The Ups + Downs of Life in the Mountains with Drew Petersen

January 10, 2023
Hosted by Sydney WIlliams

[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]

Guest Information

Episode Description

When time spent outside is an integral part of your lifestyle, how do you cope when an injury keeps you indoors? When we avoid our emotional breaking point, what happens to our physical bodies? And how do we re-integrate after a period away from our favorite activities and places? For Drew Petersen, skiing has been part of his life for as long as he can remember. Once a toddler on skis and now a professional skier, Drew has been exploring the intersections of mental health and time spent outside and connecting the dots on his own mental health journey. Ever the storyteller, Drew's latest film, Ups + Downs (2022), has started a new conversation about mental health in the outdoor community. But what led to the making of Ups + Downs? What is Drew working on now? And how can healing + sharing our stories shine a light on difficult topics and give others permission to do the same? Tune in to find out!

Wellness in the Wilderness

Tuesday at 1 PM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Empowerment Channel

Did you know that the average American spends 90% of their lives indoors? It's tragic and it's true - we have lost our connection to the wilderness from which we came, and it is impacting every aspect of the human experience. If you're ready to slow down and take a cue from nature to help you bring your best self to life, love, and work - welcome to Wellness in the Wilderness, we're glad you're here! Join Hiking My Feelings founder + CEO Sydney Williams and her guests as they explore how creativity, connection, and community are amplified by time spent outside. Through shared story and self-reflection, we can gain tremendous insights and inspiration from our journey on the Trail of Life. Tune in each Tuesday at 1pm PT to feel a little less alone in this world, and understand how the outer wilderness influences our inner wilderness to support optimal wellness of the mind, body, and spirit.

Sydney WIlliams

When former collegiate athlete and competitive skydiver, Sydney Williams, unexpectedly found herself on the receiving end of a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis while grappling with unresolved trauma from a decades-old sexual assault, she set out on a mission: turn her pain into power. Two hikes across Catalina Island and 80 miles later, she founded Hiking My Feelings to help others tap into the mind-body connection and healing power of nature that helped kick her self-limiting beliefs and disease into remission. Over the years, she’s been featured on the SXSW stage, as well as in Health Magazine, Diabetic Living Magazine, Psychology Today, US News & World Report, and numerous other publications. Today, she is the author of Hiking My Feelings: Stepping into the Healing Power of Nature, host of Wellness in the Wilderness on the VoiceAmerica Empowerment channel, a certified Wilderness First Responder, instructor at the Desert Institute at Joshua Tree National Park, and travels across the country empowering others to summit their personal mountains on their way to becoming Well Beings.

Episode Directory

February 2023

January 2023

  • 1/31/2023: Finding Wellness in the Catalina Backcountry with Barry Williams Listen Now
  • 1/24/2023: Nature-Inspired Music with Alific and Man of the Forests Listen Now
  • 1/17/2023: Transcending Tragedy in the Wilderness with Emily Henkel Listen Now
  • 1/10/2023: The Ups + Downs of Life in the Mountains with Drew Petersen Listen Now
  • 1/3/2023: Intention + Inspiration with Anastasia Allison of Kula Cloth Listen Now

December 2022



This site is protected by Trustwave's Trusted Commerce program