In the last episode of Season 3, Faith and Addie recap the season, share their reflections and discuss the tension of holding both hope and motivation to continue to make change. The hosts recount past guest conversations, learnings they’ve taken away from these discussions and questions they get asked most as they continue to tackle the dialogue on The Trail Ahead. Plus, we welcome Faith back after maternity leave and get to hear how she and baby Yaya are doing!

Mauricio (Mau) Díaz is the CEO and co-founder of Aire Libre Running. Aire Libre designs and operates running and hiking experiences around the world that connect participants to new places and cultures through sustainable tourism. Mau is from Mexico City, Mexico and enjoys exploring the mountains around the city by foot (often accompanied by his dog). He is an ultrarunner and lululemon ambassador.

Kayla Jeter is a Cleveland Ohio native, former professional volleyball player, mindset coach, personal trainer, stress-management coach and wellness entrepreneur. She is the founder of #100MilesofSummer, a global running community and founder of Soho House Chicago Run Club. Kayla is a global Lululemon ambassador and a member of the Lululemon FURTHER initiative. On this episode, Addie is joined by The Trail Ahead Season 2 guest, Kamilah Journét, as a guest co-host.

Ambreen Tariq is a Muslim, an immigrant, an activist, and an outdoor enthusiast. She describes herself as a proud feminist and an advocate for social justice in American society. She’s the founder of @BrownPeopleCamping, a social media initiative that uses digital storytelling to celebrate people of color in the outdoor community. Ambreen is also the author of Fatima’s Great Outdoors, a children’s picture book centering on an immigrant family embarking on their first camping trip. This...

Chelsea Murphy is an outdoor advocate, enthusiast, creative, and inspirer. She is the mother of three, and is on a mission to create a better, more inclusive outdoor culture for her mixed children. Born in San Diego, CA and raised in Tacoma, WA she has always had a connection with nature and the outdoors. After moving to the mountains, she immediately recognized the lack of diversity in outdoor adventure. Chelsea started @she_colorsnature to create a community space for celebrating...

This week the Trail Ahead brings you an episode by Immigrantly, "a boundary-pushing, border-crossing podcast that gives diverse voices and stories home." Their guest, Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada, is a Colombian-American athlete, activist, and environmental sociologist who is always on the move. From the freezing valleys of Alaska to the cloud forests of Colombia, Vanessa spends her days' hiking, skiing, mountaineering, running, and ice skating through beautiful landscapes. But at the same...

Yatika Starr Fields, is a Painter and Muralist who lives and works in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Yatika Fields is part of the Cherokee, Creek and Osage Tribes. He is also a Bear clan member. While attending the Art Institute of Boston from 2000 to 2004, he became interested in Graffiti aesthetics, which has been integral to his knowledge and process along with Landscape painting- and continues to influence his large- scale projects and studio works. His artworks explore the themes of family, community,...

Brittany Leavitt is the co-founder of Brown Girls Climb, a lifelong educator and someone who loves the outdoors. We talk with her about what it means to be shifting careers to be the full-tome CEO of Brown Girls Climb and how she first came to the outdoors. Hint: Her career day outfit in Elementary School says a lot! Brittany has always connected to the outdoors, from the mountains in upstate New York, to the ocean sides of Massachusetts, to city life in Washington DC (currently in...

Stefanie is an ultra trail and road runner located in the Front Range of Colorado. She is the 2021 USATF 100-mile road champion and course record holder (6th fastest all-time American woman for the distance). She is also a foot and ankle surgeon alongside her husband, with a passion for treating athletes. Stefanie is passionate about increasing BIPOC representation in distance running and newly a member of the Lululemon FURTHER initiative cohort, which aims to address the data and research...

Ahmad is a first-generation Lebanese-American thru-hiker and mountaineer who speaks about his experience of realizing while buying an ice-axe and hearing an Egyptian accent that he has never spoken to anyone in Arabic about the outdoors. This prompted him to hike the Lebanese Mountain Trail, which goes through parts of the country he hiked as a child with his father. He talks about Arab-American representation, what he loves about being outside, and what he learned on the trail. This...

In this conversation with Mirna Valerio, ultramarathoner, cyclist, skier, author, and so much more, we start with the origin story of how she fell in love with running and then dive into what it means to know and love your body in all of its stages - especially during recovery. We also talk about her memoir, A Beautiful Work in Progress, what she is excited about next, ansd how she's pushing her limits to go FURTHER as part of a new initiative with our episode sponsor lululemon. Our debrief...

