Ep 47: Shelby Stanger

Ep 47: Shelby Stanger

Author: Mike Schibel, Travel With Meaning July 20, 2020 Duration: 56:46

Shelby Stanger has been passionate about storytelling since she inked her first article in a national publication at age 15. As a longtime adventure journalist in the outdoor sports world, Shelby has standup-paddled a portion of the Peruvian Amazon, reported about a summer-long punk concert series called the Vans Warped Tour, surfed from Tofino to Tavarua, had her own adventure column in five San Diego newspapers, and interviewed countless CEOs, entrepreneurs and pro athletes on assignment for national publications like Outside Magazine, ESPN, and Shop-Eat-Surf.com. Prior to becoming a full-time storyteller and consultant, Shelby worked at the iconic shoe company, Vans, where she helped oversee all the women's branding and later the international marketing for the Americas and Australasia regions. She later served as a media consultant to brands including Nike, PrAna, Body Glove, and Eagle Creek.

In 2016, Shelby created Wild Ideas Worth Living, a podcast show, currently presented by REI Co-Op. The show features high-impact interviews with world-class adventurers, authors, scientists, athletes, health experts and explorers who have turned their own wild ideas into a reality. She also hosts LifeChangingPlaces, a new podcast presented and created by Lufthansa about how traveling to a new place can change your life forever.

In addition to her work as a storyteller and journalist, Shelby is a longtime board member and volunteer for Outdoor Outreach, a non-profit that helps empower at-risk kids in San Diego through outdoor programming like rock climbing, snowboarding and hiking.

The common thread to everything she does: A little adventure is life's antidote. To second chances. To soul seeking. To success. When not on assignment or behind a microphone, the San Diego native enjoys sampling the best coffee, surf breaks and smoothies around the county.


Mike Schibel sits down with a fascinating array of guests on Travel With Meaning, but the destination is rarely the main point. Instead, this podcast explores the profound personal shifts that happen when we step outside our familiar surroundings. Each conversation delves into a specific journey-whether it’s a life-altering pilgrimage, a chaotic business trip that sparked a new idea, or a simple vacation that unexpectedly clarified a career path. You’ll hear from artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, and seasoned travel experts, but the focus remains on the transformative moment, the insight gained, or the connection made that reverberated long after the suitcase was put away. Schibel, founder of Travel With Meaning, guides these discussions with a genuine curiosity, allowing his guests to unpack not just their itineraries but the emotional and professional baggage they carried with them. The stories reveal how travel acts as a catalyst, reshaping identities, forging unexpected creative directions, and offering a new lens on one’s place in the world. Listening feels like being part of an intimate, thoughtful dialogue where the map of a life is redrawn by the roads taken. This isn't about recommendations or tips; it's about the lasting imprint of a place on a person. The podcast consistently uncovers how the world, in all its diverse complexity, has a way of teaching us exactly what we need to learn, often when we least expect it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 133

Travel With Meaning
Podcast Episodes
Episode 110: Knödelfest [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:22
Welcome to the 110th episode of the Travel with Meaning podcast. In this distinctive feature, we delve into the tale of a culinary fascination with a dish we encountered in Austria back in 2022. Our journey led us over 6…
Episode 108: Bruce Wallin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:04
Episode 108 of the Travel With Meaning podcast features a conversation with Bruce Wallin, a travel journalist who has experienced his share of meaningful adventures. As editorial director for Robb Report for 15 years cov…
Episode 107: Ruben Rojas (Live at the Fairmont Santa Monica) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:47
Episode 107 is a special conversation recorded in front of a live audience at the infamous Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, CA. This podcast features one of our favorite past guests, Ruben Rojas an artist, author,…
Episode 106: Dan Demsky [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:26
Episode 106 of the podcast features a conversation with Co-Founder and CEO of Unbound Merino,Dan Demsky. An intrepid business leader, and serial entrepreneur, Dan started Unbound Merino as a way to offer travelers freedo…
Episode 105 (Part 2): Amy and Nick Thomson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:35
Episode 105 is a two-part series with Amy and Nick Thomson, podcasters and creators of What The Pho Travel Podcast (WTP). Amy is a former BBC Radio producer and current podcast production business founder. Nick Thomson i…
EPISODE 105: Amy and Nick Thomson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:08
Episode 105 is a two-part series with Amy and Nick Thomson, podcasters and creators of "What The Pho" (WTP) Travel Podcast. Amy is a former BBC Radio producer and current podcast production business founder. Nick Thomson…
Episode 104: Christine Peterson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:58
On this episode of the Travel With Meaning podcast, we meet Christine Peterson, a freelance writer based in southeast Wyoming. TWM podcast host Mike Schibel met Christine on a trip to Ganglers Lodge in Northern Manitoba.…
Episode 103: Jen Ruiz [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:39
In episode 103 of the podcast, we talk with Jen Ruiz, AKA Jen On A Jet Plane. Jen is a truly unique professional who transformed her life and career through incredible travel experiences. Jen is a lawyer turned full-time…
Episode 102: Lillian Rafson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:03
In the latest episode of the Travel With Meaning podcast, host Mike Schibel speaks with Lillian Rafson, the CEO and founder of Pack Up + Go. Originally from Pittsburgh, Lillian shares how her passion for travel after a c…
Episode 101: Katalina Mayorga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:06
In this episode, we're joined by a woman who's blazing a trail in the travel industry and never intended to start a travel company. As the Colombian-American founder and CEO of El Camino Travel, Katalina Mayorga has been…