The Bewilderness Podcast

This weeks episode marks the two year anniversary of the podcast! What better way to celebrate then sitting down for a conversation with my good friend Michael Muniz. So crack open a beer and join us as we discuss his experiences as a gay man and diabetic in the wilderness. 

In this episode I sat down with the founder of Friends of the River, Mark Dubois. Mark's love affair with rivers begin on the Stanislaus in the early 70's. When it's existence was threatened by the construction of a damn Mark chained himself to a rock in the river valley in protest. Since then Mark has dedicated his life to the preservation of wild rivers. Join us for a truly enlightening conversation around following our life's purpose in troubling times. 

This week I sat down with Tahoe's legendary Jim Bitner. Jim taught my first ever climbing course almost ten years ago. He's taught wilderness first responder courses for two decades, and he's been an active ski patroller throughout. Jim has been a huge positive influence on the Tahoe wilderness community both directly and indirectly through his many hundreds of students. If you're ever so unlucky to be hurt in the backcountry, this is the guy you want calling the shots.  

This week I sat down with the executive director of CRAGS (Climbing Resource Advocates of Greater Sacramento) Stephanie McLaughlin. Join us for a conversation around land conservation, climbing ethics and community building for Sacramento based climbers. 

In this weeks episode I sat down with Jay Gosuico, a travel nurse, ski patroller, kayaker, and river guide originally from the Philippines. Jay is an excellent mentor in both the whitewater and medical worlds, he's incredibly thoughtful and vulnerable in sharing his life experiences with me in this episode. Jay has also been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 since the beginning.

For this weeks episode I sat down with Morgan Kemp, an artist, rock climber, and river guide from El Paso Texas. A self described awkward sass monster and ray of sunshine, Morgan's laughter is as contagious as her passion for art and adventure. Recently she's used her talent to raise money for wildlife foundations. 

In this episode I sat down with Capt. Paul Watson founder of the Sea Shepard Conservation Society. Paul is the tip of the spear when it comes to fighting for the survival of our oceans. Paul's unique approach is involves actively interfering with whaling vessel's wherever they break international law, through direct action. Join me for a conversation with a man at the frontline of the fight for our oceans. 

In this weeks episode I sat down with my good friend and fellow river guide, Kegasi Turbovsky. We switch it up a little bit in this episode and focus on discussing activism and access from the perspective of our outdoor community. Join us for an authentic, vulnerable, but tough conversation. 

In this episode I sat down with my good buddy Greg Powell, the former Battalion Chief of the Sacramento City Fire Department. Greg is a real life super hero, from serving time as an Army Ranger during the invasion of Grenada, working with bomb squads and hazmat teams to responding to Disasters like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, Greg's life experience is unique to say the least. Join us as this incredibly humble human shares his story for the first time publicly.  

In this episode, I sat down with my long-time friend Garrett Bathmann. Garrett is a writer, lover of music, and the outdoors living in Denver Colorado. His current project "Boogixote" debuted in January of this year. Boogiexote is a music and outdoor hybrid blog that seeks to tell's stories from both subcultures from a unique perspective, by Covering musicians, trail guides, outdoor athletes, and event staff. Join us as we find our B-spot discussing where music and the outdoors meet in perfect fusion, that's where boogixote lives. 

Hello friends I'm back from a two week break! Thanks for being patient, this weeks episode I sat down with Matt Reid. Matt is an expert white water guide and excellent story teller originally from Australia. Join us in this discussion of history, community and the sport we all love.

Ryan Callaghan is MeatEater's Director of Conservation and host of Cal's Week in Review podcast. Ryan is a national board member of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and a passionate member of the outdoor community, having grown up hunting and fishing, guiding, and playing in the West.

In this weeks episode I sat down with my brother James Damiani. James is teacher and practitioner of all things movement. Join us as we discuss his pathway to teaching, philosophy, wellness and personal development. 

This week I got the opportunity to switch roles with one of my best friends and dedicated adventure buddy, John Gratton. Join us as we discuss the origins of the podcast, and my motivations and goals for its future. Big thank you to all my listeners for sticking around for my first year of podcasting. If you enjoy the podcast please take a moment to follow and support all my guests from the past year, with out them none of this would have been possible. Thank You. 

In this episode I sat down with Cody Tarantino, an artist from Kalamazoo Michigan. Having recently graduated high school during a global pandemic, Cody began to share his art on TikTok and within months he's gained a following of over 100k. Cody's art coupled with his unique storytelling ability made him viral, join us as he shares his passion for art, and the path it has led him down. 

In this episode I sat down with a pioneer in tropical rainforest exploration, Meg Lowman. Meg began her career innovating methods of treetop exploration, starting with slingshots and rope and eventually evolving into treetop rafts that allowed scientists to spend days among the trees. Within her lifetime she has witnessed the transition from exploring the immense biodiversity of rainforests to simply trying to save the precious few still in existence. Meg shares with us the ways in which we can all help to preserve the lungs of our planet for future generations.

In this Episode I sat down with founder of the Global Conservation Force, Mike Veale. Mike is a California native and expert in wildlife conservation and animal care. In this episode Mike walk's us through the efforts his organization is taking to put an end to poaching around the world, and the challenges they face along the way. 

In this episode I sat down with a pillar of the Sacramento Yoga community, Reno Gorman. Specializing in acroyoga, body work, music and dance, Reno has made it his life's work to share the joy found in a healthy and playful lifestyle. 

In this episode I sat down with legendary Alaska adventurer, professor of biology at APU, and author Roman Dial. Roman recently wrote a book called "The Adventurers Son" where he tells the story of his son Cody Roman Dial who went missing in Costa Rica the summer of 2014. Roman is articulate and wise, join us as he shares stories and lessons from a life lived in the wilderness. 

In this episode I sat down with my good friend TJ to discuss racism in America.

In this episode I sat down with a true legend, Jeff Shapiro. Jeff is best known for wingsuit BASE jumping and hang gliding, however his interests do not stop there. He's also an avid falconer, bush plane pilot, surfer, kayaker, and climber. After losing many friends during this pursuit, he's gained an uncommon awareness of life's beauty. Wise beyond words, Jeff shares a lifetime of lessons learned from human and bird flight alike.

In this episode I sat down with Buck Lewis owner of MomentOm yoga in Roseville California. From his first experiences practicing yoga in solitary confinement, living a life of violence and chaos. To becoming a yoga studio owner, coach, mentor, and father. Buck shares his story in raw form, join us for this memorable and enlightening episode. 

In this episode I sat down with the epic mother and son duo Sheri and Thor Tingey founders of Alpacka Raft. Join us as they share the story of their company and a wealth of knowledge about packrafting, risk, entrepreneurship, and adventure. Enjoy! 

In this episode I sat down with Tess Conrad, a yoga teacher and practitioner in the Sacramento area. Join us as she share's her perspective on yoga, personal history, and even a little philosophy. Enjoy!

In this episode I sat down with chief instigator Melissa DeMarie of The California Women's Watersport Collective. Melissa is a whitewater kayaker/photographer, dancer, and community organizer from Buffalo New York. Join us as we discuss women's issues in whitewater, and the epic community she has built in the Sierra Foothills, soon to be the world...

In this episode I sat down with my good friend Deidra Bagdasarian. Deidra is a cannabis entrepreneur, community organizer, and founder of The Glowing Goddess Getaway which is a women's cannabis camping retreat held all over the United States. If you're interested in the benefits psychedelics (of various types) or in women's community organizing then this episode is for you. Enjoy!  

In this episode I sat down with Connor and Jess of Boot Juice Jams. This band is quickly becoming one of my local favorites, made up of a bunch of whitewater addicts out of Boise Idaho, their connection to the great outdoors shine's through their music. Stick around to hear them play a tune for us. Enjoy! 

In this episode I sat down with David Reichel, one of two professional observers at the Sierra Avalanche Center. David is an experienced alpine guide currently working for Shasta Mountain Guides, a snow geek, and pillar of the South Lake Tahoe outdoor community. I personally owe much of my knowledge and experience to his guidance. If you're interested in anything snow related, this is your guy. Enjoy! 

In this episode I sat down with rock climber, youtuber and highliner Ryan Jenks. We discuss his experiences with big wall rock climbing, life as a youtuber, the ethics of bolting and of course highlining. This is a long one but a good one. Enjoy! 

In this episode I sat down with youth leader, podcaster and aspiring filmmaker, Gavin Veiga. Join us as we discuss Gavin's experiences as a youth leader, and barriers to access for black and brown people in the outdoor environment and society at large. Enjoy! 

In this episode I sat down with Hawk and Kenz of vanofmydreams, this adorable couple and their dog have been living in their van for the last six years. Join us as they share some funny stories from their travels and the next steps in their journey.  

In this episode I sat down with Dr. David Rolloff, Professor of Parks and Recreation at Sacramento Sate University. We talk about his journey to becoming a tenured professor, wilderness conservation issues, and inclusivity in the outdoors. Enjoy! 

Scott is a life long musician and music teacher from Folsom California, in this episode he shares some hilarious stories from a life of head banging and live performances. We had a lot of fun recording this one and Scott even shares a song with us. Enjoy! 

In this episode I share with you one of the first episodes from another podcast project I've been working on for school called the BuzzLife. The BuzzLife podcast is meant to be a resource for Sacramento State students and in this episode I sit down with Valerie Regner, Associate Director at Peak Adventures, our on campus outdoor program. Valerie share's some of her experiences as a student at Sac State, her process to becoming director and we dive into what it's like to work for such an awesome outdoor company. Enjoy!

Jeremy Kaderka is a whitewater rifting guide out of Coloma California, in this episode he shares stories of his recent Grand Canyon trip, a little of his personal background, California history, and what it's like to be a white water guide. If you enjoy adventure then this episode is for you. 

In this episode I sit down with my good friend Elliot Telford, a yoga teacher, entrepreneur, and musician from Northern California. We discuss his personal journey to yoga and and the lessons learned along the way. 

I sit down with my good friend John Gratton to discuss our attempt to hike the John Muir Trail in 14 days or less.