Journalist-turned-podcaster Shelby Stanger has written a book titled “Will to Wild: Adventures Great and Small to Change Your Life.”
The San Diego Community Newspaper Group alum is a La Jolla High School grad who interned for the Beach & Bay Press and La Jolla Village News in 1999-2000. She said her university professor’s advice to “intern for a community newspaper,” is what set her on her ultimate fulfilling career course. And her career choice involves two subjects: nature and adventure.
“This is a really fun read that encourages you to go outside and go for it,” enthused Stanger about her perfectly timed book. “Covid was really hard on all of our mental health, but people are starting to get more outside and more active,” she said. “Now is the time to get deeper into nature and have an adventure. Doing an adventure – even a small one – will help you reset, recharge, heal, and just might change your life.”
What’s an adventure?
“Usually outdoors, it involves some risk, some unknown, and physicality taking you somewhere else whether it’s into the trees, trails, mountains, waves – taking your mind into a different state,” Stanger answered. She added, “Combining nature and adventure always seems to have a synergistic effect. Trying an adventure is the most effective way to create a shift in your mind and build courage.”
Pointing out “life itself is an adventure,” adding “adventure is life’s antidote,” Stanger pointed out every adventure she’s ever undertaken “has given me the courage to do something else in my life.”
Stanger’s book has examples of a range of adventurers from a suburban mom who became an ice-climbing guide at age 55, to a group of boogie-boarding grandmas, to a bird watcher, and someone who skied to the South Pole while she was undergoing menopause.
Of her time at SDCNG Stanger said. “I loved my time there. Looking back at my old clips, I covered older ladies breaking records and people biking and hiking across the country for a purpose. The funny thing is, I’m still covering fascinating people who pursue unconventional paths, seeing what the ‘wild’ looks like for them.”
Before launching her podcasting career in 2016, Stanger was inspired to get into the profession after taking an accelerator women’s course, modeling a plan for it from the outdoor and action sports industry.
“And my business was a podcast, which I thought was the perfect thing to start with,” she said. “My plan included three podcasts and a trailer. It was something I continued to pursue as a podcast host for Wild Ideas Worth Living, which I started and sold to REI Co-op and still host.”
Of podcasts, Stanger said: “They’re really intimate, special. For 30- to 60 minutes at a time, you’re telling stories. Now, as an author, I’ve learned that even a little adventure can go a long way.”
“Will to Wild: Adventures Great and Small to Change Your Life,” published by Simon and Schuster, is coming out Tuesday, June 6.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shelby Stanger is passionate about how to use the power of adventure to improve mental well-being. Her work has appeared everywhere from Outside Magazine, CNN, and ESPN.
Stanger’s book comes out Tuesday, June 6, and she will hold a book reading that day at Warwick’s Bookstore at 7:30 p.m. at 7812 Girard Ave. She also has a talk at TEDx San Diego on June 11 at the Conrad in La Jolla. Tickets are sold out but you can buy livestream at tedxsandiego.com. For more information, visit ShelbyStanger.com.
In 2016, Stanger started the Wild Ideas Worth Living Podcast to dive deeper into stories of how adventure and nature change us. The podcast is now owned by REI Co-op Studios, and Stanger, who has interviewed hundreds of adventurers, remains the host and creator of the show. A sought-after speaker, Stanger has spoken to organizations like Creative Mornings, The Girl Scouts of America, NPR, and TEDx.
Always chasing adventures, Stanger has surfed from Canada to Costa Rica; sand-boarded down desolate dunes in Cape Town; paddled down a remote portion of the Amazon River, and interviewed countless CEOs, athletes, activists, and thought leaders. She regularly consults with highly motivated individuals and major brands to tell better stories and even launch their own podcasts and wild ideas.
