This episode of She Explorers is brought to you by Oru Kayak.

They design folding kayaks that can go virtually anywhere,

thanks to their lightweight and folding design.

Stay tuned for later in the episode. We'll talk to Van Lifer Brianna

Media about how she stores two kayaks in her van. I'm Gail Straub and you're listening to She Explores.

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. This is Anna. your to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile, the geese, high in the clean blue air are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting, over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

It's so good, it kills me.

This is a deeply personal episode about mental health and the outdoors.

For that reason, I believe it's better suited to adults,

but I'll let parents make that decision for themselves.

I also want to say that I am by no means a professional

or able to offer medical advice. So if you're feeling suicidal or like you

need to talk to someone, please call 1-800-273- T-A-L-K.

I ask listeners to submit their experiences

with mental health and receive vulnerable stories

about depression, anxiety, addiction, and trauma.

Mental health can feel like smoke that you just can't grasp, like a dark cloud hanging over you,

...