See Her Outside: Stories From Women Who Adventure

19 Episodes
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By: Angie Marie | The GEA Alliance

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.

How to Regulate Your Nervous System in Outdoor Adventure with Sarah Histand of Mind & Mountain
Today at 10:45 AM

Sarah experienced anaphylactic shock while trekking in the Denali wilderness. Her nervous system regulation practices were an important part of healing – and you can learn how to use them, too!


Sarah Histand is an Alaskan adventurer, a somatic nervous system educator, and a mental health-informed fitness trainer through her business, Mind & Mountain.


Angie and Sarah talk about:

Sarah’s anaphylactic reaction deep in Denali and how she navigated it using regulation toolsWhat nervous system regulation actually means and why it matters outsideHow adventures like the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Clas...


You’re Allowed to Say It Out Loud: Overcoming the Urge to Self-Censor in Your Outdoor Storytelling
09/04/2025

Have you been censoring yourself? 🤔


If you've ever softened your language, felt imposter syndrome, or kept quiet when you had a message screaming inside of you, buckle up for a pep talk.


We're breaking down 5 common self-censorship blocks in adventure storytelling and how to break through them, including:


“I don’t have a good ending yet.”“I’m afraid I’ll change my mind later.”"I need to soften my language first.”“I don’t think society is ready to talk about this.”“An expert could share this better tha...


An Honest Look at Power Dynamics in Outdoor Adventure Communities: Climbing Clubs, Mentorship, Assault, and Reciprocity
08/21/2025

Carlie’s running the Oregon Cascades 100 mile ultramarathon on August 23, 2025! Cheer her on (you might get your name on her race shoes) by supporting her fundraiser to get more girls and women outside: https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/6540872


Carlie Graham lives in Seattle, where she's pursuing a career in finance while staying deeply connected to the outdoors. Carlie led the climbing team at UC Irvine in Southern California and remains passionate about making outdoor recreation more financially and socially accessible through community based groups.


Angie and Carlie talk about:

...


Hiking with POTS, Book Publishing, and Self-Discovery on the Trail: Grit Lit Featured Author Christine Reed
07/31/2025

How do you juggle chronic illness, unconventional work, and personal adventure challenges?



Christine Reed, author of Alone in Wonderland, joined us to talk about body challenges on trail, behind the scenes of writing and sharing books, and her company, Rugged Outdoorswoman Publishing.


We talk about:


Adventuring with POTS, a form of dysautonomiaSelf-publishing and the journey to writing a bookBalancing adventure with businessPublishing an anthology of stories: BLOOD SWEAT TEARSRealities of menstrual periods when on big adventures



<...


Your Body Knows More Than Your Training Plan: Rachel Boim On Pain, FKTs, And Body Dysmorphia
07/17/2025

You’re invited to our free Trail Talk on July 31: Injury Prevention in Outdoor Adventure with Rachel Lee Boim, DPT. Bring your questions about pain, strength training, recovery and more. RSVP at cairnproject.org/trail-talks!



Rachel Lee Boim is a record holding endurance athlete and Doctor of Physical Therapy who has set Fastest Known Times on iconic routes like the Kilimanjaro Summit Circuit, Aconcagua, and the trail from Namche Bazaar to Everest Base Camp.


Rachel began her mountaineering journey at age 33. Since then, her on- the-go li...


Summits Are Optional, Sisterhood Is Not: We’re Shifting Mountain Culture for Girls and Women
07/03/2025

When 6 in 10 women struggle to name an outdoor female role model, how are girls supposed to know they belong in adventure spaces?


Cheri and Aubryanna were two of the young adults selected for the Summit Scholarship Foundation's 2024 Mt. Baker youth climb.


Spoiler alert: This all-women’s rope team didn’t reach the physical summit of Mt. Baker. But they gained something just as powerful.


Angie sat down with Aubryanna and Cheri to talk about ambition, fear, belonging, and what it means to come...


