Gold Arrow Camp GAC PogCast

Join Sunshine, Chelster, Airborne, and Punkie as they discuss their favorite camp activities, trying new things, and getting outside our comfort zones at GAC. This year's summer theme is Try Something New, so it's a great summer to really lean into our value of getting outside our comfort zone! We chose this year's summer theme, […] The post Episode 84: Try Something New appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Chuck “Woody” Radke's GAC story began in 1990 and continues to 2025. His wife “Tahoe” (Assistant Director) and son Will (Junior Counselor) will join him at Gold Arrow Camp this summer. Woody interviewed many alumni and authored the amazing Sierra Summers book about the history of Gold Arrow Camp. He has many insights about the […] The post Episode 83: Creating a Happier World with Woody appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

In this episode, Audrey “Sunshine” Monke chats with Amy “Glitter” Bolton about her long career as a year-round GAC staff member serving as our Office Manager and Registrar. Glitter's is the friendly voice most parents hear when they call the GAC office. Glitter's GAC story started in 2001, when she joined our staff as an […] The post Episode 82: Creating a Happier World with Glitter appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

In this episode, Audrey “Sunshine” Monke chats with Becky “Evergreen” Johnson about the impact Evergreen's time as a staff member and parent have impacted her life and her career. Evergreen's GAC story started in 1995 (30 years ago!), when she joined our staff as a Group Counselor. This summer (2025), Evergreen will be serving as […] The post Episode 81: Creating a Happier World with Evergreen appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

This week on the podcast we're featuring a short excerpt from the introduction to Audrey “Sunshine” Monke's book, Happy Campers: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults.  Learn about the research-based, intentional practices behind the “magic” at Gold Arrow Camp in this episode, The Magic of Summer Camp. About Happy Campers […] The post Episode 80: The Magic of Camp (Happy Campers Book Excerpt) appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Join Sunshine, Chelster, Gem & Delta for a chat about Gold Arrow Camp's Vision, Mission, Goals. Learn about the positive habits and character traits we want our campers and staff to take with them far beyond their time at camp. Learn WHY Gold Arrow Camp exists and about the vision we have of creating a […] The post Episode 79: Creating a Happier World – The GAC Philosophy appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

This week on the Gold Arrow Camp Podcast, Sunshine chats with Armando “Speed” Negrete about the lasting positive impact of his experience as a GAC staff member in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The communication and leadership skills he learned at GAC are professional skills Armando uses today as a Lead Public Safety Dispatcher […] The post Episode 78: Creating a Happier World with Speed appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

This week on the Gold Arrow Camp Podcast, Sunshine chats with fourteen-year veteran camper and staff member, Ben “Bagel” Bronstein about the community and positive culture that keep pulling him back for another summer at good ol' GAC! Bagel shares about what he enjoyed about being a camper and what he still enjoys today as […] The post Episode 77: Creating a Happier World with Bagel appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

We're continuing our podcast series on Creating a Happier World with Sunshine's chat with our beloved Director of Camper and Parent Services, Chelsea “Chelster” Rowe. Chelster shares her GAC story and many insights about camp. Chelster has been on the Year-Round team at GAC for almost four decades and has experienced being a camper, staff […] The post Episode 76: Creating a Happier World with Chelster appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Welcome to the Gold Arrow Camp Podcast's 2025 Season! We're kicking off the season with a series on “Creating a Happier World,” because our vision at GAC is to create a happier world, one camper at a time. In this episode, Audrey “Sunshine” Monke chats with Aaron “Airborne” Johnson about many topics related to creating […] The post Episode 75: Creating a Happier World with Airborne appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Today on the show we're talking with Gem, who has put together a great list of 5 camp -inspired small changes you can make in your family life that will improve your mental and physical health. She's written a blog about this same topic. As we talk about in the show, there is research supporting […] The post Episode 74 – Gem appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Today on the POG-Cast, we're thrilled to welcome one of our favorite humans, the award winning Sis! Sis was a 4 year camper and just finished her 3rd year as a Group Counselor. She is also the winner of 2023's Coach's award. She and Soy chatted about homesickness, why she loves working with our youngest […] The post Episode 73 – Sis appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

We're kicking off Season 6 of the Gold Arrow Camp POG-Cast with an interview with a person who we believe has been around camp longer than anyone else, Manny Vezie's daughter, Diana Bunney. This interview is also available on our YouTube as a video if you would prefer to watch it! Soy also promised a […] The post Episode 72 – Diana Bunney appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

