Mike Harvey, on Badfish & his life’s work, river surfing & a profound shift in perspective, whitewater park design & the Scout Wave … & ‘Derry Girls’

Overview: Mike Harvey has been at the heart of the river scene in Salida, Colo., for more than 25 years. As a river guide and a competitive freestyle kayaker, a whitewater park designer and an entrepreneur carving out a market for river surfing and paddle boarding through Badfish, the manufacturing Read more…

Derek Scott, pro skateboarder, on skating culture, history & the best rock band ever, the loss of his dad & the Heart of the Rockies Rampage

Overview: Derek Scott talks with Adam Williams about skateboarding culture, history and music. They talk about the failure and perseverance that’s a necessary part of skating. And about how a kid growing up in Salida, Colo., with not a lot of skating terrain became a competition skater traveling and winning Read more…

Tim Brown, on adventure & tintype photography, impacts of photography’s tech evolution, 1980s housing affordability, and heartbreak & healing

Overview: Tim Brown probably is most known for his tintype photography these days. But he also had many exciting years of globe-traveling as a rarely skilled kayaker-slash-adventure photographer. He talks about both with Adam.  As well as his dive into the mid-19th century techniques of tintype photography after opportunities for Read more…

Mahting Putelis, on his Latvian roots in Michigan, his ‘dirtbag’ 20s, realities of adventure photography, emergence of AI & the three things people want

Overview: In this episode of We Are Chaffee’s Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Mahting Putelis. Mahting grew up in a Latvian community in Kalamazoo, MI. It was extraordinarily formative, and is a source of great pride for Mahting. Adam talks with him about that upbringing and community, and Read more…

Silvana Montero, on traumatic brain injuries, her multicultural upbringing and getting your ‘ride smile on’ with Bicibits

Overview: In this episode of We Are Chaffee’s Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Silvana Montero.  Silvana, a road cyclist, recounts the harrowing experience of when she was hit from behind by a motorist driving more than 45 miles per hour – and the seemingly divine instruction she heard Read more…

Gloria Esparza, on Gen Z, mental health among teens, generational disconnects, optimism for the future, and the best games of ‘cops & robbers’ ever

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Gloria Esparza, an 18-year-old high school senior and a youth advisor through Chaffee County (Colo.) Family & Youth Initiatives. Adam talks with Gloria about her upbringing in a home with three generations and two Read more…

Ray Nypaver, nature-based psychotherapist, on ego & identity, fear & love, death & connecting with our true selves

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Ray Nypaver. Ray is a nature-based psychotherapist and running coach, essayist and poet whose newest book is “Light & Dark: Reflections on the Human Experience.” Ray studied at Naropa, a Buddhist-inspired university in Boulder, Read more…

Jed Selby, South Main developer & former pro kayaker, on affordable housing, building the future, his love of live music & what motivates him

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Jed Selby, co-developer of South Main in Buena Vista, Colorado. That includes the Surf Hotel, the bar and restaurant Wesley & Rose, and the concert venues of the Ivy Ballroom and the Lawn, among Read more…

Katie Brown, rock climber and memoirist (‘Unraveled’), on navigating hidden trauma and anorexia while publicly being celebrated as the ‘best female climber of the millennium’ 

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Katie Brown, former world champion rock climber named “best female climber of the millennium” by Climbing magazine. Adam talks with Katie about her memoir, “Unraveled.” They talk about her growing up in isolation that Read more…

Joe Parkin, on cycling, doping and race fixing, and his many adventures in ‘search of that thing that so completely enthralls’ the mind and body

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with Joe Parkin. Joe was a pioneering American professional cyclist in Europe in the 80s and 90s. He also has been a professional and/or highly competitive BMX, mountain bike and motorcycle racer. He’s been an Read more…

Travis Macy, pro endurance athlete and author, on his new book, his father Mark Macy’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, love and grief, optimism and resilience

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, Adam Williams talks with professional endurance athlete and author Travis Macy. Travis has a new book out, “A Mile at a Time.” It’s a collaboration with his father, the legendary endurance athlete, Mark “Mace” Macy, and Patrick Regan. Read more…

Sophia Herzog Gibb, two-time Paralympic medalist, on her swimming career, cultivating resilience and confidence, her dwarfism and a love story

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, host Adam Williams talks with Sophia Herzog Gibb, a two-time Paralympic medalist swimmer. Sophie retired from world competition after the Tokyo games were held in 2021. She grew up in Fairplay, Colo., at first with dreams of being Read more…

Jonathon Stalls, author, artist and advocate, on shedding painful life stories, learning to love himself, and advocating for connection through unhurried movement

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, host Adam Williams talks with Jonathon Stalls, author of the book, “Walk: Slow Down, Wake Up and Connect at 1-3 Miles Per Hour.”  They talk about Jonathon’s 242-day walk across the United States as a pivotal experience for Read more…

Tayte Pollmann, on earthship architecture and sustainability, trail running and writing in Nepal, living with five housemates and the importance of Liège waffles

Overview: In this episode of the We Are Chaffee: Looking Upstream podcast, host Adam Williams talks with Tayte Pollmann. Tayte is a writer, trail runner, Nordic skier, traveler and, it turns out, a lover of Liège waffles, artisan cheese and many other things.  Adam and Tayte talk about a roving Read more…