Podcasts about Desolation Wilderness

Pull up any social media feed on big line skiing and there's a good chance you'll see Molly Armanino stomping a serious cliff drop. There's also a good chance you'll see her tomahawking. In her rookie year on the 2023 Freeride World Tour, Molly's checkers or wreckers approach – skiing lines no other woman dare ski – landed her a 2nd place finish. Perfecting her art of the send at Kirkwood amidst its treacherous volcanic “death rocks”, Molly's fearless approach has inspired all skiers, regardless of gender. Equally inspiring is Molly's perseverance in the face of unimaginable loss, opening up about the accident that took her brother Sam's life just as she was finding closure after losing her best friend in a car accident. Molly talks about the therapeutic healing the outdoors brings her and also shares the story of losing her big toe to frostbite while skiing in Montana. Lots of laughs mixed with heavy emotion in this episode. See an advance screening of her first feature film, “Slopes of Change”, at 8PM on December 19 at Alibi Ale Works in Truckee! 2:30 – Recording this week at Gear Lab in South Lake Tahoe amidst dry weather and no snow.5:30 – Riding brown pow on Harmony Ridge and Hoot Trail in Nevada City. Shared use trails versus segregated use trails.8:00 – Dope or Derp? Collectibles like baseball cards, Garbage Pail Kids and wine.20:45 – Print magazines to subscribe to – Nicholas on Insta – Mountain Gazette.21:50 – Dope or Derp? Giving up on skiing in the winter when weather isn't delivering.25:10 – Introducing Molly Armanino – South Lake Tahoe core lord skier and her film Slopes of Change.31:15 – Molly Armanino talks about her new hat, turkey feathers found on the family property and feeding wild animals.35:15 – Molly's upbringing in Sutter Creek and Placerville and hated skiing as a kid.38:00 – Skiing at Kirkwood, its “death rocks” and the core underground vibe it's kept despite being a Vail-owned resort. Home of Squid and Friends, Sam Armanino's creation.47:30 – Being good at tomahawking and training to tomahawk down the mountain.48:40 – Getting into backcountry skiing after always being a resort skier.50:30 – Missing the shot on the big line when being filmed.54:05 – What's more pressure – skiing for a film shoot or Freeride World Tour?56:30 – Molly's backcountry mentor McKenna Peterson and developing a close relationship.1:03:45 – Pushing yourself and pushing the sport even if you risk serious injury and getting hurt.1:11:30 – Getting into the Freeride World Tour.1:14:00 – Molly losing her big toe to frostbite during an excursion in Cooke City, Montana and then getting 2ndin her rookie year on the Freeride World Tour.1:22:50 – She seems to have Raynaud's Syndrome now after getting frostbite, using boot warmers and glove warmers and dressing the core warmer to prevent Raynaud's.1:30:00 – Exploring and skiing the Eastern Sierra Nevada.1:36:10 – PowBot and Molly going on a big backcountry mission in Desolation Wilderness during the early days of COVID after the loss of PowBot's dad and how big missions help with coping.1:42:30 – Being distracted by being hyper focused on a mission as a tool for coping with loss.1:45:30 – Molly opening up about the loss of her brother Sam and a tragic car accident she was involved in with one of her best friends who didn't survive.1:53:10 – What does Mind the Track mean to you?1:55:00 – December 19 in Truckee at Alibi Aleworks – Go see Slopes of Change!

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Explore one of the most beautiful hiking destinations in the world, the Tahoe Rim Trail and Van Sickle Bi-State Park. These trails at Van Sickle Bi-State Park may feel a world away from civilization but are actually within walking distance of the Stateline, Nevada Resorts and Casinos. Join Darley Newman and local guide Morgan Steel from the Tahoe Rim Trail Association out on the trails and hear expert tips on how to hike responsibly and enjoy the breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe and Desolation Wilderness.Whether you're an avid hiker or a casual nature enthusiast, this episode shares the various trail options, from easy day hikes to challenging multi-day treks. Get valuable advice on Leave No Trace and Responsible Recreation principles to help preserve the beauty of these trails for future generations. Take a deep breath, lace up your hiking boots, and get ready to explore the stunning landscapes of Lake Tahoe with us.Learn more about visiting Lake Tahoe and check out their Rules to Lake By with ways to practice responsible tourism at visitlaketahoe.com

“Could a group of people come together to do the right thing for the environment, the right thing for the community, the right thing for the people that work there, the right thing for the guests and have a sustainable business?” We're in great company with Chet Pipkin, Founder of the recently realized Desolation Hotel in the Sierra Nevada region of California, with two distinctly different nature experiences - one in Lake Tahoe, an oasis of serenity in the midst of a bustling town, and the other in Hope Valley, a historic resort and remote escape. With a focus on delivering exceptional experiences both inside the resorts and outside of them, Desolation Hotel has become more than a place where modern adventurers can stay and relax during their vacation. It has become a basecamp for exploration; a launching pad for touring, enjoying and celebrating the wonder that is the great American West. In this episode, Chet shares his inspiring perspective on what it is like to be a lifelong learner and entrepreneur, a believer in the magic of relationships and connection, both to others and with nature.  Top Takeaways [1:00] After founding Belkin in his parent's garage which transpired into more than four decades creating exceptional experiences in the consumer electronics industry, Chet Pipkin yearned to build a community that would synthesize his passion for tech with his love of outdoor exploration. [5:15] Chet explains his similar approach to technology and hospitality, “Do the hard work upfront to make the experiences simple.”  [17:30] Faced with the choice to create a nature experience for those outdoor enthusiasts in the bustling town of Lake Tahoe or in the untouched and secluded Hope Valley, Chet and his family decided, why not do both? [19:30] Desolation Hotel took not only its name, but great design inspiration from the Pipkin family's decades exploring the Desolation Wilderness. [27:30] Adventure is in season every season at Lake Tahoe with summer water sports, hiking and biking, and winter skiing available all around town.  [31:15] Look up at the fall foliage and take in the views of the night sky at Hope Valley, the perfect place to connect to nature and experience the 100 year history of hospitality on property.  [38:15] How Desolation Hotel is a big experiment in sustainability of not only a business, but in the land, community and guest experience as well.  Notable Mentions Skiing in Heavenly Valley or Van Sickle State Park Hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail Maggie's Restaurant Sorensen's Cafe Visit For Yourself Desolation Hotel Website StayInGoodCompanyDH for 15% off a stay, valid until 12.31.23 @desolationhotel @desolationhotel_hv Stay In Good Company Website

PCT thru hiker and @sendfemme founder Arielle "Mouse" Shipe joins Doc in studio for some good old fashioned trail talk. Tune in to hear about the charm of being annoyingly cheerful in the morning, cork orthotics, tuna exhaustion, Desolation Wilderness (a misnomer), Rainy Pass (not a misnomer), the magic of things just clicking, and how it's possible to pack 17 thru hikers and their gear into a single pickup truck when having to escape a raging 60,000-acre wildfire on trail. An instant classic. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hikertrashradio/support

Welcome to Episode 379 of The Outdoor Biz Podcast and my conversation with Steve Lee, Hot Chillys Senior VP of Sales. Steve has been with Hot Chillys in one form or another since 1988. From outdoor and snow sports to running and cycling, their high-quality, durable base layer and winter accessories are ideal for staying warm and dry during your favorite cold weather activities. Facebook Twitter Instagram The Outdoor Biz Podcast Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Sign up for my Newsletter HERE. I'd love to hear your feedback about the show! You can contact me here: email: rick@theoutdoorbizpodcast.com or leave me a message on Speakpipe! Presented to by: Show Notes Show Notes How'd you get into the outdoors? Steve got into the outdoors with some friends in high school. They went on a backpacking trip up to Desolation Wilderness and fell in love with it. They then took a 21-day backpacking and climbing course, which culminated in their love for the outdoors. Where, where'd you learn how to ski? What was your first snow experience? Steve learned to ski at a Tyrolia Ski School in Minnesota and then moved to Northern California before high school, where they used to go skiing at North Star. Steve's first experience with Hot Chilly's He was working in the San Francisco Bay area after graduating from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Steve and some friends then moved to the San Luis Obispo area and found work in an accounting and operations role for the company making Hot Chillys. So you've held a leadership role there since 2006. How has your leadership style evolved over the years? Steve said he has become more mature and learned to embrace the power of relationships, not just with people in the industry or reps, but also with their salespeople. “I will support them as best I can and not be another cook in the kitchen.” Over the years, what do you think have been the two or three most significant changes in our business? The two or three most significant changes in the business over the past 32 years include the introduction of online retail and direct-to-consumer, as well as the consolidation of specialty retail customers and the need for larger retailers to sell sports and outdoor products. Additionally, the eco influence on all aspects of the business is more prominent today than it was back then too. So your mission for Hot Chillys now is to keep you so comfortable you forget they're even there. How do you deliver on that? Hot Chillys is the first body fit performance base layer, created by two guys in Southern California who wanted to keep themselves comfortable while skiing and fishing. They partnered up with a guy who was manufacturing running tights for Nike and Adidas and had machines that could do the flatlock stitch. The three of 'em came up with the idea of making a base layer that hugs the body and performs better. The first product they came up with was the original, which was packaged in a can. They focused on sourcing and developing fabrics that are ultra-soft, comfortable, and comfortable on the body, so the focus is on having fun outdoors. I love your warmth ratings. How are those developed? The brand name Hot Chillys is an homage to their love of Mexico, and the warm factor thermometer is meant to mimic the mild, medium, hot thermometer found on a jar of salsa. Every product has a different rating. Do you guys have anything new in the pipeline you could talk about? We've always been known a little bit more on the Wintersports side and a lot of that product is body fit and comes in a variety of different weights and fabrications. But we've had a few products that have always done well, that were more on the relaxed fit side. So we have developed a line of relaxed fit products, such as Clima-Tek and Clima-Wool. Clima-Tech is made of what we call M T F Moisture Transfer Fiber polyester with activated carbon which make it even softer and perform better, and gives it some antimicrobial properties. And so that kind of launched us into this series of products that are more relaxed fit. They have great performance characteristics but the cut of them and the colors and the styling is very appropriate for like street wear as well. It's not just pure on mountain base layer. It's meant to be something you could wear as a lifestyle piece, whether it's in a crew neck or a zip tee or a hoodie or a jogger or what have you. What outdoor activities do you still participate in? Steve gets out and does a lot of skiing, hiking, ocean kayaking, fishing, and camping. Do you have any suggestions and/or advice for folks wanting to get into the outdoor biz and/or grow their career? It doesn't seem like there's as many youth getting into the business as there once was. I think like I said before, the relationships are really key, it requires an investment of time. I don't think that success in our industry comes quickly, you know? So if you're passionate about the outdoors, which is a big reason why I've, I've stayed in the industry. Then you kind of gotta find where does that passion really lie or where is it most well expressed? Are you a retail person? Are you into developing product and, do you know, kind of like to invent stuff? Or are you more manufacturing and logistical minded? What's kind of your path to go down Do you have any, daily routines you use to keep your sanity? My daily routines include getting up early, having quiet time, reading and meditation, and taking our small dog for a walk along the beach. Do you have a favorite book or a couple of favorite books? Zen in the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one of my favorite books. Recently, I've been reading more business-oriented books, such as The Three Chairs and Never Split the Difference, written by an FBI negotiator which is primarily about negotiating to a solution. What's your favorite piece of outdoor gear? Under a hundred dollars? Steves favorite piece of outdoor gear is a fanny pack, It is making a comeback. It's efficient and has everything they need for hiking, biking, and dog activities. It may not be the coolest look on the block, but it is a great addition to your outdoor gear. As we wrap up, is there anything else you'd like to say to our listeners or ask of our listeners? Check out Hot Chillys, it's a brand that's been around since 1985, always evolving, we have lots of new stuff. As I'm traveling, I'll have conversations with people in airports or on the plane and, you know, tell 'em what I do, and they're, oh yeah, I love Hot Chillys, I've had Hot Chillys forever and they know us from, from way back when and there's a lot of new and exciting stuff coming out this next year. So I would just encourage people to take a look at what we've got.  

As the most decorated American male ski racer in history, Red Bull athlete and local legend Daron Rahlves know how to send two sticks downhill. But as Daron approaches 50 years old, he is finding more enjoyment in putting his mind in the track, going deep in the backcountry, skiing with his son Drey in Alaska and his dog Zoe in the backyard, appreciating the beauty and incredible terrain of the Lake Tahoe region. Daron also recalls two of his top ten days ever skiing in the backcountry were with PowBot, one big day in Desolation Wilderness, and the other unknowingly racing PowBot to the bottom of Bear Scratch. It was a tie.

Joby Talbot is the only living composer to have written the music for three full-length ballets for The Royal Ballet in London. In this sixth episode of Composing Myself Wise Music CEO and Creative Director Dave Holley and Gill Graham catch up with the genre-bending maestro to talk about his “horrible” jobs before he became a composer (Night shift at the local mortuary! Laundry at a mental institution!), working with Nigel Godrich and their close professional bond, the key differences between composing for animations versus live action projects, the culinary genesis of the Like Water For Chocolate ballet score, and the upside-down sensibility of composing for choreography - “you're trying to give a platform for the choreographer and the dancers to do their thing, without knowing what that thing is”. -----http://www.jobytalbot.comhttps://www.instagram.com/jobytalbotmusic/-----Joby Talbot was born in London in 1971. He studied composition privately with Brian Elias and at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, before completing a Master of Music (Composition) at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Simon Bainbridge.Talbot's diverse catalogue includes full-length narrative ballets (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , 2011; The Winter's Tale, 2014) and contemporary dance works (Chroma, 2007); small- and large-scale choral and vocal works (The Wishing Tree, 2002; Path of Miracles, 2005; A Sheen of Dew on Flowers, 2019); orchestral pieces (Sneaker Wave, 2004; Chacony in G Minor, 2011; Worlds, Stars, Systems, Infinity, 2012); concerti (Desolation Wilderness, 2006; Ink Dark Moon, 2018); and scores for the screen (The Lodger, 1999; The Dying Swan, 2002; Vampyr, 2018).Talbot's critically acclaimed first opera, Everest, was given its premiere in 2015 by The Dallas Opera. His second opera based on the true story The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, a further collaboration with librettist Gene Sheer, premieres in November 2023. Like Water for Chocolate, Talbot's third narrative ballet with Christopher Wheeldon premiered in June 2022 at The Royal Ballet and will be presented by partner commissioner ABT, in March 2023 in Costa Mesa and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in June 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're finally back from our epic swing out west. The wildfires in California ultimately pushed our trip to Yosemite, so we headed into the Desolation Wilderness as a solid backup option instead. We sit down and recap our trip, comparing it to Colorado, talking about some trip specifics, going through some mistakes and lessons-learned, as well as getting schooled in proper bear-can-storage etiquette. This was a fun episode, and it's great to finally back from traveling. Episode #100 is coming up! Thank You to this episode's sponsor - artofthetrek.com

Desolation Wilderness, A Ghost Story [TW loss of a child] by Dan CardozaCheck out Dan's novels here!LinkTree for all SYTS merch, social media, YouTube, Patreon etc.You can send your stories to: scareyoutosleep@gmail.comSound effects by FreeSound.org:Lake Ambiance.wav by CyrileneRossouwDiving | Smooth Drowning by tyops wendywater2minheel.wav by scratchikken05966 water surfacing splashes.wav by Robinhood76Massive Structure Bend by Kostas17 Get bonus content on Patreon Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Desolation Wilderness, A Ghost Story [TW loss of a child] by Dan CardozaCheck out Dan's novels here!LinkTree for all SYTS merch, social media, YouTube, Patreon etc.You can send your stories to: scareyoutosleep@gmail.comSound effects by FreeSound.org:Lake Ambiance.wav by CyrileneRossouwDiving | Smooth Drowning by tyops wendywater2minheel.wav by scratchikken05966 water surfacing splashes.wav by Robinhood76Massive Structure Bend by Kostas17 Get bonus content on Patreon Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our friend and intrepid hiker Marci Kornegay arrived in South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday July 20, Day 70 and 1091 miles in on the Pacific Crest Trail. She has now completed the High Sierra of California, which involved five days with over 10,000ft elevation gain, including summiting Mount Whitney. In Marci's own words: 'Immeasurable magical moments in the first 100+ miles of the Sierra including a Mt. Whitney summit (highest peak in lower 48 at 14,505') and Kearsage Pass. Exploding with incredible views, challenges, and memorable moments with ridiculously cool people.' Her closest companions on the trail are Montana native Haley and Californian Simone who have become fast friends while sharing so many special memories. The wildlife has been varied from marmots, who are regular food thieves, to deer, pika, ground squirrels and chipmunks. We caught up with Marci after she had spent the night renewing supplies so she was ready to get back on trail after recording this podcast. The next section of the PCT is known as the Desolation Wilderness round the side of Lake Tahoe, which has a heavy black bear population. The next goal is to cross the Northern California dessert and reach Oregon by August 14.Host: Chris StaffordRecorded: July 21, 2022For more information, links and resources and hundreds more conversations from the world of women's sport including articles, blogs, videos and podcasts visit wispsports.com.WiSP Sports is the ONLY GLOBAL PODCAST FOR WOMEN'S SPORT with more than 60 hosts, 1600+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads.Every episode is a WiSP SPORTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.We are ranked in the top 2% of more than 2.71 million podcasts worldwide. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at info@wispsports.com.

