Be Bold With Beth Whitman

Today’s episode is another deep dive with myself and Chris Fagan. I didn’t want to necessarily record one of these episodes ALL about the coronavirus. There’s plenty of information and resources out there. But I also didn’t want to completely ignore it and what it’s doing to all of us right now. I’ve seen a lot of people on Facebook expressing their struggle with not being motivated and not wanting to do things because everything is so uncertain. I think the current challenge for most of us is staying focused, staying upbeat and actually getting stuff done. Now I don’t want to just gloss over the enormity of what’s going on right now, but I also can’t allow it to distract me, to derail me, to paralyze me. I have to keep moving forward. Look, I’m not judging people who are having a difficult time but I encourage you to get creative with your time, get creative with your work, focus on your health and let’s get through this without losing our sanity. With that in mind, what I wanted to do with Chris was talk ab

Today’s conversation is with Anastasia Allison. Anastasia is a woman of many talents and interests. Early in her career she worked as a park ranger (a dream job for her) and then as a law enforcement officer for BNSF railway. She had a near death experience in a car accident that turned everything around for her. It was then that she stopped letting her fears get the best of her and it was at that point that she opened up to new possibilities including her work now as an entrepreneur with a very innovative, yet much needed product for women hikers. Fair warning that we dive right into a topic that isn’t usually discussed publicly but is at the core of her company, Kula Cloth. Oh, and to top it off, she plays violin and calls herself a musical mountaineer – and you’re going to hear a beautiful story about that. Anastasia Allison is a really thoughtful, reflective human being and I know you’re going to love this conversation with her… ***** Have a burning question and want to be featured on a future episode? C

Today's conversation is with Sarah Tuttle. Sarah teaches introductory astronomy and observational astrophysics at the University of Washington. You’ll hear how and why I was so eager to chat with Sarah at the beginning of our conversation. And then as you hear her talk about not only her work but about her activism, you’ll understand why she is such a great fit for the podcast. In this conversation, we talk about how she got into astronomy, which she describes as a pretty circuitous route. And I think one of the key takeaways from this episode is that sometimes the path to our passion is not always direct. We also talk a lot about her social activism and her goal to bring more diversity into the field of astronomy. I’ll tell ya, she really left me thinking a lot about how I can make this world a better, more inclusive place. With that, please enjoy this conversation, with Sarah Tuttle. ***** Have a burning question and want to be featured on a future episode? Call 877-280-5170 and leave a message or email me

Today's conversation is with Kelly Lewis. I was really psyched to have the chance to sit down with Kelly. I’ve known her for a long time from the travel world, I even spoke at her conference about seven years ago. But we never had an opportunity to just sit and talk at any length. She just recently moved to Portland and during a trip I made down there, we finally had a long-overdue chat. Kelly is the founder of Women’s Travel Fest. She’s also the author of a guidebook series called Go! Girl Guides and she runs Damesly, a women’s tour company. So as you can imagine, we have a lot of things in common. In this episode we talk about her growing up in Hawaii with little chance to travel off-island, her move to the mainland for college and then getting hooked on travel after she graduated, her years in NYC where she was determined to take it by storm (which she did) as she built her business and her most recent move to Portland (Oregon, that is). We also talk about how she came about building her businesses and why

Today’s guest is ocean rower, Lia Ditton. I chatted with Lia back in episode #80 almost exactly one year ago. I highly recommend going back and listening to that episode if you haven’t already hear it or if you did hear it and want a refresher, it’s going to give you a lot of background on today’s episode. I wanted to circle back around with her because she is about to embark on a pretty incredible journey. She’s planning to be the first person to row across the North Pacific from Choshi, Japan to San Francisco. She had originally intended to do that row this year but she’s pushed that until next year and this year she will be rowing from San Francisco to Hawaii – getting herself and her boat part way to her start in Japan. When she completes this trip from Japan, she will have been the first person to have done so. In this episode she describes her most recent training rows that she’s done that have put her up close and personal with sharks as well as close encounters with other boats—the captains of some of

