ABOUT THE HOST
“I have watched Josh Bernstein in action on the land and in the sea—even under the sea—and I have to tell you: he is a great ambassador for nature, for people, for the planet.”
- Dr. Sylvia Earle, Ph.D., aka "Her Deepness," American oceanographer, 1935 - present
"Josh Bernstein and I have known each other for 20 years, and in many ways I've been almost like a big brother to him or a mentor. And I've watched him not just be courageous in the physical feats of his exploration—and he is a true explorer—but also in the decisions he's made in his career and his life that always come down on the side of integrity. And that's an extraordinary thing; that creates character. And character is the exact thing necessary for Explorer At Large to work because Josh can go into these places, he knows how to get there, he knows what to look for, and he will do so with total grace, integrity, and respect for the people with whom he finds himself living as a guest."
- Dr. Wade Davis, Ph.D., Canadian anthropologist & author, 1953 - present
“Josh Bernstein is one of the most respected explorers within our community, and we're very excited and thrilled to be following along on his latest project Explorer At Large.”
- Richard Garriott, President of The Explorers Club, 2020 - present
Josh Bernstein's full CV can be downloaded from this link or by clicking on the PDF icon seen here.
STORYTELLER
The number of people who can say they have had the privilege and pleasure of working as an on-camera host and executive producer for some of the most prestigious brands in the world can be counted on the fingers of one hand—perhaps on even just one finger.
Josh Bernstein made his debut in 2004 as the host of History Channel's Digging for the Truth, an adventure-archaeology show that quickly became the highest rated original series in the history of the network. In the two decades since—at Discovery, National Geographic, the Smithsonian, and most recently NASA—Josh has continued to build his reputation as the go-to guy to create and host programs requiring that rare mix of brains, braun, and insatiable curiosity.
WISDOM SEEKER
That passion for learning began at Cornell University, where Josh double-majored in Anthropology and Psychology and double-minored in Near Eastern Studies and American Indian & Indigenous Studies (where Josh studied under the tutelage of Mohawk Chief Ron LaFrance, Sr.). This coursework provided Josh with a solid foundation in understanding and appreciating people, individually, collectively, and culturally. After college, Josh spent a year in Jerusalem at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, deeply studying his own heritage, including the mystical traditions of Judaism.
EDUCATOR
Josh's love for the American West began as a teenager spending summers riding horses and hiking on a ranch outside Cody, Wyoming. But it was his 25 years at BOSS, the Boulder Outdoor Survival School, where he really learned to appreciate the power of nature and the art of living closely with the land. BOSS also gave Josh a deep respect for the profound wisdom of traditional cultures, especially the Ancestral Puebloans of the American Southwest.
EXPLORER
While many of Josh's adventures are familiar to audiences around the world, some have intentionally been kept secret—until now. "In April of 2005," shared Josh at a conference recently, "I had the pleasure of meeting Sasha and Ann Shulgin at Sasha's lab in Lafayette, California. The next day, I was initiated into a secret, underground community of 'psychonauts' who believed deeply in the therapeutic power of psychedelics." In the roughly 20 years since, Josh has maintained his connection to that community and expanded his journeying to include sitting with indigenous guides of diverse lineages in Peru, Chile, Costa Rica, and North America to continue exploring inner and outer worlds.
Given all of this, Explorer At Large truly represents the culmination and combination of Josh's journeys to date. "When I will be meeting and sitting with tribal leaders, learning the depth of their connection with the Earth, I know I will be remembering my conversations with Chief Ron LaFrance at Cornell," reflects Josh. "When I will be exploring altered states of consciousness, I will recall Sasha and Ann's endless appreciation for mystery and wonder... And when I am with those working hard on the front lines to create environmental solutions for the planet, I will of course come with a deep love for and respect of nature based on my decades on the trail at BOSS."
