This week we speak with Reed (He/Him) and learn about his journey into becoming an outdoorsy person. We first learn about Reed’s upbringing in Naples, Florida, where he attended a conservative Christian church, and how that impacted his queer journey. Reed also discusses how the outdoors has not been a part of his life until recently. Different experiences, from car commercials to a negative experience with the girl scouts, subtly taught him that the outdoors was not for folks who looked like him. Despite these barriers, Reed has recently found home and community at a local bouldering gym and shares with us how bouldering is helping him to connect more holistically with his body and gender identity.

E.T.O believes in providing proper compensation to folks who volunteer to speak on the podcast as their stories hold immense value. Along with offering $25 to each speaker, we encourage our listeners to make a donation to the speaker. Reed’s Venmo is @surpriseitsreed