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek we are joined by no one! Today's episode is all about the Tahoe Rim Trail and Badger's recent experience thru-hiking this trail. This one covers everything you'd want to know about hiking the TRT, including the trail's basics, my experience and advice for resupply, gear, pacing, permits, bear storage, the best time to hike this trail, bugs, dealing with snow, navigation, funny stories, cell service, worst chafes, best poops, and much more. We wrap the show with a very weird and impromptu segment- healing your holes with Badger and Chaunce, we touch on the sad news of a hiker who recently passed in the White Mountain National Forest, we get a ridiculous poop story from our pal Paul Packman Sealy, and Backpacker Radio sponsorship winner MG gives us her first update from the AT! Gossamer Gear: Use code “littledonkeygirl” for 15% off at gossamergear.com.  Organifi: Use code “backpacker” for 20% off at organifi.com/backpacker. Enlightened Equipment: Use code “ultralight10” for 10% off Enlightened Equipment's Stock Revelation Quilt or Torrid Jacket at enlightenedequipment.com. Point6: Use code “point6trek” for 30% off at point6.com. [divider] Interview with Zach “Badger” Davis Badger's Tahoe Rim Trail Gear List Time stamps & Questions 00:04:42 - QOTD: Would you rather have an elephant's nose or a giraffe's neck? 00:08:20 - Introducing Zach! 00:09:05 - What is the TRT? 00:10:52 - Which direction did you hike? 00:11:57 - Tell us about the elevation and miles per day. 00:14:40 - Did you need a bear canister? 00:18:25 - Tell us about the permits required. 00:21:21 - How many people did you see each day? 00:22:30 - Did anyone ask if you hiked the AT? 00:24:25 - How was the water situation? 00:26:13 - Was it exposed or under treeline? 00:27:15 - How was the snow situation? 00:33:40 - What is the best time of year to hike the TRT? 00:35:49 - Tell us about day 1. 00:39:28 - Did you make any friends? 00:39:47 - Discussion about Zach's Ursack. 00:43:30 - Tell us about day 2 (chafing). 00:47:40 - Discussion about Zach wearing a kilt on the AT (disclaimer: disturbing visuals). 00:51:29 - Tell us about day 3 (weather, gear). 00:58:25 - Tell us about day 4 (burn area, ubering, town day). 01:05:47 - Tell us about day 5 (Desolation Wilderness, hiking with friends vs. alone). 01:12:30 - Tell us about day 6 (Tahoe City). 01:15:57 - Any other notable food things? 01:19:27 - Did you have vitamins and supplements? 01:23:04 - Discussion about weight and muscle. 01:26:55 - Tell us about day 7 (snow, cold). 01:30:22 - How did you get to the trail? 01:32:55 - Where does it rank among other shorter thru-hikes you've done? 01:34:04 - Would you recommend the TRT to first-time long distance hikers? 01:35:24 - How was this experience different now that you're a father?  01:36:54 - Is it worth traveling across the country as someone from the East Coast? 01:37:47 - Anything you would have done differently? 01:38:41 - How long was your longest food carry? 01:39:35 - Did you have any knee pain and if so, how did you alleviate it? 01:39:52 - Did you have any trouble navigating? 01:41:00 - Any poop stories? 01:44:28 - What's the next hike for a now-dad? SEGMENTS MG Check-In Trek Propaganda Badger's Tahoe Rim Trail Gear List Hiker Rescued from Presidential Traverse on Saturday Has Died by Kelly Floro Paul's Poop Story 5 Star Review Healing Your Hole with Zach and Chaunce [divider] Check out our sound guy @Paulybooyshallcross. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes (and please leave us a review)!  Find us on Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play. Support us on Patreon to get bonus content. Advertise on Backpacker Radio Follow The Trek, Chaunce, Badger, and Trail Correspondents on Instagram. Follow The Trek and Chaunce on YouTube. Follow Backpacker Radio on Tik Tok.  A super big thank you to our Chuck Norris Award winner(s) from Patreon: Andrew, Austen McDaniel, Jason Lawrence, Christopher Marshburn, Sawyer Products, Brad and Blair (Thirteen Adventures), Patrick Cianciolo, Paul Packman Sealy, Matt Soukup, Jason Snailer, and Greg Mac. A big thank you to our Cinnamon Connection Champions from Patreon: Liz Seger, Cynthia Voth, Emily Brown, Dcnerdlet, Jeff LaFranier, Peter Ellenberg, Jacob Northrup, Peter Leven.

Thank you for your patience while we took a little vacation!  In this episode we catch up on our vacation experiences which are about as opposite as they get.  While Hannah spent 7 days eating and drinking in the bustling city of New Orleans Louisiana, Rachel back packed in Desolation Wilderness near South Lake Tahoe.  One of us consumed an abundance of calorically dense foods while the other burned an abundance of calories, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who did what!  The point of this catch up episode is to bring you some insight into our relationship with food and drink when we are outside of our comfort zones and don't have complete control over the energy in vs energy out scenario. Happy listening and feel free to share, comment and DM us!

- Stacey Ballard I think the most important thing is that 40 percent of Americans live with at least one chronic illness, 40 percent of Americans. So we all know somebody who lives with chronic illness. And so we we know that those people are out there working right now, just like I had to work, whether I felt good or bad. So we just need to be nice to each other even.  You know, we need to understand that we're all going through something, whether it's chronic illness, whether it's addiction, whether you're in an abusive relationship. We are all we all have our own story of stress and what is causing issues in our life. I just wish we could be nicer to each other, more understanding.   INTRO Today, Stacey Ballard shares about living with multiple, chronic illnesses.  From hyperthyroidism to endometriosis to Crohn’s disease, and more, Stacey has spent most of her life under the shadow of sickness.  There is the revolving door of hospital visits, the grinding exhaustion, and the fragility of a body prone to illness.  Yet, Stacey is also a published author and artist who recently released a book called The Fine Art of Waiting, crafted to help others who are in a season of waiting…and, in the throes of COVID-19, isn’t that all of us?  I am happy to welcome Stacey to the show.  Stacey lives in the Lake Tahoe region of California, where she likes to walk with her dog in the Desolation Wilderness.      - Stacey Ballard And so it's really easy to get out in nature. I love kayaking on the lake and but I spend most of my time walking and just enjoying the air and the and the surrounding landscape.   These wide open spaces are a far cry from the bustling Bay area of San Francisco, where she grew up.  Life in the Bay was crowded, chaotic, and the pace of life contributed to her mounting illness.    - Liesel Mertes Would you set the scene for us of what you're growing up years were like? And as you look back, when you first think, oh, yeah, that those were signs of me being unwell.   - Stacey Ballard Absolutely, I was a skinny, nervous, clumsy little kid, and my family pretty much just thought that's the way I was.   - Stacey Ballard And actually I think it might have been coming up to Tahoe, were coming up into the elevation. I started having really bad symptoms, heart racing, vomiting. And so we started going to my doctor in the Bay Area.   - Stacey Ballard I think I was about nine years old and it took some blood tests and things like that. But that's when they discovered that I had hyperthyroid and and started treating me at with my local family physician.   - Liesel Mertes What was that like for you?   - Stacey Ballard Oh, the symptoms of hyperthyroidism, especially in a small child, nervousness, anxiety, sensitivity to emotional situations.   - Stacey Ballard Heart racing, no appetite.   - Stacey Ballard Yeah, so I was I was very nervous all the time, scared of everything, and and so the diagnosis was helpful because the problem did need to be taken care of because it was in a way that I could continue living. It would have caused more physical and mental problems if it wasn't taken care of. But, yeah, it was it was it was scary as a kid to be so emotionally raw all the time.   Stacey was emotionally raw, entering a complex medical system and web of doctors.    - Stacey Ballard that's when I remember one of my first traumas as a person living with chronic illness and living with doctor's appointments and things like that was that I remember being scared of getting my blood drawn at this big hospital.   - Stacey Ballard And I think by that time I might have been 10 or 11 years old. And I remember it took a number of people, probably five adults at least, to hold me down for them to take my blood.   Stacey Ballard And so the diagnosis was a small part of of what happened to me.   - Stacey Ballard It was the trauma of being a kid, going to doctors that really started to affect my life and my mental and emotional state.   Stacey’s family was also reckoning with the diagnosis.  She is the middle child, with an older and a younger sister.  And by that time, her parents had divorced.    - Stacey Ballard Emotionally dealing with a child, going through things like that, I don't know that many parents have the understanding or the coping abilities on how to navigate it.   Her dad was working full time and her mom was working part time…and then there were the drives to appointments and all of the uncertainty.    - Stacey Ballard My parents, I love them dearly, but but nobody teaches you how to deal with a sick child, and so it was very analytical.   - Stacey Ballard There wasn't a lot of there wasn't a lot of like, oh, how is this affecting you emotionally? I think they dealt with the terror in the moments, but then it was more about distracting me onto other things and getting my mind off things.   Stacey’s parents did their best, trying to keep her busy, trying to get the medications in balance.  When she was a preteen, she went through a procedure that purposefully destroyed her thyroid through radiation.    - Stacey Ballard So once you have your thyroid radiated, you drink radioactive iodine to destroy the thyroid or you have surgery to remove part of the thyroid to help with the hyper thyroid. But what that does is it induces hypothyroidism, which then you go from like, you know, bouncing off the walls to wanting to sleep all day.   - Stacey Ballard I'm gaining weight. I mean, I was I was a stick figure. I was skinny. Even though I didn't have an appetite, I could eat anything and not gain weight.   Stacey gained 40 pounds over the course of a month.  She was exhausted and sleeping all the time.  So she began to skip doses of her medication in hopes of losing weight.    - Stacey Ballard But because my child mind. Saw me gaining weight, saw myself getting more tired and my doctors telling me, oh yeah, this is what's working, this is what's right, I thought by doing the opposite, I was helping myself.   - Stacey Ballard Yeah. And because, you know, my mom, you know, worked full time. My dad was only around on the weekends. They didn't know.   There were so many stressors.    - Liesel Mertes How do you think that you were reckoning with that internally as a kid?   - Stacey Ballard I think as a kid, I was just trying to survive. Yeah. Looking back on it now, I. I see where I, I took on the victim role. And listen, I would never tell anybody else you acted like a victim at the time as a kid, I didn't know any better.   - Stacey Ballard I didn't want these diseases. I didn't ask for these diseases. I was doing my best to survive in the situation.   - Stacey Ballard Every every time my mom or dad would take me to a doctor's appointment, I would get the day off school. Mm hmm. After we go to the doctor's appointment, we'd go out for lunch or breakfast or get a treat.   - Stacey Ballard Yeah. And so I got their full attention.   - Stacey Ballard When your parents are working full time and and and and you have, you know, two other siblings and everyone's fighting for attention, I sucked up that time with my parents.   - Stacey Ballard And so I don't know that I thought of, like, why me? Oh, my gosh, poor me. I think I was thinking, oh, my gosh, I get to see my mom or my dad depending on who I was with.   - Stacey Ballard And, oh, we get to go out for for a treat.   - Stacey Ballard And oh, I get the day off school, which, by the way, I hated school. Yeah.   - Stacey Ballard And so and so. And then when, when my next diagnosis came at 13, 14 years old with endometriosis, although it wasn't a diagnosis, it was just symptoms.   Endometriosis is condition that causes pelvic pain and often also contributes to powerful pain during menstruation.  As Stacey began to feel these symptoms, she felt like the little boy who cried wolf.  As a chronic pain sufferer, she had often sounded the proverbial alarm…and now, no one believed her.    - Stacey Ballard I then got my period and immediately started having symptoms. Nobody believed me.   - Stacey Ballard Oh, you're it's just your period, period. That's just your period. And so, you know. In the back of my mind,   - Stacey Ballard I'm thinking there are some acute pain and discomfort and pain.   Yes, that was my main symptom of endometriosis. A lot of people have different symptoms, heavy bleeding and things like that. Mine was severe, severe pain. And so I know that as a young teenager, I did go to a couple of doctors and try to find out if this was wrong, immediately told no, this was normal deal with it. And so then for a couple of years, not understanding that there was something wrong, I just dealt with the symptoms which were horrific.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah. Well, and I imagine as you say that, that it's its own head trip. Right. Of like am I imagining things? Am I crazy? Should I trust my own body? Should I trust these other people? That, I imagine, in dealing with just the physical pain that that sort of mental disequilibrium only compounds that and makes it more challenging.   - Stacey Ballard Absolutely. I mean, I couldn't deny the physical pain.   - Stacey Ballard I would be in pain about three weeks a month if this was going to school as a teenager and also working part time and then as an adult, working full time and tried to go to college.   - Stacey Ballard And so.   - Stacey Ballard The the physical symptoms were unquestionable, so I began to hate my body because I didn't know what else to do, because the medical in industry was saying that's normal.   - Stacey Ballard Right. And I wasn't talking to other girls. I mean, even as a teenager, I had I remember having a few girlfriends in in high school, but I don't remember talking to them about this.   - Stacey Ballard And so I turned my pain towards my own body.   - Liesel Mertes Hmm. Yeah. What did that did that manifest itself in physical expressions or mostly a mental orientation? Tell me more about what that looked like.   - Stacey Ballard Mostly mental. I was very depressed, my thyroid.   - Stacey Ballard I talked to a lot of people about thyroid issues because what a doctor says is a normal level might not necessarily be a normal level for you.   - Stacey Ballard And so as far as like a 16 year old, you know, I'm dealing with three weeks out of the month of being in pain, my thyroid levels supposedly being at normal levels.   - Stacey Ballard And I am sleeping 12 hours a day or at night, you know, and so I'm depressed.   - Stacey Ballard I'm isolating myself.   - Stacey Ballard I did have art in my life, thank goodness I was a photography student in high school at the time, and so I think I would spend a lot of time distracting myself. But it is really hard to distract yourself when you're in that much physical pain.   - Stacey Ballard And so it was just depression. And then I started also having an anxiety disorder.   - Stacey Ballard Yeah. You know, and and I do deal with mental illness, depression, panic disorder. And it took me a long time to not blame myself for it and realize it's a brain chemistry thing. It is not a it's not a lack of drive or a lack of personality. It's it's the chemical factory in my brain that I have no control over. And that was that took me a long, long time to accept, right?   - Liesel Mertes What were some of those those messages of questioning whether it was just a problem with you or just loathing towards your body?   - Liesel Mertes Were those being expressed from external people at all, like, can you look back and think, man, people just they said really, you know, casual or purposefully hurtful things that just lingered with me?   - Stacey Ballard Yeah, I think a lot of people like me who look normal on the outside, we call it invisible illness.   - Stacey Ballard People did not believe me, people did not believe me. And my family didn't believe me. My friends didn't believe me. My boyfriend I had a high school boyfriend for like four years. He didn't believe me.   - Stacey Ballard And, you know, yeah, it is it is tough, especially when you look normal on the outside. And even if people see me curled up in pain crying on the floor, they can't understand that it's happening from the inside because they don't see anything physically hurting me, right?   - Liesel Mertes Well, and just, you know, as this is also for the benefit of listeners to do better in these interactions, I want to drill down a little bit. What did that not believing sound like from your family members or the boyfriend or the community?   - Stacey Ballard Well, you look beautiful. Well, I saw you at the amusement park yesterday, you looked fine then, gosh, you look like you were having fun. Well, gosh, what else do they say?   - Stacey Ballard Let's see. You know, I was I was working full time and also going when I when I left high school, I was working and then commuting into San Francisco to go to the Academy of Art and and.   - Stacey Ballard Because I had to I didn't have any other choice because in my family, you pull yourself up from your bootstraps, you have goals you need to meet because you have to survive this life, you know, and you have to have income. And so, you know, it was just it doesn't matter how you feel. Keep moving forward. Yeah.   - Liesel Mertes Oh, man, I, I resonate.   - Liesel Mertes Well, you and I both can translate some of those messages and have deeply received them. So I hear that because as you think about that, was I   - Liesel Mertes Was there like a breakthrough moment or experience where you can remember thinking, like I just know, like I have to rest. And that is actually more healthy for me right now, like where you were really consciously acting against some of that programming and messaging that like you just got to keep on pushing?   - Stacey Ballard I don't want to start crying, but, yeah, absolutely, I was I think I was twenty two by that time I had not been I had just barely been diagnosed with endometriosis.   Stacey Ballard That took me 10 years. I had not yet been diagnosed with Crohn's, even though I was living with symptoms. And by that time I was also unknowingly living with a rare autoimmune liver disease. And I met my now ex-husband, but his name is Gary and we met through a friend and he changed my life. Yeah. Yeah. He was the exact opposite of everything I had been taught.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, tell me more about that life change and what what he brought to the table that was really important for you in that season.   - Stacey Ballard So my family, I love them very. Yeah, very driven. My family, we volunteer. We we help other people.   - Stacey Ballard We do our own stuff. I met Gary through a friend.   - Stacey Ballard I am an old Deadhead that says a lot to people who know what that means. Gary.   - Stacey Ballard We started dating and there was no drama in our relationship my whole life, I had spent becoming what other people needed me to be to make them happy.   - Stacey Ballard I never knew what I wanted because I didn't there wasn't space for that in my life up till then, I was kind of a loner.   - Stacey Ballard And so when I when I'd meet somebody who'd want to be friends with me, I'd be like, OK, you know, what do you like? OK, I like that too kind of thing.   - Stacey Ballard And and and until I met Gary and got in that relationship, I had never known or looked at what I wanted.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, and he was able to open up some of those questions, what did you discover about yourself in your 20s?   - Stacey Ballard Well, unfortunately, three months after we started dating, I ended up in the hospital going under emergency surgery.   - Stacey Ballard So I didn't have a lot of time to find out very much.   - Stacey Ballard But what I did find was a soft place to fall. He he didn't necessarily ask me questions, but he said, look, I don't need to be fixed.   - Stacey Ballard There's no situation around you that needs to be fixed, you need to figure out what you want to do with your life, and that was both wonderful.   - Stacey Ballard And hard, yeah. To be left in that space of like, oh, wait, who am I now? And it wasn't until I was like twenty two that I had had that space to find that out and then Boom immediately went into surgery.   We will come back to that near-death experience in just a moment.  But I’d like to take a second to thank our sponsors.  Our first sponsor is FullStack PEO.  I am an entrepreneur and a small business owner.  And I know the annual hassle of shopping around for a health insurance plan.  Hours lost trying to navigate different options.  This is where FulLStasck PEO comes in.  They manage benefits for entrepreneurs and small-business owners, taking away the headache and providing great benefits for your people so that you can focus on growing your business.    We are also sponsored by Handle with Care Consulting.  It is hard to know what to do or say when someone is going through something hard (you already realize this, podcast listener) and sometimes, you need some extra help.  At Handle with Care Consulting, I offer targeted workshops, interactive keynotes, learning cohorts, and personal coaching options, empowering you to show care when it matters most.    Alright, bask to our story.  Stacey has just met Gary a few months earlier.  Before we hear about Stacey’s hospitalization in her early 20s, it is helpful to hear about another story.      - Stacey Ballard I, I don't know why I forget about my near-death experience, because that was the thing that changed my life first.   MUSIC UNDER THIS SECTION PLEASE, PERHAPS EMPHASIZING SOME OF THE ROCK/DRAMA   Stacey and her sister went to a Skid Row and Bon Jovi concert in Sacramento.    - Stacey Ballard I was like 18 or 19 years old, it was probably 90 or 100 degrees in Sacramento, and I had been illegally drinking in the parking lot and was pretty hammered by the time we went in to to get our our selves situated in front of the stage so we could be at the first part of the stage for the concert.   They were exhausted, hammered.  It was hot and the concert began.  Immediately, people began pressing towards the front.  It’s heavy rock music, and Stacey braces herself against the stage.    - Stacey Ballard And there's a lady next to me who's really, really drunk and she starts collapsing. And I know that if she collapses, she's going to be trampled.   Stacey struggles, with a few others, to hold her up.  And then, a man comes pressing through the crowd.    - Stacey Ballard I'm only five foot one, so he may have been like six two starts coming through the crowd, punching people out in the face with his fists.   He punches the lady she’s holding and, finally, security drags the woman away.   And by that time, I am drenched in sweat and I put my hand back on the barrier to steady myself again, and there's a girl in front of me and she rips my hands off the barrier.   - Stacey Ballard And at that point I start falling and I realize that I'm going to be trampled to death. And I have the classic near-death experience.   - Stacey Ballard I went into the light.   She experiences a sensation of unconditional love, of seeing her life in review, experiencing her actions through the eyes of others.  This is the end.   - Stacey Ballard And then all of a sudden I was back in the concerts and somebody was pulling me out of the crowd.   The experience causes her to delve into different religions, meditation, metaphysics for the next year or two.  Exploring the deeper meaning in the life she has been given.  She meets Gary and, a few months later is on a women’s spirituality trip when she starts to feel awful.  Her chiropractor recognizes signs of jaundice and sends her directly to the emergency room.    - Stacey Ballard I was completely neon yellow. I think I was twenty two years old.   She arrives at one hospital and has to leave because of insurance issues.  Next, to the county hospital. It is Thursday before the 4th of July weekend.    - Stacey Ballard I am so thankful for Highland Hospital. They saved my life.   - Stacey Ballard And so I was literally freaking out in the hospital because this is the first time I had ever been hospitalized. And they had me all hooked up on tubes and they said this was Thursday and they said, we're going to wait till Monday and we're going to do surgery on Monday.   - Stacey Ballard At this point, I had a tube down my throat because the bile in my stomach, I think, was causing problems. And so they were trying to drain fluid and stuff out of my stomach and having a tube down your throat. Is so traumatizing,   - Stacey Ballard I cannot even tell you I. I can't the people that are on ventilators right now, Jakovčić. And the people that are out there wearing masks, they just don't understand the trauma that all these covid patients are going through.   - Stacey Ballard I wasn't even on a ventilator at this point. I just had a N.G. tube down my throat.   - Stacey Ballard And and I begged the doctors at Highland Hospital, please don't make me wait four more days. I can't do this. I can't do this.   - Stacey Ballard Please don't make me wait four more days. I had doctors and nurses volunteer to skip their holiday weekends to come in on Friday and perform my surgery so I didn't have to suffer for more days.   - Stacey Ballard So I've seen the good and bad of doctors for sure, and so they took me into surgery on Friday halfway through surgery, things went really bad. I was under anesthesia. They pulled me out.   - Stacey Ballard My mom, they pulled me out into this room. My mom was standing on one side of me. Gary was standing on the other side of my surgery bed. And they showed an X-ray image up on the light board and they said, see this spot on her liver right here. If it's cancer, she'll have a year to live. If it's not cancer, she has a rare disease.   Ultimately, it was the rare disease, not cancer, and in the course of surgery, there was a breakdown where bile started leaking into her abdomen.    - Stacey Ballard which then started my almost 20 year journey of being hospitalized or having the surgery. Every year. On or around 4th of July for the next 15 years. Hmm. Because I believe when I was partially under anesthesia and the doctor says she might only have a year to live, I think my subconscious. Did something, and every year for the next 15 years, I'd be in the hospital or undergoing surgery on or around 4th of July, huh?   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, I think there are so many things that, like, science doesn't doesn't yet have language for about how our bodies keep the score and remember and hold things in our subconscious in ways that are profound like that. Absolutely.   In the course of these hospitalizations, Stacey is admitted and has to be put on a ventilator.  This was one of the traumatic experiences that still causes her PTSD.  - Stacey Ballard They use something called a cuff when they are weaning you off a ventilator to get you to start helping you to breathe on your own, regain your strength. But I had a big note up on my board saying, you know, don't put her on the cuff in the mornings because that's where the anxiety is at its worst.   But one morning, a nurse comes in on her rounds and wants to put Stacey on a cuff.  Her mom, who was there, objects, directing the nurse to the note.  Stacey, of course, can’t talk   - Stacey Ballard And this person did not have time to listen. And so she pulled me off my ventilator. She put the cuff on me, and I started banging on the the hospital table in front of me. And I started going into full blown panic attack like I was drowning because I couldn't breathe.   - Stacey Ballard And she stood there and watched me gasping for breath for a number of minutes.   - Stacey Ballard My mom froze, she she was in such terror at what was happening, she did not know what to do.   - Stacey Ballard And I think eventually she ran out of the room and got somebody. But it went on for a number of minutes until I was put back on the ventilator.   - Stacey Ballard And this is with me to this day when I wear a mask outside, it brings it up.   - Stacey Ballard And so I understand when people say they don't want to wear a mask outside and it's bothersome. And guess what? It bothers me, too. But I wear it because I do not survive getting COVID, so. Well, I guess what I was going to say is that a lot of people who live with chronic illness also deal with trauma that has happened to them if they have spent any time in hospitals or or long term care or dealt with doctors.   MUSICAL TRANSITION   - Liesel Mertes So in the midst of all of these ups and downs and, you know, the regularity, what what are you doing or learning for yourself in order to maintain any semblance of equilibrium? Like what? What is becoming important for you to just be living each day?   - Stacey Ballard One of the many things that is a continuing story through this is creativity.   - Stacey Ballard As a photographer in high school and I've also been a potter and now I do mixed media, I've always done some sort of art and I'm literally talking coloring books and crayons. Tinkerbell, Mickey Mouse, it didn't matter. I was doing something because for some reason, being creative in whatever way I could help me.   - Stacey Ballard And now I understand because there are studies out that prove why being creative and doing art helps, you know, lower cortisol levels helps reduce pain and stress.   - Stacey Ballard But back then, intuitively. I just it just helped and I was also at the same time learning about meditation and learning about alternative medicine and different ways to treat myself.   - Stacey Ballard And finally, at about 23 or 24, winding up on my therapist’s floor in a fetal position, being diagnosed with panic disorders and depression and being put on appropriate medication was a huge help.   - Liesel Mertes Yes. Yes. I think this you you talked a little bit about art and its importance in your story. That's something that you have segued into some of your professional involvements and a recent book that you have published. Tell me about what you have created for others out of your own experience.   - Stacey Ballard Thank you. Yes, my book is The Fine Art of Waiting Wellness through Creativity, and because I've lived most of my life with health issues, I've used art to help in my own healing.   - Stacey Ballard And I've created this book to help people decrease stress, change your relationship with illness and pain, and transform it into one of possibility and hope.   - Stacey Ballard It is, it's challenging right now for everybody. Everyone has different stress and everyone has different stories.   - Stacey Ballard Whether you live with addiction or the stress of of a health issue, we need to find ways creatively to deal with the stresses that come with life. Even more so right now. And that's why I created this book, is because art has been so helpful to me.   - Stacey Ballard And over the years, I created these little projects like My Monster, which is a project that you actually are drawing a monster, which at times have been my disease or my stress of the week.   - Stacey Ballard And then I tear it up or I stomp on it or I burn it and it gives me a feeling of sense of control. And so I've tried to put some of those projects in my book.   - Liesel Mertes Well, and you showed me some of the pages. It looks like there's a wide diversity of types of projects and ways of engaging. And I resonate like that, that the physical expression, sometimes there's so much that is going on within our heads or within our bodies. And to be able to, like, externalize some of those things is really powerful.   - Liesel Mertes Yes, I love that your book does that and you really want to make it accessible to all kinds of people. Tell me about the buy one. Give one that you're doing also with this book.   - Stacey Ballard Absolutely. So there's a couple different versions. I specifically wanted to have a spiral bound version because I know being in the hospital, even just coloring and coloring books, is hard to hold down one side of the page and color on the other when you have IVs on both arms and things like that. So one of my books specifically is a spiral bound version and that one is twenty one ninety five.   - Stacey Ballard It has a color, it has a sample page in color, so you can look at it and get some ideas. I do have a version on Amazon that's not spiral bound and it's nineteen ninety five.   - Stacey Ballard But for any book that is purchased I will give one to somebody who's living with chronic illness who can benefit from having a book.   - Stacey Ballard There is a section on my website where you can nominate yourself or somebody else for a free copy because I've lived with chronic illness most of my life and have lived with disability as well. I've been low income and so I may not have been able to afford this book when I needed it. And so for anybody who can't afford it, come to my website, nominate yourself. Or if you know somebody who needs a book, please go to my website and we'll give that information and nominate them for a book.   - Stacey Ballard I will be happy to send one to them.   - Liesel Mertes I love that I'm struck, even as you say, that, you know, like for most of my life, I've been low income and this is something that I like to ask about any range of disruption.   - Liesel Mertes But that is perhaps, you know, that statement is a stepping stone into the question of   - Liesel Mertes what are some of the things that you feel like people who have never dealt with chronic illness, they just don't understand about what it's like to live with chronic illness? What are some of the things that would be helpful for you to give voice to?   - Stacey Ballard I think the most important thing is that 40 percent of Americans live with at least one chronic illness, 40 percent of Americans.   - Stacey Ballard So we all know somebody who lives with chronic illness.   - Stacey Ballard And so we we know that those people are out there working right now, just like I had to work, whether I felt good or bad. So we just need to be nice to each other even.   - Stacey Ballard You know, we need to understand that we're all going through something, whether it's chronic illness, whether it's addiction, whether you're in an abusive relationship.   - Stacey Ballard We are all we all have our own story of stress and what is causing issues in our life. I just wish we could be nicer to each other, more understanding.   - Stacey Ballard And and and for me, as far as seeing people out there not wearing masks, I just keep saying 40 percent of Americans live with chronic illness and a lot of them are out there working because we have to we have to work because we have to pay bills and we don't have a choice because a lot of us also have to be on medications that we cannot live without.   - Stacey Ballard And, yeah, it's it's it's a desperate situation. And that's why I'm also trying to get politically involved with what's going on as well.   - Liesel Mertes Does it does it make you but I'm putting perhaps my emotions into it. I was going to say, does it make you really angry to see people who are not wearing masks? But maybe anger is not your go to what you feel when you see people who are not wearing masks?   - Stacey Ballard It's heartbreaking. And it does make me angry. I was in CVS picking up a prescription and I haven't been to a store in months because I can't after my transplant, when I almost didn't survive, I was on a ventilator for three months and I have lung damage due to that and also due to a doctor's. Mishandling of another treatment I had I also have lung damage from that, but I looked normal and that's the problem is that we don't we don't wear our stories on our faces.   - Stacey Ballard And so we can't see how we're hurting people. And I think people are just being selfish. Wearing a mask is easy. Doctors do it all the time. Nurses do it all the time. And I worry about the doctors and the nurses that we're putting in danger, too, because they're load of patients is is continuing. And the stress of that is is not helping as well. And I worry about our our people working in grocery stores and banks and the places that have to be open.   - Stacey Ballard I live in a tourist town. I live in Lake Tahoe, California.   - Stacey Ballard We are busier than we would be on a normal holiday weekend. And we have people up here not wearing masks traveling up here from the Bay Area. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say, I just say to the people who are living with chronic illness, take care of yourselves because nobody else is going to do it for you.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, I hate that sense of. Of isolation, but there's there's a truth to it, you know, we we would like to we would like to think that we had more of a sense of community of care around those that needed it. But.   - Liesel Mertes Well, thank God for you, though. People caring it is exceptional. Yes. Because and it's and it's worthy of being called out and praised because there is there's so much of that that has frayed around the edges in our social discourse and expressions.   - Stacey Ballard And that's what's so important about what you're doing, is that you're creating this community of understanding with your podcast and and listening to your other podcasts.   - Stacey Ballard No, I don't share the same stories as your other interviews or listeners, but what understanding I gain from listening to their stories.   - Stacey Ballard And so by by having this podcast, you you are you're destroying the isolation, which I love.   - Liesel Mertes Well, thank you. I that is definitely part of my aim. And man, I get to I get to receive some really important reflective stories. So I'm I'm always thankful to be able to help hold them. So thank you.   - Liesel Mertes I'm struck that there's the there's the the toxic like don't do these things.   - Liesel Mertes What are things that would be helpful if somebody is listening and they go, wow, yeah. I do know that person who walks with a chronic illness and maybe they're even thinking to themselves, oh my gosh, I've done some of the stupid things I've said, like, well, you look fine, you know, but and they want to do differently what is meaningful to you?   - Liesel Mertes What are like good ways that people have supported you, that you think, man, that was so good.   - Stacey Ballard What a great question. First, if you ask me, is there anything you could do to help me, I'm going to say, no, I'm OK. Mm hmm. But if you bring me over a casserole, I will love you forever. And when I'm feeling better, if you need me to change tires on your car, I will do that for you.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, I'm just showing up. Showing up.   - Stacey Ballard If the person doesn't have an advocate, if the person doesn't have someone to go to doctor's appointments with them, I think that's one of the most important things that I tell people who have friends or even people living with chronic illness who go to doctors appointments by themselves.   - Stacey Ballard Don't you are not in the state to hear everything you need to hear and you need to be prepared.   - Stacey Ballard Ask a friend or a family member who you trust, who you can feel comfortable with to go with. You have a list of questions you want answered, but have that support with you. So if you know somebody who lives with chronic illness, ask them, do you need somebody to go to your appointments with you? If they go, oh no, don't worry about it, go away.   - Stacey Ballard You know, can I go and take notes for you or, you know, do you need me to drive you to get your blood drawn?   - Stacey Ballard A lot of us who live with chronic illness feel like a burden not only financially because we struggle so much with our income, but emotionally and mentally because I am not going to get better.   - Stacey Ballard This is my life, and that's OK. Healing doesn't always mean you survive.   - Stacey Ballard But it means you can walk the path with as much. Of an open heart as possible, and and so if you have friends living with chronic illness, just ask tell me more.   - Stacey Ballard Tell me more.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, that's a that's a good thing to take way of thinking if if someone if somebody already experiences themselves as a perceived burden, you know, what am I doing to reinforce that or alleviate that?   - Liesel Mertes You've said this kind of throughout, but if there's someone who is listening, who they are, you know, they're walking a journey with life long chronic illness, what words would you offer to them?   - Stacey Ballard Find support. I'm sorry you're not alone.   Stacey Ballard It's hard, not everyone understands.   - Stacey Ballard I don't know if I can mention this and you're welcome to edit it out, but   - Stacey Ballard I have found a wonderful support group for people living with chronic illness called Beyond My Battle.   - Stacey Ballard And actually, they also have support groups for your caretakers, which would have been a huge resource for me and my ex-husband as we were going through this, if he had more support as a caretaker.   - Stacey Ballard So please reach out for support. If you don't find the right support, it doesn't mean to you it could mean it's them. I've been in some pretty negative support groups that I was like, oh, no, I am not staying with this one.   - Stacey Ballard So keep searching because there are people out there like me who we have pity parties for ourselves.   - Stacey Ballard And I have really bad days where I can't get out of bed, but I am going to suck every beautiful piece of life out of this life that I can. And I, I invite anybody who wants to do that to join me.   - Stacey Ballard And, you know, well, that's that's where art helps me.   - Stacey Ballard And, you know, I can take that and turn it into a really dark piece and I have and because it gets it out of my head and gives me some sense of control over it because I can't, I can't, I can't do anything with it because it's in the past.   - Stacey Ballard I can't manipulate it any more because it's already been experienced.   - Stacey Ballard But I can manipulate the feelings I have from it that at times get get, you know, hard   - Liesel Mertes That's powerful, that I mean, it's not revolutionary. But even just the way you said it, like something has happened to you, it exists as it.   - Liesel Mertes But even that like the physical act of being able to render and manipulate it in a certain way. Yeah. Has its own power in experiencing it.   MUSICAL TRANSITION   Here are three take-aways from my conversation with Stacey As a person living with chronic pain, Stacey could often experience herself as a burden:a financial burden, a logistical burden:  someone who would not get better.  My first-takeaway is just a question:  If you know someone that is living with chronic pain, are you subtly or explicitly reinforcing those messages?  Perhaps the messages are subtle.  Do you sigh loudly when they express bodily pain?  Roll your eyes?  Or do you give positive messages:  you are important, you are more than your pain, you have a place here.  Offer to come along to doctor’s appointments, to take notes, to drive.The flow of information can be overwhelming, and company is often appreciated. If you are living with chronic pain, finding a support group can be really meaningful.Perhaps that is locally or through the Internet.  Support groups can also be helpful to care providers as they shoulder a particular burden.  And, as Stacey noted, not all groups are created equal.  If the group isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to move on and seek out another support group.  And this is a last, bonus take-away.If you don’t know what to say, “Tell me more,” is a great prompt.  Stacey noted the importance of this phrase.  You might have noticed that I unconsciously did this earlier in the interview.  I don’t know a lot about chronic pain…which meant that I didn’t really even know what to ask.  However, by just opening myself up to her story with an open-ended question, I learned a lot.    OUTRO   Link to Stacey’s Blog and Work:  https://fineartofwaiting.com    

Doc talks to JFM Pod Trail Correspondent Rob about hiking trips both domestic and international. Rob recounts his trips to Desolation Wilderness, Havasupai, Trinity Alps Wilderness, the Santa Cruz Trail (Peru), and that fateful trip to the summit of Mt. Shasta. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/johnfreakinmuir/support

From 2013-2015, Mike Mullen photographed every lake in the Desolation Wilderness, which is the congressionally protected land that borders Lake Tahoe. Afterwards, he set out to capture all 167 names lakes in Yosemite National Park, which encompasses over 748,000 acres and is arguably some of the most beautiful scenery on God’s green earth! His instagram handles @lakesofdesolation and @lakesofyosmeite beautifully showcases his efforts and this episode is sure to inspire you for your next adventurous project. Lakes of Desolation Website: http://www.lakesofdesolation.com Lakes of Desolation Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/lakesofdesolation/ Lakes of Yosemite Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/lakesofyosemite/ Mike Mullen Photography - Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/mikemullenphotography/posts/

Wes King is the CEO and founder of the Tahoe Trail Bar, a plant-based, non-GMO, gluten free line of awesome tasting energy bars. He had so much to share, I decide to make this into a two-part episode so I didn’t have to edit anything out. Today, we’re going to talk about finding purpose, working your ass off and taking a cottage business to the next level. Next week, we’ll talk about his leadership philosopy, mindfulness and giving back to the community. I was truly inspired by our conversation and have lists of my own ideas I was jotting down as he spoke. I think you’ll find the same.     More on Wes: Tahoe Trail Bar started in a coffee shop in South Lake Tahoe CA in 2010. Today, under his leadership, they have achieved distribution throughout the western US. One of his greatest achievements to date is pursuing the active balance between a laser focus on key growth outcomes and the deep enjoyment of the process of working in the business alongside his employees. Outside of leading the Tahoe Trail Bar, Wes prioritizes taking in a steady diet of continuing education, meditation, learning from mentors and other entrepreneurs, and investing his time as a mentor to other startups in his business community. Whenever he can, you will find him backcountry skiing on Mount Rose, mountain biking on the Tahoe Rim Trail, or backpacking with his wife and 2 children in Desolation Wilderness.   One quick thing before we get into the interview - you can find tahoe trail bars in many stores throughout the west but if you go online and buy them at tahotrailbar.com and enter in the code gearshow 20, you get 20% off your purchase. So go check it out and get your deal - !   So, with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.   Where to find Wes: Tahoe Trail Bar (Code gearshow20 for 20% off!!)   BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!   About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.   She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.   When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.   To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.

Michaela met a couple of strangers on the internet, met up with them in Desolation Wilderness and then took them back to her place. Here's her story, and theirs. This episode is all about how perspective shapes our opinions of events, and how the narrative we tell ourselves can change the outcomes to the experiences we have in life. Give Cameron and Indra a follow on Instagram. Visit Michaela on Instagram Learn about Uncle Tom's Cabin here. #manifestyourdreams #powerofthemind #youaremagic #positiveintentions #youarepowerful #cornersofmyworld #reclaimthehappy #createyourhappy #womenwhodo #unlimitedparadise #liveinthenow #bemindful #littlestoriesofmylife #seekthepositive #calmversation #writinginspiration #seetheworld #traveloften #adventurer #bohomom #findyourpurpose #beboldbebravebeyou #manifestyourlife #personalgrowth #peacewithin #createyourreality --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beyoufindhappy/message

This month we talk to Claire Scully about Internal Wilderness and Desolation Wilderness, her two collections of meditative landscape illustrations for Avery Hill Publishing. You can pick up a copy of Desolation Wilderness from here: https://averyhillpublishing.bigcartel.com/product/desolation-wilderness-a4-print-pre-sale We also have some exciting news about a big awards win for Tillie Walden and all the information you need to enjoy Free Comic Book Day! The post Signals From The Hill #18 – Claire Scully appeared first on Avery Hill Publishing.

Cristina Schooler (@rootedmethod) is an entrepreneur, outdoorswoman, and adventure junky. Cristina is the owner of a small business called Rooted Method, a service providing transformative outdoor retreats to national parks like Zion, Big Bend and Desolation Wilderness in California while also operating locally here in Austin, Texas. Led by Cristina’s fiery passion, we discuss being honest with our attachments, thriving in a childlike manner, the challenges of starting a business, and her time soloing through the Alaskan backcountry. Cristina also has some refreshing advice when it comes to sleep and using the outdoors to cultivate calmness and contentedness. I'm super excited to share this conversation you and want to thank Cristina for giving her time to come indoors and chat with us. Hiker trash warning! :) May we allow our hearts and minds to be filled by Cristina's endless supply of energy and wisdom! Without further adieu, please welcome to the podcast, the sage hiker, Cristina Schooler! Love,David Show Notes: Follow Cristina on Instagram See Cristina’s Calendar for Upcoming Events The University of Utah study: Improving Creativity through Hiking Access Early Podcast/Blog Content: Subscribe to Patreon: bit.ly/twdpatreon Subscribe to the Blog: bit.ly/twdblogsubscribe Connect with David: Blog: thinkingwithdavid.com/blog Instagram: @stay.in.alive

00:00:00 - Abe, Joe, and Ryan are joined by volcanologist Jess Phoenix, who is stepping away from science to run for Congress in California's 25th district. In our first segment, we talk about how she got started in science with a strong outreach focus to help prepare the next generation of field scientists in her community with her organization Blueprint Earth. 00:28:42 - We take a break from trying to help to have a beverage. Abe tells the tale of Shackleton's failed Antarctic expedition that eventually led to some recovered Scotch whisky that has been recreated at a more affordable price point, which he enjoys with a little ice (probably not Antarctic ice though). You can read about the expedition in the graphic novel Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey. Joe struggles his way through some wax to open his Indian Wells Brewing Co. Death Valley Black Cherry Soda, which he says is really good. Ryan makes a Drunk Uncle cocktail with some common (read: uncommon) ingredients using the same Scotch that Abe has. It's almost like they planned it! 00:40:16 - In part two of our chat with Jess, we talk about her decision to transition into the political realm and how she feels her scientific worldview shapes her position on various policies. Plus what lessons scientists can learn from Jess' experiences out on the campaign trail. If you want to learn more or are interested in donating or volunteering to her campaign, you can do so at her website, and follow along on Twitter and Facebook.*  01:04:56 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like campaign promises, we hope you believe them but understand if you don't. First up, we have a BSso to grant to patron Morgan Marshall, who writes in to tell us how excited he was to hear about research happening in his own backyard on a recent episode. His thesis title is: The effect of free coffee of observations of Fata Morgana within Fata Morgana in the Desolation Wilderness, CA. Thanks, M^2! Next up, Abe has an e-mail from Les I. in Canada who comes up with a Brachiolope Brew Pack. Help us out, home-brewers! Finally, Joe has a 5-star iTunes review from BoilerUp75 which is great even if the title throws a bit of a curveball.  More cool rewards await you if you decide to support us on Patreon! Music for this week's show: Blueprint for a Slow Machine - 65daysofstatic I Will Go Sailing No More - Randy Newman Run Run Run - Phoenix *But of course we have to point out that none of us live in her district so we can't vote for her nor should our interview be considered an explicit endorsement of her campaign. You know the drill.

How well can you ever really know another person—even the woman that you sleep beside, night after night?It's been a year since Billie Flanagan--a Berkeley mom with an enviable life--went on a solo hike in Desolation Wilderness and vanished from the trail. Her body was never found; just a shattered cellphone and a solitary hiking boot. Her husband and teenage daughter have been coping with Billie's death the best they can: Jonathan drinks as he works on a loving memoir about his marriage; Olive grows remote, from both her father and her friends at the all-girls school she attends. But then Olive starts having strange visions of her mother, still alive. Jonathan worries about Olive's emotional stability, until he starts unearthing secrets from Billie's past that bring into question everything he thought he understood about his wife. Who was the woman he knew as Billie Flanagan?  Together, Olive and Jonathan embark on a quest for the truth--about Billie, but also about themselves, learning in the process about all the ways that love can distort what we choose to see. Janelle Brown's insights into the dynamics of intimate relationships will make you question the stories you tell yourself about the people you love, while her nervy storytelling will keep you guessing until the very last page.  Praise for Watch Me Disappear "Clever and compelling, this ricocheting tale reveals that even in the closest families, how little we know of the ones we love, and how our own secrets are often the hardest to bear, can cost us dearly in the end." --Lisa Gardner, author of Right Behind You  "Tantalizing and twisty, Watch Me Disappear is both a spider's web of a thriller and a moving exploration of the deeper mysteries of marriage and family. You won't be able to put it down, but you won't forget it either." --Megan Abbott, author of You Will Know Me  "A riveting, seductive read about the secret, protected places within even the most intimate relationships . . . Janelle Brown has written a novel that provokes thought as her story twists and turns. I loved it." --Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants  "Watch Me Disappear is at once a riveting page-turner and a thoughtful meditation on what it means to know other people--and ourselves." --Edan Lepucki, New York Times bestselling author of Woman No. 17 and California  "I devoured Watch Me Disappear in one sitting. In this poignant and captivating story of a missing woman and the family she left behind, Brown deftly peels away the layers of a loving marriage to reveal a haunting mystery and a devastating truth: that no matter how much you love someone, you can never truly know them." --Laura McHugh, author of The Weight of Blood and Arrowood "The real magic of Watch Me Disappear is Brown's gift for evoking familial love in all its mad permutations--and the more intensely for the high stakes of what has been taken, and what is yet to be found. This is a story you simply don't want to end--but then, lord, what an ending!" --Tim Johnston, author of Descent Janelle Brown is the New York Times bestselling author of All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and This Is Where We Live. An essayist and a journalist, she has written for Vogue, The New York Times, Elle, Wired, Self, the Los Angeles Times, Salon, and numerous other publications. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their two children.

Interviews with members of the 2017 Desolation Wilderness crew of the California Conservation Corps.

Dan Wheeler Show Notes   Dan is a landscape photographer in Petaluma, CA and he combines his photography business with a framing business. Dan’s first love is photographing water in all its variety, but he also shoots San Francisco architecture and the grand landscape in Yosemite. He prints his own photos in addition to sharing them on Facebook and Instagram. Dan enjoys sharing his workflow through instructional videos on YouTube. Backpacking is an important part of his life and he frequents the Desolation Wilderness just west of Lake Tahoe. Our discussion includes the nuts and bolts of his photography as well as his photography business. Dan shoots with a Nikon 810 and prints on a wide format Epson 7600. He sells his prints through his website and his Facebook page. Below are some examples of his work and where to find him on the internet and Facebook. http://www.danwheelerphotography.com/ https://www.facebook.com/danwheelerphotography/ https://www.instagram.com/danwheelerphotographyandframe/

Lessons learned in the Desolation Wilderness.