Kindred is the hiking antidote for People-pleasing women.

I broke out of the identity of people-pleasing in a pretty big way last year. When my ex decided to end out relationship 350kms into hiking the Bibbulmun Track (no hard feelings; I needed more and he needed less), I had a literal and metaphorical fork in the road. I could people-please (fly back, pack up my things, follow through with the work commitments I had made) or I could take a radical step towards my own goal of becoming a solo through hiker, whilst also gifting myself weeks of solo time to feel my feelings too. This sounds like a no-brainer decision (duh… of course you should take the time to hike), but that path would mean letting down my ex by not moving out straight away. It means letting down my employer by being unavailable for work. It meant letting down my parents by being offline and un-reachable more than they would like, and it meant letting down my enliven audience as I had no emails or social posts in the pipeline. That’s a lot of weight for a woman to carry when they’re used to being agreeable (not to mention the weight of my pack which now needed to fit a 4 person trangia stove and a 2 person tent and all the emergency gear which was previously split between two bags).

I decided to do it anyway. Until then, my identity wasn’t only that of a people-pleaser, but also that of an expedition paddler, not a through hiker. Despite being an outdoor guide for a decade and having done week long kayaking trips, the longest hike I had done was 4 days, and that was just short hikes with students. NOW I was asking myself to become the type of person who hikes 650kms solo. Could I even do it?

Sometimes the only different between what we’re capable of and what we have experience in is just an identity shift. If I had the skills to do an overnight hike by myself, then why couldn’t I rinse and repeat that overnight hike experience 54 times (which ended up being my number of days on the full 1,000kms trail)? The only difference was that I didn’t yet see myself as a through hiker or even much of a multi-day hiker.

I bagan to identify as a capable through-hiker once I had successfully done back to back 30km+ days with a 30kg pack! (You don’t need to do that. buy lightweight Radix hiking meals instead with 15% off)

Of course as the weeks went by, my systems got better, my legs got stronger, my emotions got clearer and my identity as a through hiker became evident. As I neared the finishline of Kalamunda in the Perth Hills, I began to identify as the experienced hiker with the “beta” (trail tips/ campsite reports/ inside scoop) that fresh hikers headed south would come to me for. I now identified as a solo hiker, with 11 days completely alone to prove it. I no longer identified as a phone addict; spending days at a time with it turned off (sometimes only turning it on to tell Mum I was “all safe at this location”). This identity shift felt subtle in the moment, but looking back 6 months later, that’s bloody huge.

While the only physical evidence for having hiked 1,000kms is some worn tread on my boots, blunt tips on my hiking poles and tears in my lulu leggings, the evidence in my new identity and mindset was permanent. There was no doubt that I could now do a week long hike in Tassie. I have no fears surrounding setting up a camp by myself anywhere in nature. I know that I can carry 30kgs without injury. I see a hill on a hike and don’t think twice (ney, I don’t think once) about how much it’s gonna hurt, I just do it.

Sure, a stand up paddle board lesson is nice. It gives instant reward and confidence to a woman once you give her the right beta to get her standing for the first time. But once I got back home, I started to think about how could I help to give women this same sense of identity shift that I had just experienced on the trail? A once-off hike can’t do it. I’ve seen the guests on the 4 day hikes I’ve worked on Kangaroo Island, and that doesn’t cut it either. The thing is, the experience needs the intention of an identity shift.

Enter: Kindred. Kindred is the guided day hiking program for women who are ready to stop people pleasing and finally shift into the identity of an outdoor woman. The kind of woman who can take herself for a hike whenever she likes. The kind of woman who trusts herself to deal with whatever adversity the trail (and life) might throw her way. The kind of woman who prioritises her needs, her movement, her growth above all else. The kind of woman who doesn’t just “wing it” with optimism that everything will work out, she has the practical skills to give herself the best preparation for safely executing what’s within her control.

Kindred is designed intentionally to follow the enliven pathway; connection + craft + confidence = capable. We start with connection: a group welcome call to get to know one another, a shared whatsapp container to ask questions, and a Welcome to Country when we first meet in-person. You can’t rush connection, so we give you plenty of time to connect to yourself, your intentions, your fellow kindred hikers and to Country. Next is craft, and each of the 3 included day hikes gives you an opportunity to hone your hiking craft. From trail systems, to navigation, packing, and emergency preparedness, we teach you the “hard skills” in an approachable, non-judgemental way, with an education degree behind me. Thirdly, we increase your confidence through reflective journalling practices, mindset reminders, and a supportive group of similar women celebrating you, as well as having you commit to the 3 walks. Your confidence will increase just by repeatedly showing up for yourself. Finally, you leave the kindred program feeling capable, with a celebratory integration call to help us to all solidify that new identity as a hiker.

Kindred is the antidote.

Can’t commit to the full program? Day passes are available, however, I strongly believe that the identity shift will come from the full program commitment and shared accountability with the other women joining you.

All of this leads to making you one hella capable woman. Not capable in a way that needs to compete/ win/ perform, just capable with the quiet knowing that you've got yourself, both outdoors and in life. The capable feeling doesn't fall away the moment you leave Kindred. It stays with you, just like it’s stayed with me.

Kindred is now open for term 2. 10 spaces available. Walk with me? Learn more here.