Bill Hodge has spent much of his life working to protect wild places and connect people to public lands. But that story started long before conservation became his career.
In this episode of Raising Wild, Ashley sits down with Bill—Wild Idea Media founder and honorary “Wilder Parent” to her two boys—to trace his relationship with the outdoors back to its beginning.
Bill shares memories of traveling with his family in an old pop-up camper, hiking through the mountains of North Carolina and learning from parents and relatives who gave him the freedom to be curious about the world around him. He talks about the people and experiences that shaped him, the career detour that took him away from conservation for more than two decades, and the hike in his 40s that ultimately brought him back.
Their conversation explores what happens when kids are given meaningful time outside, why service can deepen our relationship with public lands, and the importance of slowing down enough to simply let a place come to you.
In this episode:
Ashley and Bill talk about:
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The childhood camping trips that first connected Bill to wild places
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How his parents and extended family encouraged curiosity, wonder and time outside without forcing it
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What his uncle taught him about photography, emotion and being moved by the natural world
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The lessons Bill carried from difficult outdoor experiences into his professional life
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Why he walked away from a successful career in sports marketing and broadcasting
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The solo hike that helped change the direction of his life
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Founding Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) and creating opportunities for young people to serve on public lands
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Why access to outdoor experiences requires intentionality
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The difference between simply recreating on public lands and becoming curious about how those places came to be
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Why enjoying a place can be enough — and how curiosity can eventually lead to stewardship and advocacy
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Giving kids space to develop their own relationship with the natural world
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The value of slowing down, being still and letting a place come to you
A few moments from the conversation
Bill remembers being 10 years old in the spruce-fir forests of North Carolina, surrounded by a landscape that felt impossibly big and wild. Those early trips weren’t just about camping. They gave him uninterrupted time with his family and introduced him to adults who taught him to pay attention. His uncle, a photographer, showed him that it was okay to be moved to tears by something as simple as a field of wildflowers.
Years later, after building a successful career far outside conservation, Bill found himself with something he hadn’t had in a long time: time. On his first day of unemployment — which also happened to be his birthday — his wife, Laura, dropped him off for a six-hour solo hike through what is now the Upper Bald River Wilderness. By the time she picked him up, he knew he wasn’t going back to his old career.
That decision eventually led to Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards and work connecting young people to public lands through service. Bill reflects on the importance of making those opportunities genuinely accessible, while also acknowledging that getting a kid outside doesn’t automatically transform their life. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply create the opportunity and let them decide what it means.
And throughout the conversation, Bill returns to an idea that has shaped both his photography and his relationship with wild places: spend enough time somewhere to let the place come to you.
For parents, kids — and adults trying to hold onto some of their own childhood curiosity — it may be one of the simplest places to start.
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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.
About Bill Hodge
Bill Hodge is co-founder and president of Wild Idea Media and co-host of The Wild Idea podcast. His career has spanned broadcast media, sports marketing and conservation leadership, including serving as founding executive director of Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards and co-founding the Wilderness Skills Institute. His conservation work has earned honors including the White House Champion of Change award and awards from the U.S. Forest Service. When he’s not advocating for public lands or talking about them behind a microphone, Bill documents wild places through photography.