Will to Wild: Adventures Great and Small to Change Your Life

Written by Shelby Stanger

Narrated by Shelby Stanger

Embrace adventures both big and small and pursue your wild ideas with this “profoundly inspiring and laugh-out-loud funny” (Jaimal Yogis, author of The Fear Project) guidebook from seasoned adventurer and podcaster Shelby Stanger.

Will to Wild is an instruction manual to adventure. Your guide: enthusiastic outdoorswoman Shelby Stanger. Shelby has been teaching folks how to leap into the unknown since she taught her first surf class over twenty years ago. Over the years, she watched many of her students quit their jobs, end dysfunctional relationships, and move across the country for a healthier work-life balance—all after spending a bit of time in nature. Shelby marveled at the phenomenon. Being outside was changing the lives of her students, her peers, and herself. Shelby was so intrigued, she began to tell their stories, first as a writer and journalist, then as a podcast host for Wild Ideas Worth Living, REI Co-op Studio’s flagship podcast.

With her first book, Will to Wild, Shelby shares all she’s witnessed and learned in her years covering adventurers. It’s the book she wishes she’d had when she’d first felt the urge to leap from familiar to wild terrain. The one that takes you step-by-step from the first inkling of inspiration for your own wild idea through fear and self-doubt and on to the finish line.

In these pages, discover stories with practical tips and tactics from world-famous rock climbers and ultra-runners to longtime thru-hikers, surfers, and desk jockeys who’ve figured out how to get off the clock, and even a suburban mom who started teaching women to scale frozen waterfalls in her mid-fifties. Along with Shelby’s stories, they show you how to get unstuck, how to pay attention to “trail signs” that point you toward your adventure, how to face your fears, and what to do when everything goes haywire (which will likely never happen, never fear!). With Shelby’s characteristic strength and vulnerability, Will to Wild “is the ultimate guide for anyone looking to try something new” (Captain Liz Clark, author of Swell) and encourages you to break out of your comfort zones, get out into nature, and bring your own wild ideas to life. Whether you’re already an adventure junkie or someone who’s never set up a tent, there’s something inside these pages for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jun 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797162546

Shelby Stanger

Shelby Stanger is the host and creator of the hit podcast, Wild Ideas Worth Living, an REI Co-Op Studios production. Over the years, her work has appeared everywhere from Outside Magazine to ESPN, and she has spoken to organizations like The Girl Scouts of America, NPR, and Creative Mornings. Always chasing adventure herself, Shelby has surfed from Canada to Costa Rica; sand-boarded down desolate dunes in Cape Town; paddled down a remote portion of the Amazon River (so many bug bites); and interviewed countless CEOs, athletes, activists, and thought leaders. She regularly consults with highly motivated individuals and brands to tell better stories and even launch their own podcasts and wild ideas. You can find more at ShelbyStanger.com. 

Reviews for Will to Wild

[supercj.reeves · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have felt like I was in a rut in a job that I just don't feel fulfilled any longer. Sitting at a desk 8 hours a day is not my thing anymore. I spend so much time in the outdoors and I have been wanting to pursue something... anything to get me outdoors as a career. I was trying to find another book online that I had heard of, but in the suggested books from Google, Will to Wild came up. The word "adventure" is what grabbed my attention. This book was, what Shelby refers to as, a "trail sign" for what I wanted in my life. She has become one of my "trail angels". The stories throughout the book of many different people's adventures have motivated me to pursue my dreams. I normally get bored with books and set them aside to read later, and never do. I did not put this one down. I even listened to 4 chapters while on a trail run in the Utah mountains. It motivated me so much on my run that once I reached the summit, I took my phone and began journaling the adventure so that I could start a new blog. I now plan to journal my adventures, small and large. Because of this book I have already written a "vision board" of goals to further my education in the outdoors, take time to make preparations for grand outdoor adventures, and a long list of adventures to start training for. I have started the design of a blog, which will hopefully progress into something else, and I've been reaching out to volunteer with local youth groups to help with outdoor adventures, as she suggested. I have done all of this within just a couple weeks because of how motivating this book has been.
As much as I loved listening to her jolly and upbeat voice sharing hers, and others stories, I definitely plan to pick up a book so that I can highlight and underline specific stories and quotes that have motivated me. In the audio version you get to really hear the excitement she has, which definitely contributed to my motivation and desire to continue listening. The great thing about this book is that it doesn't only apply to just pursuing outdoor adventures, but any adventure in life. There's so much great content that can be applied to anything in life regarding working toward goals in life.
I don't believe in coincidences. I was confused and stuck doing something I don't enjoy as a career and I know I was meant to find her book at this specific time in my life because I was ready to take action and this is what pushed me to do so, and it gave me a lot of direction in how to start pursuing my passion. I recently opened a bottle of soda and the bottom of it said "Things Are Going to Change." Then I came across this book a few days later and things are changing. I highly recommend this book! It has, and will continue to change my life! My new mantras in life have been ones that I have had in front of my eyes on my laptop. It reads "live the life you love", and one that I tell myself on the trail, "just one more mile."