This week the conversation is a bit different than the usual sit down I have with guests. This week I’ve brought back Chris Fagan so that we could do a deep dive into a topic. Chris, as long-time listeners likely know, is the author of The Expedition which chronicles her adventures when she and her husband walked to the South Pole. Chris and I chatted about that adventure in Episode 88 and, in December, she returned to ask ME questions about my Epic5 runs in Episode 110. Today’s conversation basically spun out of that most recent episode. We had a great chat but realized there were so many other topics we could explore together that we decided to do a Deep Dive. So today you’re going to hear us chatting about how we make decisions when it comes to choosing a challenge, an adventure, a goal, an expedition, whatever you might call it. We talk about the criteria we use to get to that decision and we wander into some other topics as well but all with this central focus of pursuing goals. Now the plan is for Chris

Today’s conversation is with Susan Conrad. Susan is a kayaker and the author of Inside: One Woman’s Journey Through the Inside Passage. The book, released in 2019, chronicles her 1,200 mile journey that took her north to Alaska along the Inside Passage as she paddled solo in an 18-foot kayak. In our conversation, we talk about the events in her life that came crashing down on her that brought her to the decision to paddle for 66 days alone in her kayak. And how now, 10 years later, she’s going to push the reset button and venture off on a similar journey of the Inside Passage. Susan explains in fascinating detail about the logistics of putting together these trips and we dive into how things have changed not only for her but with technology as she embarks on a new journey this summer. I just know you’re going to love this conversation with Susan Conrad. ***** Support the podcast through Patreon and get access to special audio and written content, be part of a private Facebook group and enjoy other benefits re

Today’s conversation is with Sharon Wood. Sharon is very unassuming (as Canadians tend to be) yet she has accomplished something pretty incredible. Sharon was not only the first North American woman to summit Mt. Everest but she did it on the West Ridge route. The first thing that’s notable about that, is that this is a route that has never been successfully summitted since. And that was 34 years ago when Sharon was 29. But what is also notable is that she and her group attempted their summit bid without Sherpas – meaning they were on that mountain carrying all their own gear, fixing all their own ropes without support. When you consider how the mountain is being climbed today, you can imagine how incredibly difficult that must have been. But Sharon’s story starts at age 16 when she left home to find adventure in the mountains. And, really, she’s never looked back. Sharon has a new book out called Rising: Becoming the First North American Woman on Everest. And she’s had these years to reflect on that experien

Today’s conversation is with Jennifer Cobb Moynihan. Jennifer is a communications coach who works with executives and leaders from a wide range of companies, including Fortune 10 firms. Her specialty is helping people tell their personal stories in a way that ties into their business and how they’re showing up in a public facing way. As you’ll hear, Jennifer is a keen observer of people and it’s this skill that ‘s helped her create a business where she coaches people on how to better connect with customers as well as colleagues. You don’t need to be an executive to get something out of this conversation. Jennifer’s got some great insight into how we all might better shape our story and how and where we should incorporate our opinions into our public personas. With that, please enjoy this conversation with Jennifer Cobb Moynihan. ***** Support the podcast through Patreon and get access to special audio and written content, be part of a private Facebook group and enjoy other benefits reserved for supporters of

As I look ahead to 2020, I give some serious thought about Being Bold, how we can better approach Being Bold on a daily, weekly, monthly basis and also the importance of creating a mission statement to live by every day. ***** Support the podcast through Patreon and get access to special audio and written content, be part of a private Facebook group and enjoy other benefits reserved for supporters of the podcast! Have a burning question and want to be featured on a future episode? Call 877-280-5170 and leave a message or email me here. ***** Connect with me: PATREON! (join our growing community!) Facebook Instagram WanderTours Be Bold Facebook Group (women-only) Twitter Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe then tell a friend! Be Bold, Beth