Field Notes: Surviving A Flash Flood in the Grand Canyon 🌊 (and Call for YOUR Stories!)
06/19/2025

🎙️ Introducing: Field Notes, a series featuring your written and read stories.


We're now accepting submissions from our community, and we’d love to feature your voice in the mix.


We’re looking for personal essays set in the outdoors. Think friendship, change, healing, ridiculous encounters, anything that captures a moment where the outdoors shifted your perspective of the world or yourself.


Find guidelines and how to submit your story at cairnproject.org/podcast.


✏️ Field Notes | Caught in the Current: Lessons from Surv...


How Urban Training and Creative Resource Sharing can Shape the Future of Outdoor Adventure: Rachel Fagiano's Story
06/05/2025

Think you need alpine access, fancy gear, or a mountain town zip code to train for a major expedition? Think again.


Rachel Fagiano is an avid hiker, mountaineer, rock climber and ice climber based in New York City.


They have a career background in racial justice, and now their work focuses on creating safe and welcoming environments and improving access to the outdoors for communities that have been traditionally excluded in those spaces.


We talk about:

How a climbing Groupon led to a...


What it Takes to Paddle 2,000 Miles to the Arctic with a Friend (and Write a Book About It!): Grit Lit Featured Author Natalie Warren
05/22/2025

✨3 Adventure Opportunities:


Join the June 100 Challenge! Combine outdoor movement with storytelling and giving back. We’re uniting 100 women to accept the challenge and will give prompts for accountability and storytelling tips throughout the month of June! This is free to join and a wonderful way to make an impact through spending time outside.


RSVP for our free May 28th Trail Talk with registered dietitian Claire Shorenstein! Get your endurance and adventure nutrition questions answered. Sign up for free here.


Looking for a fun way to k...


How Women’s Hiking Communities Build a More Inclusive Outdoors with Gunjan of MyTrailPals
05/08/2025

📢 RSVP for the free Trail Talk⁠ on May 28: Adventure Nutrition and Q+A | ⁠Sign up for the June 100 Challenge!⁠


🎧 Gunjan Utreja is a first-generation Indian immigrant to the United States who earned a master’s degree in engineering and built an 18-year corporate career.


A journey to self-care led her to co-found the HikeQueen Buddies community, which inspired the creation of MyTrailPals—a mobile app designed to integrate outdoors into everyday existence.


Angie and Gunjan talk about:


Growing up in India and moving...


The World Needs to Hear YOUR Story: Here’s Why and How to Start
04/24/2025

Storytelling is a key element in closing the gender gap, outdoors and in. But it’s not always easy to speak up!


We’ve spoken lately with women who’ve said:


“I’m not an elite athlete. Why would anyone care about my story?”“There are people doing cooler adventures than me, so mine isn’t a big deal.”“If I put myself out there and speak up, people will think I’m silly.”



Angie shares a heart-to-heart for any woman who loves the outdoors but is hesi...


Processing Grief and Celebrating Women in the Wilderness: Carly's Mountaineering Story
04/10/2025

Processing grief brought Carly to the mountains. Community gave her a reason to stay.


Carly Dykes is a mountaineer, University of Washington student, and 2024 Summit Scholarship recipient who climbed Mt. Baker in Washington last June.


Just before Carly turned 18, her dad died from cancer. Carly shares how she found solace in the mountains, why she decided to climb Mt. Rainier in his memory, and the life-changing experience of an all-women’s expedition up Mt. Baker through the Summit Scholarship Foundation.



Carly an...


DNF's, Post-Race Blues, and Competition for Collaboration: Colleen's Ultrarunning Story
03/27/2025

Is 2025 the year you shoot your shot and get out of your comfort zone? 💪


Colleen MacDonald is an ultra and trail runner specializing in the 50 mile and 100 mile distances. Based in Colorado and Minnesota, Colleen is known for her unshakable grit and love of flying down technical descents.


