About The Adventure

Sarah interviews Julia Hartley about creating Guided Outdoor Adventures and her “confidence gap” idea: helping people feel safe and supported while getting outdoors with caring professional mountain leaders who keep groups together and make walks more accessible.

Julia traces her motivation to moving to a new area and to childhood experiences on PGL trips where instructors provided security after her parents’ separation, shaping her confidence and adventurous spirit.

She shares her winding career path from early hospitality work to gaining qualifications, becoming a sports therapist, and later feeling restless before returning to her business idea with encouragement from a friend. Julia describes building a two-sided “Airbnb-style” platform for guides and customers, securing lottery-related funding, growing from six to 67 leaders, learning marketing and SEO through mentors and courses, facing competition and critical coaching, and planning gradual expansion while prioritising purpose over profit.

Julia leaves the audience with a couple of powerful prompts for self-reflection.

Links for Guided Outdoor Adventures

Website

Facebook Group

Instagram

References

The Confidence Gap https://guidedoutdooradventures.co.uk/the-confidence-gap-guided-outdoor-adventuring-cic/

HF Holidays https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/

Mike https://cheshire-online.com/

Ilaria Petrucci https://herwildadventures.co.uk/

Meet The Guides https://guidedoutdooradventures.co.uk/meet-the-guides/

Damian Baxter https://www.geogrowthmedia.com/

Steven Bartlett https://stevenbartlett.com/

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: [email protected]

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career coaching questions and photos from the Peak District.

In this raw and deeply personal conversation, Sarah Lister talks with ultra-runner and endurance coach Allie Bailey about the intersection of life, career, and running, shaped by the format of her new book. Allie shares her journey from a high-pressure career in the music industry to hitting rock bottom through alcoholism, and eventually rebuilding a life centered on her core values. This episode is a must-listen for anyone feeling "stuck" in a career or life path that doesn't feel like their own.

Sensitive topics

Alcoholism: Allie speaks candidly about her history as a "raging alcoholic". She describes reaching "the bottom of the barrel," losing her home, partner, and money due to her addiction.

Mental Health Struggles and Depression: Allie talks about her struggle with depression and mentions having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Suicide: Allie mentions trying to kill herself and talking to her sister about killing herself.

Toxic Work Environments and Exploitation: The conversation touches on the harsh realities of the music industry, where Allie witnessed artists having "nervous breakdowns" and described the culture as one that "exploits you basically for your talent and makes you frightened to leave".

Body Image and Self-Esteem: Allie mentions common insecurities she hears from athletes she coaches, such as "I'm not a real runner," "I'm too big to be a runner," and "I'm not good enough".

Trauma and Difficult Family Dynamics: There is a brief mention of how some women "grow up miserable and pass that trauma down" , and Allie notes that for some people, "family isn't everything".

Strong Language: The whole interview contains frequent swearing throughout the conversation.

Values are the Compass for Change:

1. Allie emphasizes that unhappiness often stems from working against your personal values.
2. She identifies her own core values as kindness, authenticity, and honesty.
3. Success is redefined not by status or money, but by whether your decisions align with your value system.

Breaking the "Lucky" Narrative:

1. Allie rejects the idea that her career change was due to luck. Instead, she attributes it to belief, doing the work, and manifestation.
2. She encourages listeners to stop "giving their magic away" to companies or people that don't deserve it and to start investing that energy in themselves.

Thoughts are Not Facts:

1. A central theme of Allie’s coaching and her new book is challenging the stories our brains tell us to keep us "safe".
2. She discusses "fear storyboarding"—taking a fear to its logical conclusion to realise that reality is rarely as catastrophic as our imagination.

The Myth of the Quick Fix:

1. Real change requires active participation. Allie notes that reading a book or listening to a podcast won't change your life unless you do the work consistently.
2. She highlights that "confidence comes from doing what you say you’re going to do".

Navigating "The Dip":

1. Allie discusses the inevitable emotional and physical drop that happens after achieving a major goal (like finishing the 268-mile Spine Race or completing a big project).
2. The key to surviving the dip is accepting it as a natural human process and setting up a support system of "your people".

Allie leaves the audience with a powerful prompt for self-reflection:

"How do you feel when you wake up every morning going into the job you're doing, and how do you want to feel? Can you make yourself feel that way in your current position? If the answer is no, how are you going to make yourself feel like that?"

References

The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris

The Spine Race

Northern Traverse

Nicky Spinks

Links

31 Days: A zero-bullsh*t mindset masterclass for the modern runner - by Allie Bailey

There is No Wall - by Allie Bailey

Allie’s website

Follow Allie on Instagram

Running Won’t Save You Podcast - by Allie Bailey

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: [email protected]

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career change interviews and career coaching questions.

In this episode of the About The Adventure podcast, we hear the inspiring story of Claire Hunter, a former HR professional who has embarked on a transformative journey of career change. Claire shares her childhood dream of walking the Pennine Way, and how redundancy and life events led her to take time out for self-reflection and personal growth. She discusses the significance of her 'chrysalis year' in 2025, during which she completed various certifications and assessments, consolidating her skills and rethinking her career path.

