In one of the early chapters of my book, my mom assembles her Gravity Kit, an assortment of belongings she’ll leave behind once gravity wins. The kit includes passwords to her accounts, photos from her life, music that moved her, and a number of other personal belongings usually left in disarray for the children to rummage through. As she once said, “logistics often get in the way of grief.” In this very personal episode, we talk about how to assemble your own Gravity Kit, the hidden value of saving voicemails, and how to maintain strong relationships even through disagreement. This one was a tear-jerker. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today.

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This podcast is with Adam Skolnick, an award-winning independent journalist and author covering adventure sports, environmental issues, travel and human rights for The New York Times, Outside, Playboy and Lonely Planet. He is the author of One Breath: Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits, the ghost writer and narrator of David Goggins’ smash hit memoir and audiobook Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds, and he is a co-host on the Rich Roll Podcast. His latest book, American Tiger, is available to order now. (I’ve read it and it fucking rocks.) In this episode, we talk about the state of publishing today, the Southern California wilderness, and creativity as lantern offerings. Follow Adam’s Substack here.

If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today.

Tuesday, November 25: Book tour event at Patagonia Santa Cruz @7pm. It’s free. BYOP (Bring Your Own Parent). RSVP here. Okay, onto the podcast…

Chris Burkard (@ChrisBurkard) is an acclaimed American photographer, filmmaker, and storyteller known for his breathtaking landscape photography. Born in San Luis Obispo, California, Burkard rose to prominence through his striking surf photography in remote and often icy locations like Iceland, Norway, and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. His work captures the raw beauty of nature, often blending elements of human exploration and environmental grandeur. Burkard’s style is marked by expansive compositions, ethereal light, and a reverence for the wild. Beyond photography, he is also a sought-after speaker, author of several books, and director of award-winning documentaries, including Under an Arctic Sky. A passionate advocate for environmental preservation and outdoor adventure, Burkard uses his platform to inspire others to seek meaningful connections with the natural world. His work has been featured by National Geographic, The New Yorker, Apple, and Patagonia, among others. Whether hanging from a cliff face or paddling through freezing surf, Burkard’s lens invites viewers to embrace discomfort, awe, and the power of the untamed.

If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today.

Sean Jansen is a freelance writer and seasonal wilderness guide in Yellowstone National Park. He’s intense, slightly awkward, and deeply committed to dancing with the more raw frequencies of human experience. I love this guy. During his off-season from guiding, he partakes in a litany of expeditions from thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail to his recent trip, standup paddling more than 1,000 miles down the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. Through recovery from alcoholism, he has moved into a van and spends his time flying fishing trout streams, training for ultra-marathons, and searching the coast for unsurfed waves. With a passion for wilderness and wild places, he often takes his pen and paper on trips and finds ways that the outdoor recreation activities he loves can give back to conservation and environmental areas in need. Follow him on Instagram and read his new book, Paddling with Porpoise.

If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today.

Mike Schlebach is a South African big-wave surfer and coastal-activist deeply rooted in the surf culture of Cape Town’s wild Atlantic coast. Mike made his name charging serious surf at spots like Dungeons and the offshore reef at Sunset Reef. More recently, he has emerged as a voice against illegal mineral‐sand mining along South Africa’s West Coast, using his platform to raise awareness and protect coastline communities. Follow Mike here.

If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to preorder today.

Jess Grose is an opinion writer at The New York Times covering parenting and culture, and the author of three books: Sad Desk Salad, a sharp and funny novel about the early days of online media; Soulmates, a novel that dives into love, marriage, and the strange search for connection; and Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood, a nonfiction exploration that cracks open the impossible pressures mothers face today. If you’ve read The New York Times, chances are you’ve come across her thoughtful reporting or her essays that cut straight to the heart of how we live now.

If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to preorder today.

After serving 14 years in prison, 90 days of which were in solitary confinement, Chris Buroughs is now the director of Garden 31, a group that works to localize food production in San Diego’s low income neighborhoods by training new farmers with a focus on formerly incarcerated men and women, as well as those suffering from substance abuse issues. Contact Chris at: [email protected]

If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to preorder today.

Bianca Valenti is the 2024 Big Wave Challenge Winner, a 9-time Mavericks Awards Champion, 2-time Puerto Escondido Cup Winner, and one of the few women to compete in the Eddie Aikau Invitational, the world’s most prestigious big wave surf event. She led the fight for equal pay in surfing, securing it for all athletes worldwide. For her trailblazing impact, she has been inducted into the California Outdoor Hall of Fame and named an Honorary Chief in the State of California. In this episode, we talked big wave mindset, training for longevity, and how spirit animals can help in heavy water situations. Scope her Instagram.

If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious.

David Litt is a writer, political speechwriter, and author best known for his work as a senior presidential speechwriter for President Barack Obama. Joining the White House at just 24, Litt became one of the youngest speechwriters in history, contributing to remarks on issues ranging from healthcare and climate change to comedy sketches for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. After leaving government, he turned to writing for a wider audience. His memoir, Thanks, Obama, blends sharp political insight with self-deprecating humor, earning praise for its candid behind-the-scenes look at life in the West Wing. He later published Democracy in One Book or Less, an accessible, witty exploration of how America’s political system works—and how it doesn’t. His latest book, It’s Only Drowning, is a laugh-out-loud love letter to surfing—and the story of an unlikely friendship, one that crosses the fault lines of education, ideology, and culture tearing so many of us apart. Follow David’s Substack, Word Salad.

If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious.

Greg Long is the most decorated big wave surfer in history. With 2 Big Wave World Titles and his name etched atop the podium at nearly every big wave contest around the globe, Long has experienced more moods of the ocean than just about any living human today. These days, the 41-year-old is focused on reducing needless ocean deaths through the Big Wave Risk Assessment Group (BWRAG), a course focused on high-surf risk management, covering detailed scenario analysis, breath-hold techniques, CPR/AED certification, open-ocean first-responder techniques, and hands-on equipment education. Although this course is taught by top pros in the sport, the techniques are applicable to all-level surfers. As Long says, “Whether your big wave is 2 feet or 20 feet, this course will have something for you.” I will be at the summit in Hermosa Beach on September 20th-21st, and right now, all listeners of this podcast can get $100 off the course by typing in KYLE100 at checkout. Hope to see you there!

If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious.

Although his comedic talents span the range of current events across the political spectrum, Brent Pella hit the cultural version of a nuclear reactor when he started writing jokes about new age spirituality, conspiracy theories, and human optimization. His videos have gained 500M+ views online, and he was recently named a "Creator to Watch" by the New York Comedy Festival. His debut comedy special, “Conscious Bro” is live on YouTube now. In this conversation, we dove into Brent’s past. He told the story of his first open mic, rapping at UC Santa Barbara, and why, despite the devil on his shoulder, he feels politically homeless. This one originally went live a few months back, and I figured it was worth a repost.

If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious.