314: Nature Deficit or Mental Health Crisis? Scott Shepherd on Reconnecting Young People with the Outdoors

What happens when a generation grows up more connected to screens than to the natural world? In this episode, Will sits down with outdoor educator and Wildward Institute founder Scott Shepherd to explore the growing disconnect between young people, nature, and one another. Drawing from more than 15 years of experience in outdoor, environmental, and experiential education, Scott explains why time outside is no longer just recreation—it has become an essential component of mental health, emotional regulation, resilience, and healthy youth development. Scott shares his own transformative journey sailing around the world as a teenager, discusses the challenges facing outdoor education today, and examines how screens, overprogrammed childhoods, and reduced opportunities for unstructured play are impacting young people. Together, Will and Scott explore the role of nature in supporting neurodiverse youth, building self-confidence, fostering environmental stewardship, and helping young people develop the skills they need to thrive in an uncertain future. This conversation is a powerful reminder that connecting youth to the outdoors may be one of the most important mental health interventions of our time. Here is the Wilderward Institute Website. This podcast is supported by White Mountain Adventure Institute (wmai.org), offering adventure inspired retreats and coaching for men and facilitated by Will White.