Becoming “anti-racist” sounds easy, but it can actually be quite challenging to shift our way of thinking. Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion work also known as JEDI is hard work, however if we can push through the discomfort and uncomfortable conversations, there is joy to be found.

I met the founder of United Women on the Fly, Heather Hodson Neufeld, in 2019 at a fly fishing trade show. While it may have been a bit of a bumpy start, today, I now consider Heather an ally and activist within the JEDI space in fly fishing. I find Heather’s anti-racist journey as bold. She is, what I consider a “classic model” of what diversity and inclusion work looks like: emotional, hard, complex, depressing, joyful and bold.

I am so thrilled to sit down with Heather and have an honest conversation. We share moments of vulnerability and her raw experience of intent vs impact. And I gotta say, she’s leaving a hell of an impact that I need all white women and the fly fishing industry to hear!