The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Melissa Ferguson is back for her second appearance—and she’s very pregnant, wildly funny, and living proof that dreams don’t arrive on your schedule. In this conversation with host Ginny Yurich, Melissa pulls back the curtain on the book world: why publishing wants you to “stay in your lane,” how rejection and slow progress can still lead to a long-tail payoff, what writers really need to watch for in agents and contracts, and why the pressure to market everywhere can crush the very work you’re trying to create. Along the way, she shares the surreal joy of watching her beloved rom-com Meet Me in the Margins move toward the screen (with her credited as Executive Producer) and what it’s like to juggle farm life, homeschooling, deadlines, and a baby on the way—while still choosing relationships, rest, and meaning over the endless chase for more.

*Get your copy of Meet Me in the Margins here

*Get your copy of Without a Clue here

*Check out Melissa and all she has to offer here

A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: 


BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month.


Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns


Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life.


IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership


Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home


Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you

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Azure Standard founder David Stelzer joins Ginny Yurich for a direct, fascinating conversation about how food quality, farming practices, and community are tied together. David tells the origin story of Azure: his family’s early move away from chemical-intensive farming, the hard years of transition, and the moment they lost a major buyer forcing him to start delivering organic grains himself, one small route at a time. That scrappy beginning grew into today’s nationwide drop system (now 3,000+ locations), where families can access organic and carefully vetted products at scale while staying connected to independent farms and producers. Along the way, David explains what healthy soil actually does, why nutrient density matters, and why he believes rebuilding health has to start with rebuilding what we grow and what we eat. If you care about feeding your family well without getting lost in labels and marketing, this episode will give you a bigger framework—and a practical path forward.

Learn more about Azure Standard and all they have to offer here

A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: 


BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month.


Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns


Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life.


IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership


Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home


Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is a little Valentine’s gift with a backstory: Ginny recorded it in 2024 during Chelsea Damon’s launch week—back when her brand-new marriage book had just come out—and then thought she lost the file in a computer crash… until now. She found it! And thought this was the perfect day to post it.

Chelsea (author of I Thought This Would Make Me Happy) shares the hard-won lessons that actually hold a marriage together when life gets loud—role-swaps, job loss, living with in-laws for three years, the pressure-cooker years (she cites the 5–8 year window as a common breaking point), and the small resentments that quietly stack up if you don’t deal with them with grace and honesty. You’ll walk away with practical, doable ideas and a hope-filled reminder that joy in marriage isn’t found in a perfect season, but in learning how to grow together through the imperfect ones.

Get your copy of I Thought This Would Make Me Happy here

Learn more about Chelsea and all she has to offer here

A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: 


BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month.


Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns


Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life.


IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership


Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home


Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Play isn’t a break from learning — it is learning. In this powerful conversation with Lauren and Mia Sundstrom — daughter and granddaughter of renowned play researcher Dr. Stuart Brown — we explore why play is practice for the future in a world that feels increasingly uncertain. From rough-and-tumble childhood experiences to teenage burnout, adult loneliness, brain health, and even leadership, this episode makes a compelling case that unstructured, self-directed play builds resilience, creativity, emotional regulation, and adaptability — the exact skills our kids (and we) will need in an AI-shaped world. If you’ve ever wondered whether play is “productive,” this conversation will change how you see your afternoons, your marriage, your parenting, and your own sense of joy. Learn more at nifplay.org and connect with Mia at miasundstrom.com.

A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: 


BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month.


Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns


Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life.


IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership


Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home


Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this tender, unflinching conversation, Ginny Yurich sits down with author Amber Emily Smith to talk about the kind of loss that splits life into “before” and “after”—and the slow, sacred work of learning to live in the “after.” Amber shares the astonishing love story that began on a music video set with her husband, Granger Smith, and the devastating day their little boy River drowned—followed by the spiraling “what ifs,” the pressure of public opinion, and the choice to keep getting out of bed when everything in you wants to disappear. You’ll also hear the practical, hope-filled layers that carried their family: faith that meets you on the bathroom floor, grief support and play therapy, honest talk about fathers and hidden despair, and the water-safety lessons they wish they’d known. It’s a story about heartbreak—but also about purpose, organ donation, and unexpected friendships. Listen, share with a friend who’s hurting, and find Amber’s book and work here: The Girl on the Bathroom Floor • Arise with Amber

A huge thank you to our sponsors! Check them ALL out below: 


BetterHelp: Visit  www.BetterHelp.com/1000HOURS  today to get 10% off your first month.


Quince - Visit www.quince.com/outside and get free shipping and 365 day returns


Hungry Root - Go to www.hungryroot.com/1000HOURS and use code 1000HOURS to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your choice for life.


IXL Learning - Head to www.ixl.com/1000hours to get an exclusive 20% savings on your membership


Wayfair - Go to www.wayfair.com and shop all things home


Cure Hydration- head to www.curehydration.com/outside to find a retailer near you

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices