For many of us who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, being outside wasn’t an activity that had to be planned. We rode bikes, wandered through fields, endured bad weather and came home when the streetlights turned on. Only later did we begin to understand what all that freedom may have given us—and how much harder it can be for children to find today.
Jessica Turner, president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, grew up that way in upstate New York. The outdoors was simply part of family and community life. Now, as the mother of two young children and one of the country’s leading voices for outdoor recreation, she is working to make time outside a more fundamental part of American life.
In this episode, Jessica and Ashley talk about how outdoor experiences build grit, independence and connection; the challenge of raising children in a world designed to keep us inside; and why outdoor access cannot rest entirely on individual families. Jessica also shares the vision behind America’s Outdoor Era, ORR’s effort to position outdoor recreation as essential health infrastructure—and to embed it more fully in schools, healthcare, workplaces and public policy.
They also talk about the power of finding common ground outside, why recess should be nonnegotiable and what parents can do when work follows them home. Ultimately, Jessica argues that getting more people outside doesn’t have to begin with enormous adventures or sweeping national change. It can begin with an after-dinner walk, a greener schoolyard or a parent willing to ask why children aren’t going outside.
In this episode:
Ashley and Jessica talk about:
- How Jessica’s outdoor childhood in upstate New York shaped her resilience and approach to leadership
- Why the divisions between different forms of outdoor recreation can feel artificial
- How Jessica makes outdoor time part of her family’s daily life
- Why children and adults often become better versions of themselves outside
- The vision behind America’s Outdoor Era
- What it would mean to treat public lands and outdoor access as health infrastructure
- How schools, hospitals, employers and insurers could make outdoor time easier to access
- Why outdoor recreation can create common ground across political and cultural differences
- The connection between outdoor experiences, attention, awe and memory
- How Jessica navigates screens, demanding work and being present with her children
- Why meaningful change can begin at the PTA, schoolyard or local parks board
A few moments from the conversation
Jessica talks about her husband recognizing when she needs a reset and gently asking, “Why don’t you go outside for a minute?” It is a simple reminder of how quickly stepping outdoors can change how we feel.
She shares the family ritual of walking together after dinner—even when getting outside means pulling on rain boots—and why those small, ordinary habits often matter more than grand adventures.
Jessica describes children’s hospitals turning unused plots of land into green spaces and seeing changes in children’s asthma, play and sense of ownership over those spaces.
She also talks about a doctor prescribing children 20 minutes outside each day because spending too little time looking into the distance was affecting their eyesight.
One of the most surprising moments in the conversation is Jessica’s story about children at an outdoor preschool developing far more diverse gut microbiomes than children attending an indoor preschool.
Ashley and Jessica talk about how children are often their best selves beside a creek—not necessarily on a grand or carefully planned family adventure.
Jessica also shares why she explains honestly when work interrupts family time instead of quietly trying to squeeze it in, helping her children understand what she is doing and why it matters.
And she points out that so many of the things we try to supplement indoors—morning light, vitamin D, movement and stress relief—are already waiting for us outside.
Links & Resources
- Outdoor Recreation Roundtable
- Learn more about America’s Outdoor Era
- National Executive Forum on Health and Outdoor Recreation
- Read the forum recap
- Listen to the first episode of Raising Wild with Richard Louv: What Do We Lose When We Stop Noticing?
Subscribe to Raising Wild today and follow along as the first season begins.
About Raising Wild
Raising Wild is a podcast from Wild Idea Media, hosted by Ashley Arnold, about what wild places build in us — and what happens when childhood drifts too far from them.
Every other Wednesday, Ashley talks with writers, scientists, educators, leaders, artists, athletes and parents about childhood, nature, freedom, risk, resilience and the wild, capable kid in all of us.
Together, they explore how time outside shapes us into more capable, curious and connected people. And why the wild places that made us who we are are worth paying attention to, caring for and protecting.
Meet Today’s Guest
Jessica Turner is president of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, where she works across the outdoor recreation industry, government and other sectors to expand access to the outdoors and strengthen its role in American health, communities and the economy.