Talking to Shohreh Davoodi was a pleasure and it comes through on this episode of her podcast: Redefining Health & Wellness Podcast. Interviews are tough, which is why I’ve turned down so many in the last year. Turning down interviews sounds like a death sentence to a small business, right? I used to think so, but they were compromising my own image of myself in ways that weren’t doing my work in any good. I would be incredibly hard on myself for not saying exactly what I intended, or perhaps worse, an interviewer wouldn’t understand me at all and create something from our interview that fits more into their tidy narrative than the one I put my life into with Unlikely Hikers. It felt more genuine to just say “no” at times.

I’m really excited I said “yes” to this and it was largely because Micki Krimmel, founder of Superfit Hero, put us in touch. Superfit Hero has been holding it down with activewear for people up to size 5X for a long time. Use code “UNLIKELYHIKERS” at checkout for 15% off.

I really hope you’ll listen!

Also, I want to call myself in for using the word “blindspot” in our conversation. I am working hard to remove ableist language from my vocabulary. When we use terms and phrases like “blindspot” or, another example,”falling on deaf ears” we are equating ignorance to specific disabilities. Words matter!

xoJenny B.

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play and other places you get your podcasts. For a full transcript of this episode, click HERE.

Things discussed (borrowed from the show notes):

• The variety of benefits that we can get from spending time in nature, including gaining space in a shrinking world.
• How nature can reinforce our place in the universe.
• Barriers to access to getting to enjoy nature, including transportation and costs.
• Jenny’s experiences on the trail of people assuming she doesn’t know where she is or what she’s doing.
• The need for more trails with increased accessibility for different bodies.
• How wherever we are in the U.S. we are on stolen land, including national parks, so it’s important to educate ourselves about whose land we’re on and treat it with respect.
• Ways in which non-outdoorsy people can still benefit from nature.
• How Jenny defines health and wellness for herself at this moment in her life.