Today's conversation is a bit unusual and hopefully you'll be as inspired as always. Today I’m the guest and Chris Fagan, whom you might recall from Episode 88 of the She's Bold Podcast, asks ME the questions. This is all about my Epic5 run in Hawaii! As a reminder, Chris and her husband walked 560 miles over 48 days to the South Pole, pulling sleds with all of their gear that weighed about 200 pounds. Yeah, super inspirational. If you’re new to the show, be sure to go back and listen to that episode. Chris suggested that we sit down and talk through my recent experience running Epic5. As an experienced ultra-runner herself, she had some great questions. We were able to talk through my preparation for running five 50Ks in 5 days on 5 Hawaiian islands, as well as the actual experience and then my recovery. You’ll also hear a question that was asked by Dana, one of my Patreon supporters. Getting to ask questions of guests is just one benefit you’ll get as a supporter of the show. For just $5 month you’ll also b

Today’s conversation is with Jean Godden. Jean is a journalist, a former Seattle City Council member and the author of Citizen Jean: Riots, Rogues, Rumors and Other Inside Seattle Stories. She’s been part of my world in one way or another for pretty much my entire time in Seattle, which is going on 30 years now. First as a journalist at the Seattle Post Intelligencer, then the Seattle Times and then as a Seattle City Council member. I’ve been really interested in having her on the podcast because she has been such a visible presence and influence in the Seattle area but it wasn’t until I started really researching her that I discovered that she’s 88 and still very active on many levels. That’s when I really really wanted to have her on the podcast. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to chat with her and learn firsthand about her background and what has made her such a special woman and what keeps her going and inspired. So in this conversation, we chat about what led her to becoming a Seattle City C

Today’s guest is Robin Layton. Robin is a Seattle-area photographer who has a new book out called The Lake. The book is a culmination of her body of work over a 10-year time period photographing Lake Washington. Now, I say that she’s a photographer, but really, she is so much more than that. Robin started her career as a photojournalist, working at a number of newspapers and really learning her craft there. By the time she was 24, she was honored by LIFE Magazine as one of the top eight photographers in America. She went on to become a photographer to the stars (we’re talking Oprah, Jennifer Aniston and others) and she now finds herself making a living as an artist / photographer and filmmaker. Robin is currently a Nikon Ambassador. You’ll hear all about how her career unfolded during our conversation. It’s obvious that following her passion led Robin to living a successful, fascinating and enriched life. She doesn’t have a formula to help make others successful but it’s evident that being kind and grateful t

Today’s guest is Mina Yoo. Mina is the founder of HeroClip. This is a super handy device that combines a caribiner with a hook so you can take your purse, your backpack, your water bottle, pretty much an endless number of things and hang it on a hook, a tree branch, fence post, pretty much an endless number of things in order to keep your hands free. I actually brought two of them with me to Ireland. You’ll hear Mina describe it and how it came about and it’ll make a lot more sense. Anyway, you’ll hear Mina’s story of how the HeroClip came about and how that experience, being a creator, an inventor, then gave her the idea of her new book which she co-authored with Hilary Meyerson. The book is due out on October 22, and it’s called Be an InventHer: an Everywomen’s Guide to Creating the Next Big Thing. In this conversation, we also talk about the reality of juggling all of this. What it’s like for her to be an overextended parent and the guilt associated with trying to juggle a business, being a wife as well as

Today’s conversation is a bit different for several reasons. First, a portion of this episode was initially featured on Beth Baker's podcast, Why We Run. I so enjoyed that conversation that I wanted to include the full-length version here. So in this episode, the tables are turned a bit and Beth Baker is asking ME the questions. But there’s something else that’s a bit different about this episode. It’s recorded while we are running. So you’re going to hear a lot of heavy breathing throughout our conversation. And you’re going to hear ambient noise and us talking about the bunnies and other things going on around us. I wanted to keep that in because that’s what happens when you’re running. You notice things. Beth and I talk about a lot of different things here and there are a ton of links in the show notes with more information. I think there are more links than I’ve ever had to add before. But I think that’ll make for a very informative and interesting listen. Also, not too long after we recorded this I had B

