With the end of a year comes the end of a season. For the last episode of Hidden Compass: The Podcast, Season 2, co-hosts Sabine and Sivani present a story and a conversation all about finding hope and wonder despite — and maybe even because — of the moments that challenge us.

This episode’s guest is writer and environmental educator Brandon McWilliams, who was just 19 years old when he wrote his Hidden Compass piece. Brandon speaks with Sabine and Sivani about turning rejection into a working relationship, the slow build of a cumulative epiphany, and the joy of bear claws. But first, sit back and journey with us, as Brandon takes us to Washington State’s rugged North Cascades, where he confronts the hardships of wilderness and the mental health crisis of a generation.

Story
“A Constant Push for Perfection” first appeared in the winter 2019 issue of Hidden Compass: The Magazine in our Human and Nature department. See the award-winning story and its accompanying photographs here: https://hiddencompass.net/story/a-constant-push-for-perfection.

Storyteller
Brandon McWilliams first became a published writer with his Hidden Compass story in 2019, and in the short time since then has gone on to author more stories, graduate college, and become an environmental educator. Read his “grumpy” op-ed in the Seattle Times here: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/its-our-turn-to-fix-the-climate-future-weve-inherited/. Peruse his work at Lucky Jefferson Magazine here: https://luckyjefferson.com/author/brandon-mcwilliams/. And check out his Hidden Compass profile at https://hiddencompass.net/journalist/brandon-mcwilliams.

Hidden Compass

Hidden Compass is an award-winning, women-led media company that’s forging an Alliance to turn storytellers and explorers into heroes and champion a new age of discovery.

To learn more about us and support storytellers like Brandon, visit https://hiddencompass.net and contribute to our fundraising campaigns. We split campaign proceeds 50/50 with the writer of each story, and storytellers receive their cut on top of their article pay.

To support Hidden Compass, recommend us to someone who’s looking to stand up for journalism, science, history, and hope. You can also buy tickets to our virtual events at https://hiddencompass.net/events, and learn more about becoming an Ally at https://hiddencompass.net/alliance. Sign up for our newsletter at https://bit.ly/2Yc2HH1.

We won’t see you next week, as this is the last episode of season 2! But never fear: There are plenty of ways to continue exploring with us. We look forward to seeing you in any of the Hidden Compass realms, where you’ll find more stories and storytellers venturing to the frontiers of courage and curiosity.

It’s the penultimate episode of season 2 and Sabine and Sivani are feeling contemplative — jumping into thoughts about the discomfort of the Internet and the voices that need to be heard. This episode’s story, “Wartime in the Woods,” is a beautiful illustration of the latter.

Today’s guest is award-winning writer and best-selling author Jennifer Billock, who speaks with Sabine and Sivani about journalist intuition, the relative intelligence of Homo sapiens, and the multiple sides of our own selves. But first, sit back and journey with us, as Jennifer Billock takes us deep into the forests and the past of El Salvador to confront revolution, peace, conservation, and resilience.

Story
“Wartime in the Woods” first appeared in the summer 2021 issue of Hidden Compass: The Magazine in our Time Travel department. See the full story and its accompanying photographs here: https://hiddencompass.net/story/wartime-in-the-woods.

Storyteller
Award-winning writer and best-selling author Jennifer Billock has written for publications such as The New York Times, Smithsonian, The Atlantic, Marie Claire, Playboy, National Geographic Traveler, and Wired. Learn more about Jen on her website, www.jenniferbillock.com, and be sure to pick up a copy of her latest book, “Historic Chicago Bakeries.” Check out her Hidden Compass profile at https://hiddencompass.net/journalist/jennifer-billock.

Hidden Compass

Hidden Compass is an award-winning, women-led media company that’s forging an Alliance to turn storytellers and explorers into heroes and champion a new age of discovery.

To learn more about us and support storytellers like Jen, visit https://hiddencompass.net and contribute to our fundraising campaigns. We split campaign proceeds 50/50 with the writer of each story, and storytellers receive their cut on top of their article pay.

To support Hidden Compass, recommend us to someone who’s looking to stand up for journalism, science, history, and hope. You can also buy tickets to our virtual events at https://hiddencompass.net/events, and learn more about becoming an Ally at https://hiddencompass.net/alliance. Sign up for our newsletter at https://bit.ly/2Yc2HH1.

See you next week, when we’ll go to Washington State’s North Cascades, and speak with Brandon McWilliams about “A Constant Push for Perfection.”

We hope you’re ready for “Just Another Adventure Story” — one of our earliest photo features, this remarkable story presents itself as not a remarkable story, which is, in fact, what makes it a remarkable story. If that doesn’t make sense yet: don’t worry. This is Hidden Compass: The Podcast, which means everything gets murkier before it becomes clear. Especially for this season’s theme, “What Have I Done?”

Today’s guest is world-renowned photographer Robert Holmes. Co-hosts Sabine and Sivani sit with Bob in conversation to discuss the series of career-changing events that brought Bob to accidental greatness, the importance of pestering editors (in both directions) and opening doors, and the confluence of experiencing the amazing and the miserable, the ruthless and the kind. But first, journey with us, as Robert Holmes takes us back in time to Pakistan in the early 80s and tells us about a historic expedition along the treacherous Karakoram Highway.

Story
“Just Another Adventure Story” first appeared in the Spring 2018 issue of Hidden Compass: The Magazine as a photo feature in our Quest department. See the full story and its accompanying photographs from nearly four decades ago, here: https://hiddencompass.net/story/just-another-adventure-story.

Storyteller
From the 1975 British Everest Expedition to the vineyards of the world, Robert Holmes’ career as one of the world’s most successful and prolific travel photographers has extended more than 40 years. Bob’s assignments have taken him from searching for snow leopards in the remote valleys of Western Nepal, to trekking into the rain forests of Borneo with Penan tribesmen, to crossing the Great Indian Desert on camel. Learn more about Bob at his website, https://robertholmesphotography.com/, and his blog, http://mobile-holmes.com/. Follow him on Instagram @bobholmesphoto. And check out his Hidden Compass profile at https://hiddencompass.net/journalist/robert-holmes.

Hidden Compass

Hidden Compass is an award-winning, women-led media company that’s forging an Alliance to turn storytellers and explorers into heroes and champion a new age of discovery.

To learn more about us and support storytellers like Bob, visit https://hiddencompass.net and contribute to our fundraising campaigns. We split campaign proceeds 50/50 with the writer of each story, and storytellers receive their cut on top of their article pay.

To support Hidden Compass, recommend us to someone who’s looking to stand up for journalism, science, history, and hope. You can also buy tickets to our virtual events at https://hiddencompass.net/events, and learn more about becoming an Ally at https://hiddencompass.net/alliance. Sign up for our newsletter at https://bit.ly/2Yc2HH1.

See you next week, when we’ll go deep into the forests of El Salvador, and speak with Jennifer Billock about revolution, transformation, and “Wartime in the Woods.”