Now focused on aiding midlife women navigate change through coaching, leadership development, and mindfulness, Claire offers insights into starting her own business and the importance of nature and mindfulness in her coaching methodology. This episode captures Claire's evolution from a structured HR role to a fulfilling career aligned with her passions and values.

Recording information

This interview was recorded in Grindleford on 29th December 2025.

Links

Elysian Leadership

Follow Claire on LinkedIn

References

My Pennine Way Reflective Journal by Claire Hunter on Amazon.

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: [email protected]

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career change interviews and career coaching questions.

Podcast music is by Tsarzi and artwork by Tiffany-Francis Baker.

Thanks for listening!

Martin Swithenbank, an Outdoor Instructor and climber based in the Yorkshire Pennines, shares his journey from working in art studios and formal education to becoming an outdoor educator.

Initially hesitant to apply for the job at an outdoor centre, Martin has found a new calling working with 10 and 11-year-olds, using outdoor activities to engage and inspire them. During the COVID pandemic, a stint working with at-risk children ignited his passion for making a positive impact outside traditional school settings. Encouraged by his friends and partner, Martin made a significant career shift by apprenticing at an outdoor centre. He reflects on overcoming self-doubt, embracing new opportunities, and the transformative power of outdoor education for both himself and the children he works with.

Conversation topics include challenges in mainstream education, gaining confidence and overcoming imposter syndrome, believing in your abilities, embracing failure as growth and the power of human connection.

Listen all of the way to the end so that Martin can ask you a question that may help you to think about your own potential career change.

Recording information

This interview was recorded in Edale on 17th December 2025.

References

West Yorkshire Police

Carl Rogers

A Mug of Life on Instagram

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: [email protected]

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career change interviews and career coaching questions.

Podcast music is by Tsarzi and artwork by Tiffany-Francis Baker.

Thanks for listening!

What’s it like moving to a new country and setting up a creative business? Irina Kudres shares her story about moving to Bergamo in Italy with her partner and changing her career path. Previously working in digital marketing and PR, she is now doing portrait, documentary and brand photography.

Irina’s home country is Russia and she has also lived in Malaysia and Germany. She talks about both the positive aspects and challenges of living in different countries, including the mountainous region where she lives in Italy now.

This interview highlights the first steps that Irina took to becoming a freelance photographer and the importance of following your life path when you sense a calling for change.

Recording information

This interview was recorded online on 11th November 2025.

Irina’s Links

Irina’s website

Photo story book Another Odyssey 

Studio: Panoramico Studio

Connect with Irina on LinkedIn

Follow Irina on Instagram

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: [email protected]

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career change interviews and career coaching questions.

Podcast music is by Tsarzi and artwork by Tiffany-Francis Baker.

Thanks for listening!

From Classroom to Mountaintops: Emily's Journey of Grief and Career Transformation

[Note: This interview includes sensitive topics about grief, mental health, and suicide. Please consider carefully if it’s a suitable time for you to listen to this content.]

Emily Taylor, also known as Trigs and Teeth, shares her inspiring journey from being a teacher to becoming a prominent outdoor influencer and mountain leader.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she and a friend started exploring trig points in the Peak District, which eventually led her to create an Instagram page documenting her adventures. The page grew, and Emily continued to build a community around it, eventually becoming an Ordnance Survey Champion and collaborating with major outdoor brands like Rab and Acai Outdoor Wear.

Emily opens up about her struggles with mental health, her father's tragic death, and how reconnecting with nature became a crucial coping mechanism.

She describes her career transition from teaching, a profession she once thought she'd retire from, to leading walks, teaching navigation courses, and creating content for brands.

Her story emphasises the importance of following one's passion, the power of nature in working through emotions, and the significance of a supportive network in making such a transformative career change.

This episode contains sensitive discussions about mental health, grief, and suicide. Emily’s experiences highlight the critical need for self-care and the courage required to make significant life changes. Listen to the end for her thoughtful question that might help you evaluate your own career path.

Recording information

This interview was recorded outdoors in Edale beside Crowden Brook on 7th October 2025.

Emily's Links

Emily's outdoor events for women on eventbrite

Emily’s outdoor adventures: Trigsandteeth

Confidence building for outdoor women: peakoutdoorcoaching

References

Suzanne Hill

Acai Outdoorwear website

Rab website

Tog24 website

Blacks online website

Yoga teacher Emily in the Outdoors Instagram account

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: [email protected]

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career change interviews and career coaching questions.

Podcast music is by Tsarzi and artwork by Tiffany-Francis Baker.

Thanks for listening!

This episode delves into the transformative career change journey of Ceri Jones, a former orchestral manager who shifted her path to become a food educator and cookbook author. 

Following the loss of her parents and a realisation of unfulfillment in her job, she found solace and passion in writing a recipe blog that led her to pursue culinary arts. The story covers her pivotal decisions that eventually lead her to fulfilling her dream of writing a cook book, published in 2024.

She now enjoys a diverse career combining food education, content creation, and recipe writing. Emphasising the importance of discovering and pursuing one's passion, the episode offers insights into overcoming challenges and redefining personal and professional fulfillment.

Don't miss the closing question that encourages reflection on pursuing career changes without regrets.

Ceri's first cookbook ‘It Starts with Veg : 100 Seasonal Suppers and Sides‘ was published by Pavilion Books in June 2024.

She trained over 10 years ago as a ‘Natural Chef’ in Berkeley California and since then has been building her online platform as a recipe writer, honing her skills as a chef by cooking for over 70 yoga and wellbeing retreats around the world, and teaching hundreds of cookery classes to a wide range of communities. For 3 days a week she is the sole Food Educator at the Garden Museum in London where you can find her leading cookery workshops for kids, families, community groups and the general public.

Working in food is her second career. She previously worked in the world of music, project managing concerts and tours for a London based international orchestra, and before that a music degree specialising in clarinet performance. She still enjoys playing the clarinet and singing in her spare time and regularly performs with two ensembles in South London where she lives. 

Recording information

This interview was recorded online on 5th June 2025.

Links

Ceri's website

Simple and Seasonal Substack

Follow Ceri on Instagram

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: [email protected]

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career change interviews and career coaching questions.

Podcast music is by Tsarzi and artwork by Tiffany-Francis Baker.

Thanks for listening!

Jenna’s interview captures a personal journey, documenting her career path from an academic beginning in literature and journalism to a fulfilling career as a counsellor. 

After working in veterinary publishing for nine years, she knew she wanted to do something that felt more meaningful with her career. She wanted to help people and not be stuck behind a desk, so she joined the police.

Later she trained as a detective and joined the child abuse unit. These intense experiences rekindled her intrinsic desire to connect and help people, ultimately leading her to pursue counselling. 

Her career change was driven by the realisation of the importance of mental health, empathy, and the need for professional fulfillment. Alongside battling personal challenges like anxiety and burnout, she embarked on counselling training while managing a full-time job as Deputy Editor at Trail Magazine, which gave her the opportunity to reconnect with the mountains and to push herself out of her comfort zone in a restorative way.

With the support of her family and loved ones, she set up her private counselling practice, aiming to integrate nature and human connection in a peaceful space. The story highlights the significance of following one’s passion, the necessity of self-care, and the value of supportive networks in making significant career transitions.

Make sure you listen until the end to answer Jenna’s question, which might just help you take the next step in your career.

Recording information

This interview was recorded online on 9th May 2025.

Links

Jenna’s counselling website

Follow Jenna on Instagram

References

Trail Magazine

Will4Adventure

Mind Over Mountains

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: [email protected]

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career change interviews and career coaching questions.

Podcast music is by Tsarzi and artwork by Tiffany-Francis Baker.

Thanks for listening!

The key message in this episode with Julia Hames is about figuring out what it is you want and then taking the baby steps to get there, because sometimes the path in the middle isn’t always clear.

Julia tells us about her move from living in a big town to rural life in South Wales, and about her career change from working 12-hour shifts to running a B&B alongside her Smallholding and developing Wordpress websites.

She talks about the challenges of running a B&B, particularly during the Covid pandemic, and tells us why she decided to give that up for a more balanced lifestyle and to do a part-time degree.

Julia tells her story with a great positive spirit, which has obviously helped her to get through some really tough times, alongside the accountability network that has supported her in the local community. 

By listening to this episode you’ll also find out what it’s like having a Smallholding around self-employment, why she has put her travel dreams on hold, and why you should give something a go if you really want to do it!

Keep going until the end to answer Julia’s question, which might just help you take the next step in your career.

Recording information

This interview was recorded online on 18th February 2025.

Links

Julia Hames on LinkedIn

Julia’s website: Coding Cottage

Coding Cottage in Instagram and Facebook

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: [email protected]

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career change interviews and career coaching questions.

Podcast music is by Tsarzi and artwork by Tiffany-Francis Baker.

Thanks for listening!

This episode is about choosing to live happily by dreaming your way there and making new decisions to steer the direction. 

Author Paul Besley talks about some of the challenges he has faced throughout his life, including alcoholism, bullying, a severe mountain accident, working in a high-pressure job as a salesman, and living with asbestosis disease. He shares what he has learned along the way and how he manages to find contentment through life’s challenges. Paul imparts his wisdom and advice in ways that feel relatable and attainable. 

By listening to this episode you’ll also find out how Paul turned his career around to becoming a published author, which started with writing guidebooks, and later on his memoir- The Search by Vertebrate Publishing. 

Keep going until the end to hear Paul’s powerful question for you to answer. It’s a really good one (once he remembers it!).

Recording information

This interview was recorded online on 11th November 2024.

Links

The Search - Paul's published memoir

Blog - Monthly Happenings by Paul Besley

Published works - by Paul Besley

Instagram 

References

The Search - book by Paul Besley

Wild About Kinder - podcast episode interviewing Paul

Mark Richards - Author

Trail Magazine

Cicerone

Andy Kirkpatrick

1001 Climbing Tips

Vertebrate Publishing

Mountain Rescue

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: [email protected]

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career change interviews and career coaching questions.

Podcast music is by Tsarzi and artwork by Tiffany-Francis Baker.

Thanks for listening!