Brendan Leonard: How To Do What You Love
Runner, writer, illustrator and all around human Brendan Leonard made a career of doing what he loves. Yes it’s passion and wild creativity, but it’s also the unheralded traits of persistence, thoughtful compromise and perspective that keeps him doing what he loves.
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Our book, States of Adventure, 30 stories adapted from The Diaries, is out in the wild. See if it’s available on your local shelves or order it here: geni.us/StatesofAdventure
Music: Dimensions Distilled by Frozen Mesa • Delivered by Brendan O’Connell
Tracks provided with permission from the artists or from Track Club.
The Shorts — Meet Marge and Mansfield
Growth happens outside your comfort zone. Sometimes this comes by choice, like committing to guiding rafts on a new river and trading out your nimble kayak for the biggest barge in the fleet as Jessie Longe did. Sometimes you step out not even knowing it, like Lili Mitchell did when she showed up to a trailhead to an unexpected surprise. Either way, you must push through the rough waters ahead to walk away wiser.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • In The Steps Of Dust by Jules Blueprints • Show Me How by Tourist On Film • Darkness Falls by SPIRA • Tangled Webs by Todd Hannigan • Delivered by Brendan O’Connell
Tracks provided with permission from the artists or from Track Club
Good Good Bad: Emily Ford and the Iditarod
In March of 2025, Emily Ford lined up at the starting line of one of the world’s most difficult races – The Iditarod. To race this iconic event hadn’t been a lifelong dream but rather the next step on Emily’s pursuit of her passions – cold quiet places and four legged friends.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Delivered by Brendan O’Connell
Tracks provided with permission from the artists.
The Shorts– On The Other Side
Finding out what we’re capable of takes trial and error and a whole lot of trust. For Meg Morris and Emmye Vernet, they each had a guide who helped them see another side of the outdoors.
For Meg, her dad fostered her love of fishing, from Maine to Alaska to Tijuana, and helped her navigate through an unexpected challenge. Emmye didn’t grow up feeling at home outside. Her best friend Rose helps her discover the outdoors, partnership and love.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Lone Wolf by Saxons • Golden Lights by Tigers in the Sky • Depoe Bay by David Swensen • Until We Die by JT Ruff • Should Have Known Better by Topo Azul • Valse by Roma 49 • Swamp Dragon by SmokeM2D6 • Anything by Amico Mio • River Shadows by David Swensen • Delivered by Brendan O’Connell
Tracks provided with permission from the artists or from Track Club
Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts
In the fall of 2015, photographer Pete McBride and writer Kevin Fedarko embarked on a journey to rally support to protect one of our most awe-inspiring national treasures: the Grand Canyon. Their method? A 700+ mile sectional thru-hike of the wilderness that lies between the rim and the river. They knew the trek would challenge them, but they had no idea how quickly and completely the canyon would leave them demoralized and physically destroyed.
The two of them were contemplating giving up, when, as Kevin puts it, ‘A miracle happened’.
Today, a story about three people who have dedicated the better part of their lives to developing a unique skill–and a project so complicated and important that it required their cumulative experience to pull it off. It’s also a story about friendship, and how friends working together for a common goal can lead to something greater than the sum of its parts.
In addition to writing A Walk in the Park, Kevin also wrote The Emerald Mile. We talked with him about that process in The Threshold Moment (Apple | Spotify)
Watch some of the highlights of Kevin and Peter’s hike.
Check out Pete’s photography and film work as well as Into The Canyon.
To learn more about the current threats to the Grand Canyon visit Save the Confluence
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Eclosion by Salmo • Sunset by Kai Engel • Cowgirls by Ken Christianson • Something by Kai Engel • The Return by nisei23 • Snowmen by Kai Engel • Firediary5 by Ken Christianson • Night Without Sleep by David Mumford • Done With Dallas by Bradley Carter
Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
