Take It From Me

Keith discovered photography through his brother and their shared loved of skateboarding. All it took was one day of shooting skate tricks, and Keith was hooked. From there, he honed his skills through practice, books, and online research. And when he lost his job as a software engineer, he pursued photography full time and succeeded. Now, Keith takes photos for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, The Nature Conservancy, and many more. In this episode, Gregory, the bike shop owner you...

Gregory didn’t always dream of owning a bike shop. But when he lost his job as an architect, he combined his passion for design and his love of bicycles. The outcome was Chocolate Spokes, a bike shop in the Five Points neighborhood of Denver. Not only does Gregory run a small business, he designs and builds beautiful, custom bicycles. And yes, he also sells a wide range of chocolate from small, artisan chocolate makers. In this episode, Mo, the adaptive climber you met in episode 6, joins...

Maureen (Mo) has always been stubborn. Whether it was playing goalie on her soccer team or taking up rock climbing, Mo grew up throwing herself into activities that might seem difficult for someone born without her left hand. Because of her determination, Mo has won the ISFC World Paraclimbing Championships three times – in 2017, 2016 and 2014 – and more than a half-dozen national-level climbing competitions. In this episode, Allen, the nutrition scientist and small business owner you met...

Allen has always enjoyed tinkering. As a kid, he’d concoct interesting recipes using traditional Chinese ingredients. As an adult, he’s concocting food and sports drinks for athletes through his business, Skratch Labs. His goal is to create food and drinks that taste great and are made from real ingredients so active people feel their best when training and competing. In this episode, Giselle, the mountaineer you met in episode 4, interviews Allen about how he came up with Skratch Labs, and...

Giselle will climb mountains, no matter what obstacles stand in her way. From heart surgery to an unexpected accident while climbing, she’s faced a number of challenges that could have stopped her from summiting mountains. None of them did. She’s dedicated to climbing some of the tallest peaks around the world and her hard work and determination has paid off. In 2015 she became the first Venezuelan woman to summit Denali. From Venezuelan news anchor to dedicated mountaineer, Giselle has a...

Sarah Uhl creates beautiful art inspired by nature. 10 years ago she was on the path to becoming a professional cyclist, winning a Jr. World title. From age 13 to 23, she spent most of her time racing. There were even whispers of competing at the Olympics. But Sarah, an artist at heart, wasn’t fulfilled by the ultra-competitive, high stress demands that cycling required. She wanted to expand her life to include all of her passions and started creating art to capture the moments she found in...

Phil Taylor is a PhD scientist turned farmer and sustainable agriculture advocate. From spending all of his hours studying to spending all of his hours farming, Phil made the decision to change his career and focus on what he was most passionate about: being an advocate for a more ecological and vibrant food system. Through his organization Mad Agriculture, Phil is building a community of people looking to improve the quality of food production in this country. In this episode, Brendan, the...

Brendan Leonard hates running. Which is why it was surprising when he signed up for a 100-mile race with his best friend. Not only did he figure out how to run 100 miles, he made a documentary film about it. When Brendan isn’t running he’s a writer, illustrator, adventurer and a believer in living a life outdoors. He encourages people to spend more time doing things they love, going to places that make them feel small and remembering to laugh at themselves. In the premiere episode of REI’s...