Healing Through Truth & Nature

Trigger Warning: Childhood trauma and suicidal ideation

In this deeply moving episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, I talk with Jesse Cody, founder and president of Hike the Good Hike, a nonprofit that uses nature and storytelling to promote mental health awareness. Jesse shares his journey from suicidal ideation to self-discovery, starting with no hiking experience at age 40, and how walking the Appalachian Trail helped him confront his past, process childhood trauma and find purpose through service.

Jesse's story is one of radical honesty, emotional courage and the healing potential of nature. A survivor of childhood sexual trauma, Jesse opens up about his path toward mental wellness, including the moment he chose life, the role of community support and the transformative power of taking a “long walk” to face the pain he spent decades hiding. Today, he uses his story to inspire others and create space for more people to find strength through vulnerability and the outdoors.

We also talk about how men, especially young men and boys, are socialized to hide emotional pain, and what we can do as parents, professionals and advocates to change that narrative. Jesse offers practical, hopeful suggestions for connecting youth to nature, community and healthier emotional outlets.

About My Guest

Jesse Cody is a transformational keynote speaker who inspires audiences to reconnect with nature as a powerful tool for mental health improvement and personal growth. His compelling journey reflects a major leap from the nightlife scene in Boston and NYC into the world of hiking, where he has now covered over 16,000 miles throughout the U.S. This transformation was shaped by his personal battles with childhood sexual trauma, insecurities, depression, narcissistic tendencies, and suicidal ideation. This trauma lies at the root of his life’s struggles, informing his experiences and fueling his passion for advocacy.

By openly addressing his childhood sexual trauma, Jesse sheds light on the often-taboo subject, demonstrating its significant impact on mental health and personal development. His story serves as a testament to courage and resilience, embodying a message of hope for those grappling with their own dark experiences. Through his initiative, "Hike The Good Hike," Jesse invites individuals to explore the healing power of nature, encouraging them to create their unique paths toward mental wellness. He emphasizes that nature is accessible to all, providing opportunities for self-discovery and personal connection, and empowering audiences to take charge of their mental health one step at a time.

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Connect with Jesse:

Website: www.hikethegoodhike.org

Instagram: @hikethegoodhike

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-cody-01a5a2187

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Transcript

Kim Meninger

Welcome, Jesse. I'm so excited for you to be here today. I would love to start by inviting you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

Jesse Cody

Absolutely. Well, first off, Kim, thank you for having me on your program. I greatly appreciate that. My name is Jesse Cody. I'm the founder and president of hike, the good hike, which is an organization that's based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, though I am originally from Cambridge mass, kind of your neck of the woods. My organization, essentially, what we do is we try to use storytelling and bring attention to how being in nature can benefit your mental health. The way that I kind of got in to nonprofit work or even to be a mental health advocate was my background and experience doesn't come from any type of traditional schooling, but I come from the schooling of life. So for me, it's really just been about the things that I've that I've struggled with in my past. As far as mental health challenges go, how I found my way into hiking at the age of 40, honestly, with no with no true experience with nature or hiking, and how taking these steps on the trail further taking steps into really just identifying some of the things that I was struggling with, and, more importantly, facing a lot of the things that I was struggling with, and found this place in nature that really gave me an ally in the sense of, you know, being able to then, kind of use my hiking to show that there was more in me than I ever kind of thought in terms of perseverance, and really be able to face my challenges, and then from there, be able to take those things that I was came to understand and, and make a commitment to myself, make a commitment to actual therapy, make a commitment to the work that was needed to really better the things that I had struggled with for so many years because of that, I thought starting an organization to really talk about these things, not just what I understand about nature and how beneficial, beneficial It can be, but to tell my backstory, which is a really challenging story, to say the least, but knowing that there's so many people out there that have so many challenges in their life, and probably struggle to kind of open up about those and face them. For me, what I learned when I was going through this is that hearing people talk about it really was inspiring and really kind of gave me some belief in that I could fight for myself. So I wanted to kind of pass that forward because of what was given to me, and use my understanding to tell this story, and kind of find some courage around this, to open up both these things. And hopefully, through doing this and through the organization that I created, we can, we can get people to kind of open up about the things they're struggling with, and maybe change their perspective, and maybe even add nature to their life, to see if that that benefits them.

Kim Meninger

I'm so grateful that you're willing to talk about this openly. I think it is so important that we destigmatize the conversation around mental health. It is it affects all of us in some way, and if not directly, we are certainly in relationships with people who have struggles with mental health, and I think that it's still not very well understood. There's a lot of myths around it. Are you willing to share a little bit more about your own backstory here?

Jesse Cody

Oh, yeah, 100% so for me, you know, and this is something that, even though, through my hiking and as I started talking about the things that I struggled with my past, which was depression, was anxiety, was insecurities, a lot of these things that I struggled with when I was younger, as I grew older, they kind of transformed into this cocktail where I did a lot of projecting and a lot of narcissistic behavior and relationships and a lot of self-sabotage. But the one thing where I think it all stems from is something that I actually just started addressing over the last year and shared with my family at the age of 50, for the first time in my life, that it's from all these things that I've just kind of laid out are trauma based. I am somebody. I'm a survivor of childhood sexual trauma, and so, you know, to kind of get to that point 50 years later, it's been a, it's been a real, trying, wild but, but a lot of relief, especially when, when you tell your family things that you've been holding in for so long, and part of the reason you've been holding them in for so long as you're worried that maybe you won't believe, be believed, maybe you'll be judged, maybe ridiculed. They're all these things I think so many people think will come to them when they when they go through trauma, and if they talk about it, ultimately, you're always thinking the most negative of what that conversation looks like, and really struggle to find the positives in that conversation, where, for me, it's challenging, as it was, to have these conversations with my mom, my stepdad, my dad, my brother. Because ultimately, what came out of it was just this incredible love that I should have always known was there, but really just magnifying it and showed how much support my family has always had. It's not just for me, but for how we've all had it for each other, and I couldn't be more grateful for, for not only the support and love that they've shown me, but it's a little different, right? I'm a mental health advocate, and so this isn't something that you're talking about and you're keeping in house and you're dealing with as a family. You know, one of the things that I that I talked about, is that I wanted to bring this into my work, and that was something I was very nervous about. Because not only like, like a like a piece of bread, am I slicing off a bit of my trauma and handling it, handing it out to my family members, but then I'm asking them to understand that I'm going to talk about this and bring it to the world, which to them. You know that that can bring on a lot of questions from people that are in their lives, people that they work with and beyond, and not one person in my family said anything negative towards that. It's been complete encouragement and understanding. And I think even with my mom, before I even said out loud that I need you to support me, she had already said, I expect you to do this because you are who you are, and the work you do is important, and it's important for you to tell your whole story.

Kim Meninger

Wow, giving me goosebumps, hearing that I'm so happy to hear that your family was supportive in that way. And I know not everyone's is there's a lot of complexity to the type of trauma that you're describing, and you know, it strikes me too, that when you talk about the experiences that you had, everybody kind of copes with it differently, and you can have layers on couches on top of it. Because I know that a lot of people, I shouldn't say a lot. I'm not speaking statistically here, but I know, you know, anecdotally, there are people who will then engage in other kind of, like you said, self-sabotaging behaviors as a as a coping mechanism. So maybe that looks like drugs and alcohol or just other kinds of self-medication. And so they're not actually getting to the root cause of what's going on. And then that just adds more and more difficulties to their lives.

Jesse Cody

Yeah, you know, you're always looking to hide, right? You're, you're trying to figure out, what is that place that I'm most capable of hiding in, and unrealistically, how am I able to be in that place and take the pain away and really it that's, I would say, 100% impossible to take the pain and struggles away, but the hiding is real. You know, specifically with men, you talk about statistics. You know, one in one in six men have been through sexual trauma. But it's more probably accurate that it's one in four, because one in six of the men that are talking about it. So it's closer to women, the women's statistics of one in four. That's what, that's the statistics believe. So, you know, when you say, like, you lean into things and places that, like we're talking about, places to hide, you know? And this is, this is very true for men. Ultimately, when you when you continue to try to hide, and you see that these don't think these things aren't working well, then what is the last place that you're seeking to hide? And that's ultimately suicide or suicidal ideation, which, again, when we talk stats worldwide, 70% of suicides in this world are men. So you know, this is why, this is why it's so important for me to speak about this openly. Now I'm realistic, like, not all men are going to listen to me. Not all men are going to buy into what I'm talking but some, some may right. Some may say, Okay, well, I want to hear what this guy is talking about. And if I can just get and not just man, obviously, I'm speaking everyone, specifically youth as well, if they're willing to listen, well maybe then I'm able to kind of change their perspective, even in the slightest way, to take a chance on themselves, or, like, I like to say, take a leap and take some steps forward.

Kim Meninger

Yeah, I think that that's so such a great perspective too, is that if you can just help even one person, it's worth it, right? And you never know who's going to resonate with you, because you have a different story than other mental health advocates, and you're and even, let's talk a little bit about the, the element of nature in your work, because you mentioned you didn't have a history of hiking, and so I'm curious, how did you even stumble into that? How did, how did you even get into hiking?

Jesse Cody

Yeah, it's a, it's, it's quite a story. You know, as I said, I grew up in Cambridge, and majority of my life was in the Cambridge, Boston area. I also lived in New York City. For five years, a majority of my life, you know, young adulthood. Non was in the restaurant bar business, ran a nightclub in Times Square for a couple years. So I always say my jungles were very different before I discovered nature and, and when I was turning 40, you know, I I I was going into that birthday party, just probably in the worst place that I had been in my life. And you know, I was really more so trying to find courage to take my life. And so my family and friends put together a gathering, and I truly believe that that was going to be my last birthday party, so I wanted to make the best of it. I said, just go in. Man, check everything at the door. Enjoy this enjoy this time, man, enjoy everything that they've done for you. And what came out of that was, not only was I putting myself in this place to try to enjoy this, but what happened within the party is because there was a collection of 50-60, people who loved me, right, like from family, from friends, even ex-girlfriends, who, truth be told, I I put through hell at one point or another, were still at my party to celebrate me. And I remember thinking to myself, Man, the things that you've done for them to even be here, open your eyes. But I had to open my eyes even, even wider, because there was just so much love around me. And I had this moment where I was like, How does, how does someone who has so much love in their life want to take their life and what have I done for myself? Who have I asked help from? Who? When have you given therapy an actual attempt and invested in it? You've, you've actually done really nothing to try to help yourself all you think is the best place for you to be is gone. But what if you tried to stay, and what if you actually gave an effort? And that really stuck with me for a while. Came out of that party, and I started thinking to myself, like, what are the steps that I have to take? And I knew right away I needed to get out of the business. I needed to get out of the restaurants and bars that just wasn't a healthy place for me. And from there, I just had this overwhelming feeling that I had to go somewhere. And I started thinking I saw maybe a move somewhere more peaceful. I started, like, researching places in Maine, like just I was thinking and searching for anything that could help. And while I was doing that, Robert Redford announced that he was making Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods into a film. And it was actually a book that I had read in my early 20s that I really enjoyed, and I remember thinking to myself, that was a book that had a lot of inspiration. It had humor, it had authenticity, it told real stories. I'm going to go get that book, because right now I have to bring any type of inspiration in my life to kind of keep me focused on finding what it is that's going to help me move forward. I had no idea that by picking up a walk in the woods, this book about the Appalachian Trail was actually going to lead me to the Appalachian Trail, because I was so taken by this book and a particular passage that Bryson says early on when he discovers the Appalachian Trail, and he had quite a life for himself at that time, but he said to himself, I still have things that I am seeking answers to, and maybe a long walk will help me find those answers. And every time I say that, I get emotional because that passage, it ultimately changed my life. And I just thought to myself, well, Bryson doesn't have any experience. I don't have any experience like, if that guy can do it, why can't I? And so I made this decision that ultimately what I was going to try to do is take this long walk and see if this was a place that that could help me find what I was looking for. And that ultimately was I want to, I want to live, but I also I want to live with some purpose. I want to have a life that I'm proud of. I want to be able to give the love back that's been provided to me. And you know, it was a few months later, with my life in a backpack, that I headed down to Georgia. This is always the best part when I tell it. The first time I ever slept in a tent was night one on the Appalachian Trail, and it was a six month journey of internally facing myself and seeing who I was, and understanding that tools would be provided, knowing that when I got to Katahdin, that the journey was far from over, but I knew I could, I could continue on. I found a way to believe in myself with a lot of love, not just from the trail, not just from the hiking community, not just from mother nature, but those friends and families that were before me were there before I started hiking, and we're and we're providing that support along the way. And yeah, it took me six months, but um, you know, honestly, if I could have turned around and hiked back to Georgia. I would have.

Kim Meninger

I was going to ask you that too. I mean, were there times when you thought I don't want to keep going?

Jesse Cody

Um, there were never, I swear, there were certainly times where I was like, I need a day off, or I need a couple of days off. I'm tired. My body's hurting like, this is. Challenging, but I never, ever, ever even had a second on the Appalachian Trail where I said to myself, I want to quit. Yeah. And that in itself, that in itself, you know, I was very aware of that, and I didn't have to fight it. And I kept thinking to myself, all I've wanted to do the last 10, 20 years is quit. And now I'm taking on the most challenging thing I've ever taken on, and I don't want to quit, and I had to really pay attention to that.

Kim Meninger

Yeah, well, and the mental and physical strength that's required to go through something like that too, really strikes me as impressive, given how close you were giving up, right? And if you're not an avid hiker, but I can imagine that's got to be strenuous and exhausting and just a lot of work for your body.

Jesse Cody

Yeah, yep, wow, yeah, you know. So I'll tell you this, though. And I was, I was not in physical shape, and obviously not in mental shape. I, I came at this like, I'm, I'm going to learn along the way, and I'm going to work my way into shape. But years prior, when I was a high school, high school kid, I was, I was an elite track and cross country athlete, um, I was seven time Massachusetts state champion, and so I kept telling myself, going into it early on, somewhere inside of you, is that, is that young guy now you're, you're going to lose weight and you're going to get stronger and you're going to and so you can fight through this, because you were, you know how to do that. It's still there somewhere. You just got to find it. And I think just planting that seed, even before I took on the hike, was very beneficial to get through the first six, seven weeks of the AT.

Kim Meninger

I love that, because I was going to ask you about that too. Of were there things that you kind of used as anchors to keep you going? You know, obviously, you had the motivation and you, you really wanted to do it. But were there, were there other things that kind of kept you believing in yourself, right?

Jesse Cody

Yeah, well, you know, right from the bat, I reached out to a website called the dusty camel and, and they offered space to for bloggers. And so I reached out to them, and I said, I can the Appalachian Trail, and I want to blog. I want to have a blog piece up every week, and I want to share it with the world, and I want to post on social media. And, you know, a lot of ways, that was just another way to make sure I'm keeping accountability right. Is that the lot harder to quit when people are paying attention? I know, and oddly enough, like that was an important, part. But what I learned early on, because of social media and because of blogging, I really enjoyed telling the story as I went, and I think that's when I, you know, even though it took me a couple years after the at to truly start opening up and becoming a mental health advocate, I really found this love for, for telling the story, you know, and it showed I was like, I never, never knew I had an ability to be a storyteller. And so, you know, not was it. It didn't just become this like thing of like, this is going to hold you accountable. You don't want to quit because you don't want people to see that. It became something that I really enjoyed. So I didn't want to stop telling the story, you know. And so working my way through it, I was being really honest, you know. Again, not so honest that I was telling people about what was going on deeply in my mind, but I was sharing the highs and lows of the Appalachian Trail and telling it like it is. And sometimes, you know, I'd make a video and post it on Facebook and say, Hey guys, I need to pick me up. I'm having a couple hard days. And boy, man, the responses you'd get from that, you'd come out of that, like, that's exactly what I needed, you know, there's the gasoline that I needed from my tank. And so, you know, between that and just, you know, the reality, the reality is, Kim, is that somebody asked me this recently in a Q and A, you know, what was plan B if the Appalachian Trail didn't work out? And I said plan B was I was going to take my life, and I didn't want to take my life, so I was going to get to me. There was no other option, like, if it took me a year, if I had a hike in snow, I was going to get to me. And honestly, Kim, the whole time, I truly believed that it was going to provide me with what I was looking for. So I think when you are so invested into that belief and taking the accountability and doing things that you love while you're out there, it's hard for it not to work. You gotta, you've gotta be convinced that it's gonna work and almost manifest it in a way, right? And that's kind of how I went about it without even knowing. That's what I was doing. It took me years to look back and be like, Man, I manifested a lot of that, it worked out.

Kim Meninger

Well, how did it feel to get to Maine? Like, what? What was that like to reach the goal?

Jesse Cody

I mean, it was the most gratifying feeling I ever had in my life, and that, and I just shared with you the things I was able to accomplish as a high school runner, you would think, well, you did all these things, and I'm like, Yeah, but nothing, even to this day, nothing, I don't know if anything can match or be bigger than what I felt climbing Katahdin and hitting and hitting the terminus. You know, I spent, I had been hiking with the group for a couple months going into Katahdin, and as we climbed it, I said to him, I'm going to fall back a little bit and take some time to myself as I as I reach, as I reached the summit, because I just want to, I want to reflect. And, you know, I literally had a conversation with the Appalachian Trail, and I and I thanked it, because it did it, it provided a lot, and it was, it was a lot of tough love, and it was a lot of, a lot of challenges that it believed that I could overcome and, and after these, these thank yous and emotional, almost like conversation, almost hearing the trail speak back to me. I said, you know, I, I understand why you brought me here. I understand why you gave me this opportunity to finish it. Because it in that what that is, is it's not that you wanted me to keep this to myself, that somehow, someway, I'm here to take what you've given me and share it with the world. And I made a promise I would do so, and I would dedicate my life to talking about what I learned out here, and I would continue on. And certainly, at that point, I didn't know what it all looked like, but I knew the most important thing was I had to keep hiking, and that if I kept hiking, everything would materialize.

Kim Meninger

Wow. And so it sounds like that was pretty immediate, that you reached that goal and thought I needed to take this to the world like this isn't about me anymore, just about me anymore.

Jesse Cody

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I came off of that, and the first thing I did was I got a bartending job, but I found a place that closed at 11 o'clock at night. Oh, there you go. And I knew that I had such a different mindset that I could go in, do my job, and at the end of the night I could go home, and that I was using that to make money to save up for my next hike. And while I was doing that, I was thinking about, what's the next hike look like, and what, what does it mean in terms of this journey and the progress? And so that was 2017 where I, where I took on the Pacific Crest Trail. And what I decided going into that is, while I'm doing this, I'm going to continue to blog. I created my own website to blog, and I'm going to start talking about the things that I struggled with, why I ultimately ended up on trail. Now I had to share that with my family beforehand. And again, it wasn't everything, but it was a good start, because I did. I did ultimately sit down and say, I need you to know why I found my way to trail that suicidal ideation was a big role in my life, that there was behavioral issues and relationships and, you know, and I just came clean in a lot of ways, and then I said, and these are things that I think are important to talk about, and I think that stage For me is hiking to talk about it. And so that was progress, right? And in between the hikes, it was almost because I was so focused on, where do I take this next you know, it was almost like I was hiking when I wasn't hiking, because I was always creative mode of how I wanted to use things moving forward. So I'm still at it. Wow. You know, I just surpassed 17,000 miles hiked in the last 10 years, and I'm still I can't believe it. I can't believe my feet have allowed me to do this.

Kim Meninger

That's amazing and, and so how do you engage with others through this process? When you talk about being a mental health advocate, I know you told your story, your blogging, you speak, obviously, that's how you and I know. So what does it look like to share your journey with others? Who are, you know, looking for similar inspiration or support?

Jesse Cody

Well, yeah, I mean, I've got a little bit of a name in the hiking community, so especially if I'm on any type of long trail or at any hiking event, there's always a few people who know me, especially if I'm wearing the hat the hike, the good Hi Cat. But you know, like you said, I think for the most part, the story initially got out there through social media, through Instagram, and really just openly talking about it, making videos, but I also write, you know, I've had some things that have been published in online magazines. And as you said, I've, you know, slowly got into the speaking game, but that's starting to pick up. And, you know, between those three things, man, the audience has grown. And one. Importantly, people who feel really connected to what hike, the good hike, and what it's doing have, have found its way to me, whether through social media or emails, and man, it's been really incredible just to have that experience, to like, to be part of creating something that people look at and just feel like there's something there that could possibly help them. We just, we just launched our first major programming and in the organization called the hiker sponsorship program, where we're going to support 10 hikers next year who are taking on a journey of up to 500 miles or more. And ultimately, what we're doing for them is we're, we're supplying them with all their gears and stipends for some of the cost, and in return, they, they will tell their mental health journey through our platform. Because ultimately, what I want the nonprofit to be is how I found my way to it and what it's meant to me. Because if so many people have come to me and said, man, your story is incredible, like it inspires me. I'm like, what if I had a place that 10 years down the road has 500 plus stories from 500 people? What could that do for people that are struggling with their mental health? Because I'm so inspired, right? Like the amount of people that come to me, or the things that I read or things I see in social media, I feel so inspired, and I wanted just to be part of creating something that was ultimately a hub for what I've experienced and what so many other people are experiencing. And one of the cool things about this programming is Mike and I, who's part of my team, have we as we've been going through the interview process, and we've interviewed a lot of hikers, a lot of people aren't looking for much. This blew me away. Kim, this blew me away, because this is ultimately what I want. But every time we'd ask, what's your Christmas list? What do you need for gear? And you think everything like, well, we need the tent, we need the backpack, like you think they're going to list everything off. We've had people say, I don't need anything. I just want to be part of this. I want to hear stories, and I want to tell mine. Wow, that, to me, is a dream come true for hike, the good hike.

Kim Meninger

I am so inspired. And I think, you know, listening to you, it's particularly, I think, timely. And I don't know how much you identify with or tune into the, you know, the conversation around the crisis around boys and men, oh yeah. And, you know, I feel like it's so important that white men in particular are talking about their own struggles. Because I think that there's a there's a belief or a misconception that you know you guys have, have it all figured out, and we're all living in your world, right? And I think that that perception puts a lot of pressure on men and younger boys. And I'm raising two boys myself, and I I just think giving younger boys and men access to support resources that they can identify with more so than like maybe someone like me is so important at a moment in history when I think that this is more important than ever.

Jesse Cody

Yeah, I mean, look, we're in a place where minds are being molded by a lot of toxic, horrific things through online presence and beyond, right? There's such a disconnect from the things that we've experienced, where we actually used to go out and hang out or play with our friends and be part of something. And you know, even though we may not have been talking about all our struggles. We still found a lot of joy and having community. And now there's, there's such a void of that and, and, like you said, I mean, it's for everybody, but, yeah, I mean, I see it a lot with younger boys, definitely, you know, I have a nephew, you know, I've talked to him, about him and his friends and just, you know, some of the things that it just is so different from what we've experienced. It's as a mental health advocate or even mental health professionals, our work is harder, you know, everybody, a lot of the time. So many people say, Well, we've come so far with mental health. And I go, No, we have not. We've all no we've actually just created more challenges. And in the same way that it's been for so long, we are lacking the support that's needed for young men, humans in general, and we have to really kind of get dirty here to find ways to be there for the people that are looking for it, because they're all looking for it, especially the youth. They're looking for anything to help them through problems. And I just don't know where that is right. And so, you know, I really attempt, and I'm going to attempt more and more into 2026 to speak at high schools. And. Beyond, because I think there are things there that youth can hear come from a guy that's older, but they can resonate with because of the things that I went through in high school, especially being an elite athlete and being in the limelight a lot, and really the pressures that came with that, on top of the trauma that I was pushing deep down inside of me, and I've given some high school talks where the response has been unbelievable. I actually, I've, I've talked to Cambridge and gelatin High School twice, and I talked four years apart, and there was a freshman that heard me speak in the last and the last I spoke, there was a senior, and he came up to me and he's like, Hey, I saw you speak when I was a freshman. And I want you to know, every day I go in the Charles River on my bike and, like, I really plugged into the things you were talking about, wow. And said that really helped me. And I'm going off to college and, like, and I'm like, Man, I just those are the kind of things like, you know, purpose, right? Yeah, nonprofit work, mental health advocacy work is really, really challenging work. But when you, when you have this type of feedback, and you get to have those type of moments, then you're like, I'm never gonna quit. Yeah.

Kim Meninger

Well, there are a lot of a lot of people listening that are moms of boys. And I wonder if you have any advice, selfishly, like I said, I have 15 year old and 10 year old boys, and I wonder if there's anything that you think we could do as parents to help support our own boys and their mental health journey, and maybe even give them guidance to, to get some to find someone like you who's out there.

Jesse Cody

Well, I mean, surprisingly, and I'm always glad to assist with this, there are a lot of men, and definitely younger men than I on social media who are doing incredible work and are talking about incredible things and offering ways for assistance that I think is vital now, again, you got to really dig deep to find those things. And like it is my goal to kind of create through the platform, and hopefully I can, I can talk to a lot of these influencers who are doing some of the good work, and say, I'd just love to have a list, you know, of these are people you should be following if you're struggling with X, Y and Z, you know, social media again, I'll talk, I'll talk all day about the challenges and how toxic it is. But there are some really good, some really good things there. And the truth of the matter is, is that it is a massive tool, and we're not getting rid of it, and we're not turning back the hands of time to, like, actually have in person, group hikes and such, which we can do. But, you know, again, parents have to do a lot of work to find that, um, it's there. But I ultimately always think it is always good what I would say, I think it is always beautiful to say, maybe to parents that are friends of yours, like, what's kind of weekend that we can have with the boys, right? Like, you know, this is old school, but I've had friends do it, and they love it. Like, maybe we get some tents. Like, in the summertime we set them up in the backyard, we let them have a sleepover outside, right? Like, you know, we grow up for them, like, just creating a place where, you know, phones away, computers shut, like, go out, breathe, it in. Have some fun. We're going to cook some hot dogs like that. Doesn't have to be too much around it. That's what I've always noticed about nature, is that nature is going to, is going to give you what you're looking for without asking for it. Sometimes it's going to give you even more that you, you don't want, but you're climbing mountains. But I just always think that like the best way for us to create community and friendships in an in person way is to, is to kind of find the environment that's right, and that that this day and age doesn't happen in the house, right in the house, the phones are out in the house, the video games are being played. And I'm not even against video games. I play video games. I love video games, but, but I also went out and played stickball. I also went out and played basketball. I also went out and ran around and acted up. You know, I remember, you know, a lot of times people say, Well, you guys were kids, you were crazy, you were out hanging out, climbing things, and, like, lucky, you got through that. I'm like, but we got through it, and we had an incredible community of friends. You know, I'd rather be doing that than coming across something online that's truly like, just such poison to my mental health. So I think there's just this ability to create things that are outside the house that, you know, bringing them to the beach, bringing them to a pond, like whatever that is, just being like, you know, I'm the mom in charge this weekend. We're going to do this on Saturday. Let's round everybody up and just make it fun. Just make. Things fun, you know, and even say, I'm going to back away. I'll be sitting over here for a while and let you guys do your thing. They'll be fine. We don't have to overly worry. Kids are okay. They're smart. But I just think again, like creating outdoor environments is such an important thing. And really kind of like, I'm happy to always do this. If anybody reaches, reaches out to me at hike, the good hike, I'm always happy to pass on other people that are really putting some positive stuff out there to the world and really can benefit not only just all humans, but specifically young, young men.

Kim Meninger

Wow. Well, I mean, I can't thank you enough for everything that you're doing. I am so inspired by your own personal story as well as the work that you're doing for everyone around you. And I'm just so grateful that you're here to talk to us for, for people who want more of you. Where can they find you?

Jesse Cody

Yeah, so like I said, social media, our biggest platform, Instagram, so that's at hike the good hike. We're always putting some fun stuff out there, and as we launch this program, there's going to be a lot more stories to be told, which is so exciting, but also for any information on us, head on over to hike the good hike dot org and that's where we are, and that's where we see our expansion. You can join our email list and just plug in and feel free to reach out if you email at hike the good hike dot org, I'm usually the guy that answers.

Kim Meninger

So I'll make sure those links are in the show notes too, for anyone

Jesse Cody

Yeah, yeah, please do. I'm always happy to assist, and that's, that's what I'm that's what I promised the trail, and I'm sticking to that promise.

Kim Meninger

Well, thank you so much. That's really, really a blessing and an inspiration.

Jesse Cody

Thank you, Kim. I appreciate you.