Entrepreneur, trad climber, and full-time single mom Gwen Forti prepares to make the jump from leading rock to leading ice. On the way up she shares her philosophy on the importance of grit, the value of failure, and how to balance the fine lin

Embrace the Animal Episode 8: Catskills Canyoneering with Jake St. Pierre

Mar 26th, 2020 31m 3s

Former cop and Himalayan Mountaineer Jake St. Pierre joins us to drop into the Devil's Kitchen, a steep and unstable waterfall canyon in the Catskill Mountains. Along the way, he share some of his many stories of surviving avalanches, saving li

Embrace the Animal Episode 7: Wilderness Parkour with Meiling "Meihem" Huang

Mar 10th, 2020 16m 57s

In an attempt to begin exploring the upper limit of what modern athletes can achieve in practicing movement in a wilderness setting, American Ninja Warrior and parkour instructor Meiling Huang joins Embrace the Animal to turn Round Valley Reser

Embrace the Animal Episode 6: Bow Drill Fire with Eric Beck

Mar 6th, 2020 20m 44s

Entrepreneur, Strategy Coach, and fellow bushman Eric Beck travels from the dry altitude of his home in the Colorado Rockies to the sopping rain of the Northeast. When the rain subsides, we try our hand at beating the moisture by building a pri

Embrace the Animal Episode 5: Cold Weather Summit Run with Vic Ventura

Feb 24th, 2020 8m 8s

As our cold exposure training builds, Vic Ventura and I test our ability to regulate our body temperature with controlled breathing by running to the summit of our local mountain almost completely exposed, wearing just Vibram Five Fingers and c

Embrace the Animal Episode 4: Cold Water Immersion Training with Dan Karl, Vic Ventura, and Gwen Forti

Feb 20th, 2020 11m 33s

Team E.T.A. members Dan Karl, Vic Ventura, Gwen Forti, and myself head out into the winter wilderness of the Adirondack High Peaks, in search of the coldest water we can find. Our mission is to practice submerging ourselves in freezing water in

Embrace the Animal Episode 3: A Climb Far Higher with Chuck Marden

Jan 28th, 2020 28m 44s

After tragically losing his eldest son Mike, US Army Veteran and Postmaster Chuck Marden joins Team ETA for a rock climb up the face of Mt. Tammany in Mike's honor. Along the way, Chuck shares how his connection to the wild helps to fuel his re

Embrace the Animal Episode 2: Primitive Fish Trapping with Victoria B. Wikler

Jan 23rd, 2020 35m 31s

Host Joshua Valentine and Spiritual Advisor Victoria Wikler spend a day canoeing and practicing some bushcraft skills, building and utilizing a primitive fish trap to catch some dinner. Along the way, they discuss the necessity of a strong ment

Embrace the Animal Episode 1: Hypoxia Endurance Training with Vic Ventura and Dan Karl

Jan 15th, 2020 11m 19s

Surfer Vic Ventura, diver Dan Karl, and myself practice keeping calm minds at low oxygen levels by running across the bottom of a reservoir using rocks to hold us under. Join us as we discuss aspects of the training, the requisite for a sharp m

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