If this resonates with you please share with others who you feel it might impact as well.
#DareToBeYou
#AuthenticityMatters
#ReligiousTrauma
#BeyondTheRules
#EmpowermentThroughTruth
#ReclaimYourPower
#HealingThroughStory
#FaithAndFreedom
#ShameFreeLiving
#YouAreEnough
..to doing that thing you feel compelled to do? Yes, yes I know this photo is a pretty impressive example of facing your fears or expanding upon your comfort zone or simply just doing activities that bring you joy!
This was exactly where I stood yesterday morning...at the bottom of this majestic waterfall called Big Bradley near Saluda, NC. I had just rappelled down this remarkable precipice moments before I snapped the photo of this Green River Adventure Guest who opted to experience the Big Bradley Waterfall Rappel Trek on this morning. (Worthy of note is that I’m a co-guide...which means...it takes a bit of a village of highly trained folk to run trips such as these. The trip leader guide is at the top...doing what I deem the more intensely complicated thing of managing emotions, encouraging and coaching and then also controlling a secondary safety belay as each of us descend this one hundred and fifty foot natural wonder!
After seeing this photo yesterday it struck me. Big Bradley waterfall is representative of so many different challenges or levels of “doing the thing” in our lives. She’s like a monument to things that maybe we choose to face or maybe choose not to face. For example, have you been wanting to have your hair cut a certain way? Do it! Have you been wanting to learn to play an instrument? Do it! Have you been compelled to find ways to meet new people? Do it! Have you been wanting to challenge yourself with an epic outdoor adventure? Do it!
I think that Big Bradley represents the most significant parts of ourselves. She’s breathtakingly epic! Hard to miss that. Yet...she’s just being her best self. Which calls to me to be my best self. Don’t shrink in order not to overshadow others. Don’t make yourself small. Instead...be YOU! Be all of you in every way possible. And in you choosing to be your biggest, most powerful version of yourself...encourages me to choose to be my biggest, most powerful version of myself. And the end result is...now...humaning has becoming about simply shining your light. Just by living from your truest self. Standing tall in your very essence! Not in any kind of egotistical or competitive way...but my simply living your truest self...from your heart.
Choose to do the thing you’re compelled to do. Listen to your inner voice!
Go, be, YOU!
Photo Credit: Me for Green River Adventures, Saluda, NC
It’s official...TedxBrevard 2025 is a wrap!
May 3rd, 2025 was an extraordinary day at the Porter Center on the Brevard College campus. From the live music performances, vendor tents and food trucks on the lawn outside starting at noon to the live speaker event from the Tedx stage which began at 3p it was a chocked full of all the good stuff!
There was a buzz...almost an organic heartbeat that linked one audience member to the other and then up and around the stage and out through the musicians that performed and also through each of the speakers. It was electrifying!!
So now...as the celebration continues...the waiting starts for the publishing of each TedxBrevard talk. It will take approximately 3-4 weeks for talks to be edited and then put through the review process before being published.
Not to worry...I’ll let you know as SOON as it becomes available when and where you can watch and listen and spread the word about this incredible moment on the TedxBrevard stage!
In the meantime….DARE to be YOU!
Join the movement and grab your very own "dare to be you" t-shirt! Simply click below.
Click here to visit the merch store.
Imagine a day filled with brilliant speakers, thought-provoking conversations and new connections. By attending this years FIRST ever TEDxBrevard event, you'll experience a unique gathering in this Western North Carolina Mountain community that will unleash new ideas with the potential to inspire and inform.
So now that you are more informed as to what Tedx is...why attend this one?
First of all, this Tedx event was originally scheduled for September 28th of 2024...but just so happened that Hurricane Helene blew through Western North Carolina and for obvious reasons it was postponed.
Secondly...I'm honored to say, I was selected to be one of the speakers at this years TedxBrevard event being held at the Porter Center on the Brevard College campus now on May 3rd!
To purchase tickets for the event simply visit TedxBrevard.com
This is going to be one EPIC experience you'll not want to miss.
A TEDx event is a local gathering where live TED-like talks and performances are shared with the community. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis.
And this one just happens to be in none other than, Brevard, North Carolina!
TEDx events are locally organized by passionate volunteers who obtain a license from TED to create an event tailored to their community. These events uphold the same spirit and format of TED, with the goal of sparking connection and conversation within the community. Organizers follow TED's rules and guidelines but have the freedom to shape the event's content and design.
TEDx events are fully independent in their planning and production, which means that TEDx organizers do not receive assistance from TED in areas like speaker selection or ticket sales. Instead, they leverage the TEDx platform to inspire local engagement and ideas worth spreading.
If you are interested in becoming a Sponsor or to become a Volunteer you can visit tedxbrevard.com for more information.
2025 TedxBrevard Speaker Team includes:
Sae Mickelson
Ischa Vingle
Christy Vidrine Bauman
Rachel Dickson
Cody Hale
Brett Loftis
Samantha Coffin
Michael Collins
Parker Hays
Jennifer Peyton
Here we GO! Onward and Upward!!
Tedx is coming to Brevard, NC May 3rd, 2025!
