Episodes

In this episode, Audrey “Sunshine” Monke chats with Amy “Glitter” Bolton about her long career as a year-round GAC staff member serving as our Office Manager and Registrar. Glitter’s is the friendly voice most parents hear when they call the GAC office. Glitter’s GAC story started in 2001, when she joined our staff as an Office Assistant. Her six-year-old son Turner joined his mom at camp for the first time last summer. Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Episode 82: Creating a Happi...

In this episode, Audrey “Sunshine” Monke chats with Becky “Evergreen” Johnson about the impact Evergreen’s time as a staff member and parent have impacted her life and her career. Evergreen’s GAC story started in 1995 (30 years ago!), when she joined our staff as a Group Counselor. This summer (2025), Evergreen will be serving as a Staff Coach during staff training week (we call it “Tweek”) and Session 1. Evergreen celebrating her birthday at GAC with her kids, Colette and Adam. Share Post P...

This week on the podcast we’re featuring a short excerpt from the introduction to Audrey “Sunshine” Monke’s book, Happy Campers: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults. Learn about the research-based, intentional practices behind the “magic” at Gold Arrow Camp in this episode, The Magic of Summer Camp. About Happy Campers Why are kids more optimistic, resilient, independent, and competent after just a few weeks at summer camp? Why do they feel less depressed, anxiou...

Join Sunshine, Chelster, Gem & Delta for a chat about Gold Arrow Camp’s Vision, Mission, Goals. Learn about the positive habits and character traits we want our campers and staff to take with them far beyond their time at camp. Learn WHY Gold Arrow Camp exists and about the vision we have of creating a happier world, one camper at a time. Watch a video about Gold Arrow Camp here. Learn more about the Gold Arrow Camp philosophy here. Hear what campers say about GAC here. Podcast Credits Music...

This week on the Gold Arrow Camp Podcast, Sunshine chats with Armando “Speed” Negrete about the lasting positive impact of his experience as a GAC staff member in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The communication and leadership skills he learned at GAC are professional skills Armando uses today as a Lead Public Safety Dispatcher (9-1-1), a track and cross country running coach, and a sports photographer. Armando also shares about how the skills he learned and practiced as a Group Counselor are o...

This week on the Gold Arrow Camp Podcast, Sunshine chats with fourteen-year veteran camper and staff member, Ben “Bagel” Bronstein about the community and positive culture that keep pulling him back for another summer at good ol’ GAC! Bagel shares about what he enjoyed about being a camper and what he still enjoys today as a staff member. “Especially when I came back on my own, I really realized the community I could build on my own at camp and how special it was a place to do that.” -Bagel ...

We’re continuing our podcast series on Creating a Happier World with Sunshine’s chat with our beloved Director of Camper and Parent Services, Chelsea “Chelster” Rowe. Chelster shares her GAC story and many insights about camp. Chelster has been on the Year-Round team at GAC for almost four decades and has experienced being a camper, staff member, director, camper parent, and staff parent! Chelster talks about the importance of the GAC community, how much she enjoys getting to know campers and t...

Welcome to the Gold Arrow Camp Podcast’s 2025 Season! We’re kicking off the season with a series on “Creating a Happier World,” because our vision at GAC is to create a happier world, one camper at a time. In this episode, Audrey “Sunshine” Monke chats with Aaron “Airborne” Johnson about many topics related to creating and being part of positive communities for kids. Airborne’s GAC story started back in 1999, when he joined our staff as a Group Counselor. This summer (2025), he’ll be at our Sha...

Today on the show we’re talking with Gem, who has put together a great list of 5 camp -inspired small changes you can make in your family life that will improve your mental and physical health. She’s written a blog about this same topic. As we talk about in the show, there is research supporting the process of making these changes from the Gottman Institute. If you want more information on picking a theme for the year, this post has more information from Sunshine Parenting. Finally, you don’t ha...

Today on the POG-Cast, we’re thrilled to welcome one of our favorite humans, the award winning Sis! Sis was a 4 year camper and just finished her 3rd year as a Group Counselor. She is also the winner of 2023’s Coach’s award. She and Soy chatted about homesickness, why she loves working with our youngest campers, and advice for new scared/excited campers (and counselors!) You can read the comments her peers wrote about Sis along with background on Coach’s Award here. Share Post Pinterest Sha...

We’re kicking off Season 6 of the Gold Arrow Camp POG-Cast with an interview with a person who we believe has been around camp longer than anyone else, Manny Vezie’s daughter, Diana Bunney. This interview is also available on our YouTube as a video if you would prefer to watch it! Soy also promised a link if you’d like to send someone a WOW, so you can do that here! (it’s bit.ly/writeawow) Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Episode 72 – Diana Bunney appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp...

We don’t have a patreon and so far Spotify hasn’t offered the POG-Cast an exclusive deal. We’ll never put our episodes behind a paywall, but we thought we should do what so many other podcasts do and share a bonus episode! On this special episode of the Gold Arrow Camp POG-Cast, Soy and Sunshine got rid of our usual format and just talked about camp and what makes camp special, with a focus on how our amazing counselors deliver that experience and what we as a camp want them to get out of the e...

Episode 70 In this episode, we’re joined from across the pond by Hilly, who is entering his third year on our staff. Hilly and Soy had a great chat about the benefits of camp (other than the weather) as well as a classic geometry-based Joke of the Cast. If you’d like to see Hilly, you can check out our Meet The Staff page and you can listen to his previous appearance on the POG here. Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Hilly appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp...

Episode 69 On this episode of the podcast, we reunite two camp friends live on the POG-Cast! Spotlight and Penguin are two great friends who didn’t know each other (even though they are both long-time campers and Junior Counselors) before training week of 2021 when they became fast friends. We chat about making friends, GACting, Arts & Crafts, and their favorite Big Campfire memories. There’s also a great Dad Joke of the Cast! Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Spotlight & Penguin ...

Episode 68. Chai is a long-time GAC staff member. She’s met innumerable campers in her time leading backpacking trips and working in the wellness center. Now she’s getting to see camp through the eyes of her nieces who came to camp for the first time this summer. In honor of the Grammys there’s a musically themed joke of the cast from a very pleased Soy. Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Chai appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camp...

Episode 67. Our guest this time on the POG-Cast is a fan favorite: Mariachi. He started as an international camper, then was a Junior Counselor, and spent 2021 as a counselor at Rocks & Ropes. He and Soy have a wide-ranging conversation, discussing what it’s like to come to camp for the first time in another country to which Bear Trap counselor makes the best popcorn. If you are curious about coming to GAC from outside the US, this is a great episode. There’s also a Joke of the Day that Soy enj...

Episode 66. This time on the POG-Cast we have one of our long-time staffers. A former camper, a lover of baseball and fishing, a leader of the OLC, and a boat driver extraordinaire, Taz was a really fun chat and a great way for Soy to slide back into the POG-Cast for Season 5! Joke of the Cast is here to help brighten any day too! Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Taz appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Episode 65 In the triumphant return of the interview-based POG-Cast, Sunshine sits down with sister and brother Squid and Foxtrot to discuss what it’s like to come to camp and also to work with your sibling. Squid and Foxtrot were just one of the 18 sets of siblings we had on our camp staff this summer. You can see the other siblings at https://goldarrowcamp.com/gac-staff-siblings-2021/ Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Squid & Foxtrot appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - Californi...

Frames and Cabin 3 host this week’s episode of WHADDA WEEK! We’ve started off Mini Camp/Shaver Specialty Week with tons of fun and we look forward to packing our next few days together with activities and special events. Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Whadda Week! August 23, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Bravo, Soap, and the members of Cabin 24 (with a guest appearance by some of Cabin 22) host this week’s episode of WHADDA WEEK! Find out what’s happening at GAC this second week of Session #4, learn about some highlights of camp so far for these kids, and hear about some of the friendship skills that they’ve been practicing. Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post WHADDA WEEK! August 14, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for C...

Bravo and Cabin 24 host this week’s episode of Whadda Week. Find out what’s going on this second week of Session #3, 2021! Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Whadda Week! August 2, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

 Our Session 3 JCs (Junior Counselors) host this week’s episode of Whadda Week! Get to know them and hear their goals for Session 3. Links: Junior Counselor Program info Subscribe to Gold Arrow Camp’s Whadda Day Podcast. Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Whadda Week! July 25, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

It’s the second week of Session #2 here at Gold Arrow Camp. With help from Hooper and Sunshine, Olivia, Hadley, Lindsay, & Dove (Cabin 18) host this week’s episode of Whadda Week! Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Whadda Week! July 18, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.

Hosts Bravo and Frames, along with Cabin 27, kick off Session #2 with this week’s episode of WHADDA WEEK! Share Post Pinterest Share Email The post Whadda Week! July 12, 2021 appeared first on Gold Arrow Camp - California Summer Camp and Traditional Sleepaway Camps for Children.