bart and Shannon here Order 'I Can Only Imagine' here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, host Ginny Yurich sits down with theologian and author Joel Muddamalle for a conversation that feels both ancient and urgently relevant. Drawing from Joel’s new book The Unseen Battle, they explore spiritual warfare not as something sensational or fear-driven, but as a daily, lived reality shaped by attention, truth, imagination, and small choices. From why Eve didn’t panic when the serpent spoke, to how modern distractions quietly gain a foothold in our lives, to why standing firm matters more than fighting harder, this episode invites listeners to see Scripture in full color and to recover a grounded, hopeful confidence. It’s thoughtful, accessible theology for parents, skeptics, and anyone who senses there’s more happening beneath the surface of ordinary life. 🔗 Get your copy of Joel’s book, The Unseen Battle 🔗 Check out Stranger Theology: https://www.strangertheology.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with father-daughter duo Drew and Ava Miller—homeschoolers, musicians, and the heart behind Petal Honey Co—to talk about the kind of life shift you never see coming, but later realize was guidance all along. What started as a random stop at a honey-for-sale sign turned into beekeeping, bottling, rebuilding after hard losses, and building real community through local food and hands-on work. We talk about the beauty of honey, the stewardship of creation, why pollinators matter, and how “outdoor work” can quietly change a family—slowing you down, strengthening you, and giving kids purpose you can’t manufacture indoors. You’ll also hear about Drew and Ava’s music (recorded as a time capsule of their ages), Ava’s love of incubating chicks, and a childhood outdoor memory that will make you want to plan a trip and reread the books that shaped you. L Check out Petal Honey Co here Check out | Miller and Co music here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, host Ginny Yurich sits down with farmers and authors Staci and Jeremy Hill of Gooseberry Bridge Farm to explore a decades-long shift: how much everyday knowledge has disappeared in just a few generations. From growing and preserving food to involving kids in real, meaningful work, this conversation is about reclaiming skills that once made ordinary life possible and still matter more than we realize. We talk about seasonal living, raising capable kids, why a full pantry isn’t fear-driven but thoughtful, and how learning to work for your food changes the way you see time, effort, and family life. This episode is about is about remembering what used to work and choosing a more grounded way forward. Get your copy of The Preserver's Garden here Learn more about the Hills at https://www.gooseberrybridge.com Follow the Hills on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/gooseberrybridgefarm/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get our top ranked mobile app for iOS or Android!  Levi Lusko shows up to this conversation the most on-brand way possible—fresh off getting lost on a Montana hike—and it turns into the perfect doorway into what he wrote Don’t Worry, Warrior! for: real-life anxiety that feels enormous, and surprisingly small, doable tools that actually help. In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich and Levi talk about “touch grass” as both a nervous-system reset and a faith practice, why simple things like box breathing and getting your body moving can interrupt spirals fast, how creativity can pull you out of a dark mood, and why bravery is a muscle kids can build even when they don’t feel brave. It’s practical, hope-filled, and tailor-made for parents raising teens and tweens in a screen-saturated world. Get your copy of Don't Worry, Warrior! here Learn more about Levi and all he has to offer here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life. IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Higgins—best known from The Bachelor—joins Ginny Yurich for a rare, honest conversation about what it’s like to be visible to millions and still feel deeply alone. Ben shares how a painful childhood marked by his father's illness, a career-ending injury, and addiction shaped his hunger to be seen, and why fame never healed the ache he hoped it would. This episode traces the turning points that changed his life: choosing connection over numbing, faith over performance, and purpose over applause. From carrying heartbreak in public, to building a marriage and becoming a father, to telling other people’s stories through his book Alone in Plain Sight, Ben reflects on what actually makes a life meaningful. This is a conversation for anyone who’s ever felt overlooked, misunderstood, or exhausted by pretending. It's a reminder to show up where your feet are. Get your copy of Alone in Plain Sight here Grab some coffee from Generous Coffee here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danielle Kartes is back—and this time, she’s walking into the pressure cooker of Next Level Chef. Filmed in Ireland, judged by Gordon Ramsay, and completely outside her comfort zone, this season marks a stunning new chapter for a woman who once lost everything she thought defined her life. In this episode, Danielle shares the long road that led here: a failed restaurant, years of financial uncertainty, a marriage that nearly didn’t survive, and the slow, holy work of rebuilding from the ground up. We talk about motherhood, faith, perseverance, and why you don’t actually lose yourself in hard seasons. This is a conversation for anyone in the middle of an “ugly” chapter who needs permission to hope again and courage to keep going. Explore Danielle’s books and recipes at https://rusticjoyfulfood.com and grab a copy of her memoir You Were Always There , or The Best Kids Cookbook, or Meant to Share (or all three!) Preorder My Very First Baking Book (launches April 7) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get our top ranked mobile app for iOS or Android! New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Breheny Wallace joins Ginny Yurich to name something many people feel but rarely have words for: the deep human need to matter—not just to belong, but to be valued and to add value. Drawing from her new book Mattering, Jennifer shares why so many people feel invisible in modern life, why transitions can shake us to the core, and how small, specific choices rebuild connection. You’ll leave with practical prompts you can use tonight (“Where did I add value? Who made me feel valued?”), a fresh lens on kids and achievement culture, and a better knowledge of creating mattering spaces. Learn more about Jennifer and all she has to offer here Get your copy of Mattering here Get your copy of Never Enough here ** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get our top ranked mobile app for iOS or Android! Listen to  ‘Beautiful World’, our intro song, by In Paradise and Two Better Friends How do you help kids connect what they see in nature with what they believe about God? Ginny talks with bestselling author and Fierce Marriage/Fierce Parenting co-founder Ryan Frederick about his new children’s book series Adam & Iota, stories designed to help kids explore the human body (DNA, blood, growth in the womb) while building a bigger, brighter category for wonder, design, and the glory of God in creation. Ryan breaks down the powerful difference between general (natural) revelation, what creation shows us about God - and special revelation, what Scripture reveals about God’s character, salvation, and how we live. They discuss why “there’s no such thing as a neutral education,” how a Christ-centered worldview changes the way we teach everything from science to history to beauty, and why parenting is always discipleship, whether we acknowledge it or not. You’ll also hear practical encouragement for homeschool and family life, the “mental load” in marriage, and why wonder (from hummingbirds to DNA) can become a daily discipleship tool, especially when you’re outside. Learn more: fiercemarriage.com • fierceparenting.com • theologykids.com ** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to ⁠www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS⁠ and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get our free Top Ten 1000 Hours Outside Podcast Books from 2025⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ What if the simplest solution to so many modern childhood struggles is… more play? Ginny sits down with Pat Rumbaugh - aka “The Play Lady” - a longtime PE teacher, coach, TED Talk speaker (yes, she hula-hoops while she talks), and founder of Let’s Play America. Pat shares what she’s witnessed since she began teaching in 1981: a steady decline in free, child-led, neighborhood play, and the ripple effects it has on kids, families, and communities. Together, they unpack why play builds flexibility, creativity, empathy, resilience, and real-life social skills, and why multi-age, unstructured play is so different from adult-led activities and overscheduled sports. Pat also offers practical, doable ways to bring play back: hosting a Play Day, creating StoryWalks, adding “play stations” to existing community events, and even closing your street so kids can safely take over the space again. If you’ve been craving more connection, more laughter, and more “real kids outside” moments, this episode will give you both the why and the how. Learn more: letsplayamerica.org ** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to ⁠www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS⁠ and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get our top ranked mobile app for iOS or Android!  In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Caroline Leaf for a hopeful, practical conversation about why you’re not “broken” for feeling triggered, overwhelmed, or stuck and what to do next. Dr. Leaf breaks down her mind–brain–body framework in a way that finally makes sense, using a simple nature picture: your thoughts grow like trees, and what you practice strengthens over time. You’ll learn why multitasking quietly fuels hurry sickness, how small daily “micro-actions” can shift real patterns, and how to start responding instead of reacting. This one combines science, sanity, and relief in one conversation, with tangible tools you can try today. Learn more about Dr. Caroline Leaf and all she has to offer here Get your copy of Switch On Your Brain here ** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to ⁠www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS⁠ and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Purchase Ginny's trio of books: ⁠Until the Streetlights Come On⁠, ⁠Homeschooling⁠, and ⁠1000 Hours Outside Activity Book  Pelvic floor problems are one of those “quiet” issues that can sneak into your life doing things like making hikes stressful, camping complicated, workouts frustrating, sleeping difficult, and even everyday mom life painful or exhausting. In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with clinical exercise physiologist and researcher Jenn Lormand, who shares her own intense story of birth trauma, prolapse, and being told she’d likely need repeat surgeries. But then she discovered a non-invasive path that helped her heal and build the program that’s helped so many other women, too. You’ll learn what prolapse actually is, why Kegels can sometimes make things worse, how hormone changes can change pelvic tissue, and simple “start today” ways to be kinder to your pelvic floor like better bathroom mechanics, reducing chronic strain, and thinking preventatively long before symptoms show up. Find Jenn’s work, free quiz, and her signature program at https://tightenyourtinkler.com Use code 1000HOURS for $50 off the signature program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to  ‘Beautiful World’, our intro song, by In Paradise and Two Better Friends If you love the opening and closing song It's a Beautiful World make sure to follow In Paradise and Two Better Friends for more of their music! ** In this conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with couples therapist Dr. Tracy Dalgleish to talk about relationship pain that so parents carry but rarely say out loud like feeling duped after the honeymoon stage, drowning in the mental load, and watching resentment grow when needs go unseen and unacknowledged. Tracy breaks down the overfunctioning–underfunctioning cycle, why “I cant do anything right” is a shutdown that blocks connection, and how repair (not perfection) is what keeps love alive especially when screens, stress, and exhaustion turn partners into roommates living parallel lives. You’ll walk away with language you can use tonight, boundaries that actually work, simple acknowledgement habits, and a clearer picture of what’s in your control to shift the dynamic. This episode also includes a powerful glimpse into postpartum vulnerability and the in-law pressures that can begin to fracture a marriage if you don’t protect your “we.” Get your copy of I Didn't Sign Up for This here Learn more about Dr. Tracy and all she has to offer here ** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to ⁠www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS⁠ and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ The 1000 Hours Outside App is on sale for $24.99 on ⁠⁠iOs⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Android⁠ ** In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, host Ginny Yurich sits down with Sarah Adams (Mom Uncharted) for a candid, eye-opening conversation about what it costs kids when their lives become content. Together they unpack why children can’t truly consent to a digital footprint, how the “it’s harmless” mindset collapses in the age of AI, and what parents may not realize about the audience, the algorithms, and the long tail of a photo or video that never really disappears. Sarah also gets practical about everyday pressure points, like filming other people’s kids, school and classroom privacy, and the way online trends are pulling childhood into an adult world too soon. If you’ve ever felt that quiet nudge to pull back, this episode offers language, clarity, and a better direction: a new normal that protects kids, preserves private spaces, and keeps real life bigger than the feed. Learn more at https://momuncharted.com and https://kidsarenotcontent.com Check out Sarah's brand new podcast called Parents Uncharted here ** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns Hungry Root - Go to ⁠www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS⁠ and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life IXL Learning - Head to ⁠www.ixl.com/1000hours⁠ to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership Wayfair - Go to ⁠www.wayfair.com⁠ and shop all things home Cure Hydration- head to ⁠www.curehydration.com/outside⁠ to find a retailer near you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get our free Top Ten 1000 Hours Outside Podcast Books from 2025⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get our top ranked mobile app for iOS or Android. Subscribe to our Substack here Screens don’t just steal attention, they quietly change how your eyes work. In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with optometrist and dry-eye specialist Dr. Pam Theriot to explain what’s really happening when we stare close-up for hours: we blink less, the oil layer of our tears can thicken and clog, and over time that can snowball into dry eye disease, even in younger adults. Dr. Pam shares a simple at-home “how long can you go without blinking” self-check, practical prevention habits, and easy tweaks for kids, readers, gamers, and anyone glued to a computer all day. It’s one of those conversations that makes you want to walk away, look at the horizon, and start taking eye care as seriously as brushing your teeth. Check out Dr. Pam's TEDx talk here Learn more about Dr. Pam and all she has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ The 1000 Hours Outside App is on sale for $24.99 on ⁠⁠iOs⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Android⁠ ** In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with Bethany Mandel—writer, mom of six, and co-host of The Mom Wars—for a conversation that feels like a deep exhale. Together they talk about what actually helps families thrive: lowering the pressure, refusing the constant comparison game, and choosing a version of motherhood that’s grounded, sane, and full of joy. Bethany shares how a big family can strengthen a marriage, how kids grow when we stop over-managing every moment, and why homeschooling (and life in general) can be less about doing more and more about letting go in the right places. If you’ve been craving a smarter, kinder take on modern motherhood this one will leave you encouraged. Follow Bethany at The Mom Wars Substack and listen to The Mom Wars Podcast Follow Bethany on Instagram and X Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Get our free Top Ten 1000 Hours Outside Podcast Books from 2025⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get our top ranked mobile app for iOS or Android!  Subscribe to our Substack hereOn this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, host Ginny Yurich sits down with father-and-son duo Tim and Mark Shoemaker to talk about the conversations parents avoid until it’s too late. Tim is an award-winning author who loves writing outdoors and Mark is a next-gen pastor who’s spent years in the trenches with teens. Their new book, What to Say and How to Say It to Your Teen, is a practical guide to 30 tricky, real-life topics (screens, anxiety, work ethic, honesty, dating, porn, anger, and more) with the kind of language that keeps the relationship intact while still telling the truth. You’ll hear why so many talks go sideways, how to aim for connection instead of “winning,” and why the goal of every hard conversation is to “come back safe” with trust still standing and the door open for follow-up. Get your copy of What to Say here Learn more about Tim and all he has to offer (so many books!!) here Learn more about Mark here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠here⁠ The 1000 Hours Outside App is on sale for $24.99 on ⁠iOs⁠ and ⁠Android⁠ ** Max Lucado is back with Ginny Yurich, and this one is a steadying exhale for parents and kids living under constant pressure. It’s launch day for his new kids devotional Calm Thoughts for Kids and instead of vague “just calm down” advice, Max gets really practical: what to do with the nonstop “what if” thoughts, why gratitude is such a fast anxiety-interrupter, and how kids are carrying way more pressure than most grownups realize. He shares pieces of his own story (including the shame spiral he had to climb out of), plus these simple outdoor pictures that stick like storms, tents, rivers, and stepping-stones that make faith feel steady and doable, not abstract. You’ll walk away with real words to say to an anxious kid, and a few new ways to steady your own mind too. Get your copy of Calm Thoughts for Kids here Get your copy of Anxious for Nothing here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet here The 1000 Hours Outside App is on sale for $24.99 on iOs and Android ** If you feel like you’re parenting on hard mode right now—especially with ADHD in the mix—this episode is for you. Ginny Yurich sits down with Mike McLeod (GrowNOW ADHD) on launch week for The Executive Function Playbook and The Executive Function Playbook in Action, and they talk about what actually helps when you’re worn out from the same battles on repeat. Mike breaks down why more lecturing usually makes it worse, what “use less language” really looks like in real life, and how simple, hands-on tools can build self-regulation, motivation, and independence over time. It’s hopeful, practical, and honestly a relief because you walk away with things you can try right away, not just more advice to carry. Get your copy of The Executive Function Playbook here Get your copy of The Executive Function Playbook in Action here Learn more about GrowNOW and all they have to offer here Sign up for Executive Function summer camp here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

** Get our top rated app here >>> https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/mobile-app Half the world is wired for less stimulation and many of them have spent years wondering if that means something is wrong with them. In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with counselor and bestselling author Holley Gerth to talk about introversion with both warmth and real brain science: why “introvert” isn’t the same as “shy,” how dopamine and acetylcholine shape what drains you or restores you, why deep processing can make you tired even when you “didn’t do that much,” and how strategic solitude can actually make relationships more sustainable—especially for kids. It’s a freeing conversation for anyone who’s ever felt too quiet, too intense, too sensitive, or just plain awkward… and a reminder that awkwardness is often what makes us more human, more likable, and easier to connect with. Get your copy of The Power Purpose of Introverts here Learn more about Holley and all she has to offer here Take Holley's Introvert Quiz here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Purchase Ginny's trio of books: Until the Streetlights Come On, Homeschooling, and 1000 Hours Outside Activity Book *** Isaac French grew up in a world that feels almost impossible now: no TV, no smartphone, real responsibility, deep community, and childhood measured in projects, skills, and time outside. In this episode, In this episode, Ginny Yurich sits down with the now widely known artist-builder and entrepreneur behind some of the most captivating stays in the country to talk about what that kind of upbringing produces—and why it matters. Isaac shares the stories behind restoring a 120-year-old train car, building Live Oak Lake, and designing spaces where nature is the amenity and hospitality actually changes people. It’s a conversation about raising capable kids, choosing limits that create freedom, and recovering a life with texture—craft, beauty, faith, family, and the outdoors at the center. It was one of Ginny's absolute favorite episodes to edit. You're going to love it! Learn more about Isaac and all he has to offer (including his newsletter that tens of thousands of people receive) here Check out Isaac's incredible storytelling abilities on his YouTube channel here Learn more about the Live Oak Lake project here Learn more about Rail Car 306 here Learn more about The Nook here Book a Train Stay!! Follow Isaac on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!) *** Many people spend their lives fighting a quiet battle over whether they are truly lovable. In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with attachment expert ⁠Adam Lane Smith ⁠to talk about insecurity, emotional safety, and why so many people live in fear of being abandoned, exposed, or “found out.” Adam explains how early attachment wounds shape adult relationships, why some people live in constant performance mode, and how fear slowly sabotages intimacy, purpose, and creativity. This is an honest, intense, and hopeful conversation about what it means to feel secure, stop earning love, and finally make peace with yourself. Learn more about Adam and all he has to offer (including his courses) here Get your copy of Slaying Your Fear here Get your copy of Exhausted Wives, Bewildered Husbands here Find Adam on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, ⁠X⁠, and ⁠YouTube⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!) *** This episode with Tim Timberlake is about learning how to keep going when life doesn’t smooth out the way you hoped it would. Tim shares what he’s learning in real time—about slowing down, paying attention, and not living like happiness is always somewhere “later.” You’ll hear practical ideas like why uneven steps force you to be present, how a “pivot” can create space when you feel stuck, why shortcuts usually cost more in the long run, and how small beginnings actually matter more than we think. It’s the kind of conversation that helps you breathe a little deeper, rethink your pace, and take your next step without overcomplicating it Learn more about Tim and all he has to offer here Get your copy of The Bumpy Road to Better here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!) ** Ginny Yurich talks with Ginger Naylor, CEO of Outward Bound about why challenge, play, and real-world adventure shape people in ways classrooms alone never can. Ginger shares how the outdoors becomes a classroom for learning resilience, confidence, communication, problem-solving, and leadership - and why kids (and adults) need unstructured experiences, healthy risk, and a little discomfort to grow. They talk about how childhood has become over-engineered, how nature’s unpredictability trains the brain for a changing world, and why stepping outside changes more than just your scenery. The conversation also introduces Outward Bound’s Nationwide Reset Day on Saturday, January 24, 2026, inviting families and communities to put the screens down for a bit and take back their time, attention, and sense of calm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!) ** Ruthann Zimmerman grew up Old Order Mennonite with horse and buggy, big gardens, a family milk cow, workdays that revolved around real needs and real rhythm. In this conversation, she and Ginny talk about what happens when “old ways” collide with the modern world and why so many families are searching for the kind of home life that builds capable kids. This conversation is about a return to skills, chores, and shared work that create something most families are missing: steady connection. And then Ruthann says it plainly: there’s a difference between food and nutrition and in a world full of convenience, it’s skills that put nutrition on the table. You’ll hear practical, doable starting points (no, you don’t need a milk cow), but also the deeper why: children need the natural reward cycle of effort, mastery, and a job well done because artificial highs from screens can flatten the rest of life. If you’ve felt the urge to simplify, to shrink your supply chain, to rebuild family culture from the inside out this episode will feel like a deep exhale and a clear next step. Learn more about Ruthann Zimmerman and all she has to offer here Get your copy of The Heart of the Homestead here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!) *** The world our kids are heading into is changing so fast that the old map from childhood to adulthood doesn’t work anymore—and Issy Butson (Stark Raving Dad) explains why that matters right now. We talk about how AI is already reshaping work (starting with entry-level roles), why school still rewards sitting still and fitting in, and what actually builds the kind of young person who can thrive when the future is unclear: autonomy, real competence, and genuine connection. Issy breaks down the research behind motivation (Self-Determination Theory) and makes a powerful case for boredom, agency, mixed-age community, and real-world learning—not as trendy ideas, but as essential training for adaptability. If you’ve ever had wobbly knees in your homeschool journey (or you’re just trying to raise resilient kids in a rapidly shifting world), this episode will steady you and give you language for what you already sense is true. Learn more about everything Issy has to offer here Check out The Complete Life Without School Collection here Check out Issy's Podcast here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!) ** This episode turns “just have better phone habits” on its head and replaces it with something that works. Seán Killingsworth explains why individual willpower can’t solve a problem that’s environmental: when every hangout, hallway, and lunch table becomes a screen habitat, connection gets crowded out and kids grow up feeling constantly “on stage.” But this isn’t a despair episode. It’s a blueprint for moving forward. Seán’s Reconnect Movement is building phone-free spaces (with a simple “phone valet” system) where real friendship becomes possible again. The movement is showing up on college campuses, in high schools, and in local communities. If you’ve been craving a realistic way to give kids what they’re actually starving for this conversation will show you how to start and encourage you to keep at it. Learn more about The Reconnect Movement and how you can get involved here Watch Sean's keynote at James Madison University here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠ Check out the 2026 Kick-Off Pack as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available through January 12th!) ** Ginny Yurich sits down with Psychology Today editor and author Hara Estroff Marano to talk about the quiet shift that started long before smartphones—and why it’s been devastating for kids. Drawing from A Nation of Wimps, Hara explains how fear and rapid cultural change pushed parents into “invasive” parenting, accidentally transmitting anxiety and squeezing play, risk, and independence out of childhood. The result isn’t safer, stronger kids—it’s more rigidity, perfectionism, and fragility. This episode is a steadying, permission-giving reset: play isn’t extra, it’s training for uncertainty; disappointment is information; and childhood doesn’t need to be optimized to be successful. If you’ve felt the pressure to manage every outcome, this conversation will help you step back, rebuild resilience the natural way, and give your kids what they actually need to grow up well. Get your copy of A Nation of Wimps here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠⁠here⁠ Check out the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle that includes the 2026 Kick-Off Pack ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ *** Screens don’t just fill time. They also begin to shape what feels normal in a child’s brain, body, and relationships. In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with family researcher and bestselling author Arlene Pellicane to talk about what kids lose when devices become the default (attention, affection, conversation, imagination), and what parents can rebuild with simple, steady choices. You’ll hear why “background TV” isn’t as harmless as it seems, how early screen exposure can set a lifelong pattern of seeking instant stimulation, why gaming and social media can hijack identity, and how to handle screen-time conflict when spouses (or even grandparents) aren’t on the same page. This is practical, hopeful encouragement without guilt: delay what you can, replace screens with real-life skills and two-hands activities, and protect the one thing your kids can’t swap out later—their capacity for connection. Learn more about Arlene and all she has to offer here Get your copy of Screen Kids here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve been feeling the pressure—burnout for you, overwhelm for your teen, and a constant sense that everyone is behind—this conversation with Dr. Greg Hammer (Stanford physician, mindfulness teacher, and author) is a deep exhale. Ginny Yurich and Dr. Hammer talk about why teens are carrying stress we never had (smartphones, comparison, eco-anxiety, school fears), and why his simple GAIN practice—Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention, and Nonjudgment—isn’t “floofy,” it’s a practical way to rewire the brain toward steadiness and joy. You’ll hear why gratitude is the foundation of happiness, how “small bites” change family culture, and why nature itself can bring us back to the present where happiness actually lives. Listen and share this with a friend who needs hope, and if the show has encouraged you, leaving a review truly helps other families find it. Get a copy of The Mindful Teen here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Ginny Yurich talks with cybersecurity expert and longtime IT professional Ben Gillenwater about what actually changed when the internet moved into kids’ pockets and why so many parents feel unequipped to respond. Ben brings decades of experience working with complex systems and translates it into clear, usable guidance for families: where the real risks are, why common “parental controls” often fail, and how addictive algorithms, anonymous chat, and AI are reshaping childhood in ways we can’t ignore. This conversation is practical, honest, and focused on reclaiming attention, safety, and uninterrupted time with the people we love. Learn more about Ben and all he has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Angela Hanscom—founder of TimberNook and author of Balanced and Barefoot—is back, and this conversation goes somewhere we’ve never gone before: the behind-the-scenes yes that built a worldwide movement out of one mom’s quiet, out-of-her-comfort-zone obedience. We talk entrepreneurship in this episode and so much more. If you’ve ever felt pulled toward something meaningful but intimidating, this episode will be the nudge forward you need. Angela also talks about motherhood in the middle of all that work: your kids are watching your courage, humility, and resilience. We talk fear (ticks, travel, being the center of attention), discernment (how to recognize what’s from God), and why 60 minutes of movement isn’t remotely enough for kids who are made to move for hours. Angela shares what thrilling play actually looks like and why it’s one of the most practical ways we can push back on the social-emotional crisis we’re seeing in children. If this episode encourages you, share it with a friend who needs hope—and please leave a review. It’s one of the simplest ways to help more families find this message. Thanks for listening! Get your copy of Balanced and Barefoot here Check out TimberNook here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get Ginny's Top 10 Books of 2025 list for FREE ⁠here⁠ Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠here Check out the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle that includes the 2026 Kick-Off Pack ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ Ginny Yurich, founder of 1000 Hours Outside, starts 2026 in the most Ginny way possible: a rare, slightly-uncomfortable solo episode chosen on purpose, because New Year’s Day landed on episode 666, and she decided to “fall on the sword” herself. From there, she pulls you into the real origin story of 1000 Hours Outside: a young mom in over her head, three little kids, no sleep, and the first truly good day she’d had in years, September 2011 at a Michigan park, when four to six hours outside (a Charlotte Mason idea she initially thought was ridiculous) changed everything. This episode is a rally cry for families who want more peace, more play, more courage, and less screen-shaped childhood, plus practical ways to start tracking, building a life with “not enough time for screens,” and letting nature become the place where kids grow up incrementally… and parents learn to trust them. Along the way, Ginny shares her top 10 most meaningful books of 2025 (out of 210 books read during the year!), the quotes that steadied her this year, and why reading, walking, and outside time are “time-protection” habits in a world designed to co-opt attention. She also reads the marketing language from Replika AI out loud, because it genuinely alarms her, and makes a clear, compassionate case for choosing the real thing: real friends, real discomfort, real growth, real life. The episode closes with hope for listeners carrying heavy burdens into the new year, and ends with “Beautiful World,” a song and musical collaboration featuring Ginny’s daughters because the whole point is this: childhood isn’t meant to be performed on a screen. It’s meant to be lived. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle that includes the 2026 Kick-Off Pack ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ Get your free 2026 tracker sheet ⁠here ** If you’ve been living in that exhausted loop—your kid pushes, you react, everyone feels awful, and then you hate how the day ended—this conversation will feel like someone opened a window in your house. Kirk Martin (The Calm Parenting Podcast) helps you name what’s actually happening when you’re “triggered" and why your anxiety often creates the exact opposite outcome you want. Together we talk about the real-life triggers that hijack parents (dawdling, messes, perceived disrespect), how to stop taking kid behavior personally, and how to slow your world down enough to respond with clarity instead of resentment. Then we go deeper because strong-willed kids don’t just test your patience, they test your marriage. Kirk shares practical ways couples can stay aligned, how to stop getting played off each other, and why your home doesn’t need more lectures or tighter control—it needs connection and a little more fun. This is the perspective shift every tired parent needs: the very traits that irritate you now may be the same traits that will make your child brave, persuasive, resilient, and capable later. You’re not behind. You’re not failing. And you can start changing the tone of your home today. Learn more about Kirk and all he has to offer (including his podcast and courses) here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle that includes the 2026 Kick-Off Pack ⁠here⁠ Get your free 2026 tracker sheet here ** If you’ve ever looked around at your family and thought, Why is everything so hard right now? - this episode will make you feel less alone, and a whole lot more clear. Ginny Yurich sits down again with Mike McLeod, author of The Executive Function Playbook, and it’s one of those conversations that puts language to what parents are living every day: the exhaustion of being your child’s “prefrontal cortex,” the nonstop prompting, the homework vortex, and the fear that this isn’t getting better. Mike is honest about ADHD being serious and also full of hope about what actually helps kids build independence. You’ll learn why ADHD is better understood as an executive function developmental delay, why “not everything is a screen problem” but the internet-connected screens are in a league of their own, and why play and boredom aren’t frivolous extras. Mike explains working memory and why it matters and so much more. This episode is a rallying cry for parents who want to protect childhood, lower the temperature in their home, and give their kids back the experiences that build a capable life. If it helps you, share it with a friend and leave a review. Get your copy of The Executive Function Playbook here Get your copy of The Executive Function Playbook in Action here Learn more about GrowNow ADHD here Listen to Dr. Russell Barkley on YouTube here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out the 1000 Hours Outside Mega Bundle that includes the 2026 Kick-Off Pack here Get your free 2026 tracker sheets here ** In this conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with natural playscape designer and author Rusty Keeler to talk about what kids are actually built for: climbing, hiding, building, negotiating, tumbling, experimenting, and testing themselves in the real world. Rusty shares how a trip to Europe shifted his whole philosophy from equipment-based playgrounds to wild, nature-rich spaces full of loose parts, nooks and crannies, mud, water, tools, and possibility—plus why his book Adventures in Risky Play is basically a permission slip for parents who feel like childhood has gotten over-managed. Rusty reminds us that kids don’t need us to manufacture wonder. They need time, space, and a little more trust. Find Rusty’s work (including his Play Nature Podcast) and explore the book/resources he mentions here. **Intro song performed by In Paradise and Two Better Friends. Learn more at www.inparadisemusic.com and stream "Beautiful World" here Follow Two Better Friends here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Modern life is quietly thinning out things that matter like friendship, purpose, contentment, and presence. In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich talks with pastor and author Noah Herrin about what it actually looks like to grow into manhood in a culture that keeps lowering expectations while demanding more attention than ever. They talk about why real friendships don’t happen by accident, why community without commitment never lasts, and why some men need to stop waiting for connection and start “friend hunting” on purpose. This is a hopeful, honest conversation for husbands, fathers, teen boys, and the parents raising them. Noah shares simple boundaries that protect family life, tools for using technology without being owned by it, and a brilliant system for capturing ideas without mental clutter. If you’ve felt the tension between wanting a meaningful life and feeling pulled in ten directions, this episode names it—and offers a better way forward. Get your copy of Welcome to Manhood here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Gustin didn’t set out to be a parenting voice. He became one the hard way. In this conversation, Jon talks honestly about early exposure to alcohol, years of running from anxiety, and what happened when becoming a father forced him to stop numbing and start paying attention. He shares what it was like to quit drinking, face anxiety head-on, and rebuild his marriage and inner life while raising young kids. There’s no dramatic turnaround story here—just the quiet, difficult work of changing patterns so they don’t get passed down. From there, the conversation turns to modern childhood. Screens. Phones. Messy houses. Kids growing up too fast. Jon makes a simple but urgent case: childhood needs protection—not through fear or control, but through attention. Paying attention to what kids are doing, who they’re becoming, and whether they’re being pushed into an adult world too soon. This episode is for parents who sense something is off, who don’t want to overreact or opt out of modern life—but who also refuse to sleepwalk through it. Thoughtful, steady, and deeply reassuring. Learn more about Jon and all he has to offer here Pre-order Jon's book, The Tired Dad here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your *FREE* 2026 1000 Hours Outside Tracker Sheet here: https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/trackers Focus, confidence, and emotional regulation don’t start with worksheets. They start with crawling, climbing, messy hands, and sensory play. In this conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with pediatric physical therapist and TimberNook provider Kathryn Kraft to talk about why the developing brain needs touch and movement and what happens when kids are rushed, managed, and transitioned every 20 minutes. You’ll hear why TimberNook’s “time and space” makes such a radical difference for child development, why free play looks chaotic before it looks creative, and why the simplest outdoor objects can become the best kind of therapy. Kathryn’s work is built for all kids. She shares how her nonprofit LIVEfor began after insurance cut off therapy for a baby who still needed support and how that moment grew into outdoor programs where children with mobility challenges and neurodiversities aren’t separated from other children. You’ll hear practical ideas for making outdoor play accessible for all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you feel like you’re living at hummingbird speed—heart racing, always “behind,” never quite done—this conversation will feel like a deep exhale. Eryn Lynum is back for her second appearance, and she brings the kind of gentle, sturdy wisdom about how all of nature rests and prepares to rest. Through the stunning design of creation Eryn helps us see what we’ve forgotten: rest isn’t a reward for finishing everything. It’s part of the design. It’s how we were meant to live. Together, Ginny and Eryn talk about Sabbath in a real-life family rhythm—preparing for it, protecting it, and letting it become the day that reconnects you to God and the people you love most. They explore “Selah pauses,” seasons of waiting , and the quiet truth nature keeps repeating: everything fruitful has a rhythm. If you’re heading into a new year craving calm, clarity, and a pace that actually feels sustainable, press play—then share this one with a friend who’s running on fumes, and leave a quick review so more families can find it. Get your copy of The Nature of Rest here Check out the Nat Theo Podcast here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Sina McCullough did everything “right.” She had a PhD in nutrition. She cooked from scratch. She bought organic. And still, her health fell apart. Autoimmune disease. Chronic infections. Miscarriages. Crushing fatigue. At her lowest point, she couldn’t lift a cup to drink without her young son helping her. In this episode, Sina tells Ginny the moment she hit rock bottom and the prayer she prayed asking God for one more chance at life. What happened next is hard to explain away: off the floor in three days, pain-free in three months, disease-free in a year. And a promise she made to spend the rest of her life helping others find their second chance too. This conversation isn’t about perfection or fear or doing everything. It’s about clarity. Sina explains why food labels often give a false sense of security, why “gluten-free” and “organic” don’t always mean what we think they do, and why healing can’t be reduced to a sticker on a package. She and Ginny talk about getting outside as real medicine—breathing in microbial diversity, regulating the nervous system, letting nature do what it’s always done best. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, confused, or quietly discouraged because you’re trying so hard and still not feeling well, this episode will meet you where you are. No shame. No hype. Just hope, wisdom, and the reminder that your body and your life may be more resilient than you’ve been led to believe. Get your copy of Beyond Labels here Learn more about Dr. Sina McCullough and all she has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this unforgettable conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with viral kindness creator Jimmy Darts, author of Undercover Kindness to talk about the stories behind his videos and his book: the grandparents sleeping in their car who stopped to help wrap a gift, the mom who handed over a burrito from her backpack without hesitation, and the quiet power of people who give even when they don’t have much. The heart of this episode is simple and surprisingly practical. You don’t have to fix anyone. You don’t have to be heroic. You just have to notice people. Jimmy shares how generosity shaped him as a child, why five dollars matters more than we think, and how walking, slowing down, and being present opens the door to real connection. It’s a conversation about faith, parenting, and choosing an outward posture in a culture that trains us to look away. If you’ve ever wondered how to raise generous kids or how to soften your own heart again this episode will stay with you. Jimmy on Instagram: @jimmydarts Jimmy on YouTube: @JimmyDarts Undercover Kindness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ginny Yurich sits down with Dr. Kelly Cagle, educational researcher, former teacher, and host of the Parenting IQ Podcast, for a practical, hopeful conversation about what kids actually need to thrive in today’s school-and-screen-saturated world. Kelly shares her story of moving from Brazil to the U.S. at age 11, learning English through sheer curiosity (and PBS’s Arthur), and being pushed ahead through school, an experience that made her question how quickly we rush children through development. Together, they zoom out to look at what other countries do differently (including Finland’s later start and play-based early years), why the American system often rewards compliance over growth, and how that pressure can hit certain kids, especially those with ADHD, extra hard. You’ll also get immediately usable ideas for supporting ADHD at school and at home without turning your child into a “problem to manage.” Kelly explains why small accommodations can be game-changing (gum or mints for sensory input, permission to stand or pace, movement breaks, flexible seating), and why partnering with teachers matters more than picking the “perfect” school. The heart of this episode is Kelly’s grounded message: real school success starts at home, and “less is more” isn’t a vibe, it’s a strategy. If you’re trying to un-bubble-wrap your kids, rebuild healthy rhythms, and raise children with self-control, perseverance, and a sense of belonging, this conversation will leave you encouraged and equipped. Learn more about Kelly and all she has to offer here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this colorful and joy-filled episode of the 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with gardener, photographer, and author Sandra Mao (@sandraurbangarden) to talk about how a garden can become a feast for the eyes, and an adventure for the whole family. Sandra shares how she grew up gardening alongside her parents and grandmother, and how her own family’s garden began with simple container planting during quarantine… then blossomed into half a backyard full of vibrant surprises. Together, Ginny and Sandra explore the magic of colorful vegetables and flowers, from rainbow carrots and radishes to striped peppers, purple cauliflower, “dragon’s egg” cucumbers, and even yard-long beans. They also dive into practical, confidence-building tips for beginners: choosing a color palette, finding seed sources, saving seeds, managing pests, and keeping gardening fun (even when things grow wonky!). You’ll also hear about Sandra’s favorite easy-to-grow flowers like zinnias, marigolds, and calendula, plus how she dries herbs and petals, makes infused oils, and preserves harvests through canning and sun-drying. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by gardening or you’re looking for a way to get your kids excited to grow (and actually try vegetables!), this conversation will leave you inspired to plant something vibrant and step outside together. Get your copy of Vibrant Harvest here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adolescence is a training ground for belonging. Rosalind Wiseman (the Queen Bees and Wannabes author whose work inspired Mean Girls) names what adults forget: wanting to be part of a group isn’t a character flaw, it’s a deep developmental need. And the stakes aren’t superficial. The way kids handle loyalty, conflict, embarrassment, betrayal, and speaking up (or staying silent) becomes muscle memory they carry into adulthood. In a world where many kids feel the “middle-class script” they were promised doesn’t pay off, that longing to belong can turn into paralysis, resentment, or disengagement—and parents are left wondering when to step in, what to say, and how to be credible again. This conversation gets beautifully practical: how to respond when your child comes home with “the story” (and you weren’t there), why forced kindness scripts backfire, and how real social learning happens through messy, unsupervised, multi-age play—especially outside. Wiseman makes a compelling case that overly adult-driven schedules (and even toxic youth sports) can shrink a kid’s identity until it collapses under pressure, while neighborhood moments expand it: friend, helper, teammate, kid-who’s-known-by-name. You’ll leave with language that lowers defenses, strengthens connection, and helps your kids navigate their social world with dignity—plus a reminder that some of the best confidence-building on earth still looks like racing Big Wheels downhill and climbing trees. Learn more about Rosalind and everything she has to offer here Get your copy of Queen Bees and Wannabees here Get your copy of Masterminds and Wingmen here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the deepest friendships aren’t built on independence—but on dependence done with dignity? In this unforgettable conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with Kevan Chandler (living with spinal muscular atrophy) and pastor Tommy Shelton to talk about their new book, The Hospitality of Need—and the startling idea that letting people help you can be a form of generosity. Kevan’s life is filled with “weirdly clear needs,” and he shares how friends who volunteer to help him each morning don’t experience it as a burden, but as a gift: a predictable rhythm of brotherhood, trust, and real presence in a distracted world. Together, they reframe hospitality as more than hosting—it’s also showing up to be fed, allowing others to step into purpose, and creating communities where people don’t have to pretend they’re fine. From the friends who carried Kevan across Europe (and now help other families adventure through We Carry Kevan) to the biblical picture of friends lowering a man through a roof to meet Jesus, this episode will leave listeners asking a brave, practical question: What if my needs could become a doorway to love rather than something to hide? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve ever looked around your house, your calendar, or your marriage and thought, Why is this so hard for me?—this conversation is for you. In this episode, Ginny Yurich talks with licensed therapist and Struggle Care founder KC Davis about why overwhelm isn’t a character flaw, a lack of discipline, or a sign you’re doing life wrong. KC names the invisible mental load of daily living—meals, laundry, cleaning, caregiving, relationships—and explains why these repetitive responsibilities were never meant to be proof of your worth. Together, Ginny and KC explore practical, compassionate ways to lower that load without adding shame. From reframing household work as morally neutral, to letting go of “just clean as you go,” to rethinking fairness in marriages and families, this episode offers language and tools that actually help. KC shares gentle strategies for building momentum when you’re stuck, wisdom for dividing labor and rest more honestly, and a powerful reminder that community is built through realness and not perfection. This is an episode to save, share, and return to when you need permission to stop measuring your life by impossible standards. Learn more about what KC Davis has to offer including her podcast, courses, training, and more here: https://www.strugglecare.com Get your copy of How to Keep House While Drowning here Get your copy of Who Deserves Your Love? here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trauma therapist and bestselling author Aundi Kolber join us to name the pattern so many of us live in: trying harder when our nervous system is begging for gentleness. Aundi shares the moment a mentor asked her a question that changed everything—Have you ever tried softer?—and why real healing is “thousands of tiny decisions” that slowly move us toward safety, connection, and joy. This conversation is full of hope you can actually use: cues of safety, the power of repair (for us and our kids), and a beautiful practice Aundi calls beauty hunting—learning to notice what restores you, especially outdoors. You’ll hear why play matters, how our early stories shape attachment and even our view of God, and why compassion is not weakness. Explore Aundi’s work at her site aundikolber.com and find her writing on Substack ⁠aundikolber.substack.com⁠. Get your copy of Try Softer here Get your copy of Strong Like Water here Get your copy of Take What You Need: Soft Words for Hard Days here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the most loving thing you could do for your child today is protect their right to play? In this landmark 650th episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with Heather Shumaker, author of the modern classic It’s OK Not to Share, to talk about why childhood no longer feels like childhood and how we can change that. Together, Ginny and Heather paint a compelling vision of kids outside for hours, solving their own conflicts, learning impulse control while they wait for the truck or the swing, and discovering that deep, creative play (and not early academics) is what truly prepares them for life. If you’ve ever felt the pressure to enroll in one more class, push early reading, force sharing at the park, or make everyone “be friends,” this conversation will feel like a deep exhale. Heather gives you concrete scripts (what to say instead of “be nice,” “share,” or “say you’re sorry”), shows why “play fighting” and chase games are often exactly what kids need, and shares the powerful toolbox behind her follow-up book It’s OK to Go Up the Slide and her middle-grade novel The Griffins of Castle Cary. As we celebrate 650 episodes, Ginny invites you to join the mission: listen in, send this episode to a friend who’s worried they’re “behind” because their child just wants to play, and leave a podcast rating and review. Your share might be the nudge another parent needs to slow the schedule, protect those long, muddy hours outside, and finally believe: there will always be time for academics, but there won’t always be time for play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when the life you’ve worked for—your city, your career, even your identity—dies overnight? In this tender, hope-filled conversation, Ginny sits down with Bible teacher and missionary kid Mikella Van Dyke, whose childhood stretched from refugee camps on the Thai–Myanmar border to hiking the Himalayas and dancing for the princess of Thailand. As a “third culture kid” who never quite fit in either Thailand or the U.S., Mikella shares how a lonely ninth-grade year, culture shock, and years of bouncing between countries left her with a deep identity crisis that eventually drove her into the pages of Scripture. Later, an unplanned pregnancy ended her dream of dancing professionally in New York City—and yet that loss became the doorway to Chasing Sacred, the ministry and new calling she never could have imagined. Learn more about Mikella’s story and her new book Chasing Sacred. Together, Ginny and Mikella explore a simple, powerful way to read the Bible through the inductive Bible study method—asking good questions, honoring context, and letting God’s Word move from head knowledge to heart change in the middle of real life with kids, frogs, dirt bikes, and dishes. They talk about daily “manna” moments in Scripture, how to spot teaching that’s pulled out of context online, why courage sometimes means defying cultural norms, and how family missions trips to Little Lambs International in Guatemala have given their children a bigger vision for God’s world. If you’ve ever felt like your dreams died with motherhood—or you’re longing for an anchor in the chaos—this episode will invite you to see your own story, and your hours outside, as sacred ground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this riveting conversation, West Point graduate, Iraq veteran, and pediatric chiropractor Dr. Stanton Hom shares how he went from a “clean bill of health” on paper to a body and nervous system in crisis and how surfing, sunlight, grounding, and neurologically focused chiropractic care completely reset his life. He and Ginny dig into why over half of kids now have at least one chronic illness, how belief systems about genes and medicine quietly shape our parenting, and why so many teens say they “feel old” long before adulthood. They also talk about birth culture, homebirth vs. hospital norms, the pressure around pediatric visits and heel-prick tests, and why it can feel tyrannical when parents are punished for asking questions or wanting slower, more thoughtful care. Dr. Stan paints a hopeful, practical path forward: freedom-focused care that helps families need the system less over time, protects informed consent, and puts the nervous system back at the center. He explains how spinal health, heart rate variability, and movement (including unstructured play and time in nature) act as powerful epigenetic inputs that can change the trajectory of a child’s health and even a family tree. If you’ve ever felt uneasy about “standard of care,” or wondered why your outdoor kids seem to skip so many of today’s common problems, this episode will give you language, courage, and a roadmap. Learn more about Dr. Stanton Hom and Future Generations Chiropractic at futuregenerationssd.com Explore his Future Generations Podcast and Future Foundations course at thefuturegen.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

*FREE DOWNLOAD* - Birth Locations Pros and Cons Sign up for Beth's newsletter here Birth used to be surrounded by aunties, sisters, grandmothers, and the kind of generational wisdom that quietly steadied women through one of life’s most transformative experiences. Today, many of us enter motherhood with “no idea”—no idea what our options are, what our bodies can do, or how deeply birth shapes not only our babies but us as well. In this incredibly personal conversation, Ginny sits down with her dear friend and longtime midwife Beth Barbeau for Beth’s 8th appearance on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast. For the first time, Ginny walks through the early chapters of her own birth story from planning an elective C-section, to being “disqualified” from a birth center, to navigating confusing hospital interventions and how a single gracious sentence from a friend changed everything. Together, they explore why modern maternity care leaves so many women scared and uninformed, what we’ve lost as a culture when birth moved out of community spaces, and how reclaiming knowledge can shift an entire motherhood journey. This episode offers hope, validation, and a path back to confidence for any woman who has ever felt swept along rather than supported. Learn more about Beth and all she has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this tender, hope-filled conversation, Ginny sits down with father, farmer, author, and Grammy-winning songwriter Rory Feek to trace the surprising path from growing up in poverty in Kansas to writing hit songs in Nashville, building a 150-year-old farmhouse life at Hardison Mill, and hosting The Homestead Festival on his Tennessee farm. Rory shares how the “big breaks” in his story actually came from tiny, hidden moments: a stranger insisting he read Rick Bragg’s All Over but the Shoutin’, a small charity concert that quietly opened the door to a TV show and film, and a simple hymns album recorded quickly and cheaply that went on to win a Grammy and comfort countless grieving hearts. Along the way he talks about Joey, about loss and love, and about how books like This Life I Live and Once Upon a Farm grew out of his own search to understand what God was doing through hardship, homesteading, and ordinary days. If you need a reminder that your simple, unseen faithfulness matters, this episode will meet you right where you are. Rory and Ginny also step straight into the questions parents are asking right now: What do we do with AI, screens, and an attention-starved world and how do we give our kids a rich “curriculum of life” instead? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin Whitmel Earley once believed he could outwork sleep, outrun stress, and think his way out of anxiety until his body forced him to face the truth. In this powerful return to The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Justin shares how a sudden collapse into panic, insomnia, and intrusive thoughts exposed the danger of living as if we are machines instead of human beings with God-given limits. Together, Justin and Ginny unpack the core message of his newest book, The Body Teaches the Soul—that many of our deepest struggles aren’t solved by trying harder, but by relearning how to live inside the design of our bodies through breath, rest, rhythm, and habit. From box breathing and breath prayers to Sabbath, sleep, and the quiet power of daily “trellis habits,” this conversation brings theology down into the lungs, the nervous system, the dinner table, and the bedtime routine. You’ll hear how limits are not a punishment but a gift and how ignoring them quietly erodes our peace, our families, and our faith. This episode is for anyone who feels stretched thin, chronically tired, or quietly anxious as well as for parents trying to pass something better to their children. Check out Justin’s podcast here: https://www.intentionalfatherhood.org Get your copy of The Body Teaches the Soul here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our attention is quietly falling apart and it’s changing who we are as parents, partners, and people. In this powerful conversation, Dr. Marc Berman, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago and a pioneer in environmental neuroscience, explains why our “directed attention” is at a breaking point in the age of constant pings, dings, and screens. Drawing from his groundbreaking research and his new book, Nature and the Mind, Dr. Berman gives us language we can use to understand why we’re so depleted and why a walk outside can feel like someone quietly handing us our life back. This episode weaves together childhood memories under Michigan spruce trees, the birth of a new field (environmental neuroscience), and the sobering reality that our ability to focus may be one of the most important moral and relational issues of our time. But this episode isn’t just a diagnosis. It’s also a deeply hopeful prescription. Dr. Berman unpacks the “50-minute miracle,” showing how a simple walk in a park can boost attention and memory by around 20%, rivaling more invasive interventions and even helping people with depression and ADHD think more clearly and act with more self-control. You’ll hear why kids often melt down after school (their tanks are empty), how nature time after school pickup can restore their capacity for homework and kindness, and how design choices like trees on your street, plants in the classroom, fractal patterns and natural light in your home offer “micro-doses” of restoration throughout the day. From grief and rumination to screen time, executive function, and school policy, this episode is a roadmap for parents who sense that something is off and are ready to rebuild our children’s attention and joy through simple, consistent time in nature. Get your copy of Nature and the Mind here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a world of shifting sands, where kids are nudged toward algorithms, apps, and endless activities, S. D. Smith returns to the 1000 Hours Outside Podcast to talk about giving our children something sturdier to stand on. Ginny and Sam share stories of real-life hospitality, hikes in West Virginia, rainbows over the New River Gorge, and the way shared adventures and shared stories bind families together. From the Green Ember universe to his newest book Helmer and the Dragon Tomb, Sam describes his mission to offer “new stories with an old soul” that root kids in courage, virtue, and hope—stories that still matter fifty years after we’re gone. Together they wrestle with the pressure modern parents feel: rising anxiety about the future, the lure of AI shortcuts, and the constant competition for our kids’ attention. Sam and Ginny make a compelling case that reading and writing are not outdated school tasks, but deeply human practices that shape a child’s inner world, imagination, and even their sense of calling. You’ll hear practical ideas for “tricksy parenting” that makes reading the reward, setting cozy book “traps,” inviting dads into the culture of story, and helping young writers grow in skill instead of outsourcing their creativity to machines. This episode is a gentle but galvanizing invitation to choose books over bots, shared chapters over scrolling, and to give our kids a living connection to something timeless. See everything S.D. Smith has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a world where adults avoid risk, children grow up on screens instead of playgrounds, and workplaces drift toward loneliness, Ben Swire argues that what we’re really missing is experiential connection. In this conversation with Ginny, Ben—an introvert who once dreaded team-building—shares how “safe danger” transformed both his life and his work. From IDEO’s culture of curiosity to biweekly “creative play dates,” he explains why people blossom when they’re given space to try, fail, try again, and be seen. Together, Ben and Ginny explore how joy, optimism, vulnerability, and play aren’t personality traits but skills that grow only through experience. They talk about the crush of conformity, the epidemic of loneliness, and why pessimism is really fear in disguise. You’ll walk away with practical ideas for your home, workplace, or classroom. This is an episode that gently reminds us: people don’t just want fun, or comfort, or entertainment. They want to grow. They want to belong. Most of all, they want connection. Get your copy of Safe Danger here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Misty Copeland is one of the most famous ballerinas in the world—the first African American woman promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre and a cultural icon whose influence reaches far beyond the stage. In this inspiring conversation with Ginny Yurich, Misty reflects on her unlikely beginning: a shy, introverted thirteen-year-old living in motels who found her way into a free ballet class on a Boys & Girls Club basketball court. Movement became her lifeline, offering stability, confidence, and a sense of belonging she had never known. Misty reveals how discovering ballet “late” became her superpower and how exposure, encouragement, and one adult who says try this can alter the entire trajectory of a child’s life. Ginny and Misty explore what embodied, hands-on experiences give children in an era dominated by screens including resilience, emotional release, friendship, leadership, and a much bigger sense of what’s possible. Misty shares the mission behind her Bunheads series, Firebird, and the Be Bold Foundation, as well as her new Be Bolder program for older adults, each designed to expand access to movement and the arts. This episode is a powerful reminder that childhood doesn’t need to be accelerated; it needs to be lived in motion. When we give kids space to move, explore, and follow their curiosity, we’re not just filling their time—we’re opening entire worlds. Get your copy of Life in Motion here Get your copy of Bunheads, Act 2 here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When pediatric occupational therapist and TimberNook founder Angela Hanscom steps into the woods, she sees what most of us miss: children rebuilding the very systems in their brains that make attention possible. In this deeply hopeful conversation, Angela explains why daily outdoor play isn’t just “good for kids”—it’s biologically essential. From spinning and hanging upside down to tumbling down hills, nature gives children the movement their vestibular system craves, activating the brain’s built-in attention network and counteracting the effects of our screen-heavy world. Schools partnering with TimberNook are reporting calmer classrooms, fewer behavior challenges, and even more academic risk-taking as children spend long, unstructured stretches in nature. But this episode goes beyond brain science. Angela and Ginny explore the social, emotional, and leadership skills that develop when adults step back and let the woods take the lead. You’ll hear powerful stories of children negotiating conflicts, comforting friends, forming “clans,” navigating risk, and discovering capability without adults micromanaging every move. It’s a reminder that the richness of what happens in the woods grows more than attention spans; it grows confidence, resilience, empathy, creativity, and identity. If you need encouragement, inspiration, or simply permission to let go a little, this conversation will shift how you see childhood and how you support it. Get your copy of Balanced and Barefoot here Please support our advertising partners who help keep the show going! Wayfair: Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. SelectQuote: Get the RIGHT life insurance for YOUR FAMILY, for LESS, at selectquote.com/1000hours BetterHelp: Our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS. Quince: Go to Quince.com/outside for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. NIV Application Bible: Find out more at NIVapplicationbible.com. Omaha Steaks: Visit OmahaSteaks.com for 50% off sitewide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And for an extra $35 off, usepromo code FUN at checkout. Mercy Ships: Please donate today at MercyShips.org/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a culture that trains children to perform their lives instead of live them, Sharon Hodde Miller returns to explore why so many young people feel fragile, insecure, and exhausted and why the solution isn’t more confidence, but a bigger purpose. Drawing from Free of Me and her new devotional Gazing at God, Sharon explains the overlooked root of modern insecurity: we’ve taught kids to evaluate their worth through constant self-focus, endless mirrors, and the metrics of the attention economy. Together, Sharon and Ginny uncover how shrinking our children’s purpose down to “finding themselves” has left them anxious, isolated, and unsure of who they are apart from an audience. This conversation offers a hopeful, deeply practical way forward. Sharon shares how hiddenness, beauty, and turning our gaze toward God free us from the heaviness of self-preoccupation and how parents can help kids grow up rooted in something far larger than likes, identity quests, or online performance. From navigating rejection to reimagining purpose, this episode invites families to step out of the spotlight, rediscover joy, and remember that the healthiest life isn’t the one constantly seen…but the one securely grounded in love, calling, and connection. Please support our advertising partners who help keep the show going! ⁠Wayfair⁠: Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to ⁠Wayfair.com⁠ right now to shop all things home. ⁠SelectQuote⁠: Get the RIGHT life insurance for YOUR FAMILY, for LESS, at ⁠selectquote.com/1000hours⁠ BetterHelp: Our listeners get 10% off their first month at ⁠BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS.⁠ Quince: Go to ⁠Quince.com/outside⁠ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. NIV Application Bible: Find out more at ⁠NIVapplicationbible.com⁠. Omaha Steaks: Visit ⁠OmahaSteaks.com ⁠for 50% off sitewide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And for an extra $35 off, usepromo code FUN at checkout. Mercy Ships: Please donate today at⁠ MercyShips.org/podcast⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the biggest predictor of your child becoming a lifelong reader has nothing to do with phonics programs, library incentives, or natural talent and everything to do with protecting space in their day? Cognitive psychologist Dr. Daniel Willingham joins Ginny to reveal the surprising truth about how kids learn, why background knowledge matters more than ever, and why reading aloud long past early childhood gives kids an academic and emotional advantage. With warmth and clarity, Dr. Willingham explains the “fourth grade slump,” the power of expertise, and how AI is reshaping the skills our kids will need most in the future. This episode offers a hopeful and doable path for families who want to reclaim reading in a screen-saturated world. You’ll learn why limiting screens is the single most effective way to help kids choose reading for pleasure. Dr. Willingham shares why children don’t need perfection, programs, or pressure; they need a home where learning is valued, distractions are dialed down, and reading is woven into the family rhythm. Encouraging, practical, and deeply grounding, this conversation shows that every parent can raise a reader starting today. Have fun. Start now. Get your copy of Why Don't Students Like School here Get your copy of Outsmart Your Brain here Get your copy of Raising Kids Who Read here Please support our advertising partners who help keep the show going! ⁠Wayfair⁠: Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to ⁠Wayfair.com⁠ right now to shop all things home. ⁠SelectQuote⁠: Get the RIGHT life insurance for YOUR FAMILY, for LESS, at ⁠selectquote.com/1000hours⁠ BetterHelp: Our listeners get 10% off their first month at ⁠BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS.⁠ Quince: Go to ⁠Quince.com/outside⁠ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. NIV Application Bible: Find out more at ⁠NIVapplicationbible.com⁠. Omaha Steaks: Visit ⁠OmahaSteaks.com ⁠for 50% off sitewide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And for an extra $35 off, usepromo code FUN at checkout. Mercy Ships: Please donate today at⁠ MercyShips.org/podcast⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Childhood isn’t a race, and in this hopeful conversation, Ginny Yurich and Cosmo Technologies founder Russell York remind us why slowing the pace is one of the greatest gifts we can offer our kids. Together they explore how delaying smartphones protects a child’s attention, imagination, and sense of self at a time when technology is accelerating faster than childhood can keep up. Russell shares the research, the stories, and the practical realities behind giving kids connection without overwhelm—and why a simple smartwatch can open the door to real-world confidence, outdoor play, and independent moments that kids absolutely need in order to thrive. This episode paints a picture of what growing up well can still look like: kids roaming the neighborhood, meeting friends at the park, reading at the library, learning to trust themselves, and coming home filled up instead of drained. Ginny and Russell talk about shifting from fear to trust, restoring a child’s natural rhythm, and giving parents tools that strengthen—not replace—the bond between parent and child. With real clarity and encouragement, they show how small choices can make a big difference, and how giving kids the gift of growing up slowly leads to calmer homes, stronger families, and a childhood full of wonder instead of hurry. They also discuss the brand new partnership between their organizations and the launch of the Cosmo x 1000 Hours Outside Adventure Bundle, ⁠available here!⁠ This is a limited-edition offer designed for families like ours who value connection, freedom, and real-world adventure. With the bundle you'll get: ✅ FREE JrTrack 5 Kids Smartwatch ✅ FREE custom 1000 Hours Outside wrist band ✅ FREE extra teal wrist band ✅ 1000 Hours Outside logo sticker ✅ 3 months of Cosmo Membership FREE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this tender and hope-filled conversation, Ginny sits down with beloved children’s author Sally Lloyd-Jones, whose Jesus Storybook Bible has shaped the spiritual childhood of millions of kids (including the Yurichs’!). Sally shares her remarkable backstory - being born in Uganda, growing up in East and West Africa, going to boarding school at age eight, and how God used both beauty and early wounds to form her as a writer. She and Ginny talk about her brand-new book Jesus, Our True Friend: Stories to Fill Your Heart with Joy, and what it means to write children’s stories that are playful, deeply theological, and never “dumbed down.” Along the way, Sally explains the heart behind unforgettable phrases like “extra super holy people,” why Jesus’ first miracle at a wedding is all about restoring joy, and how good children’s books quietly preach hope without ever becoming preachy. The conversation also turns deeply personal as Ginny shares the painful story of her family being kicked out of their church after raising concerns about a youth pastor who was later arrested on multiple felony charges. Together, she and Sally reflect on spiritual abuse, disillusionment with “extra super holy” leaders, and the miracle of God still meeting children directly in the middle of heartbreak. Ginny tells how her youngest daughter found comfort and theological clarity in the Joseph story from the Jesus Storybook Bible, using Sally’s words to interpret her own church trauma and see God’s redemption at work. From bullied kids to exhausted “Martha” moms, from online mobs to stone-throwers in Scripture, this episode is a balm for anyone who needs to remember that Jesus is a true friend who loves us before we ever “get it right", with a never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love. Get your copy of Jesus, Our True Friend: Stories to Fill Your Heart with Joy Please support our advertising partners who help keep the show going! ⁠Wayfair⁠: Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to ⁠Wayfair.com⁠ right now to shop all things home. ⁠SelectQuote⁠: Get the RIGHT life insurance for YOUR FAMILY, for LESS, at ⁠selectquote.com/1000hours⁠ BetterHelp: Our listeners get 10% off their first month at ⁠BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS.⁠ Quince: Go to ⁠Quince.com/outside⁠ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. NIV Application Bible: Find out more at ⁠NIVapplicationbible.com⁠. Omaha Steaks: Visit ⁠OmahaSteaks.com ⁠for 50% off sitewide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And for an extra $35 off, usepromo code FUN at checkout. Mercy Ships: Please donate today at⁠ MercyShips.org/podcast⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this wide-ranging and eye-opening conversation, Ginny sits down with Debra Williams, a health and wellness advocate, mom, and creator of Mind Body Blend “healthy advocacy” apparel. Debra shares her journey from working in a children’s hospital wellness center to questioning why true preventative care like nutrition, toxins, time outside, and lifestyle, rarely shows up in mainstream medical conversations. She and Ginny talk candidly about asking hard questions around childhood health, their own experiences with vaccine injury, and what it means to make genuinely informed decisions in a system that often discourages dissent and critical thinking. From there, the conversation widens to the larger forces shaping childhood today: the normalization of AI and GPS that quietly erode our memory and attention, the peer pressure around smartphones and social media, and the way online culture is collapsing “middle childhood” into grown-up beauty standards and consumerism. Debra shares how her family is choosing a more low-tech, play-filled path, including starting local low-tech and holistic parenting groups, moving toward homeschooling, and helping her 10-year-old daughter stay a kid a little longer, still riding bikes, playing with stuffed animals, and creating instead of scrolling. If you’ve ever felt uneasy about screens, school, or the speed at which childhood seems to be disappearing, this episode will leave you both challenged and deeply encouraged to build real-life community and protect a simpler, more human way of growing up. Learn more about Debra at www.mindbodyblend.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve ever felt like the “strong one” who secretly wishes someone would notice how tired you are, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Ginny sits down with author, speaker, and “Still Coloring” podcast host Toni Collier to talk about her new book, Don’t Try This Alone: How to Build Deep Community When You Want to Hide From Your Pain. Toni shares her story of walking through two divorces, betrayal, and deep heartbreak, and the radical difference it made when she finally had a circle of people who knew the whole story. Together, Ginny and Toni unpack the idea of a “confessional community,” what it means to be truly seen instead of just “busy and surrounded,” and why it may not be the pain that takes us out, but trying to carry it by ourselves. This conversation is packed with practical, courageous steps for building real friendships in adulthood and helping our kids do the same. Toni talks about the bravery it takes to say, “Do you want to be my friend?” again, how to move beyond surface-level small talk, and why even simple moments, chatting with another parent at the park, asking your server how you can pray for them can change lives. You’ll hear tender stories of friends who showed up in tangible, unforgettable ways, how to help kids experience healthy community earlier than we did, and why broken crayons still color. If you’re lonely, exhausted, or longing for your people, this episode will remind you: you were never meant to do this life alone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Joshua Becker looked up from a garage packed with stuff and saw his five-year-old swinging alone in the backyard, everything changed. In this lively, hopeful conversation, Joshua joins Ginny to share how one offhand comment from a neighbor launched his journey into minimalism, and eventually his global platform, Becoming Minimalist. They talk about how our possessions don’t just fail to make us happy; they actually pull us away from the very things that do bring us joy: time with our kids, meaningful work, time outside, community, and faith. Joshua shares his favorite “29-day experiments,” from hand-washing dishes to owning just 33 items of clothing, and shows how small, playful trials can reset our habits and free up time, money, and energy for what matters most. Ginny and Joshua also dig into the deeper forces shaping our cluttered lives: targeted advertising, influencer culture, generational fears about security, and the endless, shifting dollar amount we think will finally make us “safe.” They explore why retirement as pure leisure doesn’t show up in Scripture, why relationships are a better safety net than underground bunkers and overstuffed basements, and how comparison so often focuses on cars and clothes instead of character and generosity. Joshua shares about his nonprofit, The Hope Effect, which helps children move from institutional orphanages into families, and offers a sneak peek at his upcoming book Uncluttered Faith. The episode wraps with a sweet childhood memory of backyard wiffle ball, and an invitation to all of us to experiment with owning less so we can live, love, and play more, especially outdoors. Get your copy of The More Of Less Preorder your copy of Uncluttered Faith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this life-giving conversation, Max Lucado joins Ginny Yurich to talk about something every overwhelmed parent and anxious teen quietly craves: a way out of “stinking thinking.” Drawing from his new book Tame Your Thoughts, Max shares how a 20-year-old “converted drunk” became a pastor, bestselling author, and grandfather who now spends his days helping people rewrite the ruts in their minds. Together, he and Ginny dig into the reality that we think around 70,000 thoughts a day. About 80% of those thoughts tend to be negative yet both Scripture and neuroscience insist we are not stuck. Our brains are changeable, our patterns can be retrained, and joy is not a personality trait you either have or don’t. It’s