Mikah Meyer & Dr. Larry Edwards: The Power of being a Mentor and Friend Artwork

Make Life Less Difficult

"What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other?" - mary anne evansThis quote summarizes my life purpose. Life isn't easy. It's complex, filled with the unexpected, and sometimes really hard. While life is full of challenges, I believe there are myriad things we can do to help make life less difficult for each other.On this podcast we'll share stories, struggles, and successes that help us know we're not alone. And knowing we're not alone is one way to make life less difficult.

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Make Life Less Difficult

Mikah Meyer & Dr. Larry Edwards: The Power of being a Mentor and Friend

July 24, 2024 • Lisa Tilstra • Episode 176

My guests today are Mikah Meyer and Larry Edwards.

Mikah is an avid outdoorsman who set a record of being the first person to visit all 419 National Park sites in the US in a single 3-year journey. He also made history by being the first openly gay man to be in an outdoor recreation campaign by REI.

Larry, is Dr. Lawrence Edwards, the Artistic Director of the Memphis Symphony Chorus since 1988, often conducting both the orchestra and the chorus. He is a retired professor, having served as the Coordinator of Choirs for the University of Memphis School of Music from 1987 to 2021.

I first was introduced to Mikah and Larry through the short film, Canyon Chorus. This brilliant 16-minute adventure film explores “the journeys we’ve had and the people who’ve been in our lives that are important to us.” I saw a link in an email from the Adventure Journal, clicked on it, and was immediately drawn into a fantastic story of the friendship of Mikah and Larry. In such a short amount of time, I laughed, I cried, and I immediately wondered if I could get them on my podcast!

Lucky for me and for you, Mikah and Larry accepted the invitation to the Make Life Less Difficult podcast and here’s our inspiring conversation.

In our conversation, Mikah and Larry share pieces of their individual journeys of coming out as gay, how they met and developed a forever friendship. This is an amazing story on many levels, and perhaps particularly on how having mentors in our lives opens up so much possibility.

Mikah and Larry – thank you SO much for this delightful connection. You both share pieces of your stories and journeys with beautiful authenticity, lightness of heart, and grace. I’ve been touched and inspired and know that so many others have been and will be as well.

You’ll find links below to Mikah’s website, the film Canyon Chorus:

Mikah's website: https://www.mikahmeyer.com/

Watch Canyon Chorus: https://youtu.be/hnLdPs1gjls?si=zVIZZGZ2OXSezP6F

Make Life Less Difficult