In this rich conversation, Eli talks about how spending time in the wilderness helps adolescent boys hone their inner voice, an essential tool when it comes to resisting and reprograming the toxic messages they receive from society around sex and masculinity.  Eli shares vulnerably about his own experience as an adolescent boy (including his stint as Stifler's little brother in the film American Pie, which in my opinion makes him especially equipped to wax poetic on how culture programs young men to think about sexuality). A talented poet, Eli shares his original poetry at the end of the episode.  Eli Marienthal is the co-director of Back to Earth and the founding faculty of W.I.L.D., a wilderness guiding, outdoor education organization that works with adolescence to develop practices of personal development and self-care through a culture of peacemaking and thanksgiving. He is trained through The Tracking Project in Corrales, New Mexico, a non-profit led by John Stokes devoted to peacemaking, nature awareness and cross cultural respect. Eli holds masters degrees from Brown University and the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied international development, agriculture, and the politics of humanitarianism. Eli is also a poet, dancer, songwriter and spoken-word performer. He was a first generation Youth Speaks poet, and was the youngest member of a winning Brave New Voices National Slam Team, as well as the youngest to win the Bay Area Slam.  Check out Eli's work with adolescents in the wilderness here: www.backtoearth.org