269: Into the Ice: Bestselling Author Mark Synnott on Sailing the Northwest Passage and Finding Meaning in Adventure
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
Release Date: 05/06/2025
280: From Transport to Transformation: Enzo Narciso on Wilderness Therapy & Mentoring
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
In this compelling follow-up to Episode 98, Enzo Narciso returns to Stories from the Field to reflect on his transformation since first sharing his journey in 2020. A former wilderness therapy client who overcame addiction and a near-fatal overdose, Enzo now mentors young men transitioning home from treatment through his program, . He speaks candidly about the lasting impact of wilderness therapy—both its challenges and its gifts—including the controversial practice of being transported to treatment. Enzo unpacks how time in nature laid the foundation for his emotional awareness,...
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279: Anxiety, Connection, and the Outdoors: How Dr. Jack Hinman Helps Struggling Young Adults at Engage Transitions
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
In this insightful episode Will talks with Dr. Jack Hinman, co-founder and executive director of shares his personal path from a chaotic childhood in Memphis to launching a young adult transition program in the red rock and pine-covered terrain of Cedar City, Utah. Engage Transitions supports young adults facing anxiety, depression, executive functioning struggles, and social isolation—many of whom are also neurodivergent. Jack opens up about his own healing journey through friendship, therapy, and the outdoors, and offers a powerful reminder to parents: anxiety is not something to...
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278: Tents, Trust, and Transformation: How Wilderness Therapy Helps People Build Resilience and Heal
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
In this episode Will speaks with Jeff Holloway, a veteran social worker and therapeutic consultant from with decades of experience in therapeutic programs for youth. Jeff shares his decades-long journey through the evolving landscape of outdoor behavioral healthcare, from his early days working in residential care to helping launch the trauma-informed wilderness therapy program First Light. Drawing from his time in roles ranging from foster care to executive leadership, Jeff reflects on how outdoor programs have shifted from rigid models to more relational, integrative approaches that...
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277. From Crisis to Connection: A Parent’s Journey Through Teen Substance Use, Wilderness Therapy, and What Comes After
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Will is joined by parent coach Beth Hillman, a mother of five sons whose life was turned upside down when one of her teenagers spiraled into substance use and crisis. Beth shares the raw and emotional journey her family experienced—from the shame and fear of not knowing what was happening, to the decision to send her son to wilderness therapy, and ultimately, to her own transformation through emotional work and coaching. Beth opens up about how letting go of control, embracing vulnerability, and learning to hold boundaries with compassion helped...
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276: Nature's Path for Neurodivergent Boys: Beyond the Autism Diagnosis
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
In this episode, Will is joined by Chris Blankenship, founder of and former wilderness therapy psychotherapist. Chris shares how years in the field led him to recognize a growing number of young men arriving in treatment with undiagnosed autism—often masked by anxiety, depression, or substance use. He explains how his work at the Autism Learning Lab now supports adolescents and young adults through individualized coaching, family retreats, and outdoor-based interventions. Chris discusses how the outdoors offers a powerful setting for building awareness, confidence, and emotional regulation,...
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275: Men, Mental Health, and the Wild: Nick Mann on the Power of Coaching and Community
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
In this powerful episode Will welcomes Nick Mann—Marine Corps veteran, former wilderness therapy program director, and founder of Dad’s Project—for an honest and inspiring conversation about the mental health challenges men and boys face today. Nick shares his journey from military service to working in wilderness therapy and now coaching fathers, highlighting how leadership, emotional presence, and outdoor experiences can help men reconnect with their purpose. Together, Will and Nick dive into why boys and men are increasingly disconnected from nature and community, and how rites of...
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274: NOLS Risk Management Director on Resilience, Mental Health and the Future of Outdoor Programs
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
In this episode Will speaks with Katie Baum Mettenbrink, Director of Risk Management at the ), about the intersection of risk, resilience, and mental health in outdoor education. With over two decades at NOLS, Katie shares her journey from a college backpacking trip to becoming a leader in wilderness risk management. She discusses the importance of balancing challenge and safety in the field, her role in shaping the upcoming Wilderness Risk Management Conference in Portland, Maine, and how outdoor experiences can build clarity, connection, and emotional well-being for participants of all ages....
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273: Autism and Wilderness Therapy: How Elements Eclipse Helps Neurodivergent Teens Thrive
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
In this episode Will speaks with Dr. Neal Christensen, psychologist, researcher, and co-owner of Elements Programs in Utah. With over two decades in the field, Dr. Christensen shares his journey from discovering outdoor experiential work in high school to becoming a leader in wilderness therapy for neurodivergent youth. As co-creator of the Eclipse program at Elements, he discusses how the model intentionally shifts away from traditional primitive skills to better support teens on the autism spectrum, those with ADHD, and other social-cognitive challenges through tailored interventions that...
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272: Nature-Based Therapy for Youth: How Hearty Roots Supports Mental Health in Maine
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
In this episode Will speaks with Haley Bezon, founder and executive director of —a nonprofit nature-based wellness organization serving youth in Maine. Drawing on her own lived experience with mental health and a diverse work background in education and wilderness therapy, Haley shares how Hearty Roots was born from a desire to reimagine mental health care for children. Frustrated by the long waitlists and barriers many families face in Maine, she built a program that brings therapy outdoors—where kids heal through connection, movement, and the steady presence of caring mentors. Listeners...
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271: From Shame to Safety: Steve Smith on Building Safer Wilderness Therapy and Outdoor Ed Program
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
In this episode Will welcomes Steve Smith, founder of Experiential Consulting and a 30-year veteran in the outdoor education and risk management field. Steve shares his journey from classroom teacher to mountaineering instructor and eventually leading national conversations on risk through roles with Outward Bound, the Student Conservation Association, and the Wilderness Risk Management Conference. Throughout the episode, Steve explains how his thinking has evolved from linear, blame-based models of incident response to a systems-based, learning-focused philosophy that emphasizes psychological...
info_outlineIn this special live episode Will welcomes his longtime friend and world-renowned adventurer Mark Synnott, a veteran big wall climber, elite alpinist, National Geographic writer, and bestselling author of The Impossible Climb and The Third Pole. Mark joins remotely—from a sailboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean—for a captivating conversation recorded live at the Whitney Community Center in Jackson, New Hampshire. The discussion centers on his newest book, Into the Ice, which chronicles his bold journey through the Northwest Passage and his deep dive into one of history’s greatest polar mysteries: the lost Franklin Expedition. Along the way, Mark shares raw reflections on risk, family, storytelling, and why the hardest paths often offer the greatest rewards.
This episode is a wide-ranging exploration of what it means to pursue adventure as a way of life. From living in a cave in Yosemite to crossing the Arctic by sail, Mark offers gripping stories of survival, curiosity, and devotion—to his craft, his family, and the wild places that continue to call him. Whether you're drawn to extreme expeditions, compelling historical mysteries, or simply navigating uncertainty with purpose, this conversation will leave you inspired to embrace the unknown and chart your own course.
This episode was supported by:
White Birch Booksellers- (a great place to buy Mark’s new book!)
Mark’s previous episodes on Stories from the Field were: