The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Ginny Yurich sits down with Danish dad, author, entrepreneur, and longtime unschooling parent Jesper Conrad for a wide-ranging conversation about fatherhood, family, creativity, and building a life around what matters most. Jesper shares how his wife’s battle with leukemia changed the trajectory of their family, eventually leading them to embrace full-time travel, homeschooling, and a more intentional way of living.

Jesper opens up about his own struggles with anger and frustration as a father and why he believes dads need more opportunities to talk honestly about parenting, vulnerability, and their relationships with their children. He explores the importance of attachment, repairing relationships after difficult moments, and moving away from control and power struggles.

They also dive into Jesper’s wonderfully eclectic approach to life—from writing books and carving spoons to building businesses and creating podcasts—and the value of learning by doing. Plus, Jesper offers powerful encouragement for homeschooling and unschooling families: stay a parent first, protect your child’s curiosity, trust the learning process, and remember that you don’t have to have the entire journey figured out before you begin.

Learn more about Jesper here!

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

Fora Travel: Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/1000hours

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

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

Zenni Optical- Go to www.zenni.com/podcast and use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order, plus free shipping on all U.S. orders over $65.

Active Skin Repair - Don’t forget to put this in your first aid kit! Visit ActiveSkinRepair.com and use the code 1000HOURS to save 20% on all Active Skin Repair products.

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.

Fora Travel - Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/1000hours

Hey Polo - Protect your loved ones without spying on them. Go to heypolo.com/1000hours or use code 1000HOURS and get 40% off your first year!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ginny Yurich sits down with Tamara Neufeld Strijack, co-author of Reclaiming Our Students, for a powerful conversation about what children need to thrive in a world increasingly dominated by screens, schedules, and peer influence. Tamara explains why children are meant to orient around caring adults—and how strong relationships with parents, teachers, and mentors create the safety children need to learn, grow, and become themselves.

They explore the essential role of play, nature, movement, and the arts as “emotional playgrounds”—places where frustration, anxiety, and other emotions can safely move through rather than erupt as aggression. Tamara also unpacks the powerful shift from “mad to sad,” explaining why allowing children to experience disappointment and tears is actually part of developing resilience.

Plus, Ginny and Tamara discuss “collecting”—the simple practice of intentionally welcoming children back into relationship—and why feeling seen, enjoyed, and cared for can transform homes and classrooms. It’s a hopeful, practical conversation about slowing down, reconnecting, and making room for the experiences children were designed to have.

Get Tamara's book here!

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

Fora Travel: Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/1000hours

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

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

Zenni Optical- Go to www.zenni.com/podcast and use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order, plus free shipping on all U.S. orders over $65.

Active Skin Repair - Don’t forget to put this in your first aid kit! Visit ActiveSkinRepair.com and use the code 1000HOURS to save 20% on all Active Skin Repair products.

KT by Knix - Go to www.KnixTeen.com , and use code 1000HOURS for 15 percent off.

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ginny Yurich sits down with physician, resilience expert, and Your Brain on Nature author Dr. Eva Selhub to explore the remarkable ways nature influences our brains, bodies, relationships, and overall well-being. Drawing from decades of research, Dr. Selhub explains why our increasing separation from the natural world—combined with constant screens, information overload, and chronic stress—may be taking a greater toll than we realize.

They explore surprising research on everything from indoor plants and cognitive performance to texting, mental fatigue, dopamine, attention, empathy, and the accumulating effects of everyday stress. Dr. Selhub explains how nature can help restore an overwhelmed nervous system, improve our capacity to think and connect, and provide a powerful counterbalance to modern life.

Plus, hear why pets can strengthen connection, how gardening and walking support the brain, why even the aromas of trees may influence our health, and how small doses of nature woven into everyday life can make a meaningful difference.

Get Dr. Selhub's book here!

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

Fora Travel: Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/1000hours

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

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

Zenni Optical- Go to www.zenni.com/podcast and use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order, plus free shipping on all U.S. orders over $65.

Active Skin Repair - Don’t forget to put this in your first aid kit! Visit ActiveSkinRepair.com and use the code 1000HOURS to save 20% on all Active Skin Repair products.

KT by Knix - Go to www.KnixTeen.com , and use code 1000HOURS for 15 percent off.

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if one of the most effective parenting tools isn’t another consequence or reward, but play?

Ginny is joined by Dr. Kim Van Dusen, licensed marriage and family therapist, registered play therapist, and author of Parenting Through Play, to explore how play can transform challenging behavior, strengthen connection, and bring more peace into family life. Dr. Kim explains why play is a child’s natural language and shares simple ways parents can use it to diffuse power struggles, ease transitions, and encourage cooperation without abandoning healthy boundaries.

They also discuss the importance of decompression time, why saying “yes” more often can reduce conflict, and how parents can recognize when they’re over-parenting and give kids more opportunities to build independence and confidence. Dr. Kim offers practical strategies for helping parents regulate themselves, making mealtimes and picky eating more playful, and continuing to connect through play as children grow into tweens and teens.

This conversation is a refreshing reminder that parenting doesn’t always have to become more serious when things get difficult. Sometimes, adding a little play is exactly what changes everything.

Grab Dr. Van Dusen's book here!

Learn more abou her work here!

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

Fora Travel: Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/1000hours

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

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

Zenni Optical- Go to www.zenni.com/podcast and use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order, plus free shipping on all U.S. orders over $65.

Active Skin Repair - Don’t forget to put this in your first aid kit! Visit ActiveSkinRepair.com and use the code 1000HOURS to save 20% on all Active Skin Repair products.

KT by Knix - Go to www.KnixTeen.com , and use code 1000HOURS for 15 percent off.

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when the faith that once sustained you no longer feels big enough for the questions you’re carrying?

Ginny sits down with bestselling author Ian Morgan Cron to explore the newly re-released Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim’s Tale, a novel about a burned-out pastor whose crisis of faith sends him on an unexpected pilgrimage through Italy and into the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi.

Ian shares why seasons of questioning don’t necessarily signal the loss of faith—they can become invitations into something deeper, richer, and more resilient. Together, he and Ginny explore pilgrimage, the wisdom of ancient Christian traditions, the importance of listening to our bodies, and what can happen when we step outside our routines and relinquish control.

They also explore St. Francis’s profound connection to the natural world and why time outdoors can awaken wonder, restore perspective, and reconnect us with God. It’s a thoughtful conversation about embracing mystery, paying attention, and allowing our faith to grow alongside us through every season of life.

Get Ian's book here!

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

Fora Travel: Become a Fora Advisor today at Foratravel.com/1000hours

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

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

Zenni Optical- Go to www.zenni.com/podcast and use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order, plus free shipping on all U.S. orders over $65.

Active Skin Repair - Don’t forget to put this in your first aid kit! Visit ActiveSkinRepair.com and use the code 1000HOURS to save 20% on all Active Skin Repair products.

KT by Knix - Go to www.KnixTeen.com , and use code 1000HOURS for 15 percent off.

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices