Straight Talk by Outside Business Journal

Michel Gelobter has been pushing to raise awareness about carbon emissions and its impact on global warming and driving solutions for ways that companies can mitigate their carbon footprints for well over a decade. Kristin Hostetter, editor-in-chief of Outside Business Journal, sat down with Gelobter to learn why planting trees is not enough and how the outdoor industry can drive real change towards a cooler planet.

After an intense family trauma, Stephanie Maez found healing in the outdoors. Now, the newest managing director of Outdoor Foundation is driven to make sure everyone from kids to prospective industry leaders has access to the outdoor space. Maez joins host Kristin Hostetter on this episode of Straight Talk. Watch the edited video interview here.

In this episode, snowboarding legend and Protect Our Winters founder Jeremy Jones talks with Kristin Hostetter (the two are first cousins!) about his latest film, Purple Mountains, safety concerns about the backcountry surge during Covid, and skiing in the woods of Stowe together when they were kids.  Watch the edited video interview here.

Development is in the works at Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, a group of more than 80 independent outdoor retailers. President Rich Hill is driven by a desire to give independent stores the same resources and support that larger chains enjoy. He joins host Kristin Hostetter for a conversation about the new business and DEI tools Grassroots is excited about. Watch the edited video interview here.

In 2018, Teresa Baker launched the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge after noticing a lack of diversity in the outdoor industry. Now hundreds of brands have signed The Pledge—but there’s still growing to be done. Baker joins host Kristin Hostetter for a discussion on the progress The Pledge has made, her goals moving forward, and how businesses can use their voices for good. Watch the edited video interview here.

When the coronavirus pandemic shut the country down in early 2020, the outdoor industry changed—and some changes might stick. Trade shows moved online, product sales shifted, and Meteorite PR founder Eric Henderson found himself looking at a different public relations landscape. In the first episode of the Straight Talk podcast, he sits down with host Kristin Hostetter to break down what’s changed and where the industry goes from here.  Watch the edited video interview here.

In this edition of Straight Talk, Editorial Director Kristin Hostetter sits down for a candid Zoom conversation with Ryan Gellert, the new CEO of Patagonia. It's his first U.S. interview since taking the helm.  Key takeaways include: Patagonia's search for a greener banking partner Gellert's belief that the company needs to make less product Hints at new revenue streams for Patagonia Gellert's short- and long-term goals for the company Gellert's take on how Patagonia needs to lean into racial justice

Celebrating Blackness in the Outdoors | Earl B. Hunter Jr., founder of Black Folks Camp Too On a road trip with his son, Earl B. Hunter Jr. crossed North America, visited 49 different campgrounds and ran into exactly one other Black family. The journey led Hunter to found Black Folks Camp Too, to help Black outdoor enthusiasts begin their journeys. Now, he joins host Kristin Hostetter for a conversation about his business, his battle with COVID and his outlook on life—and stay tuned for a musical surprise! Watch the edited video interview here.