a learnable, repeatable skill. For families trying to raise kids in a world of social media, materialism, and nonstop mental noise, Max offers concrete tools: “picky thinking,” uprooting lies and replanting Scripture, anchoring kids’ hearts with simple practices, and getting outside to actually look at the birds and lilies Jesus talked about. Through vivid stories Max shows how God can use even disaster as the start of a better story. If you’re weary from worry, buried under guilt, or watching your child struggle with anxiety, this episode will help you tame your thoughts, plant tiny daily “seeds” of truth, and discover that joy really is a skill you and your children can practice for a lifetime. Get your copy of Tame Your Thoughts here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dustin and Melissa Nickerson are hilarious and surprisingly profound about what it takes to stay married in this day and age. In this episode, they tell the story of getting married as teenagers, building a “big family small business,” and learning that no one hands you a rule book for a one-of-a-kind marriage. Dustin shares why most marriage advice fails when it turns into a formula, and why the real work is becoming a student of your person. Melissa adds some truths about midlife: the sandwich-generation pressure, kids launching, parents aging, and the blessing of a partner you can still laugh with when the stakes get high. Play, movement, and games show up as marriage glue. From backyard volleyball to made-up family games to their confession that hiking beats fancy date nights every time, they show what it looks like to stop performing “good marriage habits” and start doing what actually works for you. It’s tender, it’s funny, and it’s the kind of episode that makes you want to grab your spouse, get outside, and remember you’re on the same team. Check out Dustin’s book How to Be Married (to Melissa) their podcast Don’t Make Me Come Back There and Dustin’s stand-up tour dates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this unforgettable conversation, NewsNation anchor and instant New York Times bestselling author Leland “Lucky” Vittert pulls back the curtain on a childhood that included late speech, crushing loneliness, and a school world that often met neurodivergence with cruelty instead of care. But Born Lucky isn’t an autism “how-to.” It’s a father-son love story about what changes when one adult refuses to give up. Lucky shares how his dad chose a radical path: not removing adversity, but walking him through it—teaching character, work ethic, and the kind of social “tools” that slowly turn isolation into connection. The result is deep hope and a reminder that kids aren’t doomed by their hardest circumstances. Ginny and Lucky also dig into the practical magic of a hands-on childhood: flying lessons at eight, rowing, scuba diving, Michigan summers by Lake Michigan that all provided real risks, real effort, real confidence earned. Those experiences didn’t just fill time; they built transferable skills and a resilience that later carried Lucky through war-zone reporting and prime-time journalism. Along the way, you’ll hear about the quiet heroes like Mr. Mick whose belief became a lifeline. If you’ve ever worried your child won’t find their place or wondered if you’re doing enough this episode will steady you, strengthen you, and send you back outside with fresh courage. Now through December 1st get your copy of Born Lucky for 25% off HERE Watch Lucky’s show On Balance with Leland Vittert on NewsNation (weeknights at 9 p.m. ET) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holidays promise magic but deliver a lengthy to-do list the length as well. In this conversation, cognitive psychotherapist and TODAY Show contributor Niro Feliciano helps us name the real culprit behind our December depletion: comparison culture, commercial pressure, and the quiet belief that we’re failing if we’re not doing everything. Drawing from her 31-day guide All Is Calmish, Niro gives a therapist-in-your-pocket reset for the season. She guides listeners through micro-moments of wellness that actually work when life is full: morning light, a sleep goal, short walks, friendship as medicine, and breathing tools so practical even Navy SEALs use them. But this episode goes deeper than hacks. It’s about reclaiming joy from the performance of joy. Niro walks us through future-saving ways to handle family drama, why gifts can be a love-language landmine, and how simple strategies like shared wish lists and experience gifts restore connection. She speaks tenderly to the grieving, offering permission to do holidays differently, and reminds us that what kids remember isn’t the haul—it’s the presence. The kind that grows when screens go away, expectations loosen, and we choose the sledding hill over the spotless kitchen. This is the episode for anyone who wants a calmer holiday and a better life the other eleven months, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us are living with an internal compass we never learned to read. In this riveting conversation, bestselling author Robert Glazer reveals why so many capable, well-intentioned adults feel misaligned, exhausted, or confused. It is because they are making the biggest decisions of life (work, partnership, community) without ever naming the values that drive them. Robert explains why only 1–2% of people can clearly articulate their core values, how misalignment shows up as that “electric fence” jolt we all recognize, and why understanding your values can save decades of frustration. Through stories, research, parenting insights, and practical tools, Robert opens a path toward clarity that is both freeing and transformative. Together, Ginny and Robert explore how core values shape everything. You’ll learn how to identify your own values, how to help your children build theirs, and how to make decisions that align with who you truly are. If you’ve ever wondered why certain environments drain you, why certain relationships feel “off,” or why emotional resilience seems harder than it should be, this episode offers a lens that will change how you see your life. Start your values work today with the links below. Links & Resources The Compass Within + free Core Values Course (with preorder): https://compass-within.com Free six-question guide: https://robertglazer.com/six Core Values Course: https://corevaluescourse.com Friday Forward newsletter: https://fridayforward.com Robert’s bestselling book Elevate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her second visit to The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, bestselling author and mama of ten Abbie Halberstadt (M Is for Mama, Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad, You Bet Your Stretch Marks) sits down with Ginny to lovingly but firmly push back against a culture that treats children as an interruption instead of a reward. Abbie shares what it was like to have 10 children in 14 years—including two sets of twins—while watching a world where nearly half of young adults now say they’re unlikely to ever have kids. Together, Ginny and Abbie explore why our obsession with control, comfort, and “having it all” is leaving so many women anxious, lonely, and afraid of the very thing that would grow them: motherhood. They talk candidly about stretch marks on bodies and souls, the lie that we must “wait five years” for a reward Scripture calls good, and how God often meets us with daily bread right after we step out in faith. This conversation is packed with stories that will stay with you: banjos and baptisms, European travel with ten kids, postpartum rage turned into a “gentleness challenge,” and miracle-level provision that arrives just in time. If you’re a tired mom, a young woman wondering about children, or a parent raising daughters in an seemingly child-averse age, this episode will help you see your body, your story, and your kids as eternal investments, not liabilities. Learn more from Abbie and her full trilogy here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the behavior problems you’re seeing in your child are really exhaustion from a tiny jaw and a blocked airway? In this eye-opening conversation, host Ginny Yurich welcomes back one of her all-time favorite guests, airway-focused dentist Dr. Kalli Halle, to explain why so many kids are snoring, teeth grinding, bedwetting, and struggling with anxiety, ADHD- and ODD-like symptoms because they can’t breathe well and they sleep properly. Drawing on thousands of cases, Dr. Halle shows how mouth breathing, dark circles, restless sleep, and even “annoying” chewing habits are red flags for sleep-disordered breathing. Together, Ginny and Dr. Halle reframe orthodontics from a cosmetic extra to a critical, whole-body intervention that can change a child’s health, learning, and mood for life. You’ll also hear about Tooth Pillow, the innovative, mostly-nighttime appliance and virtual myofunctional therapy platform that’s making early, airway-focused care accessible to families everywhere. Listeners can learn more and get started at toothpillow.com—and there’s a special 1000 Hours Outside listener deal: through November 27, 2025, use code 1000 Hours in the “Who can we thank for referring you?” field to receive a free Tooth Pillow consultation (a $50 value) plus $250 off your treatment. After that date, the same code still gives you $25 off the consultation and $100 off treatment. If your child snores, grinds their teeth, wets the bed, battles anxiety, or can’t focus (or if you’re an exhausted adult wondering about sleep apnea) this may be the episode that finally connects the dots. Listen, share it with a friend who needs hope, and make sure you’re subscribed to The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast so you don’t miss what might be the most life-changing information your family hears this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beloved author and illustrator Sharon Lovejoy returns for her third appearance on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, and this conversation feels like stepping into the kind of childhood we all hope to create. Sharon and Ginny explore why the garden remains one of the most powerful places to raise a child and a parent. From babies whose tiny hands brush over mint leaves to 96-year-olds planting their very first sunflower house, Sharon shows that it is never too late to begin. Her timeless books like Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, Camp Granny, Sunflower Houses have introduced generations to the simple miracles of seeds, soil, and slowing down. This episode is a reminder that you don’t need expertise or acres of land; you just need a pot or two and some seeds to nurture. Together, Sharon and Ginny share some reasons gardening changes families: it pulls children away from screens, fills them with curiosity, and gives them a world of textures, tastes, and small adventures—zinnias buzzing with life, lamb’s ear soft as felt, corn that comes in stunning colors, birdhouse gourds that become toys, and tiny discoveries waiting under every leaf. Sharon explains how a garden becomes a child’s first classroom, a parent’s pause button, and a generational legacy that ripples outward—just as her own grandmother’s influence shaped thousands of families around the world. If you’ve ever wished for a slower, richer, more connected childhood for your kids or for yourself this conversation will give you the courage, inspiration, and practical starting points to begin today. Explore more: Sharon Lovejoy’s books: https://sharonlovejoy.comRoots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: https://amzn.to/43GtvOa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Motherhood often feels like a season of losing yourself, but what if it’s actually the most profound season of becoming? In this heart-deep conversation, Ginny welcomes back one of the podcast’s most beloved guests, Leah Boden, for her third appearance. Together they explore what Charlotte Mason called the “mind gallery”—the inner storehouse of beauty, story, memory, art, and truth that sustains us through every season of life. Leah shares how the threads of our identity don’t disappear during the exhausting years of raising little ones; they simply lie dormant, waiting for the right time to bloom. Through her own journey—from homeschooling mother to author of living biographies on C.S. Lewis, Charlotte Mason, and Princess Ina—Leah offers a hopeful reminder that the passions you once loved are still there, ready to reemerge as gifts to both you and your children. This episode is a gentle call to build a home rich with sensory experiences, stories, poetry, music, and nature, elements that shape not only a child’s education but their entire inner life. Leah and Ginny discuss how reading biographies breathes humanity into history, how nature observation strengthens a child’s understanding of literature, and how beauty quietly grounds us during seasons of change. They unpack the remarkable story of Princess Aina, showing how courage, displacement, and hope weave together to form a life filled with meaning. Whether you're in the trenches or looking toward the second half of life, this conversation will help you rediscover wonder, reclaim your own mind gallery, and create a feast of learning that nourishes your whole family. Get your copy of Brave Princess Aina here Join The Mind Gallery here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When our kids step into the digital world, most of us feel like we’re handing them car keys without ever having learned to drive ourselves. In this episode, Danish parenting expert and author Jessica Joelle Alexander returns to share the tool she created when her own daughter started asking for a phone: Raising Digital Citizens conversation cards. Drawing on Denmark’s world-leading approach to happiness, character education, and digital well-being, Jessica shows how “digital independence” can become part of their modern rite of passage. Through simple, powerful questions, families learn to talk about safety, scams, manipulation, and trusted adults before a crisis hits, so kids already know what to do and who to go to when something goes wrong. Ginny and Jessica walk through real scenarios kids face every day: a bathroom photo being shared around school, “harmless” pranks that go too far, gaming scams and virtual goods, misunderstood texts and emojis, mean comments, and the pressure to be “always on” with friends. This is a hopeful, practical roadmap for raising kids who are kind, thoughtful, and safe in both the online and real worlds. Explore the cards at raisingdigitalcitizens.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Choosing the Hard Things on Purpose brings former NFL fullback Heath Evans and weight-loss hero Chrissy Evans into a raw and hope-filled conversation about discipline, surrender, and the kind of transformation that lasts. Together with Ginny, they walk through the rock-bottom moments that reshaped their lives—false accusations, public collapse, a weight-loss surgery that didn’t work, and years of numbing habits that couldn’t quiet the deeper ache. Instead of breaking them, those seasons awakened them. Heath and Chrissy share how choosing the harder path—true discipline, uncomfortable honesty, spiritual grounding, whole-food nourishment, and meaningful daily habits—became the doorway to health, joy, and peace they had never experienced before. Now raising six children—including a sibling group of four adopted out of the foster system—they talk candidly about fear, faith, and why real growth can’t come from shortcuts or comfort. In a culture that profits from keeping people overwhelmed, medicated, and afraid, Heath and Chrissy model a different way: building strong families by facing hard things head-on, grounding kids in truth, prioritizing time outside, and trusting God with every unknown. This conversation is bold, uplifting, and deeply human—a reminder that the good life isn’t the easy life, but the intentional one. Links: Built Ready Coaching: https://builtready.com Visera Nutrition: https://viceranutrition.com Bethesda Ranch: https://chancetohelp.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the most countercultural thing you could do right now was say yes to family? In this deeply affirming conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with Sarah Gabel Seifert, co-founder and president of EveryLife, to explore why children are gifts and how slowing down to raise them can become the most life-giving self-care of all. Sarah and Ginny invite listeners to rethink modern scripts about career, timing, and what truly satisfies. Sarah shares the origin story of EveryLife built to align purchasing with values and to tangibly serve moms in need (including millions of diapers donated). She also unveils the brand’s new women’s line which is created to be clean, transparent, and unapologetically for women. Offer: Save 10% on your first order at EveryLife.com - use code 1000HOURS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When bestselling author and IF:Gathering founder Jennie Allen sits down with Ginny, they go straight at the question nearly everyone’s asking but few will admit out loud: How do I make friends—real ones—right now? Jennie unpacks why today’s parents are living through a “fast loneliness” era how mixed-age friendships grow resilient kids, and why neediness isn’t a flaw but instead, it’s the doorway to community. From her Find Your People research to simple rules like “five friends within five miles,” Jennie offers repeatable steps that work: initiate even when it’s awkward, gather around a fire when you can, and stop waiting to be chosen. We talk about conflict and why you can’t build depth without it) the mental-health crisis for kids and adults, and how shared purpose, outdoor time, and everyday togetherness (walks, Costco runs, carpool rides) builds strong bonds. If you’ve ever thought, I’m too busy, too late, too new in town, this conversation hands you a plan you can use tonight. Tap in, take notes, and then text someone to come over. Friends are made, not found. Links: Jennie Allen — Find Your People Jennie Allen — Get Out of Your Head (for grown-ups): Jennie Allen — What to Do with Your Whirly-Swirly Thoughts (for kids): IF:Gathering: https://www.ifgathering.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When pediatric OT Adele Hopper and early childhood educator Jess Warner stepped outside the clinic and classroom, everything changed—regulation improved, anxiety eased, and play exploded into real learning. In this powerful, hope-filled conversation from Australia, we trace children’s journeys from cautious observers to joyful risk-takers, and the way true, child-led play builds executive function, social courage, and deep confidence. You’ll hear how TimberNook’s long, unhurried blocks of outdoor time create what school and screens can’t: mixed-age “neighborhood play,” sibling bonding, and communities where grandparents pull up a chair and stay. Parents report calmer evenings and better sleep; facilitators witness science, literacy, and problem-solving emerge organically—no adult-made toys required. Adele and Jess also open the door for parents itching to bring this to their towns: how they found land, partnered with Scouts, and let nature (plus a few loose parts) do the heavy lifting. If you’ve felt that tug to start something, this episode is your green light—and a reminder that childhood thrives when it’s ungoverned by four walls. Listen in, share it with a friend, and then take the first step outside. Learn more about TimerNook here Learn more about Mother Earthed here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we protect the pace of childhood, everyone in the family heals. In this illuminating conversation, Dr. Natasha Beck—also known as Dr. Organic Mommy—shares how slowing down, simplifying, and removing hidden toxins from our homes can transform not just our kids’ health, but our own. Diagnosed as a child with ADHD and dyslexia, Dr. Beck eventually uncovered how diet, environment, and overstimulation were shaping her well-being. Now a pediatric neuropsychologist, she helps families create calmer, more connected lives through practical changes—like her two-week “fragrance-free” challenge that has surprised even the most skeptical parents. (Follow her work on Instagram, Substack, and her podcast When Millennials Become Moms.) From food choices and slow tech habits to the Waldorf philosophy and her “Three S’s” framework—sleep, sugar, and screens—Dr. Beck and Ginny Yurich explore how a developmentally appropriate childhood actually restores balance for parents too. This episode is both practical and freeing, showing that you don’t need to overhaul your life overnight. One slow evening, one home-cooked meal, one outdoor day at a time—those small shifts might be the self-care your whole family has been missing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erin Loechner is back for her third visit with a deeply freeing message for parents: you can step off the conveyor belt and still raise kids who thrive. From TV sets and Disney stages to off-grid cabins and a garden full of slow surprises, Erin has lived a dozen lives—and let many of them go. She and Ginny explore how seasons change slowly, why “success” can be lovingly rejiggered, and how refusing the race no longer meant for you is often the bravest step forward. If you’ve ever wondered whether opting out will leave you behind, this conversation says the quiet part out loud: it won’t. It will bring you home. Then they get wonderfully practical. Erin shows how to flip Big Tech’s playbook for the good of your family—bringing surprise, challenge, streaks, and shared goals back offline. Think a jelly bean in a coat pocket