Everett is a curator, organizer, and adventure cyclist currently based in the coastal mountains of a region now known as Santa Cruz, CA. For over a decade they've been using bicycle travel as a way of exploring their relationship to the worlds within and without. As a trans and genderqueer adventure cyclist they find themself seeking out the in between places, finding trails and unpaved roads to connect the dots between people, places and ideas. After working for several years as a tours...

Ingrid Backstrom has been a professional skier for over twenty years and is a household name and someone widely considered a “legend” in the world of free skiing. She is also a mother, a filmmaker, and co-founder of S.A.F.E. A.S. backcountry clinics. In this conversation we discuss Ingrid’s professional skiing career and her journey as a woman in a male-dominated sport. We also talk about her work to make skiing more fun and inclusive, how she has learned from mistakes along the way, and how...

Grace Anderson is a dreamer, a builder, and a Black queer feminist who writes and imagines futures where choice is a human right. In this conversation we discuss why she loves to giggle and fly downhills on her bike, solo adventures in the outdoors, the importance of journaling, and learning that it's important to build what you're for and not what you're against. Faith and Grace also talk a lot about their identity as Black women, their journeys to develop and exude a strong pride...

Welcome back to Season 3 of The Trail Ahead, hosted by Faith E. Briggs & Addie Thompson. In this episode they reflect on why bringing together their multiplicities of identity is essential to their theory of change - which is (clumsily) that with a multi-racial dialogue that seeks to amplify the voices on the frontlines of environmental justice they can encourage more people to fall in love with the natural world and aim to protect it. They discuss the potential flaws in this theory,...

In January 2021 we sat down for what became a 3 hour conversation with the legendary Selema Masekela. We laughed, we cried, and by the end we realized we were undeniably tethered for life, a beautiful heart tether. We've had many people ask to hear the whole conversation, rather than the more edited 1 hour conversation we put out in April 2021. In this episode we go into beautiful stories about Selema's relationship with his father, the late great Hugh Masekela, and include a deeper...

This week we feature an episode of a podcast we love that is also working toward a more inclusive and community minded outdoor community: The Outside Voices Podcast. Outside Voices Podcast: https://www.outsidevoicespodcast.com/ Outside Voices on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outsidevoicespodcast/ Cassandra Lam of Collective Rest & The Cosmos: https://www.collective-rest.com/ Article about The Cosmos in The Lily:...

This week we're introducing you to a podcast we love, Wild Ideas Worth Living, an REI Co-op Studios podcast hosted by journalist, adventurer and all-around curious person, Shelby Stanger!  Today’s guest in Evelynn Escobar, a changemaker in the outdoor industry who is the founder and CEO of Hike Clerb! Hike Clerb is an intersectional women’s hiking club with the mission of equipping Black, Indigenous, women of color with the tools, education, resources and experiences they need to collectively...

In this episode Addie and Faith revisit some of their favorite quotes from the last season. They dive into ideas from earlier episodes that have impacted their thinking about how we co-create a more inclusive and welcoming outdoors while caring for our planet and each other. Topics include moving beyond white guilt, holding yourself accountable to action, holding the door open for others, gatekeeping and geotagging, the reality of feeling unsafe in the outdoors and more. The voices you'll...

Kamilah Journét is a long-distance runner, environmental advocate, and brand marketing strategist. She discovered her love for running in junior high and continued competing in Cross Country and Track at high school and collegiate levels. She joins The Trail Ahead for a conversation about the endless possibilities and experiences the outdoors offers. The Debrief features Sarah Jacquette Ray author of A Field Guide To Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Cool on a Warming Planet

Growing up in Nebraska, Wyn Wiley (he/him) tried to hide his queer identity and some of his more feminine traits. First by playing small and then trying hard to overachieve, often to the detriment of mental health and well-being. After finding his identity as a drag queen specializing in all things outdoors, the transformation into Pattie Gonia (she/her) has come with both a lot of freedom and a lot of learning. In this episode questions about shifting privilege and sharing power are front...

In today’s episode, Faith is joined by Adam Merry. Adam is an accomplished track and trail runner. He started trail running back in 2017 and has since raced distances, both on road and trail, of up to 100k. In this conversation, Faith and Adam talk about the importance of diversity and representation in running, both in track and trail.

As the summer comes to a close we are excited to share a few updates. Tune in to learn about all that's taking place with us, why Faith isn't in this episode and what's to come in the coming weeks.

Dr. Peyton Thomas is a truly impressive individual. She’s a scientist living in Boulder, Colorado, who is also an active and avid ultra-distance runner. She holds a PhD in marine biology, is a sponsored trail athlete, and has also competed in the Olympic trials. She joins The Trail Ahead today to discuss the climate, ocean, and the joys and challenges of trail running.