See Her Outside: Stories From Women Who Adventure

Angie Marie | The GEA Alliance
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Wilderness
  • Updated Biweekly

Get inspired with lessons from adventure that can't be learned indoors. Hear stories of women with a passion for the outdoors, from everyday athletes to activists breaking societal barriers to nature. By pushing limits in the wild, these women discover that they're more capable than they first thought-- and you are, too. Our nonprofit programs and adventure scholarships increase access to adventure for girls & women+, so that you'll always See Her Outside. Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure.

  1. 🌲 How to Build a Sustainable Career in Seasonal Work with Sasha Clonts of Guide Theory

    3d ago

    🌲 How to Build a Sustainable Career in Seasonal Work with Sasha Clonts of Guide Theory

    Seasonal workers know the feeling: You love the community, the adventure, the purpose, and then every fall you get laid off, change your address, and try to figure out health insurance, again. Sasha Clonts is the founder of Guide Theory, a platform helping seasonal workers build more sustainable, empowered lives through coaching, community, and practical tools. Sasha and Angie talk about: The COVID-era burnout that pushed her to change her life and workSelling her car, buying a van, and ending up at a Taos rafting companyFalling in love with the seasonal lifestyle before she even knew how to raftWhy empathy is one of the most powerful tools adventure leaders can holdWhy she was the wrong fit for full-time raft guiding (and what that taught her)How she built her business, Guide Theory, to help seasonal workers find sustainability in finance and lifestyleCuriosity as the antidote to imposter syndromeWhat corporate employees can learn from seasonal workers See Her Outside is partnering with⁠⁠ Western Colorado University's Outdoor Industry MBA⁠⁠ — a remote degree program built for people who want to lead, build, and create in the outdoor space. If you've ever thought about building a career or business in the outdoor industry, WCU's Outdoor Industry MBA was made for you. Check out these resources: 🛶 Guide Theory programs: guidetheory.com 📱 Guide Theory on Instagram: @guidetheory ⁠➡️ The Cairn Project on IG⁠ ⁠✨ The Cairn Project's newsletter⁠ 🥾⁠ Become a Trailblazer⁠ 📅⁠ Summit Scholarship Foundation⁠ 🎓⁠⁠ Western Colorado University Outdoor Industry MBA⁠⁠ If you want to put a big seasonal adventure on your own calendar, join us in the Grand Canyon on October 10, 2026 for our Rim-to-Rim hike! It’s a bucket list trip, and proceeds fund wilderness scholarships for girls and women. ⁠⁠Learn more here. Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app! You can help us close the gender gap outdoors and beyond ⁠⁠Become a Trailblazer⁠⁠. Your Adventure Fundraiser makes wilderness experiences possible for girls and women. Check out the⁠⁠ Summit Scholarship Foundation⁠⁠. Share this episode with a woman in your life who has a wild business idea she hasn't acted on yet. Make sure you subscribe to the See Her Outside Podcast so you don't miss a story! ⁠⁠Follow on Spotify⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Subscribe on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ Listen on:⁠⁠ Amazon⁠⁠,⁠⁠ Pocket Casts⁠⁠,⁠⁠ iHeartRadio⁠⁠,⁠⁠ other platforms⁠⁠

    45 min
  2. 🛶 Paddling 1,400 Miles to the Arctic with Women She Met on FaceTime: First Documented All-Women's Crew on a Historic Voyageur Route with Helena Karlstrom

    May 14

    🛶 Paddling 1,400 Miles to the Arctic with Women She Met on FaceTime: First Documented All-Women's Crew on a Historic Voyageur Route with Helena Karlstrom

    ⁠Hike Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon this October!⁠ Four women set off on a 1,380-mile paddle from Lake Superior to the Hudson Bay, and became the first publicly documented all-women's crew to complete the historic Voyageur route to York Factory. Along the way they crossed a 9-mile portage on day one, paddled multiple 40-mile days through wildfire smoke, navigated a teammate's POTS diagnosis and another's torn rotator cuff, and went a full first week on the Boundary Waters meeting 150 paddlers — not one of them a woman. This conversation with teammate Helena Karlstrom is about networking your way into the trip of a lifetime, the group dynamics that get you to the Arctic, and why simply being visible on the water is a form of activism. Helena and Angie talk about: The Appalachian Trail trip her freshman year that changed her trajectoryHow Girl Scouts gave her an outlet to connect with other women outsideThe Appalachian Trail trip her freshman year that changed her trajectoryHow the Hudson Bay Girls met and dreamt up this expedition and planning the entire expedition over ZoomPartnering with Save the Boundary Waters and the Northern Lakes Canoe BaseNavigating a teammate's POTS diagnosis and another's torn rotator cuff mid-tripFinishing the final day with a 17-hour, 55-mile paddle to the ArcticGroup dynamics, personal growth, and paddling as advocacy Check out these resources: 📱 Hudson Bay Girls on Instagram: @hudsonbaygirls 🛶 More about the expedition: https://www.hudsonbaygirls.com/ 📖 Our episode with Natalie Warren, author of Hudson Bay Bound ⁠➡️ The Cairn Project on IG⁠ ⁠✨ The Cairn Project's newsletter⁠ 🥾⁠ Become a Trailblazer⁠ 📅⁠ Summit Scholarship Foundation⁠ Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app! You can help us close the gender gap outdoors and beyond ⁠⁠Become a Trailblazer⁠⁠. Your Adventure Fundraiser makes wilderness experiences possible for girls and women. Check out the⁠⁠ Summit Scholarship Foundation⁠⁠. Share this episode with a woman in your life who has a wild business idea she hasn't acted on yet. Make sure you subscribe to the See Her Outside Podcast so you don't miss a story! ⁠⁠Follow on Spotify⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Subscribe on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ Listen on:⁠⁠ Amazon⁠⁠,⁠⁠ Pocket Casts⁠⁠,⁠⁠ iHeartRadio⁠⁠,⁠⁠ other platforms⁠⁠

    47 min
  3. 🧗‍♀️ From Near-Death to Rock Climbing Again: Melissa Strong on Injury, Recovery Tools, and Writing a Memoir

    Apr 30

    🧗‍♀️ From Near-Death to Rock Climbing Again: Melissa Strong on Injury, Recovery Tools, and Writing a Memoir

    The hands that built Melissa’s entire sport, business, and life were taken from her in an accidental instant. Her story explores what came next: the mental tools she invented to survive, the small triumphs that felt enormous, and the athletic determination it took to find her way back to the rock. Melissa's memoir, Climbing Through: A Courageous Story of Grit, Healing and Second Chances, is also the spring pick for Grit Lit, our adventure book club. Join by May 7th to get Melissa's book in your next box. Melissa Strong is a sponsored rock climber, writer, and restaurant owner based in Estes Park, Colorado, and El Paso, Texas. She's the founder and owner of two acclaimed Estes Park restaurants, Bird & Jim and The Bird's Nest, and together with her husband owns Wagon Wheel Co-op, a guiding concession in Hueco Tanks State Park. Melissa and Angie talk about: Finding rock climbing at 26 after realizing she couldn't run half a mileBecoming a sponsored climber in an era before climbing gyms were on every cornerThe near-fatal accident that severely burned her handsSeeing a forest and tunnel during her near-death experienceThe "closet of boxes" self-coaching tool she invented in the hospitalHaving her arms literally sewn together for three weeks to rebuild skinTapping into her athlete's mindset to push through recoveryWhy women need to stop shouldering everything and give themselves a break See Her Outside is partnering with⁠ Western Colorado University's Outdoor Industry MBA⁠ — a remote degree program built for people who want to lead, build, and create in the outdoor space. If you've ever thought about building a career or business in the outdoor industry, WCU's Outdoor Industry MBA was made for you. 📚 Join the Grit Lit Adventure Book Club to read Melissa’s book this spring and enjoy other woman-created goodies! Check out these resources: 📖 Melissa’s book - Climbing Through: A Courageous Story of Grit, Healing and Second Chances 🏔️ Melissaisstrong.com ✨ Melissa on Instagram ➡️ The Cairn Project on IG ✨ The Cairn Project's newsletter 🥾 Become a Trailblazer 📅 Summit Scholarship Foundation 🎓⁠ Western Colorado University Outdoor Industry MBA⁠ Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app! You can help us close the gender gap outdoors and beyond ⁠Become a Trailblazer⁠. Your Adventure Fundraiser makes wilderness experiences possible for girls and women. Check out the⁠ Summit Scholarship Foundation⁠. Share this episode with a woman in your life who has a wild business idea she hasn't acted on yet. Make sure you subscribe to the See Her Outside Podcast so you don't miss a story! ⁠Follow on Spotify⁠ ⁠Subscribe on Apple Podcasts⁠ Listen on:⁠ Amazon⁠,⁠ Pocket Casts⁠,⁠ iHeartRadio⁠,⁠ other platforms⁠

    48 min
  4. 🎒Ultralight Backpacking Gear for People with Boobs: Building an Outdoor Industry Business with Sarah Berkeley of Symbiosis Gear

    Apr 16

    🎒Ultralight Backpacking Gear for People with Boobs: Building an Outdoor Industry Business with Sarah Berkeley of Symbiosis Gear

    Have you ever chalked up gear discomfort to your body being the problem: the chafing, the shoulder pressure, the hip belt that just won't cinch down far enough? It's not you. It's the gear. Sarah Berkeley (trail name: Mellow!) is the founder of Symbiosis Gear, an ultralight backpacking gear company designing packs and accessories that actually fit women's bodies. Sarah went through three backpacks on the Pacific Crest Trail before she decided to stop waiting for someone else to solve the problem! She founded Symbiosis Gear, an ultralight backpacking gear company built specifically for women's bodies. See Her Outside is partnering with Western Colorado University's Outdoor Industry MBA — a remote degree program built for people who want to lead, build, and create in the outdoor space. If you've ever thought about building a career or business in the outdoor industry, WCU's Outdoor Industry MBA was made for you. Sarah and Angie talk about: The heavy backpacking and camping gear Sarah started her outdoor adventures withThru-hiking the Vermont Long Trail solo and running into gear problemsSarah’s journey to ultralight gear after meeting other hikersTips for solo hiking after experiencing urban assaultGoing through three backpacks on the PCT and finally deciding to build her ownGear and safety: The moment she fell through a snow bridge in the Sierra and had to make a fast callWhy the outdoor industry isn't designing for womenHow Symbiosis Gear fits differently: curved straps, adjustable sternum, and a waist belt that fits every body sizeLessons from building a product-based business and what’s ahead Check out these resources: 🌐 Symbiosis Gear 📱 Symbiosis on IG 📱 Sarah on IG ➡️ The Cairn Project on IG ✨ The Cairn Project's newsletter 🥾 Become a Trailblazer 📅 Summit Scholarship Foundation 🎓 Western Colorado University Outdoor Industry MBA Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app! You can help us close the gender gap outdoors and beyond Become a Trailblazer. Your Adventure Fundraiser makes wilderness experiences possible for girls and women. Check out the Summit Scholarship Foundation. Share this episode with a woman in your life who has a wild business idea she hasn't acted on yet. Make sure you subscribe to the See Her Outside Podcast so you don't miss a story! Follow on Spotify Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Listen on: Amazon, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, other platforms

    43 min
  5. 🥾 FKT on Kilimanjaro: an Adventure Advocacy Project to Get More Women Outdoors with Ultrarunner Colleen MacDonald

    Apr 2

    🥾 FKT on Kilimanjaro: an Adventure Advocacy Project to Get More Women Outdoors with Ultrarunner Colleen MacDonald