to reward real-world habits, a “treasure chest” microwave with small delights, fridge trackers instead of app streaks, midnight sundaes, silly-string welcomes, and family projects that build interdependence (yes, decks and ponds count). Along the way, they celebrate the outdoors as the world’s best noise-absorber and soul-reset. This episode is a permission slip to slow down, opt out, and choose a life your kids will actually want to inherit. Get your copy of Chasing Slow here Get your copy of The Opt-Out Family here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it really take to raise strong, confident, and grounded kids in today’s digital world? In this deeply affirming and practical conversation, New York Times bestselling author and family therapist Michael Gurian joins Ginny Yurich to share timeless wisdom backed by neuroscience and 35 years of experience. Gurian explains why children—especially boys—are struggling more than ever, and how the breakdown of extended family and community support leaves them seeking belonging in the artificial world of screens and social media. He introduces his transformative “three family” model and reveals why real work, real play, and real mentorship are the foundation of resilience. This episode offers a blueprint for parents who want to raise children who can handle life’s challenges with strength and purpose. Learn how to rebuild community around your kids, why two hours of physical activity a day matters, how to use chores as “sacred work,” and why screen limits aren’t punishment—they’re protection. It’s an episode filled with compassion, clarity, and hope—reminding every parent that resilience grows best in the real world, surrounded by love, purpose, and connection. Get your copy of The Wonder of Boys here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation, Andy Felton invites us to see our bodies as organic gardens—living ecosystems that flourish or falter based on what we plant in them. He makes a clear, compassionate case that our modern, convenience-first food culture has left many of us undernourished and overwhelmed, not because we lack willpower but because we’ve been trained to outsource the most human act we do: cooking. With a steady, nonjudgmental tone, Andy explains how ultra-processed foods and chemical shortcuts confuse our biology, while simple, authentic ingredients restore it. He shares the liberating idea that you don’t have to be perfect: start where you are, aim for an 80/20 approach, and remember that every bite is information your cells can use to move you toward strength, clarity, and calm. Then he turns our gaze backward to move forward—toward traditions like sprouting, fermenting, milling, and making real bread; toward seasonal produce and meeting the growers who nurture it; toward meals that are cooked with hands and shared with people. Without preaching, Andy weaves in a vision of health as “strength for life,” not an end in itself: energy to play with your kids, to serve your community, to live your values. If you’ve felt unprepared to navigate a broken food culture, this episode offers a hopeful path home—one skillet, one simple recipe, one small habit at a time. Get your copy of Nourished by Design here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stories are how our brains make sense of the world—and in this conversation, Ginny sits down with friend and master storyteller Paul Hastings (host of Compelled) to explore why narrative cuts through noise and sticks. From his Thai–Ozark family roots to thousands of hours crafting immersive, sound-rich episodes, Paul explains the simple science of attention (“your brain wakes up when a story begins”), the power of silence, and how true, well-edited stories help us carry big ideas without a lecture. It’s a generous, behind-the-scenes look at how meaningful narratives are made—and why they move us. You’ll hear practical takeaways for home, work, and community: how to invite stories out of your kids, how to hold space when the hard parts surface, and how to turn lived experience into hope for someone else. Learn more about Paul and all he has to offer here: CompelledPodcast.com Get the Compelled book here: https://compelledpodcast.com/book Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his fifth (and most urgent) visit, executive function specialist Mike McLeod says the quiet part out loud: today’s youth mental-health crisis is not a child problem—it’s an adult-built environment. He previews his forthcoming Executive Function Playbook and companion workbook, laying out why executive functions—not grades, apps, or endless “emotional curriculum”—are the strongest predictors of real-world success. McLeod argues that outsourcing growth to talk therapy and ed-tech hasn’t moved the needle for most kids; what does is parent training, clear boundaries, and steady structure. He names the two fastest dopamine loops—screens and conflict—and shows parents how to unplug both with calm, authoritative leadership. This is a call to action, not a scold. McLeod and Ginny sketch a practical after-school blueprint: more unstructured outdoor play, peer time, reading, chores, and real hobbies, less algorithmic drift. If we stole play and boredom, we can return them—and with them, resilience, initiative, and joy. The message is bracing but hopeful: parents created this world, and parents can flip it. Preorder Mike's Executive Function Playbook here Preorder Mike's Executive Function Playbook in action here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glen Henry went from avoiding fatherhood to embracing it with radical presence, creativity, and faith—and he tells the whole story here. From hip-hop tours to a 24-foot RV with four kids and a tornado warning, Glen shares how “fathering yourself first” rewires your inner voice and spills into patient, playful leadership at home. We talk rough-and-tumble play that teaches limits, saying yes to your kids’ invitations before they stop asking, and reframing fear with better questions—what if everything goes right? Explore more of Glen’s world through his Beleaf in Fatherhood YouTube channel, his marriage show with Yvette, How Married Are You, and his new book, Father Yourself First. If you’ve ever wondered how to build a home where kids feel they belong and where dads show up with joy this conversation is a blueprint. Glen’s candid stories (the blanket warrior game, the poop-hunt, and the five-mile desert hike that forged grit) meet practical tools for margin, adventure, and Sabbath-like rest. Listen now on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast and share it with a dad who needs a nudge to step onto the most important stage he’ll ever stand on—right there in the living room. And if you’re new to the show, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Get your copy of Father Yourself First here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When employers say “26 is the new 18,” what they’re really noticing is Tim Elmore’s Peter Pan paradox in action: the age of authority is dropping while the age of maturity is rising. In this energizing conversation, Tim and Ginny decode Gen Z’s “magic and tragic”—their native fluency with tech and AI alongside lagging people skills—and offer hopeful, practical ways to coach rather than complain. You’ll hear why childlikeness is fading while childishness expands, how social media turned from connection to performance, and why soft skills (read: people skills) will be the ultimate edge in the AI age. Listen for simple, family-ready reps—hosting adults, letting kids own their schedules, building EQ—and workplace plays like great first days, hobby-like projects, and leading with empathy. We also get real about the gig economy, shrinking loyalty ladders, and why teens need margin, movement, mindfulness, and management to protect mental health and grow grit. You’ll leave with language that reframes Gen Z from “problem” to “potential,” and with concrete steps for parents, teachers, and team leaders to build self-awareness, social awareness, and emotional regulation in everyday life. Leaders are dealers of hope—start here, share this episode with a friend who’s wrestling with Gen Z, and model the future you want your kids to inherit. Get your copy of The Future Begins with Z here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this powerful and timely conversation, 1000 Hours Outside founder Ginny Yurich sits down with Russell York, CEO of Cosmo, a leading kids smartwatch company, to explore one of the most pressing issues of modern childhood: the loss of unstructured play and freedom. They also discuss the brand new partnership between their organizations and the launch of the Cosmo x 1000 Hours Outside Adventure Bundle, available here! This is a limited-edition offer designed for families like ours who value connection, freedom, and real-world adventure. With the bundle you'll get: ✅ FREE JrTrack 5 Kids Smartwatch ✅ FREE custom 1000 Hours Outside wrist band ✅ FREE extra teal wrist band ✅ 1000 Hours Outside logo sticker ✅ 3 months of Cosmo Membership FREE During the episode, Russell and Ginny unpack how our culture’s shift toward constant supervision, fear, and screens has reshaped childhood, and how technology, when designed with intention, can actually help restore kids’ independence. Russell shares how Cosmo’s innovative smartwatch gives families the best of both worlds - connection and freedom - allowing parents peace of mind while giving kids room to explore, play, and build real-world friendships. Ginny and Russell reflect on the developmental importance of long stretches of playtime, the social “glue” kids create in neighborhoods, and why reclaiming outdoor independence is vital for children’s mental health, confidence, and sense of community. You’ll hear stories, research, and insights that challenge the norms of over-parenting, highlight the transformative power of free play, and celebrate a shared mission between Cosmo and 1000 Hours Outside, to reconnect families and rebuild neighborhoods through trust, autonomy, and adventure. Tune in to learn: Why unstructured outdoor play is essential for mental health and development How a sense of control builds resilience in kids (and adults) What “un-parenting” really means, and why it matters How Cosmo Smartwatches are helping families safely rediscover the magic of neighborhood play Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clinical psychologist and ACT expert Diana Hill returns to help us do what feels nearly impossible in a loud, burned-out world—focus our energy where it actually matters. We talk psychological flexibility, why curiosity beats quick answers, and how “positive energizers” can lift a whole family system. Diana explains neuroception and interoception in everyday terms, then makes it practical: hum to downshift your nervous system, rub your palms and rest them over your eyes, take a short walk outside, and remember that sometimes you can’t think your way out—you have to move your way out. Along the way, we explore why nature reliably restores attention and creativity, and how parents can help kids build real-life wisdom that no app can deliver. Drawing from her new book Wise Effort, Diana shares the simple moves that metabolize stress hormones and turn big feelings into forward motion (plus the story behind her own “get unstuck button.”) We dig into genius energy, the shadow side of our strengths, and how tiny, values-aligned experiments shift relationships, work, and family life. If you’re overcommitted yet under-involved, this conversation is your trailhead back to presence, purpose, and playful resilience. Get your copy of I Know I Should Exercise But... here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hospitality isn’t a styled table—it’s how people feel in your presence. In this heart-tugging conversation, Abby Kuykendall reframes hospitality as the art of helping others feel known, loved, and seen—whether you meet in a tiny apartment, a messy kitchen, or a neighborhood park. She draws a bright line between entertaining (me-focused aesthetics) and hospitality (others-focused welcome), shares the spiritual roots behind “practice hospitality,” and gets real about rejection—why a few no’s shouldn’t stop you from inviting again. With stories from her own seasons of life, Abby shows how rhythms change (hello, nap schedules) but the mission doesn’t, and why outdoor gatherings often make connection simpler, cheaper, and more relaxed. You’ll leave with practical moves you can try tonight: start with an invitation, set two or three “non-negotiables” (clean-ish bathroom, empty sink, drinks ready), and keep food simple—potlucks with specific asks, air-fried crowd-pleasers, or even “waffles at 10” after a game. Abby also spotlights her cookbook The Living Table and the snack-drawer mindset that tells guests, “Make yourself at home.” If you’ve ever delayed community until your house, budget, or schedule looked “perfect,” this episode is your permission slip to begin—outside if you can, imperfectly on purpose, with an invitation that opens the door to real connection. Get your copy of Let the Biscuits Burn here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ellie Holcomb joins Ginny to trace a clear line from her childhood on the Little Harpeth River to the music, books, and family life she’s building today. She shares how stepping off the tour bus to raise a newborn opened a new creative path—writing Scripture into song during a friend’s battle with depression, which grew into her devotional Fighting Words, a new record (Far Country), and children’s books that invite families to notice what creation is already saying. Together they explore themes parents will recognize: finding hope in hard seasons, letting kids meet the world outside, and remembering what’s true when life feels uncertain. Ellie talks about the images that keep her steady—salt flats reflecting the sky, constellations overhead, a river in winter—and why sometimes you “go dark to see.” It’s a grounded, practical conversation about faith, nature, and raising kids who know they belong. Get Ellie's devotional Fighting Words here Get Ellie's stunning children's books here: Who Sang the First Song?, Don't Forget To Remember, Sounding Joy, Spring Sings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Peter Mutabazi ran from an abusive home on the streets of Uganda at age ten, he never imagined he’d one day become a foster and adoptive father to more than forty children. In this conversation with host Ginny Yurich, Peter shares his extraordinary story of transformation—from a boy who had nothing, to a man who gives everything. He explains how one stranger’s act of kindness changed the trajectory of his life, what it really means to love a child through trauma, and why success as a parent isn’t about outcomes—it’s about showing up again and again with compassion and curiosity. Peter’s wisdom will stop you in your tracks. He reminds us that healing is slow, love is costly, and growth often happens in the smallest wins no one else sees. This episode will reframe how you think about parenting, empathy, and the quiet courage it takes to keep loving, even when you don’t know how the story will end. Get your copy of Love Does Not Conquer All here Get your copy of Now I Am Known here Follow Peter on Instagram and Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kids don’t need earlier tryouts—they need more backyard joy. In this conversation, former pro pitcher Dan Blewett shares how he started “late” by today’s standards, fell in love with the game through free play, and built the grit to endure multiple career-threatening injuries. He argues that early structure can crowd out wonder, and that the deepest resilience is born from neighborhood games, missed catches, and a parent who shows up—often with a bucket of balls. You’ll hear why sampling many sports beats specializing, how to nurture lifelong athletic identity without burnout, and what really keeps kids coming back when competition gets brutal. Dan gets practical for families: give your child “50 at-bats in the backyard,” let the umpire be wrong, focus on development over stats, and don’t wait for Dad—moms can coach, catch, and lead. We explore control vs. surrender, empathy on teams, and why sports should still feel like sunshine and sprinting at age 39. If you’re torn between club fees and simple play, this episode reframes youth sports around love first, training second, and memories that outlast any scoreboard. Learn more about Dan and everything he has to offer here Get your copy of This Slump Shall pass here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When three hitmakers—Jess Cates, Ethan Hulse, and Jordan Mohilowski of In Paradise—sit down with Ginny Yurich, the conversation turns into an ode to real life. From shy kids who found their voice through a $10 garage-sale guitar to a baseball injury that rerouted a future toward award-winning songwriting, they trace how music, community, and countless “reps” forged craft the long way—no shortcuts, no prompts. They talk bluegrass circles and church choirs, co-writes that build community, and why boredom is a feature in raising creators. The heartbeat of it all: “ain’t nothing on a screen is ever gonna beat this view.” This episode debuts In Paradise’s brand-new single “Beautiful World,” featuring a special family cameo—Ginny’s daughters: Brooklyn on background vocals and Vivian on guitar. It’s a clean, catchy anthem for parents and kids alike—sun on your skin, grass under your feet, knees a little scuffed—and a timely reminder that shared songs and shared sunsets build the strongest memories. Stay to the end for the premiere, then take the cue the chorus gives you: get outside, take it in, and make today part of your beautiful world. Learn more about In Paradise and all they have to offer here Check out Two Better Friends here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wonder doesn’t vanish—we just forget how to see it. In this conversation, master naturalist and author Eryn Lynum shows how kids can reboot ours: inviting us to become “collectors of sunrises,” to trade a single scrolling hour for sky, creek, and trail, and even to bring the wild indoors with bird feeders, houseplants, and the surprisingly magical fish tank. She explains why nature imprints our memories so intensely—through scent, sound, and touch—and how a simple ritual like a “quiet hike” helps families slow down enough to notice flickers’ wingbeats, rabbits in the brush, and those blink-and-you-miss-it moments kids beg us to see. Time, it turns out, is the real terrain. Before the light bulb, people slept about eleven hours; today we try to stretch each day past its natural rhythm while children spend an estimated 22% of childhood on devices—roughly 205 waking weeks—compared to just 4.5 weeks outside. Eryn offers a hopeful reset: treat screens like invasive plants, remove a little each day, and let outdoor hours compound—because one hour outside makes the next one easier, richer, and more alive. Heed the invitations (“Come see this!”), lose track of the clock together, and watch your family’s curiosity—and capacity for rest—grow. Get a copy of Rooted in Wonder here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this conversation, toddler expert Devon Kuntzman returns to reframe the years we’re told to dread as a season rich with firsts, wonder, and essential brain development. She explains why toddlerhood and the teen years are “parallel tracks,” and how learning the skills now—setting realistic expectations, scaffolding independence, and embracing the full spectrum of emotions—pays off for the long haul. Devon’s new book, Transforming Toddlerhood, distills real-life challenges into 45 fast, practical chapters with scripts, FAQs, and red flags, so you can flip straight to “tantrums,” “sharing,” “whining,” or “leaving the park” and get calm, actionable help. You’ll hear why less is more during meltdowns (create safety, ground yourself, uphold warm limits), how to handle the “broken granola bar” moments without panic or bribery, and why it’s not your job to make your child happy—it’s your job to help them feel seen, heard, and loved. We dig into playful transitions, outside-first playdates, roughhousing as a surprising path to self-regulation and consent, and the sneaky ways screens can reinforce the behaviors you’re trying to reduce. This is a hopeful, dignity-honoring guide for raising resilient kids—and growing right alongside them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So often we think peace is waiting on the other side of “more.” A bigger kitchen. A new season. A little extra space—physically or emotionally. But in this honest and deeply relatable conversation, Nap Time Kitchen founder Kate Strickler joins host Ginny Yurich to explore what it really means to love the life you already have. Together they talk about capacity, contentment, and the quiet joy that can only come when we stop measuring our lives against what’s missing. Through laughter, real-life stories, and grounded wisdom, Kate reminds us that abundance doesn’t begin after the remodel or the milestone—it begins right here, in the ordinary moments that make up our days. This episode is a refreshing invitation to breathe, to look around, and to rediscover gratitude for the life you’re already living. Get I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Six hundred episodes in, we’re celebrating with Catherine Price—the award-winning journalist behind How to Break Up with Your Phone and The Power of Fun. Catherine makes a simple, wake-you-up claim: our lives become what we pay attention to. She shares how a late-night moment with her newborn sparked a phone “breakup,” why a true Digital Sabbath can feel like oxygen, and how three elements—playfulness, connection, and