Matt Arends (he/him) is based in Minnesota. He is an adventurer, environmentalist and thrill seeker. He also happens to have chronic pain and is the COO | CMO for The MindStrong Project.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How being on a college football team shaped Matt’s drinking but also his need for community
  
• How cyclical injuries affect your mental health
  
• The identity crisis that comes after an injury or the end of your specific sports career
  
• How alcohol is part of the equation in most outdoor sports
  
• How he found the outdoor community after college
  
• How one injury set him on the path of discovering and dealing with chronic pain
  
• His time at a whale shark tour company in Tanzania
  
• His experiences living with chronic pain
  
• The importance of sharing our pain and being vulnerable for not feeling alone and finding community
  
• How one friend starting a group chat can change everything
  
• What lights him up now (spoiler alert: plants!)
  
• His goal of helping to extend the local farming season in his hometown
  

Resources mentioned:

• Documentary: The Weight of Gold
  
• Backcountry Marketing podcast - episode with Becky Marcelliano
  

Where you can catch up with Matt:

• Instagram
  

Thank you, as always, for listening to this episode. Please free free to follow along on the show’s Instagram, our private Facebook group, or wherever you’d like. We also have a Patreon if you’re interested in supporting everything Nature Untold is cooking up.