How to Raise Kids Who Love Travel, Nature, and Adventure (Even in the Digital Age)
🎧 Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music
In my first guest episode, I chat with Lisa Stanworth—a mom of five, travel enthusiast, and host of the Choose Your Happy Place podcast. Lisa shares how her childhood shaped her love for the outdoors, how she keeps things simple and adventurous with kids from toddlerhood to the teenage years, and why walks, multi-generational travel, and tech boundaries matter more than ever. Whether you’re dreaming of big family trips or just want ideas for getting outside after dinner, Lisa offers down-to-earth advice you’ll love.
Childhood Roots of Outdoor Joy
Lisa’s own childhood was filled with simple pleasures—walks, hikes, and road trips across the West. She talks about the power of weekly Sunday walks with her family and how those laid the foundation for the adventure-driven lifestyle she now creates for her kids.
Making Travel Work for All Ages
With kids ranging from age five to seventeen, Lisa shares how she plans travel that works for everyone. From no-service dude ranches in Colorado to their beloved family trips to Hawaii, she talks about the beauty of flexibility, setting expectations, and embracing slow, simple travel rhythms.
Keeping It Real: Mom Life, Meltdowns, and Morocco
We talk about the messy parts too—jet lag, skipped meals, cranky toddlers, and the pressure moms carry. Lisa shares how she survived early travel seasons and why solo adventures (like her recent Morocco trip!) help her reconnect with herself.
Tech Boundaries and Raising Present Kids
Lisa opens up about screen time with teens, the challenges of raising kids in a digital age, and how she uses tools like photography to redirect screen interest into creativity. Her reminder? Kids thrive when we put the phones down and just go for a walk.
Simple Ways to Get Outside (Even When You're Overwhelmed)
Lisa’s go-to advice for busy parents? Keep it simple. From after-dinner walks to playground detours, she shares how families can create bonding moments without needing gear, perfect weather, or a big agenda.
Whether you’re dreaming of your next big trip or just trying to get your kids out the door for a walk around the block, Lisa’s honesty, humor, and encouragement will meet you right where you are.
Connect with Lisa:
🎧 Choose Your Happy Place Podcast
📸 Instagram: @chooseyourhappyplace
Where to Find Me:
Shop my activity guides and free downloads
COSMO JRTRACK 4 SMARTWATCH: Get 15% off the Cosmo Jr Track4 kids smartwatch with code JULIANNE. Shop at https://cosmotogether.com/
Want the full episode? 🎧 Listen to Episode 2: “Raising Adventurous Kids with Lisa Stanworth of Choose Your Happy Place”
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Julianne Nienberg (00:00)
Welcome to the My Outdoorsy Mom podcast. I'm your host, Julianne Nienberg, mom of three, backyard adventure enthusiast, and your go-to gal for making memories outside with your kids. This is your space to ditch the pressure of perfect and embrace simple, soul-filling time in nature that fits real family life. Each week, we'll talk motherhood, nature play, travel, and entrepreneurship with honest stories, practical tips, and guest conversations that'll feel like chatting with a friend.
Whether you're raising wild little explorers or building a business during nap time, I see you. So grab your coffee, toss some snacks in your bag, and let's make some memories. This is the My Outdoorsy Mom podcast.
Julianne Nienberg (00:38)
Welcome to the My Outdoorsy Mom podcast. I'm so excited about today's guest because she is someone who knows a thing or two about getting outside and making memories with kids. Joining me is Lisa Stanworth, host of the Choose Your Happy Place podcast, a go-to travel guide for families looking to explore new destinations from kid-friendly hikes to the best beaches and must-see spots around the world.
Lisa is a stay-at-home mom of five living in Utah and she's passionate about raising kids who love the outdoors just as much as she does. Lisa welcome to the podcast!
Lisa Stanworth (01:09)
Thank you so much. I'm so happy to be on here with you. I'm honored.
Julianne Nienberg (01:13)
so happy that you are my first guest. So this is a milestone for me. I'll never forget it. Just to give a little background, I give all my guests a little pre-call questionnaire because I wanna...
really frame our conversation. And one of the interesting things that I learned about you from your questionnaire is that you grew up spending a lot of time outdoors. You said camping, hiking, road tripping. what are some of your earliest outdoor memories that shaped your love for adventure?
Lisa Stanworth (01:36)
I love this one so much because living in Utah, I grew up in Utah. So I stayed in Utah the majority of my life until I was like 11 or 12. I started going to Hawaii. My dad lived in Hawaii. And so I spent just my whole childhood. It felt like was outside. And it's funny because I was actually thinking back on my earliest childhood memories, like the things that I actually meant a lot to me. And every Sunday,
my mom, my neighbor, our friends, we had a huge group, whoever was available, and we'd go for a walk every Sunday night. And something that tiny, that was something that was one of my favorite things. I looked forward to it every week. We knew we were doing it just a little bit outside. So that was one of my favorite things. And then we road tripped all the time. We hiked, I mean, the mountains are literally minutes from us.
And so we hiked all the time, we did road trips to Idaho, Washington, Canada. it's a magical childhood when you think about it, you know?
Julianne Nienberg (02:30)
That does sound like a magical childhood. Out of all the places that you road trip, what is the one that stands out for you? Or is there something that happened in your childhood on those road trips that is just a standout memory or like a core memory for you?
Lisa Stanworth (02:42)
Yeah, my grandma had a cabin in Island Park just right outside of Yellowstone. So that was a big one for us. We would go there. And then I was the youngest. And so it was kind of fun. I got to just tag along with my mom without my siblings. And so we would go and visit my uncle who lived in Washington. And we'd stay along the Oregon coast. And we sometimes went up to Canada. And those were some of my favorites.
Julianne Nienberg (03:08)
That sounds like an idyllic childhood. my goodness. I have not made it out there, but those are all places high up on my list. And whenever I look at your Instagram, I'm like, man, like she lives in such a beautiful part of the country, like your kids. What a treat it must be to grow up there.
Lisa Stanworth (03:10)
Yeah.
Do you know what? It's funny. I actually this week I went for a walk and I was looking we have these giant mountains that are literally a five minute drive from us and I was sitting there and it's some just something that you think that you're like I don't even realize how lucky I am sometimes, you know and while I was walking I had one of those moments of like I'm so lucky to live here but sometimes you don't sometimes you're just so busy and so much in the bustle of everything that you kind of don't even think about it but it was one of those times
Julianne Nienberg (03:37)
Mm.
Absolutely, I feel that way about Michigan and the Great Lakes.
I mean, I grew up here practically and it took me leaving. didn't go far. went to Chicago and it's still right along Lake Michigan, but it took me leaving and being in a real urban setting to realize how much I loved being near the water and how much I wanted that to be a part of my life and to be a part of our kids lives. And now we're where we live is kind of sandwiched in between two lakes and we travel around the Great Lakes all summer long. so I totally, I totally feel that. And I felt the same way about Michigan, but what a great place to live for you and your kids.
So you are a mom of five, which I imagine makes travel, getting outside, a whole different ballgame. What are the ages of your kids?
Lisa Stanworth (04:29)
My youngest is five and then they go up to age 17. So I know there's a big, big range, but they're such fun ages.
Julianne Nienberg (04:38)
So you're seeing all the different seasons of parenthood and childhood, because you've got a five year old, you've got a 17 year old who's probably getting ready to graduate high school. What has that been like in terms of getting outside, doing fun, adventurous things, traveling? Is it chaos? Like, are you running a well oiled machine? What is it? Is it a little bit of both? What is that like for you guys?
Lisa Stanworth (04:42)
Yeah.
So I would say day to day, it feels like my teenagers, kind of go and do their own thing, right? So I always have my three youngers that usually do everything with me, all the hiking, they'll do all that, going for walks. Traveling is fun. My kids all love traveling so much. I feel like that's the part where we're like, okay, we can do this well, because they love it so much. So I feel like that part of our life, it's...
all different. I have elementary, middle school, and high school. And so they're all just at such different ages, but it's super fun.
Julianne Nienberg (05:28)
gotta make for such a fun family life. Now you mentioned you are the are you the youngest of your siblings? How many siblings are there?
Lisa Stanworth (05:34)
So I had, there was six of us and then my parents had gotten divorced and so I have a half sister below me as well. So there's seven total.
Julianne Nienberg (05:42)
Oh my gosh, what a fun family life. Now is there a trip that you guys have all taken where every single kid was on board? Like this was the best trip ever or is it kind of like half of your group will love it and the other half maybe it's the younger half are just kind of along for the ride or vice versa? Is there a place that sticks out in your mind as like this place we all absolutely love we'd come back here over and over again?
Lisa Stanworth (05:45)
It's us.
Yeah, so I'm going to give you two different ones because we've been really lucky. So our families, my husband and mine, we both come from big families. And so we actually do big family reunions. And so for my family, would say hands down, my kid's favorite from that is we actually went to a dude ranch in Colorado for a week. Absolutely incredible.
There's no cell phone service at all. there was one place and it was next to like a flagpole that you had any service. So phones were put away the entire week. No one had TVs. No one had video games or anything. You were outdoors on horses, nonstop all week long. And it was incredible. For my family, Hawaii is like our go-to. everyone loves it. It's just, a second home. So.
It's just one place that no one's gonna ever complain, you know? They love it.
Julianne Nienberg (06:54)
you
Both sound amazing, this dude ranch where there's no cell phone service. I don't know about you, but whenever I go into an area with no cell phone service, it's like my mind just kind of melts away. there's certain parts of the Upper Peninsula where we enter. know the road, I know the stretch of road, and as soon as I look at my phone, it's SOS mode, right? you don't have any cell phone service, and my husband and I both look at each other and we're just like, yes, we made it. we're here, no one can get in touch with us. I love that feeling. So to have a whole ranch and just
Lisa Stanworth (07:14)
Yeah.
Julianne Nienberg (07:22)
kind of outdoor paradise where you can do all the things and you know that you're gonna have every one of your kids hopefully undivided attention, that sounds like a dream.
Lisa Stanworth (07:31)
Yeah,
no, it is incredible. I feel like it takes an adjustment because we're so used to having our phones all the time and you know, to actually put them all away and just enjoy being around the people that you're with and enjoy nature. It takes a little bit of an adjustment and then it's like, this is heavenly, you know?
Julianne Nienberg (07:48)
Yes and I bet you that's
such a blessing too for your maybe like the older members of your family who just want to spend time with their grandkids right like your parents or your in-laws they just want their time too and it's such a blessing that you guys can do this multi-generational travel.
Lisa Stanworth (07:55)
Mm-hmm.
I know it's so fun. we've done some pretty incredible things. So I feel extremely blessed with that. It's been so fun.
Julianne Nienberg (08:08)
So what are some of the most common misconceptions you think that parents have about traveling with kids? Because I'll be honest, I have not left. I think the most extensive travel that my kids have done if...
at all has been to Florida and to the Bahamas and we did that when they were really young and I'm kind of in the season of life now where I'm ready to begin exploring. I feel like when my kids were really young and they were babies we just had a lot going on in our family, in our seasons of life, and I think I struggled with a lot of like anxiety about logistics and getting everybody everywhere and being the one that bore kind of all that responsibility. What what do think it is about traveling that
is just a common misconception since you've done it so much with your family.
Lisa Stanworth (08:50)
You know, I think that people do how you said they just get in their heads because it is once you start adding more and more people and all your baby gear and all the stuff it gets overwhelming and so the best thing I can say is just lower your expectations, take things slow I think there's a lot of beauty when you take things slow anyways of not just rushing through somewhere to get things checked off like I saw here, I saw here, I did this.
if you actually go and take it slow, enjoy it, it's a different experience. But at the same time, your kids grow to love some of these places and it just makes for such fun memories, you know?
Julianne Nienberg (09:25)
I completely agree. feel like
before kids, I traveled, I wanted to see all the things. had my itinerary and checklist of all the things that I wanted to do. And my husband, he was just, you know, happy to come along. He didn't really have anything that he wanted to see on his list, but he was, happy to, to go check off my bucket list. But now as a parent, I find so much of my time planning our trips involves building in that downtime,
where we can if we want to just go find a new playground in a new place or if we just want to sit by the lake and you know eat some chips on the beach like we have freedom in our schedule to do that and there is something really freeing about just not having something overly structured and letting everyone just relax and kind of create their own fun.
Lisa Stanworth (10:04)
Yeah, 100%. What I tend to do is I actually will find the places, because I love planning trips. that's something that I actually love so much. But I'll actually have a list of things that I do want to see or like places we want to eat at. And then it's just kind of more like, OK, what do we want to do today? And kind of feel how everyone's feeling. And then we can go and do the things on the list. So we're still getting things done, because I still love to go explore and do stuff, but not in a way that I just
Julianne Nienberg (10:16)
Mm.
Lisa Stanworth (10:31)
raises you know your stress levels.
Julianne Nienberg (10:33)
Oh, I know, I know. I love
how you, it sounds like you ask your family because you've got kids from ages five to 17 and even your five year old can certainly have input as to what they want or what their age appropriate expectations might be of your family trip. It's funny that you mentioned to like where to eat and what to eat. I don't know why, but I find immense joy in the food planning part of my vacations because...
Lisa Stanworth (10:56)
Yes.
Julianne Nienberg (10:58)
in another life. You know, we lived in a big city. I was, you know, like a foodie. I love trying all the new restaurants. So when we go to travel, that's high on my priority list is knowing what we're going to eat and where we're going to eat and also setting the expectation that if I'm preparing a meal, then maybe the next night we go out to eat so that I'm not burnt out on doing the, the at home tasks on vacation or on a family trip.
Lisa Stanworth (11:09)
Yeah.
yeah, definitely. I'm totally
the same way. It's funny because I mean growing up going to Hawaii, I have my favorites. Hawaii is just so good. And so it's funny to see my kids growing up and they have their favorites now and it's like we need to go here, we need to go here. And so it's just fun, you know, growing these little humans is fun.
Julianne Nienberg (11:39)
Absolutely, it really is. So having five kids and having these big family, you know, travel gatherings when you have multi-generational travel, what's your mindset? You might have talked a little bit about it earlier, but what is your go-to mindset or approach when things don't go as planned? have you ever had a situation where you're like, this is gonna be amazing, and then something just goes completely wrong?
Lisa Stanworth (12:03)
Yes, definitely. And it's funny because we've done this for years now. We've done these, man, we've done these for, at least while we've been married, we've done these for 17 years now. So the beginning was a little bit rougher because it was kind of like trying to navigate around all these different families and their sleep schedules and eating schedules and everything. And it was a lot more stressful back then. I feel like now
most of them run pretty smoothly, but at the beginning, like the first one we went to with my family, we actually went to France, Germany, and the Netherlands. And it was so difficult for us. So I had a six month old it was like a go, go, go one. And my six, my six month old, wasn't sleeping
So we were all exhausted. We weren't really eating a ton and I was starving because I was breastfeeding at the time. we were kind of like snacking along the way, like doing stuff. And it got to the point that I stopped my husband and we're like, it's in my brain. We were like looking at the Eiffel Tower and I'm like, I need to eat right now. And so it was one of those moments that we're like, okay,
we need to slow this down a little bit. You need to make it a little bit more flexible so that like if it doesn't work for someone that day, it's okay. Like, you know, so I think you just have to be mindful of other people and realize that there are so many different people with so many different needs and you just have to be flexible and okay with like if it doesn't go exactly as planned.
Julianne Nienberg (13:28)
Absolutely. mean there's like you said there's got to be there's a lot of logistical planning when you have that multi-generational travel We've had the opportunity to travel with my in-laws and my kids grandparents and they love it, you know And there's just certain things sometimes you say like today, know We're gonna head to the beach like you guys are welcome to come if not, you want to hang back and have like a kid free Time or afternoon. You're also welcome to do that And I think it helps just to like set those expectations or to also just be comfortable voicing
what you hope to get out of the day or what you hope to get out of the vacation. But yeah, man, those traveling during those early, early years, like I can also recall just the stress of breastfeeding, pumping, feeding times. And it's like, you feel like you're working on these very small windows of time. And you're like, am I gonna actually get to enjoy this vacation? Like, am I gonna get to do anything that I wanna do? And the answer might be no for that particular trip, but you know, I'm sure as you can see now that your kids are older,
Lisa Stanworth (14:18)
Yeah
Julianne Nienberg (14:21)
And like we just went to Florida and I got to just supervise my kids in the pool. I got to sit outside, sit outside of the pool at the table, like watching them and have my coffee. And I thought, my goodness, I remember when they were so young and I thought, am I ever gonna get to just hang back and not have to be like in the pool with them? So I feel like, you know, it's just having that expectation that it is a season.
that whatever season it is that you're going through, you're gonna get through it and there's gonna be a new season with a little bit more independence, hopefully just around the corner.
