Women in Wild Places

Running, Climbing, and Traveling in Utah - My First Trip Without Baby + Family

I went solo to Utah for the first time since becoming a mom and came back with bruised hands, a summit, and a renewed sense of self. In this solo episode, I recap my whirlwind trip through Moab and Indian Creek: racing the Thelma & Louise 15K through the Behind the Rocks desert, diving into a women's crack climbing clinic, and topping out on Ancient Art at Fisher Towers (the same area where I got engaged the year before.) I talk about mom guilt, the anxiety of leaving my baby for the first time, and what it felt like to remember who I was before becoming a parent. Topics covered: postpartum identity, crack climbing basics, trail racing culture, Indian Creek, Canyonlands, Fisher Towers, women-only outdoor spaces, and getting back to adventure on your own terms. Ready to experience Utah for yourself? Join me, KMAC Guides, and Women in Wild Places on a guided 5-day backpacking trip to Bears Ears National Monument [https://exploreorigin.com/en/listings/880069-women-in-wild-places-bears-ears-backpacking] — September 27th, all levels welcome, spots are limited. Keywords: postpartum adventure, women outdoor community, crack climbing, Indian Creek climbing, Moab trail race, Thelma and Louise race, Fisher Towers, Ancient Art tower, Bears Ears backpacking, women in the outdoors, mom identity, outdoor motherhood

Building a Life Around the Sea with Salmon Sisters Claire and Emma: Commercial Fishing, Design, and Environmental Advocacy

Claire and Emma of Salmon Sisters join us to pull back the curtain on what it takes to get wild Alaskan salmon from the water to your plate. Growing up on a remote off-grid homestead at the tip of the Alaskan Peninsula, fishing commercially with their father, and building a women-owned small business over the last decade, these two sisters have become some of Alaska's most compelling voices for sustainable fishing, fisheries advocacy, and connection to place. In this episode we cover: * Why all Alaskan salmon is wild and what that means for you as a consumer * How commercial fishermen function as scientists and frontline stewards of wild fisheries * The truth about overfishing, escapement, and sustainable fisheries management in Alaska * What it looks like to build a women-owned seafood business from the ground up * Raising the next generation of women in commercial fishing * How living off the land shapes values around food, sustainability, and community * Why small family fishing businesses are the backbone of the Alaska seafood industry * Advocacy work protecting salmon habitat and watersheds for future generations Find Salmon Sisters at salmonsisters.com and follow them on Instagram @salmonsisters. Find host Gabriella on Instagram at @outsidegabs and the podcast at @womeninwildplaces 🏜️ Join Us in Bears Ears This October This fall, Women in Wild Places is teaming up with KMAC Guides for a five day backpacking trip through Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. We will hike sandstone canyons, explore ancient Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, sleep under some of the darkest skies in the lower 48, and build real community with a group of women who showed up for something that called to them. Optional yoga daily, structured community moments throughout, and KMAC guides making sure every experience level is supported every step of the way. Space is very limited. 👉 Sign up here [https://exploreorigin.com/en/listings/880069-women-in-wild-places-bears-ears-backpacking]

Skiing the Catskills High Peaks with Julie McGuire - Backcountry Skiing, Spiritual Awakening & One Woman's Solo Record

Julie McGuire is a South Bronx high school English teacher, backcountry skier, and the first woman to ski all 33 of the Catskills High Peaks — mountains that top out at 4,200 feet and are far more rugged, technical, and unforgiving than most people realize. In this episode, Julie joins host Gabriella in a conversation that's as much about inner wilderness as outer wilderness. She shares how the abrupt end of her marriage sent her into the Catskills and how skiing solo through these dense, cliffed-out New York mountains became a spiritual practice, a healing journey, and eventually a record-breaking achievement documented in her award-winning short film, Queen of the Catskills. We talk about backcountry skiing in the Northeast, what makes the Catskills so technically challenging compared to Western and Alpine terrain, skinning up steep bushwhack terrain with no snowpack, following your intuition in the mountains and in life, the spiritual experience of solo wilderness adventures, and bringing her South Bronx students into wild places for the first time. Whether you're a skier, a hiker, a Catskills lover, or someone who's ever rebuilt their life one mountain at a time, this one's for you. Connect with Julie:📸 Instagram: @queenofthecatskillsny [https://www.instagram.com/queenofthecatskillsny/]🎬 Queen of the Catskills [https://www.kratedesign.com/queenofthecatskills] — film still on tour, link in show notes Connect with Women in Wild Places:📸 Podcast Instagram: @womeninwildplaces [https://www.instagram.com/womeninwildplaces/]🌿 Host Instagram: @outsidegabs [https://www.instagram.com/outsidegabs/]🎒 Gear Lists & Favorites: shopmy.us/outsidegabs [https://shopmy.us/shop/outsidegabs]💬 Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend who belongs in wild places. Topics: backcountry skiing New York | Catskills High Peaks | ski touring Northeast | women in the outdoors | solo female adventurer | Catskill 3500 Club | wilderness and healing | outdoor education South Bronx | Queen of the Catskills film | ski mountaineering | nature and spirituality | women who ski | Catskills hiking | upstate New York adventure

Defying Gravity with Steph Davis: Free Soloing, Base Jumping, and Living a Life that Fits

In this episode of Women in Wild Places, host Gabriella sits down with Steph Davis — professional climber, base jumper, wingsuit pilot, and one of the most accomplished female alpinists in the world. Steoh has freed El Cap in a day and the Salathe Wall, free soloed the Longs Peak Diamond and put up first ascents in Patagonia, Pakistan, and the Arctic. What makes this conversation so compelling is how accessible Steph makes it all feel. We talk about what it's like to stand at the edge of a cliff before a base jump, how she thinks about fear and decision-making in high-stakes environments, and why she believes the goal isn't to be fearless , but to be present. We also get into her unconventional path from classical pianist to professional climber, what it was like living out of a car to climb full time, her years of expedition climbing in Patagonia and beyond, and the mindset it takes to free solo big walls in Yosemite. Whether you climb, jump, or simply want to live more intentionally, this episode will shift the way you think about risk, intuition, and staying true to yourself. Find Steph Davis: 🌐 Website: https://stephdavis.co/ [https://stephdavis.co/] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highsteph/ [https://www.instagram.com/highsteph/] 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephdavisclimb/ [https://www.facebook.com/stephdavisclimb/] Steph's Books: 📖 High Infatuation: A Climber's Guide to Love and Gravity — essays on climbing, life, love, and risk 📖 Learning to Fly: A Memoir of Hanging On and Letting Go — her memoir on skydiving, wingsuiting, BASE jumping, and rediscovering purpose through flight Follow Women in Wild Places: 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninwildplaces/ [https://www.instagram.com/womeninwildplaces/] 🎙️ Host: https://www.instagram.com/outsidegabs/ [https://www.instagram.com/outsidegabs/] In this episode we cover: free soloing, base jumping, wingsuit flying, rock climbing, El Capitan, Patagonia climbing, women in adventure sports, fear and decision-making, intuition, living simply, following your passion, expedition climbing, backcountry flying, Moab Utah, women climbers Cover image taken by by Jimmy Chin.

Exploring the World Beneath Our Feet: Caves, Beetles & 80% of Life We Haven’t Met Yet with Dr. Iva Njunjić

In this episode of Women in Wild Places, host Gabriella sits down with Dr. Iva Njunjić, a cave biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and co-founder of Taxon Expeditions, to explore the hidden worlds beneath our feet. Dr. Iva studies life in extreme underground environments, focusing on cave-dwelling insects and biodiversity in some of the most remote places on Earth. Her work has taken her to Europe’s deep cave systems, rainforests in Borneo, the Amazon and more. She shares how a childhood visit to a cave at age 13 sparked her lifelong passion for exploration and science, and what it takes physically, mentally, and technicallyto access places few humans ever see. In this conversation, we discuss: * Why nearly 80% of Earth’s species may still be undiscovered * How caves function as “living laboratories” for evolution * The story behind naming a beetle after Leonardo DiCaprio * Why insects and small organisms are essential to ecosystems * How citizen science helps protect biodiversity * What it means to care for the natural world without burnout * Practical ways anyone can support conservation in daily life Dr. Iva also explains how Taxon Expeditions allows everyday people to join real scientific research expeditions and help document new species around the world. This episode is for anyone interested in conservation, biodiversity, cave exploration, citizen science, environmental protection, and reconnecting with nature above ground and below. 🎧 Listen now to learn how paying attention to the smallest creatures can change how we see the planet. Links & Resources 🔬 Dr. Iva Njunjić * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cavernella/ 🌍 Taxon Expeditions * Website: https://www.taxonexpeditions.com/ [https://www.taxonexpeditions.com/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taxonexpeditions/ 🎙️ Women in Wild Places Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninwildplaces/ Host: https://www.instagram.com/outsidegabs/ Substack: https://substack.com/@womeninwildplaces? [https://substack.com/@womeninwildplaces?] Cover Image by Sotiris Kountouras / Taxon Expeditions