Episode 50: What My Son Taught Me About True Strength and Courage with Hudson Self
On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self
Release Date: 05/30/2025
Episode 81: Why We Need the Wilderness - Identity, Purpose & Soul Rest with Todd Pinkston
On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self
Most of us are constantly adding something to our lives - a better routine, another goal, a new piece of technology, one more strategy for getting everything under control. Todd Pinkston has built an entire organization around doing the opposite. As co-founder of Wayforward Adventures, Todd takes adults into the Southern Colorado backcountry for four- and five-day backpacking trips where the phones and watches stay behind, the distractions disappear, and participants aren't even told what time it is. The idea isn't to conquer the biggest mountain or push people to their physical limits. It's...
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Episode 80: Living Your Great Life Right Now with Monica 'Moss' Aguilar
On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self
What happens when you build your life around the things that make you come alive - not someday, but right now? Monica Aguilar, known on trail as “Moss,” is an artist, long-distance hiker, and everyday explorer who has intentionally built a flexible life around creativity and adventure. After graduating from UMass Amherst, she spent a season working in Alaska before thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2018. Since then, she’s continued exploring on foot and by bike, including the Pacific Crest Trail and more than 3,000 miles on the Continental Divide Trail. In this conversation, Monica...
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Episode 79: Why Altitude Humbles Even Experienced Climbers with Karl Frank
On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self
What do you find out about yourself when the mountain sends you back down? In this episode of On Adventure Podcast, Josh talks with Karl Frank, a Colorado native, mountaineer, and President of A&I Wealth Management in Denver. Karl grew up hiking out the back door of his family's home at 7,000 feet, and he is now working his way through the Seven Summits. They discuss two very different trips up Kilimanjaro, a December summit of Aconcagua that most of the group did not finish, and a winter ascent of Mount Whitney where a single misstep by a teammate...
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Episode 78: Adventure Has No Expiration Date with Beverly MacDowell
On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self
Adventure Has No Expiration Date with Beverly McDowell What if some of your greatest adventures are still ahead of you? In this episode of On Adventure, Josh sits down with Beverly MacDowell, a retired educator, hiking guide, trail maintainer, and lifelong learner based in Asheville, North Carolina. She’s also the sister of actress Andie MacDowell - but Beverly has carved out an adventurous story entirely her own, much of it after age 50. Beverly shares how hiking became a source of joy, confidence, community, and purpose, from introducing women over 60 to backpacking to maintaining...
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Episode 77: The John Muir Trail, Leadership, and Running Toward Adventure with Alex Potts
On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self
What happens when you stop running away from the pressures of life and start running toward the life you actually want? Alex Potts grew up in Sunnyvale, California, riding BMX bikes through the apricot orchards that would eventually become the heart of Silicon Valley. Raised by a single mom who taught elementary school and worked hard to keep their family afloat, Alex learned early lessons about money, service, resilience, and taking care of other people. Those lessons followed him into a remarkable career. Alex spent more than three decades helping build what became Loring Ward, a firm that...
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Episode 76: Summit Fever and Close Calls - Knowing When to Turn Back in the Mountains with Stefan Gruber
On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self
What happens when you build your work around the life you want to live? In this episode of On Adventure, Josh talks with Stefan Gruber, a climber, photographer, traveler, and customer success professional at Levitate. Stefan shares how remote work and his wife Sarah’s career as a travel nurse have helped them create a life centered on movement, creativity, and outdoor adventure. They discuss climbing, film photography, international travel, dangerous moments in the mountains, and the judgment required to turn around when conditions are not right. At the heart of the conversation is a...
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Episode 75: Hard Things Are Worth Doing with Justin Smith
On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self
Episode Description What happens in the dark hours before sunrise on day two, when your body starts asking what exactly you are doing out here? Justin Smith teaches high school in Santa Cruz, California, where his classroom is a working bike shop. By day he runs a Career Tech Ed program through Project Bike Tech, teaching teenagers to fix bikes, build resumes, and solve real problems with their own hands. On his own time, he is an ultra-endurance athlete who has finished the 2,700-mile Tour Divide from Banff, Canada to the Mexico border in 16 days straight, raced the Fiji...
