Blair Braverman is a musher, adventurer, and celebrated author who has found her greatest teachers on four legs. From long distant racing treks including the Iditarod across 1,000 miles of Alaskan wilderness to the quiet moments between a musher and her dogs, Blair's life is a masterclass in love, resilience, and what it means to keep moving forward. In this conversation, we explore the personalities of her dogs, the brutal beauty of life on the trail, and the profound wisdom that only a pack of sled dogs can teach you. She's a woman with an old soul — and her dogs have much to do with it.

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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-to-carry-what-to-burn/id1896260781

https://www.amazon.com/Dogs-Trail-Year-Blair-Braverman/dp/0063066262

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/magazine/sled-dogs-pack-racing-mushing.html

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Heather Gibson of Big Hearted Breeders joins for a thoughtful conversation that challenges the idea that it has to be adopt or shop. From ethical breeding to rescue, we explore how both paths can coexist when the focus stays where it belongs: on the dogs.

We also dive into the powerful role dogs play in our lives—how they support, heal, and connect us in ways that go far beyond companionship.

At the end of the day, it’s not about sides—it’s about doing right by dogs and the people who love them.

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What if the most powerful weapon against landmines and disease weighed less than three pounds and ran on banana rewards? Meet the HeroRATs.

This week, Mark sits down with Christophe Cox — CEO and co-founder of APOPO — to tell the remarkable story of how a wild idea born in Belgium became one of the most innovative humanitarian organizations on the planet. From the organization's scrappy origins to deploying specially trained African giant pouched rats across minefields in Cambodia, Angola, and Mozambique, Christophe shares what it really takes to clear land that's been terrorizing communities for decades.

But landmines are just the beginning. These extraordinary animals are also sniffing out tuberculosis in clinics across Africa — catching cases that traditional testing misses — and now being trained for search and rescue and wildlife trafficking detection.

It's inspiring, it's eye-opening, and yes, it will make you see rats in a completely different light.

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