Episode 229: Dom Ferris, Trash Free Trails
About this episode
Dom Ferris discusses his journey from a nature-connected childhood to founding Trash Free Trails and the importance of mental health in activism.
Episode 229 of The Adventure Podcast features founder and CEO of Trash Free Trails, mountain biker, and spaniel-owner, Dom Ferris. In this episode, Dom traces his path from a feral, nature-soaked childhood in Mid Wales, through teenage mountain bike racing and a wilder stretch of partying that cost him his sense of self. He goes on to found Trash Free Trails after a breakdown at Surfers Against Sewage taught him the hard way what happens when purpose tips into relentlessness. He and Matt open up about their own mental health struggles and the danger of tying your worth to constant output. The conversation also digs into the real philosophy behind Trash Free Trails; why litter isn't really about litter, the "activism arms race," the risk of accidental greenwashing, and the hard science linking single-use pollution to disconnection from nature. It's a raw, funny, occasionally tearful look at burnout, boundaries, and what it actually means to do good work without losing yourself in it. For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram…
More episodes of The Adventure Podcast
- Episode 231: Matthieu Tordeur, Adventure in the Age of Fire
- Episode 230: Naomi Aldwyn-Allsworth, Wild By Design
- Dispatch: Niall McCann, Poaching
- Episode 228: Tim Good, Cast Off
- Episode 227: Declan Burley, The Long Game
- Episode 226: Ollie Phillips, Ten Out Of Ten
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