Children know something about enjoying life that adults have largely forgotten. A stick, a cardboard box, or even a marshmallow can become an entire world of discovery, while grown-ups increasingly measure experiences by their productivity or future payoff.

Ian Bogost, author of The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life and a writer at The Atlantic, joins Ginny Yurich to explore how our pursuit of convenience, efficiency, and achievement has quietly stripped everyday life of some of its richest pleasures. From the surprising limitations of the famous marshmallow test to the disappearing rituals of paper tickets and ordinary human interactions, Bogost reveals how much we're overlooking.

Their conversation offers a refreshing perspective on childhood, screen time, and the pressure to optimize every moment. It also reveals a remarkably simple way to experience more joy without changing your circumstances, accomplishing more, or waiting for something better to happen.

Get Ian's book here!

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Even if you spend every possible moment with your children, you'll still grieve how quickly they grow up. That sadness isn't proof you missed something. It's part of loving someone who is constantly changing.

Dr. Ann Welsh, psychologist, coach, and author of Ambitious Mother, joins Ginny Yurich for a hopeful conversation about the surprising ways motherhood changes us. Welsh explains how becoming a mother can strengthen our ability to lead, prioritize, connect, and even think creatively—and why playing with our children may develop skills we carry into the rest of our lives.

They also explore the enormous amount of invisible work mothers perform, why the village we need rarely looks like the one we've imagined, and how our ambitions can change without disappearing. From stepping away from a dream job at Harvard to redefining what a successful life looks like, Welsh offers a refreshing perspective on motherhood, identity, and the freedom to grow through every season.

Get Dr. Welsh's book here!

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We live in a world that rewards performance, comparison, and constant approval. But what is that doing to our children—and to the people we're becoming?

In this deeply thoughtful conversation, Ginny sits down with therapist, pastor, and author Chuck DeGroat to explore the hidden roots of narcissism, the surprising ways childhood wounds shape adult behavior, and why genuine character development requires far more than simply trying harder.

Chuck challenges parents to rethink what it means to protect their children. Our job isn't to eliminate suffering, but to become the safe place they can return to when life gets hard. He also explains how technology narrows our attention, why so many adults remain trapped in patterns they don't recognize, and how something as simple as watching birds can begin to restore our capacity for wonder and connection.

Drawing from his new book, Who You're Becoming, Chuck offers a hopeful reminder that lasting transformation happens slowly, through relationships, honest reflection, and learning to be fully present.

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Childhood was never meant to be a race. Bestselling author and Slow Movement pioneer Carl Honoré returns to The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast for a conversation about what happens when we stop rushing our kids and ourselves through life. Carl and Ginny talk about why boredom matters, how overscheduling can turn childhood into a race for perfection, why some of the best conversations with our kids happen when nobody is watching the clock, and the power of the small things like family meals, puzzles, books, nature, sleep, and simply having nowhere else to be. They also explore slow schooling, homeschooling, our complicated relationship with screens, and Carl’s beautiful book Slow Adventures, which invites children to experience the world at a more human pace. Find Carl, his books, courses, and videos at CarlHonoré.com, explore In Praise of Slowness, watch his TED Talk In Praise of Slowness, and watch his free How to Slow Down TED course.

** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them out below: 

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• BetterHelp: Visit  ⁠www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS⁠  today to get 10% off your first month.

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• Whisker - Take care of your cats while taking an additional $50 off bundles with code 1000HOURS when you shop ⁠www.whisker.com/1000HOURS⁠ 

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Church hurt can leave you grieving far more than a bad experience because you can lose your community in the process. In this deeply personal conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with counseling pastor and author Tim St. John to talk about his book After Church Hurt and what actually happens when the place meant to care for you becomes the source of the wound. Ginny shares her own family’s experience of raising serious concerns inside their church, being pushed out, and still dealing with the effects years later. Tim explains the three waves of church hurt, why naming what happened matters, how shame and hypervigilance can linger, and what to look for when you're ready to trust a church community again. They also talk about something surprisingly hopeful: churches intentionally building cultures of care where people know exactly where to turn when life falls apart. Tim shares free counseling training and resources through Lighthouse Community Church, along with more resources, sermons, articles, and information about his work at TimothyStJohn.com.

** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them out below: 

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• Whisker - Take care of your cats while taking an additional $50 off bundles with code 1000HOURS when you shop ⁠www.whisker.com/1000HOURS⁠ 

• Looking for guided adventures that will blow you away with their attention to detail? Head to ⁠www.exploreworldwide.com⁠ and tell them 1KHO sent you!

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When life suddenly stops feeling safe, the people around us may be our greatest protection. Dr. Raj Panjabi is a physician, the former White House national security official, the co-founder of Last Mile Health, and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. He joins Ginny Yurich to share what he has learned about navigating uncertainty from an extraordinary life that began when he fled civil war in Liberia as a nine-year-old refugee. Drawing from his new book, Safer, Raj explains why waiting for certainty can be dangerous, how “normalcy bias” caused him to miss the frightening signs of his own young daughter’s heart failure, and why our instinct to pull inward during hard times may be exactly backward. This conversation moves from his father’s unforgettable mantra of “no condition is permanent” to the science of resilience, the power of asking for help, and the surprising truth Raj has seen everywhere from remote communities to the White House Situation Room: our greatest protection isn’t isolation, it’s connection.

Links: Dr. Raj Panjabi · Safer · Last Mile Health

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Raising a child with special needs changes nearly every aspect of family life, but it can also reveal extraordinary opportunities for love, growth, and connection.

Dr. Joe and Cindy Ferrini, authors of The Special Needs Parent: A Guide to the Life You Never Expected, join Ginny to share lessons from nearly 45 years of raising their son Joey, who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and developmental disabilities.

Through heartfelt stories and practical wisdom, they explore the realities of lifelong caregiving, protecting marriage, supporting siblings, building community, and navigating the isolation many special needs families experience. They also discuss the role of faith in suffering and how unexpected challenges can transform a family's understanding of purpose.

This conversation offers encouragement to parents walking a difficult road while challenging friends, neighbors, and churches to move beyond good intentions and offer meaningful, practical support. It's a powerful reminder that every family deserves to be seen, welcomed, and supported.

Get the Ferrini's book here!

** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them out below: 

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• My Green Mattress: Visit www.mygreenmattress.com  and save 15% on your order during their Labor Day Sale. Plus, use code 1000hours for an additional $10 off your cart total when you purchase any mattress.

• BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month.

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• Whisker - Take care of your cats while taking an additional $50 off bundles with code 1000HOURS when you shop www.whisker.com/1000HOURS 

• Looking for guided adventures that will blow you away with their attention to detail? Head to www.exploreworldwide.com and tell them 1KHO sent you!

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The history of ticks in the United States is far stranger and more disturbing than many of us realize. Award-winning science writer Kris Newby, author of Bitten The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons and senior producer of the Oscar-shortlisted documentary Under Our Skin, joins Ginny Yurich to uncover the documented Cold War programs that experimented with weaponizing ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes. Kris shares her own family's devastating experience with Lyme disease, the years she spent investigating scientist Willy Burgdorfer, the open-air tick releases she uncovered, and why she believes we still don't know the whole story. But this conversation isn't meant to scare families indoors. It ends where parents need it to with information on how to take ticks seriously, what to do when you find one, and how to keep giving our kids the childhood outdoors they need. Learn more about Kris and her work at Kris Newby and watch Under Our Skin.

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Bestselling author Susan Cain joins Ginny Yurich for a fascinating conversation about the hidden strengths of introverts, the pressures of an extroverted culture, and the profound beauty of life's impermanence.

Drawing from her groundbreaking bestsellerQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan explores why society prizes charisma and outgoing personalities while often overlooking the creativity, leadership, and deep thinking that flourish in solitude. She shares practical guidance for raising introverted and shy children, understanding their unique temperaments, and helping them navigate unfamiliar situations with confidence and compassion.

The conversation also explores Susan's acclaimed book Bittersweet and her new children's book, Lucky and Norman, revealing why acknowledging sorrow, embracing life's inevitable goodbyes, and recognizing the fleeting nature of our experiences can deepen our capacity for joy, wonder, and connection.

This thoughtful episode offers parents a refreshing perspective on honoring their children's individuality, embracing life's complexities, and discovering the extraordinary gifts found in quiet moments.

Get Susan's book here!

** A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them out below: 

• My Green Mattress: Visit www.mygreenmattress.com  and save 15% on your order during their Labor Day Sale. Plus, use code 1000hours for an additional $10 off your cart total when you purchase any mattress.

• BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month.

• Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns

• IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership

• Whisker - Take care of your cats while taking an additional $50 off bundles with code 1000HOURS when you shop www.whisker.com/1000HOURS 

• Looking for guided adventures that will blow you away with their attention to detail? Head to www.exploreworldwide.com and tell them 1KHO sent you!

• Muzzle Sleep Tape - Go to MuzzleSleep.com and use code 1000HOURS for 10% off. 

• Boll & Branch - Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at BollAndBranch.com/1000hours  with code 1000hours

• Ka’Chava - Go to https://kachava.com and use code 1000HOURS for 15% off your first order.

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Here is a message worth here hearing over and over again: you were already worthy before you accomplished a single thing. Artist, author, speech therapist, and homeschooling mom Tabitha Paige returns to the 1000 Hours Outside Podcast for a conversation that goes much deeper than her children's books. Tabitha shares how her son Declan, who was born with a rare genetic syndrome and significant disabilities, changed the way she understands love, worth, and what makes a life valuable. Those messages are woven into her deeply personal new book, I’ve Loved You From the Start. Tabitha also tells the remarkable story of illustrating the book after a traumatic brain injury left her struggling to see, forcing her to wrestle with the very question she was writing about: Would I still have worth if I could never create again? Ginny and Tabitha talk about raising children in an achievement-obsessed culture, homeschooling without fear, choosing a different path for your family, keeping creativity alive into adulthood, and Tabitha's beautiful new Winnie-the-Pooh projects. This one is a reminder for parents and children alike: love isn't something we earn, and there isn't just one right way to build a meaningful life.

Find everything Tabitha has created here!! There are so many wonderful gift ideas for the holidays.

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Jordan Raynor is back on The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast with Ginny Yurich for a conversation about how to pursue big things without letting achievement become the measure of your worth. In his new book, Redeeming Your Goals, Jordan shares seven biblical principles and dozens of practical ways to chase meaningful goals with more courage, margin, perseverance, and dependence on God. This episode is filled with practical ideas. For example, Jordan shares the surprisingly effective tool he uses to stay off his phone around his kids. Goal setting has also caught on with his children and Jordan talks about the incredible goal his 12-year-old daughter Ellison set to fund four years of college for two children from an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. She’s already more than halfway there, and you can learn more and support her goal at JordanRaynor.com/Ellison. This one is for anyone who has ever dreamed big, failed hard, wanted to quit, or wondered how to keep going without losing themselves along the way.

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