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In The Trenches Podcast

by Andrew Taylor

Andrew runs Pure Life Adventure, a Wilderness Adventure Therapy program in Costa Rica, and is in the trenches every day with young people working towards a better life. In this podcast, he talks about helping young people, and the people and professionals that surround them, make sense of their journey whether it be navigating technology, college advice, substance abuse, social movements, depression, anxiety, career development and more. www.PureLifeAdventure.comInstagram: PureLifeRoo

Publisher-supplied feed metadata · PodParley refreshed Apr 13, 2026 · Source feed

Episodes

  1. #41 - Rebekah Tayebi - Intergenerational Trauma and Epigenetics

    Rebekah is an old friend of mine and our careers have reconnected us. Rebekah is a licensed clinical social worker and founded Satya Family Coaching where she does workshops, retreats, and family work, and individual therapy and coaching. She knows her stuff, so please enjoy! Rebekah Tayebi...

  2. #40 - Tim Hightower - Overcoming Adversity and Chasing Dreams

    Tim Hightower injured his knee early in his NFL career. He ended up out of the league for four years and was able to return becoming the only player to ever return after four years. Off the field, he has taken his story of overcoming adversity and finding purpose to organizations, athletic teams...

  3. #39 - Panel - Pioneers of Wilderness Therapy Field Guiding

    This interview was initially shot as a video but I have been unable to find a good system for posting as a video. It doesn't matter, the content is there and it's good. Derek Daley, Jeremy McGeorge, Jillian Broeckert, and Mike Petree have a wealth of knowledge and shared interesting and fun...

  4. #38 - Sanford Shapiro - Exploring the facts and the myths around ADD and ADHD.

    This is my second episode with Sanford. He's a lot of fun to talk to and has great insight into many issues. Sanford is a learning disabilities specialist who is a highly sought after trainer and speaker, noted for his ability to bridge gaps between therapy and cognitive science. He is the author...

  5. #37 - Sarah McMillan -Screen Time, Education, and Cannabis Use in Young People

    Sarah is high energy and extremely bright. Every time we get together there’s never enough time to finish our conversation and you will see why in this interview. She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to education and developmental psychology. Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree in English…

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  6. #36 - Jeffrey Arnett - Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from Late Teens Through 20's

    Jeffrey Jensen Arnett is Research Professor of Psychology at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is the originator of the theory of emerging adulthood and the author of Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties, recently published in a second…

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  7. #35 - Dante Bryant (Part 2) - Understanding privilege, discrimination, and oppression.

    I heard Dr. Bryant speak a few years ago and his ideas have positively impacted me and others with respect to difficult topics. We have an interesting conversation around racism, sexism, privilege, discrimination and oppression. Dr. Bryant is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work…

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  8. #34 - Dante Bryant (Part 1) - Understanding privilege, discrimination, and oppression.

    I heard Dr. Bryant speak a few years ago and his ideas have positively impacted me and others with respect to difficult topics. We have an interesting conversation around racism, sexism, privilege, discrimination and oppression. Dr. Bryant is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work…

    more
  9. #33 - Joanna Lilley - The Young Adult College Experience and Common Mistakes Made In the Process

    Joanna is a millennial educational consultant. Due to her vast experience at two major universities as a college retention specialist, she has unique and helpful insight into the college experience and what's going on right now with young people. She's a firecracker and shares her passion on her...

  10. #32 - Dr. Russell Hyken - Psychological Testing and How it Works

    Many people are unaware what psychological testing really means. Dr. Hyken and I have a short discussion around the different kinds of testing and how it all works. Dr. Hyken earned a PhD in psychology from Capella University, an Educational Specialist degree from Webster University, an MA in...

  11. #30 - Ethan Knight - The Gap Year Guru

    Ethan Knight is the Executive Director of the Gap Year Association. In 1996, back before gap years were a thing in the US, he took a gap year to India, Nepal, and Tibet. The experience changed his life and he’s pretty much been working in gap year programming ever since. In this episode we cover…

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  12. #29 - Ruben Jimenez - Creative Play & Feeding the Soul

    Ruben and I met the first year I opened Pure Life, my program in Costa Rica, and we immediately hit it off. Every time I talk to Ruben I learn something new and this interview was no exception. Ruben is a licensed therapist, speaker, coach, counselor, pastoral counselor (which we talk about in…

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  13. #28 - Rachael Herrscher - Real strategies for managing technology in your life and home

    Rachael is the founder of Todaysmama.com a parenting website with millions of followers. She's the first person I've talked to that has real concrete solutions for parents struggling with managing their kids screen time. She has a well thought out method that requires work and discipline. You…

