Unseasoned: Lesson #1
What happens when an outdoor dream job is no longer your dream?
Happy New Year!
Did you notice the pushback against the typical New Year narrative this year? I dig the new conversations happening about resting rather than hustling in the dark months. I agree we should follow seasons or moons rather than calendar dates. I also have general skepticism about anything capitalism uses to sell us health fads. And despite it all, I’m still of the now unpopular opinion: I love the new year. I can’t resist the allure of a fresh start, whether January 1, the spring equinox, your birthday, or a random Tuesday.
Wherever you stand, I hope you’re finding the 2024 approach that’s right for you.
On the topic of fresh starts: In 2023, I shared the Unseasoned Series, interviewing folks who leave behind outdoor seasonal gigs for 9-5s, entrepreneurship, or other year-round work. I knew that part of how many of us survive the low wages, intense physical conditions, and weird schedules of seasonal work is to wind our identities with our jobs. Our work becomes what is valuable about us. Leaving, by choice or by necessity, can often be disorienting. The entire support community and sense of self you’ve built shifts (not to mention strangers find you significantly less… well, interesting).
I’m so grateful to the interviewees who shared their time with us and everyone who has reached out to share their own experiences growing and shifting their outdoor careers. I was delighted to find that leaving outdoor seasonal work for 9-5 work is overall, a hopeful story.
In 2024, I’m excited to announce Unseasoned speaking programs. These are live, 90-minute, interactive sessions that explore our core question: “What happens when a dream job is no longer your dream?”
These are two separate speaking programs, based on lessons learned during the 2023 Unseasoned interview series. Speaking programs are available for either in-person or live digital events. My 2024 schedule is limited - if you are interested in hosting Unseasoned, please reach out!
As a teaser, and to keep the goodness from this series open-source, I’ll be sharing a handful of lessons learned here in the newsletter. Keep reading for lesson #1 and let me know… do you agree? Does this match what you’ve experienced in your outdoor career? Why or why not? Reply here, or find me on Instagram: @emeraldlafortune
Regardless of how you feel about the new year, here’s my wish for us:
May 2024 bring us careers that don’t just look good from the outside, but feel right on the inside.
-Emerald
PS
My writing is featured in the recently published “Catch of a Lifetime” anthology including Joan Wulff, Katie Cahn, Brittany Howard, David James Duncan, and others. Snag a copy here.
PPS: Thanks to everyone who joined me at America Outdoors in December for a live presentation of Unseasoned: Why Great Guides and Seasonal Staff Leave. Were you in the audience? Drop me a line and let me know what you think!
PPPS: I’m beta testing a new webinar, “How to Pitch Your Outdoor Writing”. This offering will be only open to max 10 attendees and will be no-cost, in exchange for feedback. If you are interested in joining, please leave your name and e-mail here. Attendance will be first come first served, but anyone who signs up at this stage will receive an automatic 20% discount on the first version of the course as thanks.
Unseasoned Lesson Learned #1: The Fear Is Real
For Outdoor Young Professionals
When you think about leaving your outdoor seasonal role, do you feel fear? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone. Each of the Unseasoned interviewees felt fear when leaving their previous outdoor seasonal jobs. They wondered,
“How do I make friends?”
“Is my mental health going to be okay without consistent access to wild places?”
“Am I boring now?!”
“Is this paycheck enough to pay rent year-round?”
For most of us, any major life change is going to bring up fear. Fear is often our brain’s way of trying to protect us from losing our basic needs: sustenance, housing, and community to name a few. When the fear isn’t named, it can’t be addressed. Instead it festers, often presenting as a feeling of burnout, anger, or general “stuckness”.
For me, a therapist has been my number one tool for learning to see my fear and work through it. If you’re struggling with taking the next step, even when you deep down know it’s time, a confidant in the form of a trained counselor, wise friend/family member, or mentor can be invaluable.
But maybe it also helps to know that every single one of the interviewees confided that the reality of their situation was not nearly as awful as their fear had suggested it would be. Dara McDevitt, wilderness medicine instructor turned product line manager, said:
I don't feel like any of the fears I had about not spending enough time outside, not having the outdoors be part of my life or who I am, were real. All of the fears were very early twenties, “Who am I?” fears. The first full-time inside job I got turned out to be my favorite job I had had to date, at the time, which I wasn't expecting.
And of course, the path to moving through fear isn’t always direct. Interviewees also talked about the patience it took to re-find their balance. Sheree Denetsosie, a river guide turned accountant, reflected:
It took a really long time, actually, to find my grounding again. A lot of the time it was just hikes or spending time outdoors as much as I could. Family was also a big part of that too. We have a ranch out on the reservation, so it was always nice to go out there. That's my other sanctuary away from modern life. The phones don't work as well out there, so you are kind of in a remote environment.
Aside from those moments, it took a really long time to be more comfortable with not not having that long-term access to the outdoors. Or, it took time to find a more even keel to my own emotional well being and health.
Which is to say, if you’re in the thick of it right now, thinking, “Oh no, everything I worried about is now happening…” that’s ok too. Like Sheree described, it might just take some time to find your new normal.
Ultimately, when it comes to fear, I think our goal isn’t to eliminate it. I think of running big whitewater rapids. There was never a time I scouted a big Class IV rapid and thought, “I’m not scared at all, I’ve got this, I’m so good at running whitewater.” Instead, I learned to name my fear (“I’ve forgotten how to row Wild Sheep and this is gonna be the time I die…”) and get curious about it. How many times had I run the rapid before? What was the best-case scenario? Who had my back if I did mess it up? Where would I reflip my boat?
The same process can be used when you begin to move out of outdoor seasonal work. Name your fears and investigate them. And most important, be gentle with yourself, seek support when needed, and give yourself time.
For Owners / Managers
As someone who has been a burned-out outdoor seasonal employee myself, I say this with confidence: A burned-out employee can wreck your team culture and create exponential stress for you as a manager. Why does the employee stick around, even when they are no longer finding meaning in their work? Why won’t they just quit already? Why are they making you the bad guy?!
The answer is, 9 times out of 10, the employee is scared. The likelihood of them admitting this, however, has everything to do with the person’s personality, your company culture, and their psychological safety in your workplace. In many outdoor seasonal professions, expressing fear is not encouraged. Think of the trip leader who has been trained to be decisive, calm, and in control at all times. Regardless, understanding that fear may be underlying the employee’s reluctance to leave can open up a whole set of tools you didn’t have prior. Questions to ask:
“What is this employee scared to lose if they leave this workplace?”
“How can I assure this employee they will remain a valued part of our community, even after they move on to a different workplace?”
“What type of role might this person be well suited to next? How can I support them in building the skills or network to make that shift?”
Now you might be reading this, rolling your eyes, and thinking, “Uh, Emerald - not my job.” And I get it, this could look like just another 1:1 meeting can of worms you don’t have time for.
But when that over-it senior guide is creating a completely toxic work environment just because the newbie didn’t slice the tomatoes thin enough… it might be time to reconsider.
Bring Unseasoned to your outdoor program, workplace, or community group. More information here.
Heard on Social
From Kelsey Hoskins, @kelsey.loreen:
“I LOVE that you are talking about this transition!! Realizing that my identity as an outdoors person was not going away but evolving with the different stages of my life was huge for my inner sense of peace and happiness. I was so afraid that it would disappear… it’s just looked different (and still great!) with each chapter of life.”
Ooof it's always Wild Sheep, isn't it?!