Today we’d like to introduce you to Elyse Flynn.
Hi Elyse, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I wanted to make a podcast that incorporated my two favorite things: my love for the outdoors and my interest in macabre topics. So I had an idea earlier this year to make this dream come a reality and I finally started in September. I have always loved the outdoors ever since I was a small child. I actually worked for the Boy Scouts of America at Philmont Scout Ranch in college, which even further flamed my love for the outdoors and history of our great public lands. While working at Philmont Scout Ranch, I fell in love with hearing and telling stories and histories of the great outdoors. Every night, I either hosted opening campfire and told the story of the land of the ranch or closing campfire and got to read troups’ stories of their adventures while backpacking. I backpacked in college: at Philmont Scout Ranch, in national parks, in national forests, and absolutely fell in love with the outdoors and the important stories they held. I also have passion for creepy and spooky tales, ranging from true crime, missing persons, and legends. I love to research and learn all about these topics. Morbid Outdoors Podcast is a culmination of these two passions of mine. I entertain and educate at the same time and love connecting with listeners in the comment sections. I am just starting this dream of mine and I cannot wait to see where it takes me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. I’m still working on overcoming a lot of insecurities I have about having a podcast: my pronunciation of unusual names/words, how my voice sounds, how fluent and smooth my speech is, what people think of my personal stories of the outdoors, etc. Its an internal struggle but I am becoming more confident in my abilities of information sharing and story telling. Its also been a little difficult to find time and the “right” space to record in. My husband and I have been renting a basement apartment and as you can imagine, it is not easy to record a podcast while I have an upstairs neighbor walking around and my dog demanding attention. I welcome the struggles because they are a learning opportunity and allow me to pivot and adapt to changes.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I host a podcast called Morbid Outdoors weekly. In this space I share historical information about our public lands, provide trivia facts about public lands and landmarks, and report on outdoors true crime, missing persons in public lands, and spooky outdoors stories. I also read negative reviews of national parks and public lands for a laugh. I love to share the rich history of our public lands including national parks, national monuments, recreation areas, and more. This podcast is a passion project of mine and while its not my 9-5 career, it is something that I take pride in and love to share with others.
How do you think about luck?
Luck is a funny word. I think I’ve had both good and back luck in my life and my ventures in the podcasting world. I grew up in rural Arkansas and lived a very different life than many my age (late 20s). I grew up on a dirt road and my only neighbors were family members (yes, it was a family compound). We did not have internet/wifi, we did not have personal computers, phones, or tablets. I grew up reading, playing outside, and using my imagination. In fact, in elementary school for book reports I’d have to walk to my grandma’s house to use her encyclopedias for research. I had a typewriter. Everything was “old school” despite it being well into the 2000s. My mom valued education and learning how to do things the “analog” way. As a child, I was annoyed by this. Why couldn’t I use a computer to google my topics, why didn’t I have a tv in my room, why couldn’t I have a cell phone like all of my friends? I thought I was unlucky as a child. Now, as an adult, I realize I was actually very lucky. I appreciate that my mom did not let technology be a huge part in my life: I know how to do things peers don’t, I have stories to tell that others don’t, and I value the outdoors because that’s pretty much all I had as a child.
I attended college for 6 years to earn my Bachelors and Masters degrees. Most of my free time in college was spent hiking in the Ozarks and traveling. The outdoors weren’t just fun for me, they were essential for my mental health and overall wellbeing. I was lucky to attend college close to the Ozark National Forest so I could spend free time there on the weekends and on breaks. I was lucky to have the opportunity to work at Philmont Scout Ranch in college. I was lucky to be able to do travel healthcare for years so I could travel and explore more of the United States.
Since starting my podcast I’ve realized that luck is just luck. What you might perceive as bad luck in the moment might actual be good luck later (and vice versa). Luck is what you make it, good or bad. And because of this I’ve learned that luck shapes your entire life: both personal and business.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morbidoutdoorspodcast/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Morbid-Outdoors-Podcast/61563079424976/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MorbidOutdoorsPodcast
