Adventure has been engineered out of modern life, and we're paying for it in ways we don't even realize. In this episode of Two Percent, Michael Easter sits down with two guests who have decentered optimization.

First up: Jay Carson, a former Clinton communications director and Hollywood writer (House of Cards, The Morning Show). Jay signed up for a 14-day Boulder Outdoor Survival School course in the Utah desert after a Covid power outage made him realize he had no idea how to take care of himself. He's now an instructor at the school. He shares what happened when his house burned down in the January 2025 LA fires, and why the BOSS course is the reason he survived the hardest year of his life.

Then: Sinhue Xavier an ex-North Face ski mountaineer mentored by Conrad Anker and Alex Lowe who recently sold his house to travel the American West out of a truck. He explains why the best journeys aren't on Instagram, why "the most efficient route" is almost always the wrong one, and how to find real adventure in your own backyard.

Two Percent is hosted by Michael Easter. Today’s episode was produced by Joey Fischground, Robbie Hiser, Dana Brawer and Julia Nutter. From Kaleidoscope, our executive producers are Mangesh Hattikudur and Kate Osborn and Julia Nutter. From iHeart, our executive producers are Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore. Our Head of Video is Maria Paz Mendez Hodes. This episode was edited by Ryan Mulhern. Our theme music is by the Heater Manager.