326: Adventure Isn’t Just for the Young: The Call to Adventure Later in Life
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
Release Date: 08/25/2026
333: From Big Wall Climber to Social Entrepreneur: Peter Mayfield on Nature as Medicine
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
How does a young climber who made first ascents on Yosemite’s El Capitan become a social entrepreneur focused on nature and mental health? Peter Mayfield joins Will to trace that journey, from the climbers who mentored him to founding CityRock and Gateway Mountain Center. At Gateway, he developed a clinically supervised, nature-based therapeutic mentoring program that brought support to young people outdoors while keeping them connected to their families and communities. Peter explains the program’s Four Roots approach—authentic relationships, nature connection, embodied challenges, and...
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332: Hurricane Helene at Foundations Asheville: Young Adults, Trauma, and Resilience
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
How do you keep young adults safe after a hurricane cuts off water, power, and communication—and your own home has been crushed by trees? Adam Ray joins Will on the second anniversary of Hurricane Helene to recount what happened at , a transition community for young adults ages 18–25 that Adam was executive director at the time. With roads blocked and families unable to reach their children, Adam and his colleagues checked on students across the program’s houses, filtered water, found generators and satellite internet, and eventually arranged temporary housing outside Asheville. Adam...
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331: Awakening Wildness: Can Nature Help Us Through Grief? With Dr. Christy McConnell
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
Can stepping into the wild help us navigate grief, find healing, and truly reconnect with who we are? In this moving episode, Will sits down with Dr. Christy McConnell, author of the transformative new book . Christy opens up about how her father helped her rediscover her direction during a difficult period by teaching her to rock climb—and how his sudden death just six weeks later irrevocably shaped her life's work, leading to decades of research into meaningful outdoor experiences. Together, Christy and Will dive into her five core pathways to a deeper ecological connection—sensory...
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330: Can Woodworking Transform Addiction Recovery? Jeremy French and Making Whole
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
What if addiction recovery isn't simply about stopping drugs or alcohol, but about learning new ways to solve problems, face uncertainty, and build a life worth living? In this episode Will speaks with Jeremy French, founder of in Asheville, North Carolina. Drawing on three decades of his own sobriety, Jeremy challenges conventional ideas about addiction and treatment. He argues that drugs and alcohol often become powerful because, for a time, they work—they provide solutions to pain, fear, discomfort, and other problems. Recovery, then, requires developing new solutions for navigating the...
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329. Can Adventure Help Young People Grow Up? The Mountain Goat Movement
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
What happens when young people step away from their phones, leave behind an increasingly automated world, and enter experiences that require them to be fully present? In this episode Will speaks with Greg Morrissey, founder of the an adventure travel and outdoor education organization serving high school and college students. A former literature teacher, Greg explains why he left the classroom to create outdoor experiences that combine skiing, surfing, trekking, environmental learning, digital detox, and long-term mentorship. Greg shares stories ranging from students attempting to order Uber...
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328: Can You Save Someone Without Drowning Yourself? PTSD, Caregiving, and Wilderness Survival
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
What happens when caring for someone you love begins to pull you under too? In this episode of Stories from the Field, Will speaks with journalist and author Virginia Eubanks about her new memoir After her partner, Jay, survived two violent attacks and developed severe PTSD, Virginia became a primary caregiver while trying to navigate a fragmented mental health and healthcare system. Years later, she was diagnosed with collateral PTSD herself. Searching for practical guidance, Virginia found some of the most useful lessons not in traditional caregiving advice, but in an unexpected place: a...
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327: Beyond Walk-and-Talk Therapy: Lindsay Cray on Integrating Nature into Psychotherapy
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
What makes nature-based psychotherapy different from simply taking therapy outdoors? In this episode Will speaks with licensed mental health counselor Lindsay Cray, founder of about how the natural world can become an active partner in trauma treatment. Lindsay traces her path from seeking safety in the woods during a turbulent childhood to working in conservation, environmental education, and mental health counseling. She explains how nature can support nervous-system regulation, expand sensory awareness, and help clients experience safety, connection, and resilience in ways that may be...
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326: Adventure Isn’t Just for the Young: The Call to Adventure Later in Life
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
Why do we associate adventure and transformation with young people when adults may need them just as much? In this solo episode of Stories from the Field, host Will White reflects on a conversation with his mentor, Dr. Dan Garvey, who predicted more than 20 years ago that the future of adventure therapy would include older adults. Drawing on Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, Will explores how career changes, empty nests, loss, changing relationships, health challenges, and shifting identities can call adults into a new stage of growth, purpose, and possibility. Will introduces the , which...
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325: NatureDose: Can Tracking Time Outdoors Improve Mental Health?
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
How much time in nature do we need to improve our mental health? And how can we track and quantify our exposure to it? In this episode, Will speaks with co-founder and CEO Jared Hanley about the science of nature exposure and its relationship to stress, mood, sleep, and overall well-being. Jared explains how uses satellite imagery and data science to measure health-supporting nature through , while its free app tracks the time people spend outdoors and in natural environments. Jared discusses why even a 20-minute nature break may be beneficial, what emerging research suggests about...
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324: Decolonizing Ecotherapy: Laura Marques Brown on Nature, Healing, and Liberation
Stories from the Field: Mental Health and the Outdoors
What does it truly mean to practice ecotherapy? In this episode Will welcomes ecotherapist and founder of and , Laura Marques Brown, for a thought-provoking conversation about the evolving field of nature-based mental health. Laura shares her journey as the daughter of Brazilian immigrants, how her search for belonging led her into the mountains of Colorado and graduate training at Naropa University, and why she believes nature became the one place where she never had to hide who she was. Together, they explore the foundations of her work in decolonized ecotherapy, her framework of Land,...
info_outlineWhy do we associate adventure and transformation with young people when adults may need them just as much? In this solo episode of Stories from the Field, host Will White reflects on a conversation with his mentor, Dr. Dan Garvey, who predicted more than 20 years ago that the future of adventure therapy would include older adults. Drawing on Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, Will explores how career changes, empty nests, loss, changing relationships, health challenges, and shifting identities can call adults into a new stage of growth, purpose, and possibility.
Will introduces the White Mountain Adventure Institute, which grew out of more than 35 years of experience in behavioral healthcare, clinical practice, teaching, leadership, writing, and podcasting. Together, those experiences led him to develop adventure-based coaching for adults and leaders navigating transitions, changing roles, and questions about purpose and what comes next. Through coaching, immersive retreats, and organizational consulting, WMAI helps individuals and organizations turn periods of change into opportunities for reflection, growth, and renewed direction. Learn more at WMAI.org.