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 community of mentors and a new career
• What it’s like training for a 22,000+ foot peak from a sixth-floor walkup in NYC
• The mental edge urban training built for high-altitude expeditions
• Why they turned their Aconcagua expedition into a catalyst for career change
• How they’re now guiding across the U.S. and helping diversify the outdoor industry
• Tangible ways to practice resource and power sharing, no matter your location or means

Send this episode to somebody who you think should turn their adventure into a force for good by becoming a Trailblazer!

Mentioned in this episode:

• Rachel on Instagram
• Summit Scholarship Foundation
• Become a Trailblazer!

By the way, it's not too late to sign up for the June 100 Challenge!

Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app!

• ⁠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!

Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance).

Hosted by Angie Marie Lake, edited by Alyson Castonguay, research assistance by Danielle Peecher

✨3 Adventure Opportunities:

1. 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.

   
   

2. 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.

   
   

3. Looking for a fun way to kick off the summer season? Check out the Wild Woman Trail Runs! The all-women’s 50k, marathon, half marathon, or relay team is a blast AND a perfect way to host an Adventure Fundraiser without having to plan your own adventure. June 21 in Washington State. Learn more here.

   
   

And for today’s See Her Outside guest…

Sharing an adventure with a friend can be an incredible experience, but that doesn't mean it comes easy!

Natalie Warren, author of Hudson Bay Bound: Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic, joined us for a peek behind the scenes of her life as an adventurer, author, and parent. We cover:

• Her adventure paddling from Minneapolis to the Arctic

• Tips for finding and having a great adventure partner

• How canoeing can be a fascinating way to observe society

• How writing about an adventure far in the past can be challenging

• The transition to motherhood and raising adventurous children

Grit Lit is our quarterly subscription box meets book club, celebrating women and adventure.

Members get a box every quarter full of woman-created goodies, including a nature-inspired book.

Interested in becoming a part of Grit Lit? Head to ⁠cairnproject.org/grit-lit⁠ to join and get the rest of the boxes this year, plus a welcome box! It’s a great gift for a friend, too.

Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app!

• 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!

Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance).

Hosted by Angie Marie Lake, edited by Alyson Castonguay, research assistance by Danielle Peecher

📢 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 to the United States
• How early morning hikes with a friend spiraled into a large, active hiking community: HikeQueen Buddies
• The importance of "third spaces" for women outside of work and home duties
• Why Gunjan's creating the MyTrailPals mobile app to encourage community in the outdoors
• Managing self-care as a parent, entrepreneur, and outdoor enthusiast
• Tips for women looking to build their own community groups

• 
  

Send this episode to a woman who you'd love to go on a hike with.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Gunjan on LinkedIn
• MyTrailPals app and Instagram
• HikeQueen Buddies and Hiking Buddies of Bay
• RSVP for the free Trail Talk on May 28: Adventure Nutrition and Q+A
• Sign up for the June 100 Challenge!

• 
  

Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app!

• 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!

Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance).

Hosted by Angie Marie Lake, edited by Alyson Castonguay, research assistance by Danielle Peecher

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 hesitant to turn up the volume on their own voice, including:

• How YOU sharing your story can change the world
• Why we need diverse perspectives and voices in the outdoors, from trip reports to scholarships
• When Angie realized that her personal adventures could positively impact the outdoor community
• Countering the common mindset traps that women face when sharing their stories
• Visibility isn’t the same as vanity
• Finding your voice and mining for personal stories
• How The Cairn Project can support you as you begin to share your stories

Send this episode to a friend who you believe has an amazing story that the world needs to hear.

(And follow along with Angie’s Adventure Fundraiser here and on Instagram! $5 goes a long way to the cause.)

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 2025 Trailblazer.Get the storytelling and fundraising skills to make an impact on the sport you love.
• 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!

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 and Angie talked about:

• Grief, growth, and the healing power of the outdoors
• What it’s like to climb Mt. Rainier and Mt. Baker as a beginner
• Why all-women’s climbing teams matter in a male-dominated sport
• How Carly is paying it forward by helping more women get into mountaineering
• Baker recap: a birthday summit, glacier school, and mountain sisterhood
• Coexisting with rather than conquering the mountain

Send this episode to a friend who you want to climb a mountain with this year.

You can help us close the gender gap outdoors and beyond:

• ⁠Become a 2025 Trailblazer⁠. You can make scholarships like Carly’s possible.
• Check out the ⁠Summit Scholarship Foundation⁠.
• Share this episode with a friend or family member.

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 sports
• How running helped her adjust after living and working abroad
• Identity, self-worth, and ego in ultra running
• Why athletes need white space in training and life
• Colleen’s attempts at the challenging Superior 100 in Minnesota
• Post-race blues and processing race performances
• Why YOU should go shoot your shot

Send this episode to a friend who loves to run or who has a race in 2025.

Follow along Colleen's adventures: https://colleenmacdonaldathlete.com/

Want to join Colleen as a Trailblazer with The Cairn Project and turn a 2025 adventure into a campaign to get more women outdoors? Learn more at cairnproject.org/trailblazers.

You can help us close the gender gap outdoors and beyond:

• Become a 2025 Trailblazer. Like Colleen, you can make a difference for girls and women who want transformative outdoor experiences.
• Check out the Summit Scholarship Foundation.
• Share this episode with a friend or family member.

✨ 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 adventure is a value

⛵managing personal needs and mental health on big adventures

and more!

Grit Lit is our quarterly subscription box meets book club, celebrating women and adventure.

Members get a box every quarter full of woman-created goodies, including a nature-inspired book! 📚

Interested in becoming a part of Grit Lit? Head to cairnproject.org/grit-lit to join and get the rest of the boxes this year! 🔗

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 business
• How Lindsay merged her passion with entrepreneurship
• When perfectionism gets in the way of growth
• The therapeutic effects of fly fishing and mindfulness
• Inclusive representation in the outdoor industry
• Money mindset and dealing with finances as a business owner
• Lindsay’s adventure with The Cairn Project
• Tips for women who want to start a business

Learn more about Lindsay at https://www.lindsaykocka.com. Episode photo credit to Gloria Goñi.

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 2025 Trailblazer. Like Lindsay, you can make a difference for girls and women who want transformative outdoor experiences.
• 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 https://open.spotify.com/show/01x4PI8OoMRS1Rx64OXsTf

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/see-her-outside/id1794910016