In today’s episode, I’m sitting down with Sarah, a Backpacking Badass client whose story perfectly captures what it looks like to step into an Adventure Era after everything changes.

Sarah didn’t grow up loving the outdoors. In fact, she openly admits she despised it. But after a major life upheaval, nature became a place of healing, and eventually, a doorway into something much bigger.

Since joining the Backpacking Badass Program, Sarah has gone from total beginner to:

1. Leading her very first backpacking trip within months
2. Building a real adventure community of women she met through the program
3. Stepping into leadership on trail — and in her life
4. Using adventure as a catalyst for reinvention, confidence, and self-trust

If you’re in a season of rebuilding…

If you’re craving adventure but unsure where to start…

If you feel the pull toward something bigger, braver, and more alive…

This episode is for you.

Where to connect with Sarah: @sarahlouiseschmidt

🥾 Ready to Start Your Adventure Era? Enrollment for the Backpacking Badass Program is officially OPEN January 19-23, 2026.

Inside the program, you’ll learn how to:

1. Plan backpacking trips you actually feel ready for
2. Build physical, mental, and emotional trail confidence
3. Master essential safety and navigation skills
4. And become a safe, self-sufficient backpacker without waiting on others

👉 Join us at: shedreamsofalpine.com/enroll

Whether you’re dreaming about your first backpacking trip, your first solo trip, or your boldest adventure yet... you don’t have to figure it out alone. We’ve got you.

Where to learn more about Allison:

1. She Dreams of Alpine Blog
2. Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

My client Sherry didn’t grow up calling herself “adventurous.”

She started backpacking in her mid-50s with borrowed gear, a lot of nerves, and a quiet pull toward doing something more for herself.

After her first challenging trips, she realized she didn’t just want more adventure... she wanted to feel calm, capable, and confident doing it. That’s when she found the Backpacking Badass Program, began building real skills, and took her very first solo backpacking trip.

Five years later, Sherry has completed solo backpacking trips, section-hiked long trails, trekked in Patagonia, volunteered in remote wilderness settings, and become a mentor to other women starting later in life.

In this episode, we talk about what it actually looks like to build confidence over time, and why it’s never too late to start.

In this episode, we talk about:

1. Starting backpacking in your 50s (and why it’s not “too late”)
2. How building skills changed Sherry’s confidence on solo trips
3. The mindset shifts that made solo backpacking feel safer
4. Learning to trust yourself in both solo and group adventures
5. Why small, local adventures can create big momentum
6. Letting your adventure era evolve as your life and priorities change

If you’ve ever felt the pull toward adventure... but wondered if you missed your chance, this episode is for you.

Where to connect with Sherry:

1. Instagram @sherryj402
2. The 52 Hike Challenge

Where to learn more about Allison:

1. She Dreams of Alpine Blog
2. Instagram @shedreamsofalpine

🎉 Register for our FREE 5-DAY CHALLENGE (shedreamsofalpine.com/challenge) - Your Adventure Era Challenge - January 12-16th, 2026 - If you want to go on MORE hiking and backpacking adventures in 2026, in this 5-day challenge, you'll make sure you finally check those trips off your bucket list!

⭐️ Upgrade Option: You can also grab the Challenge All-Access Pass (shedreamsofalpine.com/upgrade) for extended replay access plus exclusive Adventure Era bonus resources.

🥾 Want to join Sherry and a badass community of over 2,000 women as you step into YOUR adventure era? Join the Backpacking Course Waitlist...

What does it really mean to be a Backpacking Badass?

In this episode, Allison breaks down why being a Backpacking Badass has nothing to do with being fearless, extreme, or summiting at all costs—and everything to do with self-trust, decision-making, and knowing you have your own back on trail and in life.

If you’ve ever loved the idea of being “badass” but thought, that’s not me, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

1. Why the word “badass” is worth reclaiming—especially for women in the outdoors
2. The difference between being reckless vs. self-trusting on trail
3. What a Backpacking Badass is not (and why that definition keeps women stuck)
4. Why your power comes from making decisions, even when failure is possible
5. How to start stepping into your Adventure Era in 2026 with intention

This episode is a grounded redefinition of what badassery really looks like, and an invitation to step into it for yourself.

Ready to take the next step?

🎉 Register for our FREE 5-DAY CHALLENGE (shedreamsofalpine.com/challenge)- Your Adventure Era Challenge - January 12-16th, 2026 - If you want to go on MORE hiking and backpacking adventures in 2026, in this 5-day challenge, you'll make sure you finally check those trips off your bucket list!

Learn more and join our waitlists for these programs here:

1. BACKPACKING COURSE WAITLIST (shedreamsofalpine.com/waitlist)
2. THE ADVENTUROUS REINVENTION EXPERIENCE WAITLIST (shedreamsofalpine.com/are)
3. ROCK CLIMBING RETREATS WAITLIST (shedreamsofalpine.com/climb)

Want to see some testimonials about the Backpacking Badass Program? Read our student stories here. (shedreamsofalpine.com/stories)

Where to learn more about Allison:

1. She Dreams of Alpine Blog (shedreamsofalpine.com)
2. Instagram @shedreamsofalpine