Wild Ideas Worth Living, an adventurous and bold, new podcast launched by Journalist Shelby Stanger, wins best new podcast of North County from San Diego Magazine, and has stayed at the top of the charts of outdoor/action sports based podcasts since its start.
The show, where Shelby interviews world-class adventurers and entrepreneurs who have taken wild ideas – from sailing around the world, to surfing giant waves, starting thriving businesses and breaking world records – aims to get listeners to take a break from the mundane and live out their own wild ideas. Past guests include Surfer Bethany Hamilton, Photographer Chris Burkard, New York Times Best Selling Author of the book Gutsy Girl, Caroline Paul, Rock Climber Chris Sharma, and more.
“I love the quote you are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with, so wanted to put out content that allowed people to be around positive voices when they are commuting to work or doing errands,” says Stanger, who has been a big fan of podcasts for the last few years, and just wrote part of the all-women’s cover issue for Outside Magazine. “The response has also been incredible, with people writing letters, saying a show or something someone said completely changed their lives.”
For the first few months of shows, Stanger has partnered with brands like Surf Diva, GRACEDBYGRIT, prAna, and Toad &Co who are sponsoring the professionally edited shows. “The brands love the original content, and the podcasts convert,” she says. Each show is about 45-minutes long, the length of time of an average run or a commute back and forth to work.
As a result of the show, with podcasts growing (over 23% just from last year), and partly because there are few co-ed shows hosted by strong female advocates for sports, Stanger has been getting a lot of press, and also started speaking at various events, including REI’s #ForceOfNature San Diego kickoff party where she was the keynote speaker, and an event at GoPro HQ where she hosted a panel of top adventurers and storytellers with the San Diego Diplomacy Council.
Stanger recently also partnered with SIRIUS Radio as part of a new program SIRIUS is launching to get listeners to tune into more podcasts in a curated format. Currently, Stanger is producing her 26th show, with a new one launching every week on Wednesdays.
About Wild Ideas Worth Living:
Wild Ideas Worth Living is a weekly podcast where Shelby Stanger interviews people who have taken a wild idea and made it a reality. From people who have climbed mountains, broken records, started businesses, surfed giant waves or just stood up for something they believed in, some of the wildest ideas can lead to the most rewarding adventures.
About the Host:
Shelby Stanger has sandboarded down desolate dunes in South Africa, standup paddled a remote portion of the Amazon river, spent a summer reporting about the Vans Warped Tour, and interviewed countless CEOs, entrepreneurs and athletes on assignment. She’s also worked with companies like Nike, Vans, Body Glove and prAna who have hired Shelby to help them tell their stories better, gaining them more customers, fans and sales. Over the years, Shelby’s learned how much a little adventure can cure. She’s also become an expert at taking her own wild ideas and turning them into reality, as well as empowering others to live out their passions. WIWL is her latest project.
