For this episode, Led Tasso and Coach Beard (aka Cody and Dan) go #beyondFLG with a Flagstaff legend, Neil Weintraub. Neil landed in Flagstaff in the mid 80’s after attending college in Iowa. He worked at the Museum of Northern Arizona prior to landing a job with the national forest, where he worked and recently retired from after a 30-year career. Much of his work was dedicated to preserving indigenous sites and restoring land sites in Northern Arizona.
Beyond his work as an archaeologist, Neil is a founder of Northern Arizona Trail Runners Association, often referred to as NATRA. As such, he organizes weekly group runs on Saturday mornings. He also acts as a race director for various trail races that bring together hundreds of runners for not only a great time on the trails, or partying afterwards, but also to raise funds for Flagstaff Big Brothers Big Sisters.
In this episode we learn more about Neil's aptitude with organizing runs (hint: it has something to do with partying and connecting), about his experience in restoring and bringing awareness to important indigenous and environmental sites in Northern Arizona, and we scratch the surface of the dark history of Shaky Drakes and Flagstaff in the mid 80's.
Neil is truly one of a kind in his outgoing nature and willingness to give and contribute to something he views as greater than his own self. This is evident in being awarded the 2016 Arizona Daily Sun’s Citizen of the year and simply his work. We hope you enjoy this interview as we go #beyondFLG with Neil Weintraub
Flagstaff is a remarkable place full or remarkable people. Some may even say that Flagstaff is the best place on Earth and some may say that such a statement is hyperbolic. Either way, there is no other place exactly like it, and that includes the people that contribute to it. Flagstaff is full of people with diverse backgrounds that possess a wide range of interests, skills, and stories. This variety of interests, skills, and stories contributes to the textured and unique feel of the area.
#BeyondFLG is a podcast aimed at highlighting the natural beauty of this region and the peoples that contribute to it. Some may describe this podcast as award winning based on the badges given to it through the podcast platform while others may say that the show is underproduced and overstated. #beyondFLG is hosted by two local psychologists and founders of Beyond the Pines, A Flagstaff Wellness Collective; Cody Bayles and Dan Phillips. Their values lie in promoting connection to self, others, and the natural world and their efforts occasionally hit somewhere near that mark, let’s say adjacent to it. Join them as they go #beyondFLG with members of the Flagstaff community and explore the overall connection to the area, their craft, and others.