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Go Wildly Podcast

Go Wildly Podcast

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 The Go Wildly Podcast is what happens when two childhood friends turn into dirtbag adventure junkies and decide to bring a mic into the wilderness. We’re Emily & Heather—equal parts heart and chaos—pulling stories out of people like snacks from the bottom of a backpack. We hike. We float. We talk. At the heart of each episode is one question: What was your pivotal outdoor moment—the one that changed everything? Together let’s GO WILDLY!Go Wildly Podcast
Episodes
  • How the River Helped Me Become Myself - Rian Garn | Go Wildly Podcast

    How the River Helped Me Become Myself - Rian Garn | Go Wildly Podcast
    Mar 11 2026
    What does it mean to find your place in the world — and finally feel at home in yourself?In this episode of the Go Wildly Podcast, we float with river guide Rian Garn to talk about a life shaped by wild places, long river miles, and the deeply personal journey of becoming who you truly are.Rian grew up in the Sonoran Desert near Tucson, Arizona. After her first overnight canoe trip down the Gila River at 14, she was hooked. Over the next decade she chased river miles across the West — rowing trips through the Grand Canyon, Idaho, and Utah while building a deep love for moving water and the communities that form around it.Eventually a seasonal job at a remote lodge on Oregon’s Wild & Scenic Rogue River changed the course of her life into a career guiding river trips, running gear boats, and building a life around the river corridor. But this conversation goes far deeper than river guiding.Rian shares the story of coming home to the river — and coming out as her authentic self. We talk about her journey of transitioning, transforming, and transcending while building community within the river guiding world.We explore how outdoor spaces and guiding communities can become places of belonging — and how leaders in the outdoor industry can foster inclusive, supportive environments for queer and gender-nonconforming people.This episode is about wild rivers, resilience, identity, and the powerful feeling of finally meeting yourself in the places that shape you. Whether you're a boater, paddler, outdoor explorer, or simply someone who feels pulled toward wild places, this conversation explores the meaning of river life and the lessons water, and women, can teach us.In this episode we discuss• Growing up exploring the Sonoran Desert• First backpacking trips in the Grand Canyon• A first Grand Canyon rafting trip from hell• Discovering the Rogue River• Transitioning from lodge hand to professional river guide• The Lochsa River and Idaho river culture• Hormone Replacement Therapy• Building queer-inclusive outdoor communitiesAbout Go Wildly PodcastGo Wildly is a storytelling podcast based in Southern Oregon exploring outdoor culture, adventure, and the people whose lives are shaped by wild places. Each episode features guides, scientists, artists, and everyday locals who are building meaningful lives connected to the outdoors.Real people. Real stories. Wild places.If you love outdoor podcasts, rivers, community, or understanding the landscapes you move through — you’re in the right place.🎧 Follow Go WildlyYouTube: @gowildlypodcast Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/spotifygowildlypo...Instagram: @gowildlypodcast Website: https://www.gowildlypodcast.comContact: gowildlyoregon@gmail.com🌿 About Rian GarnRian Garn is a River guide who divides her seasons between the Rogue and Idaho, where she serves as the Lochsa River Area Manager for ROW Adventures. She also guides multi-day wilderness expeditions on legendary rivers like the Middle Fork of the Salmon. 🔗 Guest LinksInstagram: @queen_rian_loves_youROW Adventures: www.rowadventures.com/multi-day-rafting-trips🔥 Listener DiscountUse code GOWILDLY for $100 off any multi-day river trip with ROW Adventures in 2026 or 2027. Not valid in combination with any other discounts, offers, or promotions. Subject to availability and confirmed departures. No cash value. Valid on new reservations only.🛠 CreditsHosted, Edited & Produced by Go Wildly PodcastTheme Music: “Rainmaker” by Jared MastersKeywordsGo Wildly Podcast, Southern Oregon podcast, outdoor podcast, river guide life, Rogue River rafting, Idaho river guiding, Lochsa River, Middle Fork Salmon River, whitewater rafting podcast, rafting culture, Grand Canyon rafting, outdoor adventure podcast, LGBTQ outdoor stories, queer outdoor community, inclusive outdoor culture, Oregon rivers, Idaho rivers, Rogue Valley podcast, wilderness storytelling podcast, place-based podcast
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    1 hr and 23 mins
  • Life as a Rogue River Guide with Nicole Smedegaard | Go Wildly Podcast

