Zachary Craig Hanson writes and speaks at the intersection of hands-on work, the outdoors, and the technology reshaping both — author of Turning Feral and The Trade Gap.
I did everything I was supposed to do. College, then graduate school, then a career in AI and big tech — the path everyone tells you leads to a good life. And it did, on paper. It just didn't feel like one.
So I did the thing most people only daydream about: I walked away and moved my family off-grid, to the base of the Sawtooth Mountains in Atlanta, Idaho. I learned to hunt, trap, and live by my hands instead of my inbox. Turning Feral is the story of that decision — and it became an Amazon #1 bestseller, which told me I wasn't the only one quietly wondering if there was a better way to live.
Then the other shoe dropped: a layoff hit, two mortgages, no plan B. I went to welding school and learned a trade to keep my family afloat — and realized the "college-or-bust" mindset had left an entire generation without the skills I was suddenly grateful to have. That became The Trade Gap, also an Amazon #1 bestseller, and now the spine of the keynotes I give on AI, automation, and why the trades are about to matter more, not less.
A modern journey of hunting, trapping, and living intentionally in the wilderness — what happens when you strip away convenience and choose the harder, truer way to live.
"Up until today, there was one book standing alone as the greatest outdoors book I had ever read. As of 40 minutes ago, there are now two."
— Mark S., Verified Purchase"This is the modern man going back to his roots — a fast-paced story of finding his place between the AI industry and the drive to disconnect."
— Dustin B., Verified Purchase"Great book. Wish it was longer. Need a part 2! Highly recommended."
— James Steel, Verified Purchase
Break the rules. Learn a skill. Own your future. A clear-eyed case for the trades in an economy that's about to be reshaped by AI — and why the people who can build, fix, and weld things will matter more, not less.
Zach speaks to corporate, trade, and outdoor-industry audiences on where AI is actually headed, and what it means for people who build things for a living.
Conferences, corporate offsites, trade associations, outdoor industry — let's talk about what fits.
From the trapline to the trade floor — a sample of recent conversations across the outdoor and trades worlds.
Whether you're booking a keynote, lining up a podcast guest, or just want to talk trapping, trades, or AI — reach out directly. I read everything myself.