The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

• 1KHO 643: A Connection to Something Timeless | SD Smith, Helmer and the Dragon Tomb

  In a world of shifting sands, where kids are nudged toward algorithms, apps, and endless activities, S. D. Smith returns to the 1000 Hours Outside Podcast to talk about giving our children something sturdier to stand on. Ginny and Sam share stories of real-life hospitality, hikes in West Virginia, rainbows over the New River Gorge, and the way shared adventures and shared stories bind families together. From the Green Ember universe to his newest book Helmer and the Dragon Tomb, Sam describes his mission to offer “new stories with an old soul” that root kids in courage, virtue, and hope—stories that still matter fifty years after we’re gone. Together they wrestle with the pressure modern parents feel: rising anxiety about the future, the lure of AI shortcuts, and the constant competition for our kids’ attention. Sam and Ginny make a compelling case that reading and writing are not outdated school tasks, but deeply human practices that shape a child’s inner world, imagination, and even their sense of calling. You’ll hear practical ideas for “tricksy parenting” that makes reading the reward, setting cozy book “traps,” inviting dads into the culture of story, and helping young writers grow in skill instead of outsourcing their creativity to machines. This episode is a gentle but galvanizing invitation to choose books over bots, shared chapters over scrolling, and to give our kids a living connection to something timeless. See everything S.D. Smith has to offer here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 1KHO 642: Most People Are Starved for Connection | Ben Swire, Safe Danger

  In a world where adults avoid risk, children grow up on screens instead of playgrounds, and workplaces drift toward loneliness, Ben Swire argues that what we’re really missing is experiential connection. In this conversation with Ginny, Ben—an introvert who once dreaded team-building—shares how “safe danger” transformed both his life and his work. From IDEO’s culture of curiosity to biweekly “creative play dates,” he explains why people blossom when they’re given space to try, fail, try again, and be seen. Together, Ben and Ginny explore how joy, optimism, vulnerability, and play aren’t personality traits but skills that grow only through experience. They talk about the crush of conformity, the epidemic of loneliness, and why pessimism is really fear in disguise. You’ll walk away with practical ideas for your home, workplace, or classroom. This is an episode that gently reminds us: people don’t just want fun, or comfort, or entertainment. They want to grow. They want to belong. Most of all, they want connection. Get your copy of Safe Danger here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 1KHO 641: Movement Opens Up a Whole Other World to Children | Misty Copeland, BunHeads

  Misty Copeland is one of the most famous ballerinas in the world—the first African American woman promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre and a cultural icon whose influence reaches far beyond the stage. In this inspiring conversation with Ginny Yurich, Misty reflects on her unlikely beginning: a shy, introverted thirteen-year-old living in motels who found her way into a free ballet class on a Boys & Girls Club basketball court. Movement became her lifeline, offering stability, confidence, and a sense of belonging she had never known. Misty reveals how discovering ballet “late” became her superpower and how exposure, encouragement, and one adult who says try this can alter the entire trajectory of a child’s life. Ginny and Misty explore what embodied, hands-on experiences give children in an era dominated by screens including resilience, emotional release, friendship, leadership, and a much bigger sense of what’s possible. Misty shares the mission behind her Bunheads series, Firebird, and the Be Bold Foundation, as well as her new Be Bolder program for older adults, each designed to expand access to movement and the arts. This episode is a powerful reminder that childhood doesn’t need to be accelerated; it needs to be lived in motion. When we give kids space to move, explore, and follow their curiosity, we’re not just filling their time—we’re opening entire worlds. Get your copy of Life in Motion here Get your copy of Bunheads, Act 2 here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 1KHO 640: Children Improve Their Attention Spans Outside | Angela Hanscom, TimberNook

  When pediatric occupational therapist and TimberNook founder Angela Hanscom steps into the woods, she sees what most of us miss: children rebuilding the very systems in their brains that make attention possible. In this deeply hopeful conversation, Angela explains why daily outdoor play isn’t just “good for kids”—it’s biologically essential. From spinning and hanging upside down to tumbling down hills, nature gives children the movement their vestibular system craves, activating the brain’s built-in attention network and counteracting the effects of our screen-heavy world. Schools partnering with TimberNook are reporting calmer classrooms, fewer behavior challenges, and even more academic risk-taking as children spend long, unstructured stretches in nature. But this episode goes beyond brain science. Angela and Ginny explore the social, emotional, and leadership skills that develop when adults step back and let the woods take the lead. You’ll hear powerful stories of children negotiating conflicts, comforting friends, forming “clans,” navigating risk, and discovering capability without adults micromanaging every move. It’s a reminder that the richness of what happens in the woods grows more than attention spans; it grows confidence, resilience, empathy, creativity, and identity. If you need encouragement, inspiration, or simply permission to let go a little, this conversation will shift how you see childhood and how you support it. Get your copy of Balanced and Barefoot here Please support our advertising partners who help keep the show going! Wayfair: Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. SelectQuote: Get the RIGHT life insurance for YOUR FAMILY, for LESS, at selectquote.com/1000hours BetterHelp: Our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS. Quince: Go to Quince.com/outside for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. NIV Application Bible: Find out more at NIVapplicationbible.com. Omaha Steaks: Visit OmahaSteaks.com for 50% off sitewide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And for an extra $35 off, usepromo code FUN at checkout. Mercy Ships: Please donate today at MercyShips.org/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 1KHO 639: Escaping the Attention Economy | Sharon Hodde Miller, Gazing at God

  In a culture that trains children to perform their lives instead of live them, Sharon Hodde Miller returns to explore why so many young people feel fragile, insecure, and exhausted and why the solution isn’t more confidence, but a bigger purpose. Drawing from Free of Me and her new devotional Gazing at God, Sharon explains the overlooked root of modern insecurity: we’ve taught kids to evaluate their worth through constant self-focus, endless mirrors, and the metrics of the attention economy. Together, Sharon and Ginny uncover how shrinking our children’s purpose down to “finding themselves” has left them anxious, isolated, and unsure of who they are apart from an audience. This conversation offers a hopeful, deeply practical way forward. Sharon shares how hiddenness, beauty, and turning our gaze toward God free us from the heaviness of self-preoccupation and how parents can help kids grow up rooted in something far larger than likes, identity quests, or online performance. From navigating rejection to reimagining purpose, this episode invites families to step out of the spotlight, rediscover joy, and remember that the healthiest life isn’t the one constantly seen…but the one securely grounded in love, calling, and connection. Please support our advertising partners who help keep the show going! ⁠Wayfair⁠: Get organized, refreshed, and back to routine for way less. Head to ⁠Wayfair.com⁠ right now to shop all things home. ⁠SelectQuote⁠: Get the RIGHT life insurance for YOUR FAMILY, for LESS, at ⁠selectquote.com/1000hours⁠ BetterHelp: Our listeners get 10% off their first month at ⁠BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS.⁠ Quince: Go to ⁠Quince.com/outside⁠ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. NIV Application Bible: Find out more at ⁠NIVapplicationbible.com⁠. Omaha Steaks: Visit ⁠OmahaSteaks.com ⁠for 50% off sitewide during their Sizzle All the Way Sale. And for an extra $35 off, usepromo code FUN at checkout. Mercy Ships: Please donate today at⁠ MercyShips.org/podcast⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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