    Life as a Rogue River Guide with Nicole Smedegaard | Go Wildly Podcast
    Mar 4 2026
    🎙 Go Wildly Podcast — Episode 23: Nicole Smedegaard | Life as a Rogue River Guide🌲 About This EpisodeOn this episode of Go Wildly, we float with whitewater pro Nicole Smedegaard to talk about what draws people to wild rivers, the reality of “type two fun,” and what it takes to develop confidence and humility in powerful natural environments.For the past 15 years, Nicole Smedegaard has built her life around rivers. She is a true Rogue River rat - both growing up IN Rogue River and working ON the Rogue River. Whether you're a boater, paddler, outdoor explorer, or simply someone who feels pulled toward wild places, this conversation explores the meaning of river life and the lessons water, and women, can teach us.In this episode we discuss• Life as a Rogue River guide• The meaning of “type two fun” and “type A” adventurer• Whitewater paddling and rowing• Swiftwater rescue and river safety• Expedition river trips• Community on the river• Learning humility from wild water• Her super cool gear!Go Wildly is a storytelling podcast centered on real people, outdoor culture, and meaningful conversations rooted in Southern Oregon — exploring how wild places influence creativity, purpose, resilience, and community.If you love outdoor podcasts, rivers, community, or understanding the landscapes you move through — you’re in the right place.🎧 Follow Go WildlyYouTube: @gowildlypodcast Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/spotifygowildlypodcastInstagram: @gowildlypodcast Website: https://www.gowildlypodcast.comContact: gowildlyoregon@gmail.com🌿 About Nicole SmedegaardNicole is a whitewater boater, guide, and instructor who has guided on the Rogue River for more than 15 years. She’s the owner of Nature Nicole Whitewater, an ACA Level 4–certified instructor with over 10,500 river miles and more than a thousand days on the water. A lover of inflatable boats, exploratory missions, and what she proudly calls “type two fun,” Nicole brings deep experience, curiosity, and joy to every stretch of river she runs.🔗 Guest LinksWebsite: www.naturenicolewhitewater.com Instagram: @nicolesmedegaard🔥 Listener DiscountUse code WILDLY for $45 off Rescue 3 International’s Whitewater Rescue Technician–Pro Course, April 27–29, 2026 in Southern OregonSpace is limited! Intended for guides, river professionals, field staff, or individuals with prior swiftwater rescue training. Valid through April 26, 2026.👂🏽Guest MentionsSparkle Pad from Oregon River Gear: www.oregonrivergear.comWorldwide Women of Whitewater: www.worldwidewomenofwhitewater.orgSOTAR: www.sotar.comSawyer Paddles & Oars: www.paddlesandoars.comClass V Adventure Gear: www.classvgear.com 🛠 CreditsHosted, Edited & Produced by Go Wildly PodcastTheme Music: “Rainmaker” by Jared Masters🏕 KeywordsGo Wildly Podcast, Southern Oregon podcast, Rogue Valley podcast, outdoor podcast, rafting podcast, outdoor adventure podcast, outdoor culture podcast, outdoor lifestyle podcast, nature podcast, independent podcast, local voices podcast, place-based podcast, environmental storytelling, whitewater rafting, rafting, rogue river rafting, rafting rogue river, rogue river guide, river guide life, swiftwater rescue, swiftwater rescue training, river safety, paddling safety, whitewater kayaking, river expedition, type two fun, Nicole Smedegaard, Southern Oregon rivers, Rogue River, Rogue River watershed, Oregon rivers, wild rivers Oregon, Rogue Valley Oregon, Oregon outdoors, Medford Oregon podcast, Ashland Oregon podcast, Grants Pass Oregon podcast, river ecology, watershed health, drought and rivers, wildfire and streams, love story
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Freak For Fish with Marshall Wolf | Go Wildly Podcast

    Freak For Fish with Marshall Wolf | Go Wildly Podcast
    Feb 26 2026

    🎙 Go Wildly Podcast — Episode 22: Marshall Wolf | Freak for Fish🌲 About This EpisodeOn this episode of Go Wildly, we sit down with stream ecologist Marshall Wolf to talk about fish, fieldwork, and what it actually looks like to survey wild streams in the Rogue Valley.Marshall holds a Ph.D. in Aquatic Ecology from Utah State and has worked across the West studying fish populations, habitat connectivity, and watershed health. But Southern Oregon keeps pulling him back. After moving away multiple times, he’s returned again and again to work in Rogue Valley streams — surveying fish, analyzing creek systems, and helping better understand how water, habitat, and human impact intersect.In this conversation, we dive into: • How fish surveys actually work in Southern Oregon streams • What snorkeling in Oregon streams is like • What species are thriving (and struggling) in Rogue Valley watersheds • How fish tell us about the health of an ecosystem • Making friends with the outdoors • How to live a life in the dirtWe spend most of this episode in the water — talking fish behavior, surveying structures, and the hidden complexity of small creeks that most people walk right past.Marshall also shares how his life moves between science and dirt — from aquatic ecology to trail building with the Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association — and why the Rogue Valley continues to call him home.Go Wildly is a storytelling podcast centered on real people, outdoor culture, and meaningful conversations rooted in Southern Oregon — exploring how wild places influence creativity, purpose, resilience, and community.If you love outdoor podcasts, rivers, fish, local ecology, or understanding the landscapes you move through — you’re in the right place.🎧 Follow Go WildlyYouTube: @gowildlypodcast Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/spotifygowildlypodcastInstagram: @gowildlypodcast Website: https://www.gowildlypodcast.comContact: gowildlyoregon@gmail.com🌿 About Marshall WolfMarshall Wolf is a stream ecologist with a Ph.D. in Aquatic Ecology from Utah State University. He has worked throughout the American West conducting fish surveys and watershed research, with a particular focus on Southern Oregon streams. He is also a trail builder, snowboard instructor at Mt. Ashland, and community member deeply rooted in the Rogue Valley.🔗 Guest LinksGoogle: Marshall Wolf PhD Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association: www.rvmba.org🛠 CreditsHosted, Edited & Produced by Go Wildly PodcastTheme Music: “Rainmaker” by Jared Masters🏕 KeywordsGo Wildly Podcast, Southern Oregon podcast, Rogue Valley podcast, outdoor podcast, ecology podcast, stream ecology, aquatic ecology, fish biology, fish surveys, snorkeling, Marshall Wolf, Southern Oregon streams, Rogue River watershed, Rogue Valley Oregon, Oregon rivers, freshwater ecology, watershed science, river restoration, fish habitat, environmental science podcast, field science, conservation podcast, Pacific Northwest ecology, Oregon outdoors, Medford Oregon podcast, Ashland Oregon podcast, Mt Ashland, trail building community, outdoor lifestyle podcast, nature podcast, environmental storytelling, place-based podcast, local voices podcast, watershed health, drought and rivers, wildfire and streams, independent podcast, ghetto birds, ghetto gown
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    1 hr and 32 mins
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