Colleen and Angie talked about:


Why competition is a positive aspect of sportsHow running helped her adjust after living and working abroadIdentity, self-worth, and ego in ultra runningWhy athletes need white space in training and lifeColleen’s attem...


Sailing around the World, Parenthood, and Public Pushback with Author Caroline Van Hemert | 📖 Grit Lit Special Episode
03/20/2025

✨ Order your Grit Lit adventure book club box by March 30th!


Do you ever get pushback from others about your adventures?


Caroline Van Hemert, author of The Sun is a Compass, joined us to share about the feedback she's gotten as a writer and adventurer.


She also shares about...


⛵how she combines her passions of adventure, biology, and writing


⛵sailing around the oceans with her awesome kids and raising an adventurous family


⛵maintaining clear communication in a partnership where adventur...


The Journey to Build an Outdoor Business Centered on Fly Fishing and Mindfulness | Lindsay Kocka of Wade Well
03/13/2025

Lindsay Kocka is a professional yoga instructor, natural movement coach, mobility specialist, meditation teacher and myofascial release practitioner. 


Lindsay blended her personal and professional skills with her passions for fly fishing and working with outdoor athletes. Through Wade Well, Lindsay offers functional mobility, fly fishing instruction, and retreats for anglers.


We spoke with Lindsay on the See Her Outside Podcast.


Lindsay and Angie talked about:

The challenges women face when growing a businessHow Lindsay merged her passion with entrepreneurshipWhen perfectionism gets in the w...


How to Be an Advocate for your Community while Choosing Difficult Pursuits with Alex Garcia
02/27/2025

Alex Garcia is an engineer, writer and outdoorswoman based partly in western North Carolina and partly in Puerto Rico, where she grew up.


Alex’s ongoing personal project called Difficult Pursuits involves progressively more difficult outdoor challenges that she focuses on year to year.


As a founding board member of the Summit Scholarship Foundation and a former Trailblazer at The Cairn Project, Alex blends her adventurous passions with advocacy work to shape a more inclusive outdoors.


Alex and Angie talked about:

- Th...


How Danielle Blends Her Passions of Mountains and Medicine to Adventure for Good
02/27/2025

When Danielle started rock climbing, she saw the need for increasing safe spaces for women and Latinas to be introduced to the sport.


As a Ladies Climbing Coalition ambassador, she started the Atlanta Chapter which has grown to hundreds of local women who love climbing. She’s also a PhD in Pharmacology and MD.


In 2024, Danielle was a Trailblazer and held an Adventure Fundraiser of climbing Mt. Stuart to raise funds for the Summit Scholarship Foundation.



Danielle and Angie talked about:

...


Navigating Big Mountain Adventures with Chronic Illness: Isabelle's Story of an All-Women's Mt. Baker Climb
02/27/2025

Isabelle Riddle is a Bozeman-based woman who spent over 75 days on wilderness adventures in 2023.


In 2024, Isabelle was a recipient of the Summit Scholarship Foundation, giving her the opportunity to climb Mt. Baker in an all-women’s climb.


Isabelle and Angie talk about:

- The gap between outdoor industry inclusivity statements and actual inclusivity in outdoor adventures

- How Isabelle’s experiences as a woman with Native American heritage shape her relationship with nature

- The difference between all-women's expeditions and mixed-gender expe...


We're Closing the Gender Gap by Amplifying Women's Outdoor Stories
12/04/2024

Gender equity in outdoor adventure isn’t just a women’s issue—it’s something that benefits everyone, including men.

Diverse perspectives drive better problem-solving, enrich group dynamics, and create safer, more collaborative environments.

But right now, there’s a gap. Women face barriers that prevent them from participating fully in outdoor adventure, achieving recognition, or feeling like they truly belong.

The GEA Alliance's programs-- The Cairn Project and The Summit Scholarship-- aim to close the gender gap by facilitating transformative outdoor experiences and sharing stories of women, girls, and gender-diverse adventurers.

Episodes...