Career change: what's one step you can take today?
The newsletter that starts with a question
After a short break, About The Adventure newsletter is back! I took a bit of time out over the festive season and it’s taken me a while to get back into the swing of things. I think that’s a good thing as it always gives me a fresh perspective. This issue continues with the latest coaching question series, introduces two interviews on my blog, brings some podcast news, and shares a wintery scene from my local walks in the Peak District. As always, let’s start with the coaching question. Last time I asked you:
How would you approach career change differently if you took your focus away from the end result?
My next question to have a think about is:
What’s just one step that you can take today?
Change can seem really far away or overwhelming to reach, so this question aims to connect with here and now. It doesn’t have to be a huge step, and you can ask yourself this question as often as you like. I’ll leave it with you and if you’d like to share your answer please email me: sarah@sarahventurer.com
To continue with the series of questions please subscribe here, if you haven’t already.
“The reason I enjoy teaching navigation so much is that I help to inspire and encourage people to become more self sufficient and build confidence to go for a walk by themselves.” Emma Holland
I first came across Emma via our mutual friend Clare Kelly, founder of women's walking company Her on a Hill. Since following Emma on social media I have been really inspired by her approach to work and the way that she shares what she does. We had a chat on the phone before I sent over these interview questions, and soon discovered how incredibly dedicated she is to her work. Grab a brew and put your feet up for this one - it's a really inspiring and powerful read!
Alongside working for Nottingham City Council, Emma is a Senior Mountain Leader at Mind Over Mountains Charity and founder of her own Mountain Training business. She also has 15 years experience of working in the NHS supporting adults with mental health difficulties and is passionate about promoting the link between spending time outdoors and improved mental health. In this interview I ask Emma how her previous work experiences have contributed towards the work that she does now, what challenges she is facing and how she will approach them, and why she wants to inspire other people to go walking.
Make sure you make it all the way to the end because Emma asks you a question to take away and think about.
About The Adventure Podcast News
Next week I’m going to start recording interviews remotely for a while, so I’ve been busy testing out how to do this so that the sound will be good quality. My local friend Sam has very kindly let me borrow some gear that will connect one of my microphones to my laptop. He’s a musician who usually works as assistant manager at one of our local pubs, The Rambler, which you may well know if you’ve walked here in Edale. I’ve been doing some sound tests with my sidekick Gabby, and getting my next guest lined up - Charlotte Holroyd - who you may rememeber from this interview on my blog a few months ago.
I am preparing some questions for Charlotte and I would really appreciate any extra ones that you’d like to ask her. Some topics could include:
Starting out as a freelancer
Ethical branding
Creating an online course
Moving towards more time for adventures
Setting up a company
Or anything else that may be helpful or interesting to you. Please send in your questions to sarah@sarahventurer.com and just let me know if you’d like your question to be asked anonymously.
There are plenty of other episodes to catch up on while I’m recording new interviews.
Interview with the Co-founders of The Living Project
Is there a podcast that always leaves you wanting more? When you can’t wait for the next episodes? For me, it’s The Living Project because they have meaningful conversations with people about unqiue connections with the wild. They ask questions that bring out stories and encourage space for people to share them. Cormac and Josh are wonderful hosts, whose warmth and humour make me feel really good!
I wanted to find out more about them, how they share their philosophy, and why they have changed careers more than once. Their individual stories are both fascinating and inspiring! Josh Bulpin is a qualified Personal Coach, Mountain Leader, Counsellor and Mental Health First Aider. Before working in adventure and coaching he spent time in property in central London as well as in education. Cormac Davey has a diploma in Life Coaching, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and he trained in India as a Kundalini Yoga Instructor. After graduating with a Masters degree in Urban Planning he lived and worked in Southern Africa, South America and Asia supporting humanitarian and development projects, which included a spell with the United Nations. For the last ten years he's been working with young people and adults outdoors, leading many successful expeditions in the UK and around the planet.
“Nothing ever goes as expected, yet for me change has always far exceeded expectations.” Cormac Davey
So it’s time to make another brew, snuggle under a cosy blanket, and spend a few minutes reading their interview on my blog. Then you might like to check out their podcast - they recently interviewed each other which I think is a great place to start. You’ll find all the links on the blog post.
Featured coaching session
Woolpacks is one of my favourite places on Kinder Scout because there are so many unique rock formations to see. Being up there alone is extra special because it feels so quiet and peaceful, a bit like that feeling when you walk into a church or a cathedral. It’s also a wonderful spot for a picnic - just pick your favourite rock, get your lunch and flasks out, and take in the magnificent views. According to this brilliant book by Chris Goddard, Woolpacks was originally named after their resemblance to the huge bales of wool carried by packhorses.
I took this picture a couple of weeks ago on a local walk with my partner. Temperature inversions were sitting below us all day, as we enjoyed bright sunshine on the tops and the most amazing icicles I’ve ever seen. Most of the rocks were also coated in a thin layer of ice, which was very surreal. I was giddy with excitement, trying to take as many pictures as I could before getting too cold.
The rock formations look really quirky, some look like funny sea creatures. I couldn’t quite believe it when I first came across them! As a personal project I want to photograph the whole collection - and wouldn’t it be interesting to see how they change as they become more weathered?
This is a great place to include as part of a coaching session on foot. At the moment I’m doing walk & talk sessions on the phone or video calls from home. But I still want to show you these wonderful places as we go through the different seasons. It’s been great fun to have plenty of snow and ice here this winter. I’ve been up on Kinder Scout in all sorts of conditions, including freezing fog! Woolpacks is one of those places that really makes you stop and look, in total awe of nature.
If you’d like to book a career coaching session with me I have plenty of options available to you. If things are a bit tricky financially at the moment then I can offer you a discounted rate or a session free of charge. All you need to do is ask, and you won’t need to explain why. My email address is sarah@sarahventurer.com and everything is kept 100% confidential between us.
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Thank you so much for reading my latest newsletter! For the next issue I’m planning to send you two podcast interviews. One will be my show, the other will be an interview with me by The Living Project. I’ll be answering their questions about my connection with the wild and how it’s helped me to make changes in my life. I’m also hoping to bring you an interview on my blog with eccentric cabaret synth pop artist Tsarzi - who created the intro music for my podcast! If you have any questions for her then please send them in! You can listen to her latest track ‘when this is over’ on bandcamp.