flow—turn ordinary moments into the kind of fun that leaves you buoyant for days. From adult “extracurriculars” (like a Wednesday-night guitar class and trying rowing for the first time) to a pool game that united kids and grownups for three straight hours, this conversation shows how delight is usually inexpensive, often local, and deeply human. We also dig into the time-value paradox (why we feel too “busy” for fun yet still burn hours doom-scrolling), perfectionism in the age of social media and AI, and SPARK—Catherine’s practical path to rediscovering what lights you up. Parents will find timely cues for modeling healthier tech boundaries, nurturing real-world friendships, and helping kids protect curiosity from performance pressure. To mark our 600th episode, would you leave a review and share this one with a friend who could use more true fun in their life? It helps more families find the show and, yes, remember how to live. Check out Catherine's Substack here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when a mom says a bravest yes of her life—and then lets it reshape her family? In this conversation, Kristen Welch, CEO of Mercy House Global and author of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, traces the moment a Compassion trip to Kenya turned her discontent into calling—and held a mirror up to her own entitlement. She shares how comparison erodes joy, why gratitude starts with parents (not kids), and how small household practices re-anchor a home. You’ll hear the origin of Mercy House’s work with vulnerable mothers, the surprising strength of underindulgence, and the reminder that our children watch who we are more than what we say. We also get practical: boredom as a gift in a noisy world, how hurry kills gratitude, simple screen-time swaps that nudge kids toward books and backyard wonder, and why letting kids fail is the only way to help them launch. Kristen’s fresh empty-nest story—dropping her youngest at a huge university, resisting the urge to rescue, and trusting God to go where she can’t—will stay with you. If you want a family culture marked by contentment, resilience, and compassion, this episode offers a clear path you can start today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the cure for our anxious, overconnected lives is right outside the door? In this deeply human conversation, Ruth Chou Simons—artist, author, and mom of six—joins Ginny to explore how beauty, especially in nature, becomes a real antidote to hurry, worry, and screen-saturated living. From Jesus’ invitation to “consider the lilies” to the way wildflowers preach resilience, individuality, and dependence, Ruth shows how getting outside forms our souls as much as it strengthens our kids. You’ll hear vivid stories: morning glories as a picture of friendships that ebb and bloom; the extra-beautiful columbine as a reminder not to shrink back; the ache of a changing home as children launch, and the bluebell pointing us toward a truer, lasting home. Ruth also shares the moment her son suffered a serious mountain-biking injury—and how she painted wildflowers in the ICU, choosing to shift her gaze from fear to the faithful Gardener. Together, she and Ginny talk about making unhurried lives in hurried times, giving our families “dosing and spacing” for wisdom, and packing a small “to-go” kit of tactile hobbies so we reach for creation, not just a screen, when life turns. Listen in if you’re longing for a gentler rhythm, a sturdier hope, and a practical way to invite beauty into your ordinary days—starting with one walk, one flower, one moment of attention. Get your copy of The Way of the Wildflower here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if retirement isn’t the goal of a good life—but a detour from your purpose? In this rich, countercultural conversation, Hobby Lobby founder David Green and legacy expert Bill High challenge the empty-nest, me-first script and offer a generational vision families can actually live. They unpack why purpose doesn’t expire at 65, how multi-generation storytelling keeps a family’s “chief storytellers” (grandparents!) at the center, and why mission, vision, and values—written down and rehearsed—beat hustle and highlight reels. You’ll hear surprising practices from the Green family (including an annual family celebration, monthly giving meetings, and a conflict-resolution policy), a freeing definition of legacy as what you set in motion, and a simple refrain that reshapes wealth and work: earn, don’t inherit; steward, don’t own. For parents, teens, and grandparents alike, this episode is a practical field guide to building roots that outlast you—without losing joy in the day-to-day. Expect vivid stories (44-state camping in a pop-up, backyard tunnel cities, and taking principled risks), a reframe of “success” that prioritizes relationships over accumulation, and small moves with compounding power: draft a one-page family creed, name the ten stories your kids must know, protect a weekly Sabbath-style family meeting, and trade child-centered schedules for family-centered rhythms. Listen in, then ask: What one degree change could I set in motion today that my great-grandchildren will feel? Get your copy of The Legacy Life here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When pastor and author Shawn Johnson went to the doctor expecting news about a pinched nerve, he never imagined he’d leave with a diagnosis of an incurable brain disease. What followed was heartbreak, fear, and a hard-won rediscovery of purpose. In this powerful conversation, Shawn shares how faith, movement, and honest community helped him climb out of the pit—one day, one prayer, and one boxing session at a time. He talks about telling his sons the truth, learning to dream again in smaller, closer ways, and realizing that the hardest moments can shape us into more present parents, partners, and friends. Shawn’s story is an invitation to stop waiting for “someday.” He reminds us that finish lines belong on our calendars, that brokenness can build connection, and that joy can be found even in the fire. If you’ve been walking through uncertainty, this episode will help you see how to fight for hope, live like time matters, and chase down your dreams today. Get your copy of Shawn's newest book here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Somewhere along the way, modern parenting turned into a battle against biology. In this powerful conversation, Britt Chambers—founder of Good Night Moon Child—joins Ginny Yurich on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast to dismantle the myth that babies need to be trained to fit adult schedules. She reveals how industrialized culture, profit-driven baby products, and pressure for independence have pulled parents away from nature’s original design: deep, intuitive connection. Together, they explore what it really means to raise the baby with the mother—to rest when your baby rests, to nurture at night and thrive in the day, to trust the signals instead of suppress them. From night waking to outdoor rhythms to the quiet rebellion of slowing down, this episode invites parents to remember what our ancestors never forgot: children who stay close to nature stay close to themselves. Learn more about Britt and all the incredible support she has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On World Mental Health Day, youth mental health expert Bryan Gouge, PhD (Compassion International) sits down with Ginny to flip the script—from “fix the kid” to “build the village.” Bryan explains why mental health isn’t just diagnoses; it’s a practice we do together. You’ll hear the four pillars guiding Compassion’s global work—strength-based, youth-centric, trauma-informed, and locally owned—and how they translate into family life. His stories are unforgettable: teens in Nairobi’s Dandora slum turning peer groups into a youth-led NGO, and the way reframing “symptoms” (anxious kids as hyper-observant, depressed kids as deeply empathetic) unlocks hidden strengths. He ties it all to nature and presence: shared sunsets, forest walks, and the simple power of truly listening—because resilience grows where kids feel known, loved, and protected. This conversation matters now because parents feel the pressure to perform while kids drown in stress and isolation. Bryan offers concrete moves you can make this week: write a short family mission, increase the ratio of caring adults in your child’s life, choose gatherings over grind, consider how your neighborhood supports connection (even in small ways), and practice “listen before fix.” You’ll leave with a hopeful, doable vision: resilient kids are built together, not alone. Press play to rethink support, re-center community, and rediscover the healing rhythm of being outside—side by side. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sean Dietrich returns for his fourth conversation with Ginny Yurich, and it’s one of his most powerful yet. From the near-extinction of kids on bikes to the loss of long attention spans, Sean names what many parents quietly feel — that a way of life has disappeared almost overnight. He shares how a few months with a flip phone reshaped his focus, how fiction can tell the truest truths, and why childhood once “alive with wonder” is now in danger of being managed instead of lived. This episode is a call to remember and rebuild. Sean and Ginny talk about children learning to self-manage in the woods, the discipline of reading when every app competes for our eyes, and the beauty of cursive, handwritten words. It’s equal parts nostalgia and warning, wisdom and humor — and a reminder that protecting childhood isn’t sentimental. It’s essential. Get your copy of Over Yonder here Get your copy of The Absolute Worst Christmas Ever here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if your aches, digestive issues, or low-energy days aren’t just about food or stress — but how well your body manages gravity? In this powerful conversation, Dr. Brennan Spiegel unpacks “gravity intolerance,” the idea that our bodies are increasingly out of sync with the gravity force we evolved under. From astronauts losing bone density in space to children collapsing into chairs, the missing piece isn’t always more activity or diet—it’s a better alignment with how nature meant us to move, stay upright, and resist the downward drag. Dr. Spiegel weaves together stories and science: how weak posture flattens digestion, how serotonin isn’t just a mood chemical but a key tool for gravity-resilience, how weighted vests and foot contact matter, and why many gut-brain problems (including IBS) may stem from gravity mis-management more than we realized. If you want to help your kids, your body, and your mind move stronger, think clearer, and feel lighter — this episode will change how you see the ground beneath your feet. Get your copy of Pull here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  Select Quote: Head to ⁠⁠www.selectquote.com/1000hours⁠⁠ to learn more.  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit ⁠⁠www.NIVapplicationbible.com ⁠⁠if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. NurtureLife - Head to ⁠⁠NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55⁠⁠ and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Piper and Leaf: get a 10% off discount to the Advent Calendar when you ⁠⁠order here⁠⁠! Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at⁠⁠ www.earthley.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Filming in Morocco and fresh off the marathon research behind Cry Havoc, bestselling author and former Navy SEAL Jack Carr returns for his fourth 1KHO conversation—this time squarely in our wheelhouse of reading, learning, and family culture. Jack makes a compelling case that books are the antidote to algorithm-driven distraction: stories train attention, build empathy, and hand our kids a durable inner compass you can’t get from a social media feed. We walk through how he reconstructed 1968 for his new novel (maps, memoirs, dictionaries from the era!) and why that kind of deep work mirrors what we want for our children—slow knowledge, resilient mindsets, and the courage to think for themselves. Parents will love the practical spillover: cultivate “analog downtime” (think: cards at the table, shared read-alouds) where wisdom is actually transmitted; point teens to big, stretching books that expand vocabulary and perspective; and use history and fiction to talk about media literacy in an age when everyone is “the press.” Jack shares a short canon he believes every American should know, and we connect it to everyday habits that raise readers—not scrollers. If you’re building a home where curiosity, grit, and good stories shape the next generation, this one will light a fire. Get your copy of Cry Havoc here A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  Select Quote: Head to ⁠⁠www.selectquote.com/1000hours⁠⁠ to learn more.  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit ⁠⁠www.NIVapplicationbible.com ⁠⁠if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. NurtureLife - Head to ⁠⁠NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55⁠⁠ and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Piper and Leaf: get a 10% off discount to the Advent Calendar when you ⁠⁠order here⁠⁠! Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at⁠⁠ www.earthley.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this unforgettable sixth appearance, world-renowned farmer and author Joel Salatin returns to The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast for one of the most powerful conversations yet. Drawing from his book Beyond Labels, Joel exposes how modern life has become trapped in labeling everything — our food, our health, even our families — and what we lose when we stop thinking for ourselves. From shocking truths about what’s actually in packaged foods to the deeper spiritual healing that begins with forgiveness and contentment, this episode is both grounding and galvanizing. Parents and families will find rare encouragement here. Joel and Ginny explore how freedom, simplicity, and hands-on living create resilient kids and joyful homes — and why true health begins when we move beyond fear and start nurturing what we’re for. Listen now and rediscover the beauty of a life lived beyond labels. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  Select Quote: Head to ⁠⁠www.selectquote.com/1000hours⁠⁠ to learn more.  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit ⁠⁠www.NIVapplicationbible.com ⁠⁠if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. NurtureLife - Head to ⁠⁠NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55⁠⁠ and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Piper and Leaf: get a 10% off discount to the Advent Calendar when you ⁠⁠order here⁠⁠! Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at⁠⁠ www.earthley.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When parenting feels like quicksand, where do we plant our feet? In this deeply hope-filled conversation, Raechel Myers—cofounder of She Reads Truth—joins Ginny to unpack why Scripture is not just ancient, but alive and profoundly practical for families today. Drawing on Romans 1 and the way creation “preaches,” Raechel shares how her new devotional, The Bible Is for You, walks readers through all 66 books—one story, many voices—so parents and kids can see God’s thread from Eden to the Garden City. This episode also meets parents in the hard places. Raechel and Ginny talk Esther’s courage in dark days, the upside-down power of 2 Corinthians (“strength perfected in weakness”), and how to lead our kids toward what is unseen and eternal when life feels confusing—or when church wounds make trust feel risky. If your family is hungry for truth you can live, you’ll love Raechel’s practical on-ramps: Scripture-forward readings, cross-references that let Scripture interpret Scripture, and their beloved Advent reading plan (complete with slow practices like recipes, hymns, and simple crafts) to help you “walk slowly toward the manger.” Try it all together around the table, outdoors under the stars, or wherever your family finds a quiet, screen-free minute. Grab seasonal resources at ⁠She Reads Truth⁠ and ⁠He Reads Truth⁠. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  Select Quote: Head to ⁠www.selectquote.com/1000hours⁠ to learn more.  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit ⁠www.NIVapplicationbible.com ⁠if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. NurtureLife - Head to ⁠NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55⁠ and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Piper and Leaf: get a 10% off discount to the Advent Calendar when you ⁠order here⁠! Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at⁠ www.earthley.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the solution to tech-induced meltdowns wasn’t another app, but a different kind of screen altogether? In this urgent, hope-filled conversation, Ginny sits down with Daylight founder and CEO Anjan Katta as well as Tristan Scott—two innovators taking on Big Tech with what they call “the least computer possible.” They explain how Daylight’s reflective, blue-light-free, flicker-free display works with natural light (even in full sun), why that calms kids’ nervous systems, and how designing for finite, intentional use (reading, writing, audiobooks, selected learning tools) restores attention, sleep, and sanity. You’ll hear the “slot machine vs. riverside” analogy you won’t forget—and a wild experiment where kids actually got bored of YouTube on a Daylight device. Tristan unpacks EMFs(and how Daylight’s “smart airplane mode,” ethernet support, and outdoor use shrink exposure, while Anjan shares the conviction that drove him to build a screen he needed for his own hypersensitive brain and for every child caught in today’s attention economy. This is calm technology for real childhoods: fewer tantrums, fewer tabs, more outside time, and more cognitive sovereignty for families. If EdTech is everywhere, this episode shows a better way in. Parents, educators, and homeschoolers—don’t miss the details on Daylight Kids and ESA approval, plus a vision that trades doom-scrolling for dirt-between-the-toes learning. Head to https://buy.daylightcomputer.com/1000HOURS Use code 1000hours at checkout to save $50 and get FREE shipping on your Daylight DC-1 tablet or any of their kids bundles! A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  Select Quote: Head to ⁠⁠www.selectquote.com/1000hours⁠⁠ to learn more.  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit ⁠⁠www.NIVapplicationbible.com ⁠⁠if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. NurtureLife - Head to ⁠⁠NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55⁠⁠ and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Piper and Leaf: get a 10% off discount to the Advent Calendar when you ⁠⁠order here⁠⁠! Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at⁠⁠ www.earthley.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this unforgettable episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich sits down with former NFL player, lawyer, and New York Times bestselling author Tim Green. Though Tim now lives with ALS and communicates through adaptive technology, his wisdom, warmth, and humor shine through every word. From life in the NFL to raising a family, from writing bestselling books for kids to inspiring readers everywhere, Tim reminds us that true success is about much more than titles or achievements—it’s about presence, perseverance, and perspective. Tim’s new book Rocket Arm offers a window into youth sports culture today, but this conversation goes far beyond the field. Tim shares lessons on family, faith, resilience, and the power of reading—what he calls “weightlifting for your brain.” His message to parents, grandparents, and kids alike is simple but profound: no matter what else is going on, you’re all on the same family team, and that team is always more important. This is an episode you won’t just listen to—you’ll carry it with you. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  Select Quote: Head to ⁠⁠www.selectquote.com/1000hours⁠⁠ to learn more.  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit ⁠⁠www.NIVapplicationbible.com ⁠⁠if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. NurtureLife - Head to ⁠⁠NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55⁠⁠ and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Piper and Leaf: get a 10% off discount to the Advent Calendar when you ⁠⁠order here⁠⁠! Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at⁠⁠ www.earthley.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when kids grow up without free play? Licensed therapist Nicole Runyon, LMSW, has been on the frontlines of America’s childhood mental health crisis, and what she’s seen is sobering: most of the children filling therapy offices don’t actually need therapy—they need their parents to reclaim the foundations of childhood. In this episode, we dig into her groundbreaking book Free to Fly and uncover why play, movement, discomfort, and independence are not luxuries—they are the very building blocks of healthy development. Screens, overpathologizing, and permissive parenting are stealing what used to come naturally, and our kids are paying the price. Nicole explains why play-based childhoods are being stolen from today’s iGeneration, how “drug addiction begins with the iPad,” and why discomfort is not the enemy but the doorway to confidence and resilience. We cover everything from the dangers of tracking teens and delaying driving, to the epidemic of broken children overwhelmed by screens, junk food, and anxiety. Most importantly, Nicole reminds us that the answer lies within the family unit. Parents have more power than they think, and small, courageous choices can restore independence, health, and joy to the next generation. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below:  Select Quote: Head to ⁠⁠www.selectquote.com/1000hours⁠⁠ to learn more.  BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠⁠  today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit ⁠⁠www.quince.com/outside⁠⁠ and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit ⁠⁠www.NIVapplicationbible.com ⁠⁠if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. NurtureLife - Head to ⁠⁠NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55⁠⁠ and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Piper and Leaf: get a 10% off discount to the Advent Calendar when you ⁠⁠order here⁠⁠! Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at⁠⁠ www.earthley.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Screens train us to skim; books train us to think. In this urgent, hope-filled conversation, Doug Lemov (Teach Like a Champion) and Ginny make a compelling case for a childhood culture that is low tech, high text. You’ll hear why book-reading is collapsing—what that’s doing to kids’ attention, imagination, and empathy—and exactly how to reverse it with simple habits: daily read-aloud (even with teens), real books you can annotate, and outdoor reading rituals that pair sunlight and birdsong with stories. Doug breaks down fluency’s three pillars—accuracy, automaticity, and prosody—and explains why even picture books carry 50% more rare words than adult speech, rapidly expanding vocabulary and background knowledge (think the classic “baseball study”). You’ll also learn why formative writing—quick, handwritten jot notes before discussion—supercharges comprehension (and beats laptop note-taking); why books are the optimal medium for deep thinking; and how to spot and fix disfluent reading. Finally, Doug demystifies the phonics vs. three-cueing debate and points parents to the investigative series changing laws nationwide: Sold a Story. If you want your kids to imagine vividly, read confidently, and engage the world with stamina and joy, this episode is your blueprint to trade scrolling for page-turning—on the porch, at the park, all childhood long. Get your copy of Guide to the Science of Reading here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Homeschooling rarely delivers instant feedback—and that’s the point. In this conversation, Ginny Yurich and five-time guest Greta Eskridge zoom out beyond this week’s math lesson to the decades that follow it. They talk about the power of multi-age life at home, the confidence that grows when kids are free to pursue real interests, and why “holes” aren’t failures—they’re invitations to keep learning. Greta shares what she learned as a homeschooled kid, a public-school teacher, and now a mom of four (two graduates!), including the story of her own mother’s decades-later peace: “We didn’t do it wrong.” If you need courage to choose relationships over rigor for rigor’s sake, this episode will steady your hands and soften your heart. Explore more of Greta’s work at gretaeskridge.com and her Instagram, @maandpamodern. You’ll also hear why safeguarding isn’t bubble-wrapping—it’s offering your kids the best (less classroom screen creep, more real-world competence), how to adapt mid-year without calling it quits, and the practical rhythms (adventure days, shared read-alouds, slow seasonal traditions) that anchor families for the long haul. Ginny and Greta name the anxiety—milestones, “behind,” perfectionism—and replace it with a durable vision: cultivate a lifelong learner, and the rest finds its place. If you’re kicking off a new school year—or thinking about it—start here. Share this episode with a friend who needs the reminder: homeschooling is a long-term play in a short-term world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the very wounds you never meant to cause are also the trailheads to your child’s greatest gifts and your own? In this deeply honest conversation, Army veteran, pastor, coach, and author Tony Miltenberger sits down with Ginny to unpack the hard paradox parents live every day: intentions don’t always protect against impact. Tony names the “little-t trauma” most of us absorb between ages four and twelve, explains why our kids are “most definitely wounded” even in loving homes, and shows how to spot it (like when emotions spike past a six and we’re tempted to react instead of respond.) From “amnesty dinners” that invite truth without punishment to the surprising way a child’s wound can become their strength, this episode offers relief without shirking responsibility, and practical rhythm without shame. Explore Tony’s new book, Wisdom in the Wound: How God Uses Your Past to Shape Who You’re Becoming, for a deeper dive into redeeming the pain we never intended to cause. Tony also shares how his own story—military service, ministry, and fatherhood—shaped a simple definition of grace: empathy plus curiosity. If you’ve felt the ache of doing your best and still seeing fallout, this conversation will help you trade self-judgment for steadiness and turn rupture into repair. Connect with more of Tony’s work here: Follow 2 Lead podcast A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Capstone Wellness - For over 24 years, Capstone has helped thousands of families on their path to healing. Learn more at capstonewellness.com/1000hours NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When life lurches from order to disorder, what if the way through isn’t either/or—but and? In this moving conversation, author and advocate Jillian Benfield sits down with Ginny to unpack the transformative idea behind her new book, Overwhelmed & Grateful—that we can honor pain and practice gratitude without denying either reality. Jillian shares how the “ampersand life” steadied her through high-risk pregnancies, years of medical unknowns, and the lonely redefinitions of identity and friendship, and how simple practices like lament, attention, and awe can calm a stormed nervous system and reopen wonder. From “in-house years” to cross-country moves with 18 specialists on speed-dial, Jillian offers hard-won wisdom for parents navigating seasons they didn’t choose: how to spot beauty without bright-siding, how tears literally move stress through the body, and how awe—on a beach walk, a mountain trail, or even a Broadway balcony—can hush the harshest self-talk. If you need language for your own order → disorder → reorder cycle, this episode will meet you with honesty and hope and a path to practice both. Connect with Jillian on Instagram and find Overwhelmed & Grateful wherever you get books. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Capstone Wellness - For over 24 years, Capstone has helped thousands of families on their path to healing. Learn more at capstonewellness.com/1000hours NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the very ways we structure childhood are quietly cutting off our kids’ potential? In this powerful conversation, renowned psychiatrist Dr. Bruce Perry joins Ginny to unpack why real learning requires movement, play, and space to reflect—not endless worksheets, long lectures, and overscheduled days. He explains how the brain wires itself through short bursts of novelty followed by rest, why REM sleep cements learning, and how overscheduling, lack of recess, and early mornings are some of the most inefficient ways we could possibly teach kids. Dr. Perry also reveals why challenges from stress or adversity are rarely irreversible, and how resilience is built through rhythm, repetition, and safe relationships. Together they explore the everyday practices that either foster growth—or unintentionally snip it off before it begins. You’ll learn why play is the real work of childhood, why empathy is forged in mixed-age groups, and how freedom outdoors provides the risk-taking and mastery kids need to thrive. This episode will challenge parents, educators, and caregivers to rethink what matters most for development and offers practical ways to restore the rhythms kids need. Explore Dr. Perry’s work at the ChildTrauma Academy: childtrauma.org, and his books The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog (link), What Happened to You? (link), and Born for Love (link). If this conversation helps your parenting or teaches you something new, please share it with a friend and leave a quick review. Together we can help more families protect, not snip off, the potential in their children. ❤️ A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Capstone Wellness - For over 24 years, Capstone has helped thousands of families on their path to healing. Learn more at capstonewellness.com/1000hours NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Families are never flawless—but they can still be resilient, connected, and full of joy. In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Jessica Smartt returns for a candid conversation about what it really takes to build a home your kids want to come back to. Drawing from her new book, Come On Home, Jessica shares stories of life on a family compound, the hidden challenges that shape everyday parenting, and the surprising ways legacy is forged through ordinary, imperfect moments. This episode is equal parts practical and heartfelt. From sibling rivalries to marriage struggles, from planting long-term seeds of connection to embracing laughter in the chaos, Jessica’s wisdom is relatable for every season of family life. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “doing enough,” this conversation will encourage you that the small things matter more than you think. There are lots of laughs in this one! Listen in and share it with a friend. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Capstone Wellness - For over 24 years, Capstone has helped thousands of families on their path to healing. Learn more at capstonewellness.com/1000hours NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if one open-ended question could turn a hospital room (or a hurried life) into a place where people feel seen? In this conversation, ICU nurse–turned–story gatherer Hunter Prosper shares how asking a dying patient about her greatest love cracked his own burnout and sparked Stories from a Stranger, a project he calls “therapy for millions.” Together we explore why real listening restores our humanity, how strangers open up when they feel seen, and why your emotions like anxiety, joy, heartbreak are the bridge that connects you to everyone around you. If you’ve ever wondered how to help your kids (and yourself) feel wanted, loved, and truly known, this episode gives you simple, powerful tools: the open-ended questions to borrow, the art of letting silence do its work, and the courage to start a conversation on the sidewalk or around your dinner table. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Capstone Wellness - For over 24 years, Capstone has helped thousands of families on their path to healing. Learn more at capstonewellness.com/1000hours NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if homeschooling wasn’t a conveyor belt of quizzes and boredom—but the most flexible, life-giving way to raise whole humans? In this conversation with Amber O’Neal Johnston, editor of the new anthology Homegrown, we dismantle the myths: how Amber went from “absolutely not” to “never looked back,” why freedom to pivot becomes a family superpower, and how learning in community (like Erin Loechner’s “together schooling”) turns neighbors, potters with kilns, and adventure clubs into the world’s most joyful classroom. We talk confidence over fear, travel as teacher, Charlotte Mason and living books, and why moms (and dads!) are the “special sauce” their kids actually need. We also get real about hard seasons like grief, health crises, money stress and why your kids aren’t “falling behind” when life happens; they’re gaining a profound education in perseverance, compassion, and peace. You’ll hear why “seasons take time to change,” how brains (and families) grow through challenge, and why relationships—not checklists—drive real learning. If you’re starting, restarting, or homeschool-curious, this is your Sunday reset: practical, soul-steadying, and deeply encouraging. Listen and share! Text this episode to a friend who needs a boost. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Capstone Wellness - For over 24 years, Capstone has helped thousands of families on their path to healing. Learn more at capstonewellness.com/1000hours NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When feeding your family feels confusing and chaotic, this episode is your reset. Functional-medicine dietitian Ali Miller (RD, LD, CDE) shows how to move from “immediate” choices to environmental shifts to true habit rewiring—simplifying dinner with 5–7-minute protein sears, sheet-pan veggies, and one slow-cook a week. We talk “God foods” vs. ultra-processed products, why kids’ moods track their blood sugar, and how to make your kitchen the hearth again—less frantic, more joyful. Ali’s brand-new book, Naturally Nourished Kids turns big ideas into doable family routines (like bone-broth queso, cabbage chips, and rainbow sheet-pans). We also dig into guiding teens toward ownership (guided choices, smart carb-plus-protein pairings), and how probiotics + mineral-rich bone broth support calmer brains and sturdier immune systems. For a deeper dive into food-as-medicine and anxiety, explore Ali’s Anti-Anxiety Diet resources and her Naturally Nourished Podcast. Then queue up this episode on your favorite app and pass it along—because a calmer kitchen can change a whole household. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Capstone Wellness - For over 24 years, Capstone has helped thousands of families on their path to healing. Learn more at capstonewellness.com/1000hours NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if joy isn’t a mood but a muscle? In this heartfelt, fast-moving conversation, Rachel Awtrey shares how she learned to “nod to hard things without bowing to them" from cayenne-in-the-chili nights and Lego landmines to job loss and grief. She unpacks three kinds of hard days (typical interruptions, long tough seasons, and true tragedies), why we often compare ourselves to an ideal version of ourselves, and how asking for help actually forges your strongest friendships. Along the way, we talk simple practices that change the temperature of your home: taking more meals outside and counting those hours toward the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge, short walks, grounding, ice-rolling for a quick nervous-system reset, and the underrated experience of adult play. If your life is technically “likable” but doesn’t feel that way right now, this episode is your permission slip to make some small changes. Grab Rachel’s new book, Love Your Life, Even When You Don’t Like It All the Time , check out her show, Real Talk with Rachel Awtrey, and say hi to her on Instagram (@rachelawtrey). A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Capstone Wellness - For over 24 years, Capstone has helped thousands of families on their path to healing. Learn more at capstonewellness.com/1000hours NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the antidote to our frantic, hyper-scheduled lives is a single pot of herbs on the back step? In this deeply honest conversation, returning guest Bailey Van Tassel shares how planting one container cracked open a new way of living—rewiring how she mothers, works, and measures “success.” We talk about the joy of learning again as an adult, the “just-enoughness” a garden offers in every season, and why kids (and parents) come alive when we co-create with nature. You’ll hear the city-to-soil story behind Bailey’s new book Kitchen Garden Living, and the surprising ways a messy bed of flowers can mirror a beautiful, resilient family life. Listen and let your shoulders drop. Then we get practical: pollinator borders that invite life, trap crops that protect your veggies, companion planting that keeps pests in check, trellises and hoops that make space, and Bailey’s simple “poker planting” method so you know what to grow, where, and how much. We also swap soul-feeding ideas—family foraging maps, pressed-flower pasta, homegrown teas and salves—and make the case to start small today. Follow Bailey and explore her resources at baileyvantassel.com. Listen in and then share this one with a friend who’s craving a gentler pace—and maybe a tomato that tastes like summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This conversation is a deep breath and a practical roadmap for a time when parenting has become so challening. Bestselling author Kari Kampakis (mom of four girls) joins Ginny to share what truly equips daughters for today’s pressures—friendship shifts, online comparison, dating drama, and the “conformity engine” that can steal childhood wonder. Kari’s hope-forward framework is simple and memorable: use the drip-drip-drip approach to big topics, teach girls to cast a wide net socially, and help them leave relationships with dignity. You’ll hear why urgency often backfires, how to avoid the “bitter barn,” and how to plant short, sticky phrases your daughter will actually remember. Explore more of Kari’s work here: karikampakis.com and her new book Is Your Daughter Ready? 10 Ways to Empower Your Girl for an Age of New Challenges here. This episode balances heart and horsepower. You’ll get language for hard moments (including party safety, peer pressure, and tech boundaries), plus the comforting truth that seeds you’ve planted can’t be unplanted. If you’re parenting a girl—from elementary through college—this one is equal parts perspective shift and playbook. Share it with a friend who needs encouragement today. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Capstone Wellness - For over 24 years, Capstone has helped thousands of families on their path to healing. Learn more at capstonewellness.com/1000hours NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our most light and peppy episode to date, Danielle Kartes reminds us that joy is available today—not if or when. In this upbeat, heart-forward conversation, the celebrity chef behind Rustic Joyful Food shares how a closed restaurant, tight budgets, and a whole lot of grit became the soil for fourteen books, national TV appearances, and a ministry of encouragement. We swap stories about building a resilient family culture around the table, the healing power of rhythm and routine, and why “Dear dinnertime, we love you!” can change a home’s atmosphere. Explore Danielle’s world (and her recipes by season) at RusticJoyfulFood.com Parents, you’ll love the practicals: getting kids confident in the kitchen, “flip it or skip it” ingredient swaps, toddler-tapas starters, and the lost skills every child can master—multiplying a recipe, seasoning with savvy, and knowing when a cake is done. Danielle’s brand-new book The Best Kids Cookbook is a joyful on-ramp to all of it. Also, check out the other books mentioned in this episode! Your Were Always There Meant to Share If this conversation encouraged you, share the link with a friend—your text might be the bright spot in their day. A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Capstone Wellness - For over 24 years, Capstone has helped thousands of families on their path to healing. Learn more at capstonewellness.com/1000hours NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This special September Sunday episode is a deep breath for weary and wondering parents. Ginny welcomes author and podcaster Maeve Jemison to dismantle the most persistent homeschool myths—socialization, schedules, screens, “I’m not patient enough,” “we both work,” single parenting homeschool, and more—and to show why home can be the ultimate individualized education plan. Maeve shares how she pulled her daughter mid-year, moved from all-online to books on the couch, and discovered what so many families eventually see: kids thrive when we protect curiosity, right-size academics, build life skills, and make room for joy. It’s practical, eye-opening, and deeply affirming—exactly the reset you need heading into a new homeschool week. You’ll leave with concrete, calming takeaways: flexible rhythms that work for dual-income and single-parent homes, why functional literacy doesn’t require full-time school hours, and how embracing many ways to be smart unlocks confidence for every learner. This conversation is part of our September Sunday series designed to help you start each week steady and supported. Listen, share with a friend who’s on the fence, and keep the encouragement coming. • Get Maeve’s book: Home Is Where the Truth Is: Why You Can and Should Homeschool Your Child • Listen to Maeve’s podcast: Homeschooling for Catholic Parents — Listen on Amazon Music A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: Select Quote: Head to www.selectquote.com/1000hours to learn more. BetterHelp: Visit www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS today to get 10% off your first month. Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns NIV Application Bible - visit www.NIVapplicationbible.com if you’re looking to grow in your understanding of Scripture and make it real in your daily life. Capstone Wellness - For over 24 years, Capstone has helped thousands of families on their path to healing. Learn more at capstonewellness.com/1000hours NurtureLife - Head to NurtureLife.com/1000HOURS55 and use code 1000HOURS55 for 55% off your first order PLUS free shipping. Wayfair - Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Earthley - Use the code 1000hours to get 10% off your next purchase at www.earthley.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices