KEEN Ambassadors and Their ‘Wild Ideas Worth Living’

This past year, our KEEN Ambassadors have done everything from paragliding in Mexico and trekking around Morocco to skiing all 90 of the most difficult lines in the Wasatch mountains and marching for climate change awareness in Washington, D.C. They are a bunch of badasses, for sure. But even more than that, they are awesome individuals with passion for life outside and making the world better.

Three of our ambassadors, Ari DeLashmutt, Caroline Gleich, and Zeppelin Zeerip, caught the attention of podcaster Shelby Stanger and were recently featured on her Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast about people who acted on their “what if” and followed their dream.

“It’s about building a tribe of people who want to make more positive decisions in their lives, from the food they eat to the people they surround themselves by,” Shelby writes. “It’s about taking a wild leap of faith and having meaningful conversations with people who have made it happen.”

Here are their wild ideas:

Highlining in Amazing Places with Ari DeLashmutt

Ari’s wild idea: To cross canyons and mountains hundreds of feet in the air. To highline at challenging locations, and to apply lessons of life learned in the air to life on the ground. Listen to Ari's story.

Whether soaring through the air in Morocco, helping children in Mexico, or playing on the rocks in his home of Bend, Oregon, Ari puts a strong value on friendship and inspiring others while working to make as much of his “insane list of dreams” into a reality as possible. In this podcast, Ari shares some of his best lessons learned from highlining—rigging ropes tethered to rocks in precarious locations—and why play is so important.

Ski Mountaineering and Adventuring with Caroline Gleich

Caroline’s wild idea: To climb up huge mountains, ski down them, go on amazing adventures, and become an advocate for the environment and more. Listen to Caroline's story.

Easy to say, but for Caroline the outdoors is the essence of her being. Growing a childhood love of snow and the outdoors into professional ski mountaineering, writing, and visual storytelling, her career is fueled by a creative drive and need to protect the places she plays. In this podcast, she shares her experience of being a small woman in a burly man’s sport, training tips for climbing mountains, and how she handles fear and post-accomplishment blues.

Professional Snowboarding and Filmmaking with Zeppelin Zeerip

Zeppelin’s wild idea: To share different perspectives of the public land debate through his latest documentary film, and inspire others to get outside. Listen to Zeppelin's story.

Depending on when you catch Zep, if you can catch him, you could easily be confused as to whether he is a snowboarder or a western states rancher. His current film project has him driving his F-250 adventure rig throughout the west documenting America's relationship with public lands and snowboarding between diesel fill-ups. In this podcast, Zeppelin discusses the importance of hearing perspectives from all sides, and how losses earlier in life help keep him motivated today.

Whatever adventures the new year holds for you, we hope you will be inspired by Ari, Caroline, and Zeppelin, and all of Shelby’s guests on Wild Ideas Worth Living.