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Episode 74: Carrying a Language Home with Gil Jackson
On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self
Episode 74: Carrying a Language Home with Gil Jackson Episode Description What does it mean to be so connected to a place that even your name carries it? Gil Jackson, known by the Cherokee name Dohi, meaning outside or outdoors, was born in Robbinsville, North Carolina in 1951 and today lives on 30 acres just 200 yards from the spot where he came into the world. He is a fluent Cherokee speaker, one of roughly 130 left, an elder of the Snowbird community, and an educator who has taught at Stanford, UNC Asheville, and Duke. In 2014, he thru-hiked all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail,...
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Episode 73: Running is Life with Aaron Saft
On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self
ON ADVENTURE PODCAST | EPISODE 73 Episode 73: Running is Life with Aaron Saft As a species, we only do things if there is truly a reward on the other side. So when the reward is pain, struggle, suffering, and danger, what exactly keeps driving us back out the door? Aaron Saft has spent his life chasing that answer. A five-time ACC champion at NC State whose teams finished third at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, he traded the track for the trail, ran his first 100-miler in 2016, and has since become one of the most experienced ultrarunners in the Southeast. Today he coaches...
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Episode 72: Risk in Every Form with Greg Winchester
On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self
ON ADVENTURE PODCAST | EPISODE 72 Episode 72: Risk in Every Form with Greg Winchester Episode Description What does it take to keep saying yes to risk, in the boardroom, on the trail, and across all seven continents, for forty years and counting? Greg Winchester calls himself an armchair explorer, but the title sells him short. Over a 40-plus-year career in commercial real estate, he has worked through the savings and loan crisis, the 2008 financial crisis, and COVID, first as a banker, then as a co-owner, and today as an investor through his family office, Summit...
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In this heartfelt episode of the On Adventure Podcast, I sit down with a younger Everyday Explorer, my son Hudson, for a conversation that redefines what adventure truly means. While we often explore tales of physical challenge and bold travel, this episode takes us on an inward journey—a story of persistence, identity, and the courage to live fully despite daily challenges. Hudson lives with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a rare genetic condition, and he brings us into his world with sincerity, wisdom, and humor.
We talk about what it’s like to grow up with PWS, the unique joys and struggles that come with it, and how it’s shaped Hudson’s perspective on life. He shares how adventure isn’t just found on mountaintops or across oceans—it’s in the relationships we build, the obstacles we face, and the love we share. From exploring WWII history in Europe to dreaming about the Great Wall of China, Hudson reminds us that the truest adventures are often the ones that take place in our own hearts and homes. This episode is not just a story of difference—it’s a story of belonging, resilience, and the extraordinary power of being seen and included.
⏱️ Timeline Summary
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[0:00] – Meet Hudson Self and an introduction to Prader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Month
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[1:00] – Hudson’s heartfelt presentation on living with PWS
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[3:00] – Sharing his passions and personal joys beyond the diagnosis
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[5:00] – The importance of inclusion and being treated like everyone else
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[7:00] – Discussing the constant challenge of hunger with PWS
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[9:00] – How PWS brought meaningful relationships and mentors into Hudson’s life
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[10:00] – Visiting historical sites in Europe and the emotional impact of Normandy
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[12:00] – Dreaming of a future adventure to the Great Wall of China
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[13:00] – Favorite memories from a Jurassic-themed trip to Hawaii
🔗 Links & Resources
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Learn more about Prader-Willi Syndrome
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Prader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Month (May)
🎧 Closing Thoughts
This episode is a powerful reminder that adventure comes in many forms. If Hudson's story moved you, inspired you, or made you think a little differently, please consider rating, following, and sharing the podcast from our YouTube (this is brand new!), Instagram and Facebook pages (this is new too!). And don’t forget to leave a review—we’d love to hear from you.