Marina Legree has an educational background in international affairs and public policy and has spent over two decades living around the world and working with international aid agencies.

In 2015, she founded the nonprofit Ascend Athletics, which redefines opportunity for women in Afghanistan and Pakistan through mountaineering based leadership training and community service.

We talk about:

• Marina being assigned to work in Afghanistan starting in 2005 and the country becoming a home for her
• A crash course in modern politics of Afghanistan and the 2021 Taliban offensive
• The assumptions people made about an American woman in her 20’s living in Afghanistan (including people in the US military thinking that she was a spy)
• Language to examine in politics: “third world,” “expat” vs. “immigrant”, and Afghans aren’t Arabs
• Living with restrictions on women’s movement and outdoor time, and how that led Marina to start Ascend Athletics
• Working within the parameters of local culture and religion to encourage girls in the mountains
• Resettling 134 Afghans around the world after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 (which was antithetical to Ascend’s mission but an ask of the girls in the program)
• Feeling more unsafe living in DC or working with the US Army than after the Taliban gained power in Afghanistan
• Living in Maine and having a family while leading international work
• Why the world needs more women in government and international leadership

PSST! If you like this episode, you’ll love Why Erika Vikander is Fighting for Gender Equality in Freeride Snowboarding and Women’s Sports and How Living Seasonally and Wild Entrepreneurship Led Tamara Jacobi to Run a Mexican Jungle Eco Lodge

Connect with Marina and Ascend Athletics:

• https://ascendathletics.org/
• https://www.instagram.com/ascendathleticsngo

👋Like the show? Share the stoke!:

1 - Your 5-star ratings and reviews make a huge difference, both for the future of the show and the smiles on our faces! ⭐Please rate and review For The Love Of on Apple Podcasts and on Spotify.

2 - Follow @for.the.love.of.podcast and tag us in a post or Story! (https://instagram.com/for.the.love.of.podcast)

3 - Connect with Angie on Instagram (https://instagram.com/angvswild) and Jeni on Instagram (https://instagram.com/jenistembridge).

4 - Right now, text one friend who would like For The Love Of.

Shout-Outs:

-Music: The King of Sandwich Island by Shut-ins

-Thank you to The Ruins, the best wedding venue in Oregon, for supporting the show.

For full show notes and more: https://fortheloveofpod.com

💕

When you watch epic ski films, do you ever wonder about the person behind the camera?

Bjarne Salén is an adventure documentary filmmaker, photographer and entrepreneur originally from Sweden and currently living in Hood River, OR. Over the past 15 years, he’s traveled the globe to create documentaries, short films, and photographic works.

Bjarne has directed and produced films for brands like Salomon, Oakley, Patagonia, and the North Face. In 2021, Bjarne founded Bjarne Builds, a van conversion business that has since evolved into creating tiny homes and now a new signature line. He continues to share stories from around the world through his work, including The Fifty Project ski series.

We talk about:

• The evolution of Bjarne’s adventure filmmaking over the decades from stoke to story
• The realities of combining passions in skiing and film, when 90% of skiing is for work
• Being the talent vs. filming the talent, when both roles require elite athleticism
• The Fifty Project with Cody Townsend and why Bjarne doesn’t give a sh!t about 50 ski lines
• The trade-offs of working expeditions: bad weather after long travel, missing loved ones, and managing unpredictable money
• How Bjarne tries to turn his brain off from thinking about work and being present instead
• What you need to accept around time and effort if you want to be an adventure filmmaker
• Bjarne’s van conversion business pivots
• Not being able to get funding for an incredible story
• Bjarne’s views on using social media as a creative
• The climate crisis and its effects on The Fifty ski lines
• Risk management and facing death in the mountains

PSST! If you like this episode, you’ll love Why Kayaker and Filmmaker Rush Sturges is Rethinking Work-Life Balance.

Connect with Bjarne:

• https://instagram.com/bjarnesalen

👋Like the show? Share the stoke!:

1 - Your 5-star ratings and reviews make a huge difference, both for the future of the show and the smiles on our faces! ⭐Please rate and review For The Love Of on Apple Podcasts and on Spotify.

2 - Follow @for.the.love.of.podcast and tag us in a post or Story! (https://instagram.com/for.the.love.of.podcast)

3 - Connect with Angie on Instagram (https://instagram.com/angvswild) and Jeni on Instagram (https://instagram.com/jenistembridge).

4 - Right now, text one friend who would like For The Love Of.

Shout-Outs:

-Music: The King of Sandwich Island by Shut-ins

-Thank you to The Ruins, the best wedding venue in Oregon, for supporting the show.

For full show notes and more: https://fortheloveofpod.com

💕

This man has played many a serial killer on TV, but he's way more down to earth than his characters may appear.

Ryan Devlin is an entrepreneur, rock climber, rad dad, and actor best known for his roles on shows like Veronica Mars and Grey's Anatomy. In his words, he’s “just trying to fit it all in.”

He's also the host of The Struggle Climbing Show, one of the most popular rock climbing podcasts, where he explores the intersections of climbing and personal growth.

We talk about:

• Why Ryan is fascinated with “the struggle” and how it shapes his popular podcast
• When Ryan knows it’s time to shake it up and make a pivot in life
• Countering failure by embracing a beginner’s mindset
• The arrival fallacy that so many humans face
• Mental vs. physical challenges of outdoor adventures (running 100 miles or sending a 5.15)
• The difference between being an actor and a celebrity
• Moving from Hollywood to Kentucky and opening a forest school
• Acting is listening (even if Ryan tends to play creepy murderers on TV)
• Ryan’s tools for keeping all the plates spinning in a packed life
• The One Line a Day Journal Ryan got Angie and Jeni hooked on

PSST! If you like this episode, you’ll love these:

How to be an Imperfect Advocate and Pursue Outdoor Adventures in a Changing Climate with Alpinist Graham Zimmerman

Managing Expectations in a High Pressure Academic Environment with Dr. Hannah Prather

Connect with Ryan:

• https://instagram.com/thestruggleclimbingshow
• https://www.instagram.com/ryandevlinoutside
• https://www.youtube.com/@thestruggleclimbingshow
• https://www.thestruggleclimbingshow.com

👋Like the show? Share the stoke!:

1 - Your 5-star ratings and reviews make a huge difference, both for the future of the show and the smiles on our faces! ⭐Please rate and review For The Love Of on Apple Podcasts and on Spotify.

2 - Follow @for.the.love.of.podcast and tag us in a post or Story! (https://instagram.com/for.the.love.of.podcast)

3 - Connect with Angie on Instagram (https://instagram.com/angvswild) and Jeni on Instagram (https://instagram.com/jenistembridge).

4 - Right now, text one friend who would like For The Love Of.

Shout-Outs:

-Music: The King of Sandwich Island by Shut-ins

-Thank you to The Ruins, the best wedding venue in Oregon, for supporting the show.

For full show notes and more: https://fortheloveofpod.com

💕