{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode 81: Why We Need the Wilderness - Identity, Purpose & Soul Rest with Todd Pinkston","description":" 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 to remove enough noise that they can finally pay attention to what's happening beneath the surface. In this episode of On Adventure, Todd shares how a single question on a backpacking trip - \u201cIf money wasn't an issue and you could do anything to make a difference in the world, what would you do?\u201d - helped launch Wayforward Adventures. Todd and Josh explore the fear underneath entrepreneurship, why high performers can struggle to surrender control, and the surprising reason people return from the trail physically exhausted yet deeply rested. They also dig into one of Todd's most important ideas: the difference between living for your identity and living from it. Along the way, they talk about leadership, faith, family, discomfort, purpose, and Todd's newest adventure - training for his first 100K ultramarathon. In This Episode Todd and Josh explore: Why Wayforward is built around subtraction, not addition The question that changed the trajectory of Todd's life Wrestling with \u201cDo I have what it takes?\u201d Entrepreneurship, anxiety, and learning to lead from a healthier place Why surrendering your phone, watch, and schedule can be harder than carrying a backpack The difference between physical rest and \u201csoul rest\u201d How the wilderness strips away the personas we maintain at home Why intentionally choosing discomfort can prepare us for everyday life The role of vulnerability and community in lasting change Living from your identity instead of for it Why Todd sees purpose as a daily practice Training for his first 100K ultramarathon Episode Chapters 00:00 \u2014 Meet Todd Pinkston Wayforward Adventures and the idea of using the backcountry to reset priorities. 02:00 \u2014 Football, identity & the outdoors Todd's early search for identity and the mentor who introduced him to backpacking. 04:00 \u2014 Ministry through subtraction Why removing distractions can sometimes accomplish more than adding another program. 05:00 \u2014 The question that changed everything \u201cIf money wasn't an issue, what would you do?\u201d 07:00 \u2014 Do I have what it takes? Fear, entrepreneurship, and launching Wayforward Adventures. 11:00 \u2014 When grinding stops working COVID, leadership stress, and Todd's realization that deeper internal work was needed. 16:00 \u2014 Why the wilderness works Discomfort, authenticity, and what happens when the facade starts to disappear. 19:00 \u2014 The idea of \u201csoul rest\u201d Why people can finish a backpacking trip physically exhausted but deeply rested. 22:00 \u2014 Giving up control No phones. No watches. No schedule. No need to know what's next. 27:00 \u2014 Why adults need adventure How life experience changes what people bring into\u2014and take away from\u2014the wilderness. 30:00 \u2014 Managing risk in the mountains Altitude, acclimation, guide training, and knowing when to turn around. 33:00 \u2014 Why community matters Going below the surface and building relationships that continue after the trail. 35:00 \u2014 Choosing the hard thing How voluntary discomfort can reshape our relationship with adversity. 38:00 \u2014 Todd's first 100K Why he signed up for an ultramarathon despite the fear of failing. 40:00 \u2014 Running without distractions Long, slow miles as a space for solitude, prayer, and reflection. 43:00 \u2014 When suffering has a purpose Knowing the difference between productive challenge and simply pushing too far. 46:00 \u2014 Young guides leading accomplished adults What 21- and 22-year-old guides learn about trust, judgment, and leadership. 49:00 \u2014 It's all about perspective Why the exact same trail can feel completely different to two people. 50:00 \u2014 The cost of entrepreneurship Todd opens up about stress, marriage, family, and the harder years of building Wayforward. 55:00 \u2014 Living FROM your identity The difference between doing meaningful work and needing your work to prove who you are. 58:00 \u2014 Unstuck and Alive Recognizing and unlearning the stories that drive our internal dialogue. 1:00:00 \u2014 Purpose is a practice Why purpose isn't something we discover once\u2014it's something we continually live. 1:03:00 \u2014 Where to find Todd & Wayforward Memorable Moments \u201cWe don't give ourselves what we actually need. We give ourselves the comfort that we think we want.\u201d Todd describes one of the biggest surprises of Wayforward: people return from several days of hiking and sleeping on the ground physically exhausted, yet they repeatedly say they feel rested. His explanation is that sometimes we need less physical rest and more soul rest\u2014time when nobody needs anything from us and the phone isn't demanding our attention. Another question captures much of Todd's personal journey: \u201cAm I living from my identity or am I living for my identity?\u201d Living for identity means accomplishments continually have to prove something about us. Living from identity allows us to work hard without making the outcome responsible for telling us who we are. About Todd Pinkston Todd Pinkston is the co-founder of Wayforward Adventures, a Southern Colorado backpacking organization that takes adults into the backcountry for multi-day experiences centered on challenge, community, faith, and reflection. Todd's journey into the wilderness began in high school and continued through guiding backpacking trips in Southern Colorado. He launched Wayforward in 2014 after seeing firsthand how powerfully the backcountry experience could impact adults. What began with roughly 25 people on trail during the first summer has grown to hundreds of participants each year. Resources Mentioned Wayforward Adventures \u2014 Multi-day guided backpacking experiences in Southern Colorado. Unstuck and Alive \u2014 Todd Pinkston and Steven Neuner's book exploring identity, purpose, and the stories that shape our lives. Unstuck and Alive Podcast \u2014 Conversations centered on many of the same themes. Also mentioned: Arthur Brooks, David Brooks' The Second Mountain, and the Bear Chase 100K. Connect with Todd Wayforward Adventures: wayforwardadventures.com Email: todd@wayforwardadventures.com The Takeaway Sometimes the next step isn't adding something. It's removing enough noise to hear what's already there. Todd's story is a reminder that adventure doesn't have to be about conquering the biggest mountain or proving how much discomfort we can endure. The wilderness can simply give us enough distance from everyday life to examine what is driving us, reconnect with who we are, and return home with a clearer sense of how we want to live. If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe to On Adventure, share the episode with someone who could use a little less noise and a little more adventure, and join us for the next episode. ","author_name":"On Adventure Podcast with Josh Self","author_url":"https:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/432426","html":"