Lisa Stanworth (14:53)
Yeah, no, it's funny, my kids, I still, my kids, even though they're bigger, like they all still make me get in the pool. So I love it. I love sitting outside and like getting to supervise, but getting in the pool with the kids, like, I don't know. It's, it's still super fun.
Julianne Nienberg (15:07)
Oh, absolutely. It's fun. And then you know what? It's like you're never dry for long. Even if you want to stay out of the pool, kids are splashing you. They're like, mommy, get in, get in. They're trying to dunk me in the pool. I'm like, no, no, One thing that I love about your message and some of the things that you talked about earlier is just that getting outside doesn't have to be extravagant. You talked about some of your most favorite memories are just going out on a walk.
Lisa Stanworth (15:11)
I know.
Every time.
Julianne Nienberg (15:34)
Right? Like, I can think about some of my most cherished memories as a mom with my kids are just some of these simple things that we've done and the conversations that we've had. What are some of your simple ways to get outside, like in your life today with kids from ages 5 to 17, what are some of your favorite simple ways to get outside that don't require a lot of effort or planning or getting people in a car? What does that look like for you guys?
Lisa Stanworth (15:34)
Mm-hmm.
Do you know what? We still go for walks. We go for walks all the time. We live close to like an elementary school. So it's like going to the elementary school and playing on the playground. And for us, like going hiking, that's a big one still. But no, for us, I still, I mean, it's from my childhood and I still love it. Just being able to go for a walk with my kids. And the majority of the time, if I'm like, okay, I'm going for a walk. Who's coming? At least three of them will come with me. So yeah.
Julianne Nienberg (16:20)
I love that. I love that you
invite them in. I'll be honest because sometimes I go for a walk and I'm like, I'm going for a walk. Like this walk is for me. I'm going because I need to clear my head. I'm a little overstimulated and I need this walk for me. And then there are times where I'll invite my kids like you so aptly put it. It's funny because here in Michigan, we don't have a ton of like, I live in the suburbs of Metro Detroit and we don't have a ton of places to go hiking that.
Lisa Stanworth (16:26)
haha
Julianne Nienberg (16:45)
that require a lot of effort in terms of elevation. For a parent who maybe they were hiking before they had kids and now they have kids, they have small babies or newborns or toddlers and they're feeling overwhelmed at the thought of picking up something that they loved to do before, that thought is overwhelming to them, just the logistical getting kids out the door.
Lisa Stanworth (16:48)
Mm-hmm.
Julianne Nienberg (17:06)
And maybe it's traveling with young kids, but what's one small step that they can take to just get started? Do you have any advice?
Lisa Stanworth (17:14)
That's a good question. I think just being prepared. actually having it in your brain and being like, okay, we're not going to be hiking like a super long hike, you know, it's not going to be the same at the beginning, but bringing snacks and bringing a little first aid kit in case they fall and like scrape their knees. just bringing little things that make it easier for you. I think that's like one of the first things that you just have to put in your mind. Like I have to have a backpack with all of this stuff in it.
And then, truthfully, I mean, we talked about it before, but taking it slow. I, my five year old now, like she'll go on hikes. I'm trying to think the last one that we went on that was kind of longer. She did the entire thing by herself. I think it was, we went to Zion National Park and she did like a two and a half mile hike and she never once had his carrier. And so it's just taking those small steps though. Cause first you're going to go for a walk or next you're going to do
short little half mile hike or different things when we go for hikes like she's picking up rocks the whole way we actually went on one hike and you know the little roly poly bugs if you see those she like had to take every single one and move it off of the trail because she didn't want them to die and it took us so long but like looking back that was the sweetest memory you know is
Julianne Nienberg (18:15)
yeah.
Lisa Stanworth (18:28)
you're going to do things and they're going to be different with kids. they're so fun. different isn't necessarily bad, you know? And you can still, like once your kids get a little older or like even, you know, you can swap with friends to babysit. You can still go on hikes by yourself and do some of the bigger hikes and realize that I still can keep this passion alive. But I don't know, being able to like do those things with your kids is just so fun.
Julianne Nienberg (18:50)
think it unlocks a whole new just side of maybe something that you loved and had a passion for. There is something so sweet about getting to take your kids alongside with you and to discover that passion. I feel like for us, you know, it might not be hiking, but I mean, we go for walks around the neighborhood. starts, it has to start somewhere, right? We start with little tiny walks. We start with short bike rides. And something that's been really fun for my kids is we go up to Mackinac Island.
Lisa Stanworth (19:10)
Mm-hmm.
Julianne Nienberg (19:17)
and the whole island, they don't allow cars on the island. So a really popular thing that people do is they'll bike around the entire island, which is about eight to eight and a half miles. And each time one of my kids has turned five, they've biked the entire island on their bike, on their two-wheelers. So first my daughter did it, she had training wheels still on. I think she was the only kid riding around the island on training wheels. And then the second time, my middle son, he just did it this past summer. He was on a two-wheeler at the age of four and he crushed it. He went eight miles.
the entire island. you know it took us four hours to do it but it was just it was so sweet to see them.
Lisa Stanworth (19:48)
Yeah.
Julianne Nienberg (19:52)
you know, accomplish something, accomplish something physical. And it all starts with going out there every day or every other day and just doing the small things, you know, whether it's walking or going for those short bike rides. But those are really sweet memories for me, as I'm sure they are for you too, is just, you know, bringing our kids alongside something that we love to do and getting to share this passion for being outside and appreciating nature.
Lisa Stanworth (20:14)
Yeah, absolutely. That's so sweet. I'm so proud of him for doing that. That's a big thing for a little kid. Yeah.
Julianne Nienberg (20:19)
I mean, can you imagine those little legs just like peddling, peddling, peddling? And I mean, and
it's hard for me too because it, know, both, I guess the both times that we did it, I was the one that was biking the trailer with my youngest in the back. At one point I had the two boys in the back and then this past summer it was just my youngest in the trailer and my husband had him in the trailer. So it's, it's like, it's a good workout. It's a good workout.
Lisa Stanworth (20:39)
Yeah, it is.
Julianne Nienberg (20:41)
And something that you mentioned too, which I am so bad about, I never, I'll remember to bring the snacks. Like if I'm lucky, I'll remember to bring the snacks, but I always forget to bring the first aid kit. And I can't tell you how many times I've had somebody bust a knee, bust a chin, and here I am like trying to find towels to mop up the mess because I didn't have my first aid kit. So friendly reminder.
Lisa Stanworth (21:00)
I'm a little
obsessed with it, I think. I keep it with me everywhere, because I'm like, someone's going to get hurt. With this many kids, someone's going to get hurt.
Julianne Nienberg (21:11)
Absolutely,
and you would think that I would have learned that by now, but every time, like, man. But yes, important to know, bring your first aid kit whenever you're out with kids. So I'm gonna pivot here because I wanna make sure that I have time to hear all about this. Is your recent trip, you went to Morocco this year. So I wanna hear about this. Tell me what brought you there and what was that experience like?
Lisa Stanworth (21:19)
Yes, absolutely.
It was so neat. So this was actually my first trip to go that was a women's only trip So first trip without like having my kids around, you know But it was actually one of my previous guests that I had had on my podcast She started these women's trips to Morocco like two or three years ago And so she had asked me to come on this one and it was incredible having the entire thing planned out for you like
We did so much, but it didn't feel rushed like you were like, there was so much packed into it. But it was absolutely incredible.
Julianne Nienberg (22:07)
That's amazing and I am, I gotta give you kudos for going on a trip. Like, did you know other people on the trip? Did you know other women on the trip?
Lisa Stanworth (22:15)
So I was planning on not knowing anyone. My sister-in-law ended up joining like a month before and being like, wait, I wanted to go on this trip. And so she came, but besides that, we didn't know anyone. It was fun. Like there were people from Germany, a lot from the US and you know, it was just women and it was so incredible.
Julianne Nienberg (22:34)
Wow, I mean I think as we get to this age right like you and I are probably similar ages we've talked about this but I feel like it's it starts to become difficult to
to step out or to form new friendships in this season of life, you know? I think I read somewhere like by your mid-20s, like you kind of have like your core friend group or you have your circle and in your 30s, it's a lot harder to kind of branch out and make new friends. I love that you did this, that you just went out on a whim. You knew, you know, you knew the gal that was running the trip, but I think that takes a lot of bravery to just say, I'm gonna go do this, especially as a mom.
of five, you have so many responsibilities, you know, you have your podcast. I mean, what was that like from a mindset standpoint to say, I'm gonna go take this trip with a group of women and my kids are gonna be at home, you know, taken care of by their dad and family? tell me about like what your mindset was going into planning for a trip like this, leaving for a trip like this.
Lisa Stanworth (23:34)
Yeah, luckily my husband was great and he took care of them. I always stress before I leave because my husband and I have done trips, just the two of us as well, but like I write out like such an exact itinerary for the people. It has everything. And so that's always like my stress, right? Before I'm going into it, it's like make sure that everyone's where they need to be, do all of that. That's my biggest stress. And once that's done,
once I can get on the plane, like I just forget about all of it. So I don't know. It was, it was fun. think that was kind of like a common theme among the women there though, is that, you know, it's harder when you're older just to kind of make new friends. And so just being able to make those connections was incredible. Like we met each other and some of those people, are some, like I still am in contact with them daily and they're people that like,
you're staying up at like late at night and talking Like we had like these Moroccan dance parties, which I didn't even know were a thing, but like there was like a couple nights where we were like doing these Moroccan dances for hours. And so just with these people that were strangers to begin with, you know? And I think that when you put yourself out there, when you are vulnerable and you
can be brave and do something like that. incredible things usually come from it is But when you can be brave, when you can step outside of your comfort zone, I think it just like let's how do I say this? It like almost gives you permission to like
be yourself and let other people in and get to know you and like the real you.
I would recommend any woman going on a trip that's like all women because it's just such a different experience. It's incredible. I wish everyone could do something like that because it really was. It was something that I'm like, that was one of the coolest trips I've ever been on.
Julianne Nienberg (25:18)
It looked amazing. I followed along on your Instagram. I'm gonna leave Lisa's Instagram handle in the show notes, but you were like, you were sand surfing, you were sand dune surfing, you were doing all kinds of things, you were wearing beautiful garments. Like it just looked incredible. And you know, to your point of just stepping out and being vulnerable and you know, welcoming other women I mean, that had to have been such a special and just kind of a bonding.
thing between all of you is just that you were going out onto a trip. might not have known everybody on the trip or anyone at all, but what a cool experience. And to experience that in a place like Morocco. mean, come on.
Lisa Stanworth (25:53)
Yeah,
I know, it was pretty cool.
Julianne Nienberg (25:55)
you and I, we're both, you know, we're raising kids in this world where screens and indoor activities.
are often competing for their attention. And I don't know about you, because you've got, well, you've got older kids, you've got older and younger kids. My kids are basically seven, soon to be six and four and a half. And even with my older one, I'm seeing the draw and the push. And she doesn't know anybody like in her immediate life and circle that has a cell phone, but she obviously sees me, you know, and at that age and even for the younger kids, they don't, they can't see the separation between.
like mom's scrolling or mom's working even though I tell them like this is this is something that I'm trying to do for work but
what does that look like for you and your family as it relates to technology, still getting your kids outside? mean you have teenagers and it sounds like you have instilled this love for nature and exploring and you still do a lot of family things like going on walks and taking trips together. How has technology played a role in raising, you you've had you've got young kids to teenagers and how does that impact like your family mission to get outside?
Lisa Stanworth (26:57)
Man, cell phones are the worst, right? I would love to say like my kids never have their phones out. It's a total lie. Like they are on their phones all the time. One thing, I mean, there's always good and bad with it, right? So one thing that I do love is, well, my three boys that do have phones, my two girls don't have phones yet, but they have like started developing a love of like photography with it. So it's kind of fun because like when we go somewhere like,
Julianne Nienberg (27:09)
Mm-hmm.
Lisa Stanworth (27:23)
It's fun to see their creative minds going and like they'll like be taking these really cool pictures and stuff like that. And they're kind of proud of them, which is really fun. I like, I love photography stuff. And so it's fun to see that part of it, but like, no phones are the worst. It was funny. So while I was actually, I was looking at the questions that you had asked me. And so I've been thinking about it this weekend and I was thinking, I don't know if this is totally off topic and I'm sorry if it is, but like I was.
Thinking like the correlation between like now these kids have screen time and they have phones and they have video games and they have TV and the correlation between like kids having like social anxiety and depression and like how much those are both increasing. And I don't think that it's like a coincidence that they're both increasing at the same time, you know, for us, like that wasn't an option and we were outside and you know, it's just was such a different world. And you see your kids when they don't have their phones out, you see them
Julianne Nienberg (27:49)
for it.
Lisa Stanworth (28:17)
when they're outside playing around or they're outside doing whatever and it's such a difference than when they're on their phones and they're all mean and cranky because they've been on the screen too much. It's incredible just the difference of it. my kids get so angry at me when I put on their screen time because I can just stop their phones where they can't get on anything and they always get mad every time.
after like a little while, you're just gonna start seeing them being a little bit nicer and they'll be like, hey, do you wanna go outside and jump on the trampoline? you see a difference in your kids. And so I think the more we can get them to put their phones away, actually building connections with people, know, just doing things outside. I think it's so incredible for your mental state, for your physical state. There's just so many benefits of just putting your phone away, you know.
And I think as parents, like, yeah, it is its habit now that you're like on your phone and it's, and I think that it starts from you, actually putting your phone down and like making your kids know that they're a priority and that, you know, if they want to go for a walk, go for a walk, you know, cause how many times are you going to have that in your life? kids grow up so fast to actually be like, okay, put my phone down, go spend time with my kids.
Julianne Nienberg (29:20)
Yes.
Absolutely, I mean you mentioned, you know, your kids get cranky when they've been on their phone too long. I mean, I get cranky when I've been on my phone too long because all of a sudden I'm on my phone, I'm doing things, whether it's, you know, school emails or just getting life coordinated and then I look up.
Lisa Stanworth (29:34)
Hahaha!
Julianne Nienberg (29:43)
or if someone's trying to get my attention, I feel like it's personal attack on my time because they don't realize I'm trying to do something productive and then I realize I'm getting cranky and I don't like this version of me that's cranky because I'm head down and I'm not paying attention to the things that are happening around me, to the needs of the others in the room. And I still have very little kids so they can't differentiate that time of just me being down on my phone to be productive versus me being down and just being totally out of the loop on what's happening in front of me.
Lisa Stanworth (29:56)
Mm-hmm.
Julianne Nienberg (30:12)
So to your point, I think everybody is much better when we all can like get off the technology and step outside and I think truly I think my kids I think a lot of kids are their best selves when they are outside and they don't have the draws and pulls and temptations of Social media or their phones. I can't even imagine yet because my kids are still seven and under What that is like to have teenagers and just the very real pull and draw and as you mentioned these, you know higher race
of anxiety and depression in our children and i don't know have you read the anxious generation? i mean i know that that book has been a hot book on
Lisa Stanworth (30:47)
No, I haven't. It's on my to read list.
Julianne Nienberg (30:54)
on every parent, every adult, educators, minds within the last year. Our school actually took it on as our book club book. And then I also read it, I was listening to it in the audio book. But one of the things that I find really compelling is not only is the author, Jonathan Haidt, going through all the research, but in the back, like he's got several appendices, I guess you'd call it, that just show all the graphs and all the research and all the literature and also showing what kids looked
like you know decades ago in terms of play and how they just had far less incidences of anxiety, depression, mental health.
There is something to be said, right, about this wave of technology and what it's doing to our kids. think I don't think any parent is any stranger to it. We're all really just trying to navigate. You know, how do we give our kids devices at what age do we give them and how do we minimize that and also still, you know, invoke in them a love for simple things like getting outside? I know that's a struggle that a lot of parents go through. And as you mentioned with your kids, they are starting to
Lisa Stanworth (31:32)
Hmm.
Julianne Nienberg (31:57)
you know, have a show a love for photography. I love that because you know there is there is an aspect to technology like cameras and our iPhone cameras can take gorgeous pictures and I love that they're using that to foster this passion for beautiful imagery. You know there's nothing wrong with that. That's an absolutely beautiful thing. My daughter's kind of similar too. She's seven and because she's seen me doing these things she now kind of has a really good eye
and that's cool to see and kind of like stoke that fire in them.
Lisa Stanworth (32:26)
Yeah, I agree. It's actually so fun to see and they do. Sometimes they take prettier pictures than I do and I'm like, ooh, send that one to me. This is a good one.
Julianne Nienberg (32:35)
Well, and they know, you know what, because they've grown up with this technology, they know they're much faster and adept to, you know, editing and doing all these things on the phone I gotta Google a YouTube video to figure out how to do all this stuff. But yeah, I think that there's a lot of beautiful things that can come out of it in terms of, you know, creating, creating beautiful imagery and videos and things that we didn't really have, you know, as kids growing up, but I have such an appreciation for.
Lisa Stanworth (32:47)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, it's fun. 17 year old, actually, I don't know if you've used the app CapCut, but he actually, with every trip that he does now, he actually makes like a CapCut video for himself. He doesn't like post it or anything, but that way he has like all these fun memories and stuff. And it's, so fun to get to see his little videos.
Julianne Nienberg (33:04)
Yes.
That is one that I will say and I'm I am working to get a guest on the podcast who's you know teaches a course on turning your iPhone you know your photos and your videos into beautiful home videos because that is something that I've been doing with my kids is taking the You know the landscape videos so that one of the things my kids love love love after a trip or even after Christmas I'll take the video all day long and then I'll edit it in cap cut and then we will watch
it as home videos. So sometimes our Friday night movie nights are us just watching home videos that I've created for my kids and it is one of their favorite things to do and the way they giggle and laugh when they see their faces blown up on the TV it is just the sweetest thing ever. I have a person in mind that I want to have on here who teaches this course that I took. Very simple like simple things you can do with your camera to get you know these beautiful shots that are worth preserving you know how many how many moms out there
have just like thousands and thousands of videos that what do do with them? You know like they just live on our phone our kids don't really get to see them I love that your your son is taking these videos and it's like a memento that he not only cherishes but I'm sure you and your husband and the rest of the family think it's pretty cool too.
Lisa Stanworth (34:26)
Yeah, I love that. I love your idea. That's so cute. Just a random side note, I'm like a couple of years behind, but I actually create a book, a picture book for each of my kids for every year. And they have literally every single picture I've taken of them that year. And so that's one of my kids' favorite things. they go through, cause they have their specific book and I
Julianne Nienberg (34:39)
Mmm.
Lisa Stanworth (34:48)
put stuff in of like who their favorite friends were that year and it's just their little yearbook for the year and it is it's one of their favorite things.
Julianne Nienberg (34:56)
I love that. I'm about seven years behind on doing family photo albums. I can make you a video all day long in CapCut, but I cannot for the life of me get a photo album together. So I love that you do that, and I'm sure your kids just cherish that. They must just absolutely love, and that's like a really heartfelt gift to give to your kids.
Lisa Stanworth (34:58)
Hahaha
It is, I usually try to get it done by Mother's Day and I've been so bad. my kids remind me all the time, you haven't done our 2024, you haven't done our 2023 books. I'm like, I know, I'm sorry.
Julianne Nienberg (35:25)
You know what it means something and it's special to them when they are bringing it up and they're reminding you, they're like, mom, you got to get this done. Like, I really love this and you got to get this done. You know, I also wanted to celebrate a huge milestone with you. Earlier this year, you hit 100 episodes of your podcast, Choose Your Happy Place. Congratulations.
Lisa Stanworth (35:31)
Yeah.
I do.
Yay, thank
you.
Julianne Nienberg (35:47)
That is a huge milestone. mean, looking back, what's been the most rewarding part of this podcasting journey for you?
Lisa Stanworth (35:54)
that's a good question. Do you know what, it's funny, I've been able to reflect a lot and I think that the common thing that just comes up in my mind is connections. I started this podcast with the idea of I just wanna put travel ideas for families out there, where they can have a little mini itinerary where they can go and try to plan their trips and it's turned into this
really cool thing where I've gotten to connect with people literally from all over the world. when I started I was like I just am going to talk to my family and get itineraries and things like that and now I just recorded with a girl from Peru yesterday. I'm recording with a girl, where did I do? The Caribbean Islands, like just different places, Hong Kong. I don't know it's been so cool that just be able to connect with different people from all over the world, get to hear their stories, get to hear
You know, the things that they love, it's, I don't know, I love it. I love getting to have those connections with people. And like we talked about, it's harder when you're older to have connections and I don't know, even though I'm not meeting these people, they live across the world, you know? it's still fun to have these connections and then you continue these connections and so, I don't know, that's been probably my favorite thing with all of it.
Julianne Nienberg (37:04)
Well, I've been following along since you invited me to be a guest on your podcast. think this-
I think we're coming up on like almost a year ago. And I see, know, as I followed you, I just see you have such a gift for bringing people on, connecting with them through this platform, through your platform. And it's really been exciting to see just the depth and breadth of guests that you have on. Cause like you said, you're interviewing people from all around the world. And what a cool thing to be able to connect with them, to hear how they live, right? To hear how other people live in different parts of the world.
what's been the most challenging part of this journey for you because you know my new podcast I'm launching you're my first guest what's been the most challenging and what what advice would you have for me or for anyone that's looking to start something new whether it's a podcasting journey creation journey or just a new career what advice would you have?
Lisa Stanworth (37:52)
Okay, so this probably is going to be multiple parts. For me personally, editing is the death is going to be the death of me. You edit so much. when you have a podcast, you don't see like the ins and outs of how much they do behind the scenes. You just get it, you know, your 30 minute podcast or whatever. And it actually takes so much time. And so to try to juggle that with family life that's been my little struggle.
My advice is I've always taken summers off, which has been really nice because I want to be present with my kids as much as I can. And, you know, for me, this has been such a fun, passion project But when my kids are home, I want to have full advantage of that. I want to be able to be there. I want to be able to, you know, not have to be like, I'm sorry, I need to record. I need to edit. I need to do this. And so for you, I would say just take off your family time, like realize that.
you're still gonna have people listening and they're still gonna be waiting. because people like will reach out and they'll be like, when's your next ed, you know, when's it coming out? And so summers are off. that's my family time. That's the time that I cherish so much. And so that would probably be my best advice for you. For anyone wanting to try something, I'd say just do it. it is so scary to put yourself out there. Like...
to actually be like, okay, this is me. Is anyone gonna listen? Does anyone care? you'll notice like the first episode you put out, like also you'll see people pop up from across the country or different things. And you're like, my goodness, someone cares. And it's just, it's so neat to be able to actually connect with people that feel the same way that you do. And you know, there's always gonna be people that have some of the same struggles as you do.
I keep saying it and I'm sorry, but those connections are just incredible that come out of these types of things.
Julianne Nienberg (39:31)
Absolutely. It's funny, you've interviewed guests from all over the world, but there's so many common themes that tie us all together. And it's our desire to feel connected, to feel a part of something whether it's a group or a movement, but it's our desire to have these personal relationships. I think that's so beautiful that you've been able to cultivate that on such a global platform, So I've loved tuning in.
loved seeing all your guests. Your podcast is amazing and I will include in the show notes Lisa's link to her podcast called Choose Your Happy Place.
Lisa this has been such a great conversation. I can't imagine a better first guest. You've put me at ease and I think that's just something that you do so naturally. it's a gift that you have and I love how you have shared and how you make outdoor travel and just living outdoors feel approachable and fun with your family,
just how much it is ingrained in your lifestyle and that your kids get to see their mom pursuing adventure in motherhood and that you're bringing them along for that. think it's so beautiful. So where can listeners connect with you
Lisa Stanworth (40:34)
Yeah, so my podcast is anywhere you listen to podcasts and it's Choose Your Happy Place. And then on Instagram, it's Choose Your Happy Place as well.
Julianne Nienberg (40:44)
Perfect, I will include
that in the show notes. Before we wrap up, I always end each episode with a simple, outdoorsy challenge for my listeners and something small that they can do this week to get their family outside. What's one easy thing, Lisa, that you would do to encourage them?
Lisa Stanworth (40:59)
Okay, I would say put your phones down and go for a walk with your kids. just asking your kids do you want to go for a walk? Do you want to go to the park? Do you want to go jump on the trampoline? it makes them feel special. So put your phone down and go do something with your kids.
Julianne Nienberg (41:13)
I that, I love that.
So to everyone listening, your outdoorsy challenge this week is to put the phone down and to get outside, to invite your kids to come along with you to get outside.
give it a try, and don't forget to tag me on Instagram at myoutdoorsymom to let me know how it goes. Lisa, thank you again for sharing your wisdom and your stories with us,
Lisa Stanworth (41:33)
Thank you so much for having me on here. I loved having you on my podcast. And you are one of those people I feel like I could just talk to for hours. Like, it's so fun. So I so appreciate being on here.
Julianne Nienberg (41:43)
The same goes for you. It's been such a joy. Thank you so much, Lisa.
Lisa Stanworth (41:47)
Thank you.
Julianne Nienberg (41:48)
for everyone listening, go check out, choose your happy place, especially if you're looking for your next family adventure. I'll include the link in the show notes. Until next time, get outside, have fun, and I'll see you next week.
Julianne Nienberg (41:59)
As Lisa was talking about getting kids off their phones, I kept thinking this is exactly why we use the Cosmo Junior Track 4 smartwatch. It's the perfect middle ground for families like ours who aren't ready for a smartphone but still want to stay connected. No internet, no social media, just calling, texting, and a way for my kids to safely explore with a little more independence. If you're curious, head to the show notes. I've got my link there, and you can use my code julianne for 15 % off.
Julianne Nienberg (42:27)
Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me. I hope this episode left you feeling encouraged and inspired to get outside and enjoy nature wherever your feet are. If you loved what you heard, it would mean the world to me if you tap those five stars or leave a quick review. It helps other outdoorsy minded moms find the show and grow the sweet little community. And if you're looking for more ways to simplify, slow down, and connect through nature, you can find me over on Instagram at myoutdoorsymom, read the blog at myoutdoorsymom.com, or explore all my digital resources and seasonal guides in the shop.
Everything's linked right there in the show notes. Until next time, take a deep breath, step outside, and I'll meet you back here next week.
