Taryn Smith & Christine Turpin at Special Events Center (SPEC) - Boise State University

Welcome to the Morrison Center’s new speaker series, Unscripted.

Join us at Boise State’s Special Events Center (SPEC) as we kick off our inaugural season, Herstory, celebrating bold women-leaders who forged their own paths.

Featuring Taryn Smith, the first American woman to row solo in the World’s Toughest Row, and Christine Turpin, the first person from Idaho to complete a solo swim across the English Channel. Moderated by Sierra White, Board President of Go Lead Idaho, this event explores the unexpected risks, detours, and moments that shape extraordinary lives.

Taryn Smith is an adventurer and yoga instructor from Nebraska who made history in January 2026 by becoming the first solo American woman to complete the World's Toughest Row across the Atlantic Ocean. Join her for a special evening where she will share her strength, story, and insights.

Before rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, completely alone, Smith spent five years living and working at Redfish Lake Lodge in Stanley, Idaho. Her love of adventure was born in the Sawtooths, something she carried throughout her crossing. Amidst 30-foot waves, sharks, and unrelenting wind, she found happiness and purpose. Smith's message is simple: we are meant to do big things, and the resilience required comes from community.

For 22 years, Idaho has been home to endurance athlete, community leader, and mother of two, Christine Turpin. In August 2026, she conquered open-water swimming’s "Mount Everest"—becoming the first person from Idaho to complete a solo swim across the English Channel. Battling brutal currents for 30.5 miles, she joined an elite group of just over 2,000 people globally who have achieved the feat. A veteran of six full Ironmans and an ultramarathon, Christine shares what happens when you face fear, embrace the unscripted, and discover what you're truly capable of.

MC Presents Unscripted is a new speaker series from the Morrison Center that trades the rehearsed for the real. Each season brings remarkable people to the Special Events Center (SPEC) at Boise State University for honest, unfiltered conversations about the moments that shaped them: the risks, the detours, and the parts nobody planned.

In its inaugural season, Herstory celebrates women who didn’t wait for someone else to write their story. Taryn Smith and Chrissy Turpin each took a different path to get here. All three share what happens when you set the script aside and lead with courage, curiosity, and heart.

No teleprompter. No rehearsed lines. Just her story, in her own words.