I am coming down from an intense and yet completely fulfilling weekend at Travel Con. It was my first conference for travel based creators and all I can say is it was nourishing for my soul. The 80 degree weather and Memphis gems added to my delight as well. The keynote from Pico Iyer was truly the most prophetic thing I have ever heard. But others such as break outs on monetizing a travel website, Being a successful digital Nomad, how to pitch to brands, and keynotes from Pauline Frommer (her dad was the grandfather of travel guides) and Jeff Goins, author of Artists Don’t Starve. They are offering a virtual pass for $99. I am an affiliate and if you use my link you will also be supporting Ordinary Sherpa in the process. Ordinarysherpa.com/travelcon
All that to say, I was up to late, I was over energized and I got home REALLY early on Monday morning and went to work. I am tired. If anyone wants to help kickstart me into May which is a huge month with over a dozen podcast recordings, a book launch and the final leg of spring activities before we embark on our summer trek we are calling Northern RV Exposure into Canada and Alaska. I will accept your coffee donations!
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As read on Linked In:
Today marks 2 years without alcohol. 
While I know that LinkedIn is supposed to be a *~professional~* place, I won’t stop talking about sobriety here. The more we see it out in the open, the more it is normalized, the more we elevate our compassion and empathy for others, the more others who are struggling can feel seen.
This past year was all about living. The first year seemed to be about thinking, about therapy, looking inward, and in the second year, I’ve been trying to actually live the values and beliefs I’ve reclaimed as my own.
Giving up alcohol is still the best decision that I’ve ever made.
I don’t think I would have quit my job and started my own business with alcohol still in my life.
I don’t think I would be actively trying new things, like skiing or Ukulele.
I don’t think I would be as STOKED as I am.
So here’s to keeping this thing going and to year three and all the lessons it will bring.
If you look at Linked In, You might find that our guest is a podcast Coach, consultant and strategist, copywriter and Editor from Boulder Colorado. But we are more than the titles on Linked In and the public profiles we share with the world. In recent years Emily is uncovering stories in herself and others that have been hushed or overlooked to favor the normal life trajectory. As the host and producer of the Nature Untold Podcast, she tells stories of sobriety, addiction, and recovery within the outdoor community and industry I am so honored to have Emily Holland as a guest today.
Name: Emily Holland she/her/hers
Podcast: Nature Untold https://www.natureuntoldcollective.com/
Website:emilyholland.co
Email: emily@emilyholland.co
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastnerdery/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/emilylaurelholland
Key Takeaways
- Encouraging people to “Show up as they are” gives power to others. You never know how much your voice is needed.
- We are conditioned to only bring part of ourselves. Honoring the fullness of our lives leads to deeper connections.
- Emily had an angsty storm over her teenage years, while she thought alcohol was numbing the angst it was actually intensifying it. When she drank she was much more emotionally reactive and damaging to herself and others and ultimately was sick of having the conversation with herself around alcohol. By opting out of alcohol she was able to make space for the things she wanted.
- Emily’s approach was to take 3 months off from alcohol and now 2 years later she is still sober. She is proud to hang her hat on this achievement and no longer feels alcohol is a part of her identity.
- As a checkpoint, if you have a habit or something that doesn’t really fit into your life, create a little space to gather data. One suggestion in creating habits is to give yourself 5-minutes before grabbing the drink, or booking the flight. It’s similar to the Viktor Frankl quote “Between the stimulus and response is a space, and in that space is your power.”
- Having proximity to nature and the things they enjoy, allowed them to embed activities into their daily life as opposed to being weekend warriors.
- The outdoors were infused into her childhood. Whether it was true or not she felt like an outsider and felt shame in relation to others. If you don’t have a good sense of self it’s hard to have the confidence to believe in what you like and enjoy.
- Hiking in the Adirondacks was a reset. Finding friends who shared that joy was helpful in welcoming her back. It is important to define the environmental factors to clarify who is in your community. A big reason people resort to drugs and alcohol is because they don’t feel connection, and nature is a place to feel connection to yourself, others and the greater world. Nature alone will not not heal all that ails you. Community is critical, therefore Nature + Community is the formula to define.
- While Emily is no longer practicing organized religion she still finds value in experiencing pieces of different religions. After a recent visit to a church, it was very clear to her why religion is important to so many people. Unless you create it, it is extremely hard to find that level of connection.
- Finding friends as an adult is hard, adding layers of complexity such as with kids or without alcohol is even harder.
- Nature Untold tells stories of sobriety, recovery, and addiction in the outdoor space. The outdoor space is broad spectrum from going for a walk to skiing on Denali. Also to share varied recovery and AA style stories to offer many examples. The goals are to see and feel heard, seen, and understood while also teaching people to be empathetic and compassionate community members.
- Not every person needs a podcast, but you also don’t need to remain small and live someone else’s narrative.