We don't have a patreon and so far Spotify hasn't offered the POG-Cast an exclusive deal. We'll never put our episodes behind a paywall, but we thought we should do what so many other podcasts do and share a bonus episode! On this special episode of the Gold Arrow Camp POG-Cast, Soy and Sunshine got […] The post BONUS EPISODE: Sunshine & Soy Talk About How Counselors Bring GAC's Philosophy To Life appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 70 In this episode, we're joined from across the pond by Hilly, who is entering his third year on our staff. Hilly and Soy had a great chat about the benefits of camp (other than the weather) as well as a classic geometry-based Joke of the Cast. If you'd like to see Hilly, you […] The post Hilly appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 69 On this episode of the podcast, we reunite two camp friends live on the POG-Cast! Spotlight and Penguin are two great friends who didn't know each other (even though they are both long-time campers and Junior Counselors) before training week of 2021 when they became fast friends. We chat about making friends, GACting, […] The post Spotlight & Penguin appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 68. Chai is a long-time GAC staff member. She's met innumerable campers in her time leading backpacking trips and working in the wellness center. Now she's getting to see camp through the eyes of her nieces who came to camp for the first time this summer. In honor of the Grammys there's a musically […] The post Chai appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 67.   Our guest this time on the POG-Cast is a fan favorite: Mariachi. He started as an international camper, then was a Junior Counselor, and spent 2021 as a counselor at Rocks & Ropes. He and Soy have a wide-ranging conversation, discussing what it's like to come to camp for the first time […] The post Mariachi appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 66.   This time on the POG-Cast we have one of our long-time staffers. A former camper, a lover of baseball and fishing, a leader of the OLC, and a boat driver extraordinaire, Taz was a really fun chat and a great way for Soy to slide back into the POG-Cast for Season 5! […] The post Taz appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 65   In the triumphant return of the interview-based POG-Cast, Sunshine sits down with sister and brother Squid and Foxtrot to discuss what it's like to come to camp and also to work with your sibling. Squid and Foxtrot were just one of the 18 sets of siblings we had on our camp staff […] The post Squid & Foxtrot appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Frames and Cabin 3 host this week's episode of WHADDA WEEK! We've started off Mini Camp/Shaver Specialty Week with tons of fun and we look forward to packing our next few days together with activities and special events. The post Whadda Week! August 23, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Bravo, Soap, and the members of Cabin 24 (with a guest appearance by some of Cabin 22) host this week's episode of WHADDA WEEK! Find out what's happening at GAC this second week of Session #4, learn about some highlights of camp so far for these kids, and hear about some of the friendship skills […] The post WHADDA WEEK! August 14, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Bravo and Cabin 24 host this week's episode of Whadda Week. Find out what's going on this second week of Session #3, 2021! The post Whadda Week! August 2, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

 Our Session 3 JCs (Junior Counselors) host this week's episode of Whadda Week! Get to know them and hear their goals for Session 3. Links: Junior Counselor Program info Subscribe to Gold Arrow Camp's Whadda Day Podcast. The post Whadda Week! July 25, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

It's the second week of Session #2 here at Gold Arrow Camp. With help from Hooper and Sunshine, Olivia, Hadley, Lindsay, & Dove (Cabin 18) host this week's episode of Whadda Week! The post Whadda Week! July 18, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Hosts Bravo and Frames, along with Cabin 27, kick off Session #2 with this week's episode of WHADDA WEEK! The post Whadda Week! July 12, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

What's happening this week at GAC? Find out on WHADDA WEEK – Your weekly look into life at camp! We're halfway through Session 1. Here's an update from campers on what's happening this week and what we're learning about being BETTER TOGETHER and friendship at GAC. Listen to more episodes about camp at https://goldarrowcamp.com/podcast-2/. The post Whadda Week! July 4, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Today's Whadda Day! features Cabin 0 before they departed for Shaver. Read more about today's friendship skill! The post Whadda Day! June 28, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

It's the first day of Session 1, 2021! This is WHADDA DAY! The post Whadda Day! June 27, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

It's the HAPPY FATHER'S DAY edition of Whadda Day, featuring some of the Shaver Watersports Specialty Campers! The post Whadda Day! June 20, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

It's the first day of GAC 2021. Cabin 28 kicks off Whadda Day! The post Whadda Day! June 13, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 64   Soy is joined by a woman who talked her mom into sending her to camp at age 6 and has been coming ever since! Echo came to camp on the shirttails of her older sister Nox and has learned everything from independence to how much she loves being unplugged in nature. The post Echo appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 63. Soy is joined on the POG-Cast by longtime camper and brand new staff member Penguin. She and Soy talk about the Junior Counselor program, what it’s like to have a sibling at camp, and how GAC has changed her life. Soy also delivers a really great home improvement-based Joke of the Day. The post Penguin appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 62. For this very special episode of the POG-Cast we were joined by long time parenting and camp guru Michael Thompson, Ph.D. to talk about independence, life success,  raising children in the modern world, and how camp can help with all of that. Dr. Thompson is the author of Homesick and Happy, which we send […] The post Sunshine and Michael Thompson appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

BE YOU Week 10: Be your Best Self “Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.” -Oprah Winfrey For many years we have heard both campers and staff say that camp is where they can be their most true, authentic selves. Being your true self is an important […] The post Be You: Be your Best Self appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

BE YOU Week 9: Change the World “This world needs somebody like you.” – Anthem Lights At GAC, we believe in bringing positive changes to the world. In fact, it’s one of our core values that our campers and staff leave GAC ready to be leaders by bringing positive changes to the world. There is […] The post BE YOU: Change the World appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

BE YOU Week 8: Get Stronger “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins There are many ways to get stronger. We get stronger physically by exercising or playing sports, but we can also get stronger mentally or emotionally by pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones. Sometimes we need […] The post BE YOU: Get Stronger appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

BE YOU Week 7: Celebrate What Makes you Different “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” – Dr. Seuss One of the most important things you can do in your life is to be yourself by being different. Your differences and quirks are the coolest things about you. Let’s embrace our differences […] The post BE YOU: Celebrate What Makes you Different appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

BE YOU Week 6: Positive Self Talk “The more I like me, the less I want to pretend to be other people.”– Jamie Lee Curtis The self-talk you do in your own head can help or hurt you. If you are talking negatively to yourself, it will hurt your confidence and your self-love. If you […] The post BE YOU: Positive Self Talk appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

BE YOU Week 5: Build Others Up “Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody.” – Kid President One way we can be our best selves is by bringing out the best traits in others. When we’re at our best, we feel confident in ourselves and don’t feel the need to put others down. […] The post BE YOU: Build Others Up appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

BE YOU Week 4: Appreciate, Don’t Compare Comparison is the thief of joy. – Theodore Roosevelt We are so excited to have Chelster join Sunshine this week for our #GACbeyou podcast. This week, we are talking about focusing on the qualities we really like in ourselves and trying to refrain from comparing ourselves to others. […] The post BE YOU: Appreciate, Don’t Compare appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

BE YOU Week 3: What Stresses you Out? What Calms you Down? “Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.” – Eleanor Roosevelt What are things that really stress you out or make you feel not so great? It is good to identify these things so that we […] The post BE YOU: What Stresses you Out? What Calms you Down? appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

BE YOU Week 2: Find Your “Flow” “If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” – Roald Dahl This week for our BE YOU theme, we’re focusing on finding activities that get you into a state of “flow.” Flow is a term coined […] The post Be You: Find Your “Flow” appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

BE YOU Week 1: You’re One of a Kind! “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson Have you ever thought about how amazing it is that there is no one else who is exactly like you? You are unique, […] The post Be You: You’re One of a Kind! appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 61 On this episode of the POG-Cast, Soy gave up the host’s seat to be interviewed by Sunshine (of the Sunshine Parenting podcast) about our offering for Middle School campers this summer, GALAMS. GALAMS is a program designed around Gold Arrow Camp’s Core Values and how campers can use those values to build their […] The post Summer Middle School Programs With Soy appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 60 On this very special episode of the GAC POG-Cast, Soy sat down with Sunshine who sat down with Delta to talk about our awesome new online leadership program for high school students, GALA. The program, designed for 9-12th graders features 3 1-hour meetings a week, facilitated by awesome GAC counselors who have been […] The post Summer Teen Program Details With Delta appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 59 On this episode of the POG-Cast, Soy sits down with our Director of Parent and Camper Services, Chelster. Chelster has been with Gold Arrow Camp literally as long as she’s been alive. It was a real treat to talk with her about what she loves about camp and the impact camp has on […] The post Chelster appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 58 On this episode, it’s a Morning Assembly reunion, as Evergreen joins Soy to talk about camp. Evergreen has a long history with camp and has experienced it as both a staff member and a parent. She has great insights about what makes camp special, which was really cool to hear. Soy shares some […] The post Evergreen appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 57. On this episode, Soy and Birks sat down to chat about camp. They covered many topics, but a key part of the discussion was about the job of being a camp counselor, and what you can learn in that job that is applicable outside of camp. Birks even shared why she thought that […] The post Birks appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 56 Today was a special day for Soy because he got to have one of his best camp friends on the POG. Tank, who worked alongside Soy on the operations team at camp and who is a vital part of Morning Assembly, joined the POG-Cast from Vail, Colorado to talk about coming to camp, […] The post Tank appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 55 Lyric’s back! The POG-Cast’s all-time most featured guest, Rocks & Ropes Counselor Lyric, is back! This time he and Soy talked about what it’s like to have your family at camp. They also got to talk about how camp allows kids to be leaders. Soy lands a solid Joke of the Cast and […] The post Lyric appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.