    When Colleen was a kid, her mom read her a story about a family stranded in a storm on Kilimanjaro. Most kids would have been scared. Colleen thought: “I have to go there.” Colleen MacDonald is a mountaineer and ultrarunner specializing in 50 and 100-mile ultras. Her unshakable grit and love of flying down technical descents has led her to many adventures and advocacy projects (which you can hear about in our past two episodes together!). In 2025, that focus took Colleen to Mt. Kilimanjaro, where she set an FKT on a route she and her partner established. She turned this adventure into an advocacy project to raise thousands of dollars for women’s wilderness scholarships. Colleen and Angie talk about: Years of planning this high mountain adventure, with logistical challengesHow a childhood fascination with the mountain led her hereTurning her FKT attempt into a fundraiser for women’s wilderness scholarshipsThe FKT recap: 62 miles and a new routeBTS of Kili: guides, porters, female leadership, and support from her partnerThe ascent and descent play-by-play, then health effects after the featFinding a voice in advocacy and representation for women outdoorsGetting comfortable with visibility and speaking up for others Other conversations with Colleen: Spring 2025: DNF’s, Post-Race Blues, and Competition for Collaboration: Colleen’s Ultrarunning Story Winter 2026: Athletes are Advocates to Speak Out Against Fascism: Tips for Speaking Up Even When It’s Scary Check out these resources: 📱 Colleen on IG: @m_cmacdonald ➡️ The Cairn Project on IG ✨ The Cairn Project's newsletter 🥾 Become a Trailblazer 📅 Summit Scholarship Foundation Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app! You can help us close the gender gap outdoors and beyond: Become a Trailblazer. Your Adventure Fundraiser makes wilderness experiences possible for girls and women. Check out the Summit Scholarship Foundation. Join our book club, Grit Lit. Share this episode with a friend or family member. Make sure you subscribe to the See Her Outside Podcast so you don't miss a story! Follow on Spotify Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Listen on: Amazon, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, other platforms Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance). Hosted by Angie Lake and edited by Alyson Castonguay.

    1 hr
  6. ⛏️ Building a Career in the Mountains on Her Own Terms: Guiding, Bodywork, and Moving through Trauma with Kat Schaumberg

    Mar 19

    ⛏️ Building a Career in the Mountains on Her Own Terms: Guiding, Bodywork, and Moving through Trauma with Kat Schaumberg

    Kat Schaumberg heard the conventional advice to prove her worth by climbing high mountains – but she ended up ditching the toxic culture to pursue true leadership instead. Kat began her career in outdoor education at 18 and went on to work as a mountain guide, instructor, and logistics coordinator for many outdoor organizations. She’s spent hundreds of days on expeditions across Alaska, Yosemite, Patagonia, Ecuador, and Nepal, and has been featured in Climbing Magazine writing about the vulnerabilities of being a female guide in a male-dominated space. Kat and Angie talk about: Getting hired at guiding companies and feeling treated as less competent than male coworkersWhat it meant to be a "marketable female guide": the pressure to be strong, charismatic, likable, and professional all at once — while suppressing her personal selfA trifecta of traumas that ended her full-time guiding career and sent her toward healingBringing bodywork and somatic awareness into expedition guidingThe menstrual cycle and outdoor adventureCo-founding a forest school and completing a two-year, 10,000-mile sailing journey: "always lead with the lungs, follow with the feet" Check out these resources: 🌐 Kat's massage therapy website 🎬 Kat and her fiancé's sailing vlog on YouTube 📱 Kat on IG: @alpine_kat ➡️ The Cairn Project on IG ✨ The Cairn Project's newsletter 🥾 Become a Trailblazer 📅 Summit Scholarship Foundation Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app! You can help us close the gender gap outdoors and beyond: Become a Trailblazer. Your Adventure Fundraiser makes wilderness experiences possible for girls and women.Check out the Summit Scholarship Foundation.Share this episode with a friend or family member. Make sure you subscribe to the See Her Outside Podcast so you don't miss a story! Follow on Spotify Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Listen on: Amazon, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, other platforms Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance). Hosted by Angie Lake and edited by Alyson Castonguay.

    55 min
  7. ⛺ How Girl Scout Camp Built a Career in Outdoor Leadership with Mary-Jane Strom

    Mar 5

    ⛺ How Girl Scout Camp Built a Career in Outdoor Leadership with Mary-Jane Strom

    Grab the workbook: How to Use Your Adventure for Your Career Goals If you went to summer camp as a kid, you get it. The bats at dusk, the swim across the pond, the feeling of being someone slightly new for a week... Those memories don't fade. And if you worked at summer camp, you also know that the skills you built there — troubleshooting on the fly, managing 300 kids and 65 staff, keeping everyone safe and fed and having fun — are some of the most transferable skills you'll ever develop. Mary-Jane Strom is the CEO of Girl Scouts of Northern California, a lifetime Girl Scout member, and a Gold Award recipient whose project focused on increasing access to outdoor spaces for all girls and women. Mary-Jane is also a competitive swimmer working toward completing open water swim events in all 50 states. This conversation is for anyone who's ever felt like their outdoor experience doesn't "count" on a resume. Hear about: Why summer camp is a powerful growth environment for youth (and adults)The business of summer camp: 8 weeks or 3 days?Mary-Jane's career path from camper to lifeguard to camp director to CEOHow to translate outdoor leadership experience into resume-ready skillsMary-Jane's 50-state open water swim goal and how camp swimming started it allWhat the media gets wrong about Girl Scouts Mary-Jane on LinkedIn | Girl Scouts of Northern California camp info | @gsnorcal on Instagram Send this episode to your friend who LIVED for summer camp. Check out these resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠➡️ The Cairn Project on IG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠✨ The Cairn Project's newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🥾⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Become a Trailblazer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📅⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Summit Scholarship Foundation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app. Make sure you subscribe to the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠See Her Outside Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so you don’t miss a story! Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance). Hosted by Angie Lake and edited by Alyson Castonguay.

    46 min
  8. 🏃‍♀️From Running as Punishment to the Grand Traverse: An Honest Story about Body Image and Outdoor Adventure with Emily Holland

    Feb 19

    🏃‍♀️From Running as Punishment to the Grand Traverse: An Honest Story about Body Image and Outdoor Adventure with Emily Holland

    Do you remember running sprints as punishment in soccer practice, or the stress of the dreaded PACER test? Many of us equate running with suffering. But that doesn't have to be the case. Emily Holland is a runner, rock climber, and Partnerships Manager at HydraPak, where she builds collaborations that fuel adventure and strengthen community across the outdoor industry. This story is a reminder that we’ll probably continue to take in toxic messaging in running media, but with care and thoughtfulness we can always come back to feeling strong and happy in our bodies. And, we can create our own media to shift the greater running culture. Hear about: Our early running exposure, which was typically sports team punishmentExperiencing body image challenges as a child and adolescentDiffering cultural norms in different sportsThe negative effects of over-exercising and under-fuelingMoving to Boulder, CO and rock climbing and trail running thereLearning how to fuel for distance running and listening to her bodyRunning the Gorge Waterfalls 50k and the Grand Traverse in 2025Juggling goals in different outdoor sportsEmily's storytelling through "Jacked and Chill" and finding joy in strength training ⁠Emily on LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Emily's Substack⁠ | ⁠Emily on IG⁠ Send this episode to a friend who wants to set a running goal! Check out these resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠➡️ The Cairn Project on IG⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠✨ The Cairn Project's newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🥾⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Become a Trailblazer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📅⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Summit Scholarship Foundation⁠⁠⁠⁠ Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app. Make sure you subscribe to the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠See Her Outside Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so you don’t miss a story! Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance). Hosted by Angie Lake and edited by Alyson Castonguay.

    54 min
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Get inspired with lessons from adventure that can't be learned indoors. Hear stories of women with a passion for the outdoors, from everyday athletes to activists breaking societal barriers to nature. By pushing limits in the wild, these women discover that they're more capable than they first thought-- and you are, too. Our nonprofit programs and adventure scholarships increase access to adventure for girls & women+, so that you'll always See Her Outside. Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure.

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