Today’s conversation is with Danielle Bogardus. Danielle is a philanthropist and an entrepreneur. She’s the Founder, President and Board Director of Connect-3, which she started in 2014. Connect-3 assesses the educational, waste management and water needs in developing communities and empowers the local people by helping them find solutions to the identified issues. The program started in Peru where Danielle was doing undergraduate work with the University of Washington. She’s now working in Ethiopia and plans to broaden this program to other communities around the globe. All of this is pretty remarkable. But what is even more remarkable is that she’s just 23. I have a lot of inspirational women on this podcast but I can’t say that I’ve ever met someone quite like Danielle. I just don’t know how someone so young has such a mature, well-rounded view of the world and so much forethought and compassion to dedicate her time to bettering the world. And I’ll fully admit that that might say more about me than about

Today conversation is with Kim Brown Seely. Kim is an award-winning travel writer, a contributing editor for Virtuoso Life magazine and has written for National Geographic Adventure, Travel & Leisure, Town & Country, Outside magazine and many other outlets. She’s also a wife, a mother and, more recently, an empty-nester AND a sailor. And it’s these latter terms that bring us here today because she just published a book called, Uncharted: A Couple’s Epic Empty-Nest Adventure Sailing from One Life to Another which interweaves her empty nest experience with her sailing adventures with her husband. And as I do here on the podcast, I wanted to dig into her back story and wanted to find out more about her and how the book came about. So we talked about when she was young and her early travels with her family and her getting hooked on these adventures and the outdoors so much so that she wanted to make a living from them. And she did just that. She found her way into the travel writing world in New York City

Today’s conversation is with running coach and fellow podcaster (and fellow name-sharer) Beth Baker. If you’ve ever considered running or exercising or even just trying to figure out other ways to incrementally improve your life (and hopefully you ALL have, that’s why you’re listening), you’re going to really love this conversation. You could say Beth is a reluctant Seattleite. And despite us both being here for quite a while, we only recently got connected when I was a guest on her podcast, Why We Run (and I’m going to be releasing that episode here soon so you can hear our full conversation where she’s asking me the questions). Like me, Beth didn’t get into running because it was something she had done all her life. She got into it as an adult and had to navigate her way through it without a lot of mentorship (or even online information). It took her a year to work up to a 5K race but once she did that, her trajectory was fast. But she still remembers her reluctance and the self-talk and doubts that initial

Today’s guest is Kellie Phelan. Kellie is the founder of The Works Seattle. The Works offers DIY classes for a variety of things including cooking, canning, sewing, art classes, pumpkin carving, tarot card reading and much, much more. But for Kellie, The Works is much more than just a classroom or a place for learning. It’s a place for connecting. It’s where people come together, and yes, they’re learning a new skill, but they’re also making friends in the process. Obviously this is resonating with people because The Works is growing by leaps and bounds. Kellie shares her story of how The Works came to be. How it was an illness that made her realize she needed to leave a stressful job and find work that resonated with her, one in which she could create a lifestyle business. I really do love Kellie’s positive can-do attitude and the way that she’s made the best of situations. ***** Have a burning question and want to be featured on a future episode? Call 877-280-5170 and leave a message or email me here. *****

Today’s guest is Nichole Doane. Nichole is a trauma nurse at Harborview Medical Center here in Seattle. Harborview, as many people in my neck of the woods knows, is THE trauma center for the Pacific Northwest. It’s where you want to be taken in the case of a traumatic injury or burn. But I didn’t want to speak to Nichole because of her work as a trauma nurse. Instead, it was because of an accident she had while canyoneering. This near-fatal fall changed the trajectory of her life. Nichole was on a canyoneering trip in August of 2017 when she fell about 60 feet. What happened to her in the minutes leading up to the fall and the hours following it, when she was awaiting a rescue, was nothing short of a miracle. It’s really incredible to me the way she processed what was going on—and then, frankly—lived to tell about it. Since her accident and recovery, Nichole is now spending her time helping those in crisis—as a speaker by helping others through traumatic experiences and by bringing to light the PTSD that happ