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  14. #27 - Ed Peisner & Marc Berkman - Social Media Safety

    Ed Peisner has quite a story. After tragedy struck his family he decided to make a "mess into a message." He shares his story and how he and Marc teamed up to start passing laws that require people of all ages to be more accountable and responsible with what they post online. Together they…

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  15. #26 - Dr. Aaron Wallis - The effects of cannabis and the science of motivation

    Dr. Aaron Wallis knows more about the science behind recreational cannabis use than anyone I know. He's a wilderness therapist at Open Sky Wilderness and has significant experience working with young people getting off of heavy cannabis use. We really get into the weeds in this interview. He's…

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  16. #25 - Anita Tucker & Mike Gass: Does it work? Outcomes Research in Wilderness Therapy Programs

    Dr. Mike Gass and Dr. Anita Tucker are at the center of much of the research being done with respect to outdoor behavioral healthcare. Derek Daley and I interview Anita and Mike about the recent findings and the direction outdoor behavioral healthcare is going. Mike and Anita run the OBH Center...

  17. #23 - Stephen & Shirley Taylor - Raising Kids Then & Now

    Stephen and Shirley are my parents! This interview is self serving in nature. As I approach parenthood myself (expecting twins in August), I had a number of questions I wanted to ask my parents and figured a podcast interview would be a fun way to document how I was raised. Shirley was a school...

  18. #24 - Adam Barker - The joys and complexities of chasing your dreams

    Adam Barker is a renowned outdoor photographer with editorial work in various reputable sources such as Ski, Skiing, Powder, Outdoor Photography, USA today, Flyfish Journal, Mountain Magazine, and The Drake. Adam has produced imagery for Nike, Black Diamond Equipment, Volkswagen of America, Deer...

  19. #22 - Rob & Marlee Meltzer - A father and daughter's tale of their wilderness therapy journey

    When Marlee was a teenager she found herself in desperate need of a wilderness therapy experience. Her father, Rob, who is an educational consultant that has coached thousands of families in this same situation found himself in the shoes of so many of his clients. Marlee thrived in wilderness but...

  20. #21 - David Specht - Family owned businesses passing the baton and family values

    We are about to experience the greatest transition of wealth in the history of the world. Baby Boomers are and will be passing on their wealth and businesses to their millennial children. This issue is not without it's challenges and Dave Specht is an expert on this very thing. He's the author of...

  21. #20 - John Huie - The Importance of Adventure, Outward Bound, Lessons from Nature, and More...

    John Huie has a long history as a teacher and educator. From his youth he has always had a deep connection with nature and adventure. As a young adult he found his way to Outward Bound where he spent a lot of time leading youth in the outdoors. He has been educational consulting for many years…

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  22. #19 - Sanford Shapiro - Learning Disabilities, Parenting, ADHD, & Ecuador

    Sanford Shapiro is widely known as a learning disabilities specialist with deep experience and love for students with with dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder. He authored "A Light Within," a children's book about anxiety. He has a long history as an educator and as an educational consultant.…

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  23. #18 - Bill Lane - Addiction, Recovery, Transporting, and Resilience

    In this interview Bill talks about his experience in his early teens with drug addiction and recovery. A story of his path that lead him to Synanon, the first drug rehabilitation center. He went on to work at Synanon and eventually started his own transporting company. Transporting is the service...

  24. #17 - Josh & Maureen White - Meditation and Mindfulness

    Meditation and mindfulness are two concepts that have escaped me for years. I've always known that there's a lot we can benefit from both of them but it's difficult to find people that know much about them or can teach them in a way that makes sense. Josh and Maureen are some of the best I've…

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  25. #16 - Colleen Honan Interview - Sending Daughter to Wilderness and Managing Millenials

    This podcast really has two very different parts. In the first part, Colleen talks about her experience in sending her own daughter to a Wilderness Therapy program and all of the emotions surrounding that experience. In the second part she talks about managing millennials in the workplace. She…

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  26. #15 - Jenney Wilder - All Kinds of Therapy, Stories From College, Outward Bound, and Social Media

    Jenney Wilder M.S.Ed launched All Kinds of Therapy in 2015, as the only independent online directory for the Family Choice Behavioral Healthcare Industry. With an impressive case of ADHD and her starter career in the 90's in Silicon Valley, the dream for creating a website with features like...

  27. #14 - Jeff Dvorak - College Placement, College Applications, and Working at McDonalds

    Jeff Dvorak grew up on Long Island, NY and after finishing high school there, he did a gap year with the National Outdoor Leadership School. His love of the outdoors, lead him to stay out west and attend the University of Montana. After graduation with a BA in Journalism and English, he began his...

  28. #13 - Amanda Thomas LAMFT - Attachment, Trauma, and Addiction

    Amanda has 15 years of experience in the therapeutic field.* She specializes in Marriage and Family therapy and has a lot of experience with attachment and trauma. It's an area I have always had a hard time wrapping my head around. We explore in depth the difference between trauma and when…

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  29. #12 - Derek Bowles Interview - Being Savvy, Skateboarding, and Addiction

    Derek has been a mentor to me over the past year. He's knowledgable and insightful about his work and every time we get together we talk for hours. In the last part of the interview he drops some inspiring advice for millennials, do not miss it. I hope you enjoy!

  30. #11 - Millennial Interview (Max) - College Struggles, Wilderness Therapy, and Everything Since...

    Max is an alumni of the Pure Life program. He opens up about his own experience as a millennial who struggled in his transition to college and how he came to make the decision to step into a wilderness therapy program. He shares about the ups and downs of his stay and what most young adults...

  31. #10 - Addiction a disease? Really?

    C'mon really? Addiction is a disease? But people decide to use drugs and should just as easily decide to quite right? I wish it was that simple but it's actually much more complex than that. Addiction is one of the most misunderstood issues of our time. It can be very difficult to be close to...

  32. #9 - Maureen Brennan Interview - Helicopter Parenting and Grit

    Maureen Brennan has been educational consulting for 13 years. She has a Masters in Experiential Therapy and has vast experience working with families in crisis. In this interview we discuss standardized tests, college education, helicopter parenting, and most importantly grit. I hope you enjoy!...

  33. #8 - Will White Interview - The History of Wilderness Therapy & Mindfulness Meditation

    Will White authored Stories From the Field: A History of Wilderness Therapy (Amazon link below). He currently runs Summit Achievement (www.summitachievement.com) an adolescent wilderness therapy program with a heavy emphasis on academics. He took a year to travel Asia and study buddhism and has a...

  34. #7 - Jeremy McGeorge Interview - Ed Consulting and East Coast Living

    Jeremy Mc George has almost 20 years of experience working with young people from all over the US. He currently lives in Connecticut and has the opportunity to work with many families in the east coast that are dealing with crisis. In this episode we talk about what he does, how he does it, and...

  35. #6 - Riley Jensen Interview - Friendship, Loyalty, and Addiction

    In this episode I interview my best friend Riley Jensen. Not only is he a great friend, but he's a coach and sports psychologist. Riley has been an inspiration in my life and as you listen to this episode you will see why. We talk about communication in friendship, what it means to be loyal, how…

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  36. #5 - Dreams and Brutal Reality

    Millennials have been told they can be anything they want to be, they just have to have the courage to follow their dreams. While there's a part of me that likes that message, I'm not so sure it's really helping.

  37. #4 - Meditation

    Some of your favorite entertainers, athletes, and musicians are meditating daily. Meditation isn't just for hippies and yogis anymore, you should be doing this.

  38. #3 - The Man in the Arena

    As a society we are giving millennials terrible advice when it comes to careers. It's time to start a different conversation.

  39. #2 - The Question I Always Get Asked

    People seem to always ask the same question when I tell them what I do for a living. This podcast episode is about that question and how I generally answer it.

  40. #1 - The bet that started it all...

    Why I am doing this podcast. What I'll be talking about. And the bet that got it all started.

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Andrew runs Pure Life Adventure, a Wilderness Adventure Therapy program in Costa Rica, and is in the trenches every day with young people working towards a better life. In this podcast, he talks about helping young people, and the people and professionals that surround them, make sense of their journey whether it be navigating technology, college advice, substance abuse, social movements, depression, anxiety, career development and more. www.PureLifeAdventure.comInstagram: PureLifeRoo

HOSTED BY

Andrew Taylor

Produced by In The Trenches - Andrew Taylor Podcast

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does In The Trenches Podcast have?

In The Trenches Podcast currently has 40 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is In The Trenches Podcast about?

Andrew runs Pure Life Adventure, a Wilderness Adventure Therapy program in Costa Rica, and is in the trenches every day with young people working towards a better life. In this podcast, he talks about helping young people, and the people and professionals that surround them, make sense of their...

How often does In The Trenches Podcast release new episodes?

In The Trenches Podcast has 40 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to In The Trenches Podcast?

You can listen to In The Trenches Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts In The Trenches Podcast?

In The Trenches Podcast is created and hosted by Andrew Taylor.
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