The goal of Wild Ideas Worth Living is to inspire more people to get outdoors and pursue their own wild adventures. The podcast focuses on environmental appreciation, preservation, and sustainability, while also aiming to increase access to the outdoors for diverse communities. We’ve interviewed adaptive athletes, BIPOC adventurers, members of the LGBTQ community, and more to show that everyone belongs in the outdoors.
- Host and journalist Shelby started Wild Ideas Worth Living in 2016 because she wanted to tell outdoor adventure stories featuring a wider variety of guests than the podcasts she saw in the world. In 2018 REI Co-op acquired the show as their flagship podcast. Since then, Wild Ideas Worth Living has become a much more polished show. It’s a narrative podcast that requires research, in depth editing and writing, and even sound design. We’ve faced many challenges over the years, like changing the format while retaining listenership, and continuing to align with host Shelby’s original vision while still staying true to REI’s brand values. Now the show is better than ever: a couple of years ago we went from publishing every other week to weekly, our listenership is growing, we have nearly 5.5 million all time downloads, we’ve launched a video expression of the show on Instagram and YouTube, and this year our completion rates are averaging over 85%. But more importantly than all the impressive statistics, we tell diverse, often unheard stories that reinforce the idea that EVERYONE belongs in nature.
Our objective is to create an engaging podcast that brings to life the values of our team and REI as a brand: adventure, sustainability, environmental stewardship, diversity in the outdoors, and accessibility for all. Over the years we have featured adaptive, LGBTQ, and BIPOC adventurers. We consider ourselves successful because these diverse stories have been heard by hundreds of thousands of people. The more these stories are told, the more people feel inspired to go after their own wild ideas. We’ve heard from many listeners that the podcast has pushed them to pursue their own adventures, like quitting their jobs, traveling the world, climbing mountains, and opting for more time outside.
Video for Wild Ideas Worth Living
