There’s something humbling about realizing you need to revisit the very things you teach. Lately, I’ve been relearning and re-implementing strategies I’ve used hundreds of times. Not new hacks. Not shiny new systems. The basics. Just because I’m a coach doesn’t mean I have everything nailed. In fact, I’d argue the opposite: the best coaches are realistic and vulnerable enough to admit when they’ve drifted. When their boundaries blur. When sleep hygiene slips. When nutrition becomes reactive....
11 days ago • 5 min read
Mountain culture prides itself on resilience. We work in tough conditions. We recreate in unpredictable environments. We accept risk, discomfort, and effort as part of the deal. Being a “mountain person” often means you’re willing to push through weather, terrain, fatigue, and fear. And yet, something interesting happens when that same discomfort shows up off the hill. When movement feels awkward. When strength work feels humbling. When training doesn’t match the identity we already have of...
19 days ago • 5 min read
Hi friends, I’ve been quieter on social media lately. Not because I don’t care. Not because I’m disengaged. But because I’m choosing depth over noise. Social media has continued to feel like a place where you’re expected to declare your stance loudly and repeatedly, or be punished for nuance. Where outrage performs better than understanding. Where complexity gets flattened into slogans, and silence gets interpreted as complicity. That space doesn’t leave much room for real conversation. And...
26 days ago • 4 min read
Another hard day to write. One filled with fear and anger over recent events in our country. I’m a people-listener. I talk with folks all over the country, across ages, politics, industries, family structures. And the through-line right now is loud and clear: people are scared, and sad. And they’re angry. Anger is a reaction I’m intimately acquainted with. When I was a teenager, my best friend used to lock herself in her room after fighting with her mom and blast Rage Against the Machine. You...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
When the ghosts are real…and the escape button lives in your pocket. Lately, I’ve been paying attention to how people are managing stress. Not in a judgmental way, more in a curious one. Conversations with clients, friends, myself, and community members keep circling the same question: Where’s the line between self-care and escapism? And does that line even exist? I don’t think the answer is as simple as “screens bad, nature good” or “rest good, distraction bad.” Real life is more nuanced...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
I’ll be honest, writing this week has felt harder than usual. There’s a lot of chaos in the world right now. Things happening that are heavy, unsettling, and hard to ignore. And living in an idyllic mountain bubble, I sometimes notice an unexpected mix of disconnection and shame, like I’m somehow escaping when others are paying a much higher price. That story can get loud in my head. But lately, I’ve been reminding myself of a lesson I’ve been learning (and relearning) for years now: I don’t...
about 2 months ago • 6 min read
Hi friends, Connection has been coming up again and again in my coaching conversations lately. Not networking. Not collaboration. Not “building community” as a buzzword. Real connection. Clients have been talking about wanting to reconnect with old friends, strengthen family relationships, nurture newer friendships, or simply have more social interactions that aren’t tied to work, performance, or obligation. And I don’t think that’s accidental. Maybe it’s the flood of holiday cards, something...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi friends, The cat is officially out of the bag, so I want to share this with you directly: I’ve accepted a new role as a Mental Health Coach with Headspace. I’m excited, and also deeply reflective. One unexpected part of applying for this role was being asked to take a long, honest look at my own story. Beginning, middle, and (for now) where I am today. When you lay it all out like that, patterns emerge. So does meaning. The beginning of my story includes growing up in an environment where...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Lately, three articles have been living rent-free in my mind, stories of women harmed, abandoned, or abused in places that were supposed to be about freedom and adventure. Stories that should never have happened, but did, because of the culture surrounding our outdoor and mountain communities. They’ve left me asking questions I can’t shake: How do we reconcile a community that celebrates pushing limits, while ignoring who gets left behind or harmed in the process? How do we talk about...
3 months ago • 6 min read