There’s something about April that’s always brought a joyful shift into my orbit. Could be somewhat due to the fact that this is a birthday month for me...but I also know full well that it’s because of the arrival of Spring.
The air is warmer, the daylight is longer, the songbirds are back and singing and doing their things, the foliage is turning green again, the ephemerals have poked through the forest floor and there’s just so much newness and this shift is evident all around in nature.
Green River Adventures is making progress as we reconfigure ourselves to continue bringing epic outdoor adventure trips to outdoor lovers of all ages (waterfall rappel treks, swimming hole hikes and also inflatable kayak and tube rentals on the Lower Green River). I’m excited to be on staff again this season with GRA and to be a part of the post-Helene re-configuring process.
It feels good to be able to breathe again...to ease into mornings with a hot cup of coffee looking out over the mountains of Western North Carolina. Opportunity and possibility are just beneath the soil of life here...waiting to pop out and reach for the sun. The re-configuration of so many things...turns out...it feels good in many ways...to reset into the newness.
So much Gratitude!
Photo Credit: Green River Adventures –Waterfall Trek
The wildfires near Saluda, NC (Black Cove Complex Fires) started on March the 19th. It’s been over a week, almost ten days. I evacuated my home on Wednesday the 26th. And let me just tell you...natural crisis like this can REALLY wear on you over time.
Here’s some things about that.
Living this close to (meaning you’re eating, breathing, existing from within the bowels of this crisis) wildfires that were uncontainable for five days (in spite of an enormous response by fire management teams...who have been busting their asses fighting this thing), with the smoke and the sounds (helicopters overhead, spotting aircraft overhead, emergency vehicle sirens) with the unknowns regarding at any point the wind could shift and now your home is in its path is unnerving. It’s unsettling on levels that can push you right to the edge of panic. Stress levels are very high...and can wreak havoc on your ability to function and make decisions.
So how does one manage emotion and nerves from within a crisis like this? How does one maintain their composure and not just lose it?
Well...I’ll tell you that my experience has been all over the emotional map. It comes in phases. Some moments you’re on top of it...doing all the things...and the next moment you find yourself desperate for a break from the pressure and stress. The unknowns can become overwhelming.
Talking about it helps to some extent. Reaching out to friends also in similar circumstance to show them support helps too. (The Table Rock Fire and Persimmon Fire was threatening the Cedar Mountain Community where friends were going through much the same pressures as I).
Breathing. And then taking this to next level by going into meditation in order to calm your mind. Playing quiet, non-excitable music helps (like Native American flute, etc). And writing or journaling.
Things that don’t help. Doom-scrolling on Facebook. Consuming huge amounts of information regarding the struggle with these fires only makes the impact on your stress levels worse.
Smoke levels come and go...depending upon the time of day, wind direction and your location to the fires. To be inundated by smoke at your home definitely adds to the stress levels. Only solution with that is to find somewhere to go that doesn’t have this smoke level...even if just for a little while.
I have a whole new understanding why “keeping up morale” is a thing. In episode 7 (named “The Breaking Point”) of the miniseries titled “Band of Brothers” Easy Company has at this point in the series experienced an enormous amount of hardships with very little relief. Is a typical experience in a war environment where “morale of the troops” dips to all time lows. Is why chocolate is handed out and cigarettes and so forth...anything to alleviate some of the stress so that everyone can still function.
There’s a scene where Captain Winters is given a “pass” to go to the “rear” in Paris during episode 5 titled “Crossroads.” Winters experiences a lot of melancholy and loneliness and guilt during this break from the fight. He gets to live in some calm and take in some conveniences like clean clothes and a hot bath during this reprieve in the “rear.”
I’ve been staying down in South Carolina at a very kind and generous friend’s house since Wednesday the 26th. (Maybe similar to being given a “pass” to go to the “rear” for a while.) Yesterday, in an effort to “let it be good” and start to do things that feel a little more normal...I went into a nearby town and visited an adventure outfitter store (as one would do who is an outdoor lover). While I was walking through that store exploring all the cool outdoorsy gear...a fire truck and an emergency vehicle went by sirens a blaring. I was immediately hit with an intense emotional response...a big stress spike occurred in me...and it surprised me.
I know from this experience I’m going to have to remain vigilant and take very precise steps towards purging myself of the enormous amounts of stress-response that lingers in my body from these life-experiences. Quiet time, meditation, calm, slow down, remembering to stay in the present moment and other morale-increasing activities.
Happy to entertain suggestions as to other ways to lower the levels that our nervous systems have been hit with here in the ever-changing-mountains of Western North Carolina. If you’ve been affected by these fires here feel free to add your practices to maintain balance in the comments.
On that note I took myself on a walk after the rains today. We’ve all gotten a much needed reprieve today (Sunday) from the intensity of things now that rain has arrived. The air smells more like mountain air is supposed too. Wet and damp again. And the moss looks happier and the wild flowers a little taller tonight.
Currently all of the mandatory evacuation locations in Polk County near Saluda, NC have been removed. There are still some areas that have a “Get Ready” level 1 and a “Get set” level 2 evacuation status so we’re not “out of the woods” just yet...but things have definitely improved!
It’s predicted to rain again tomorrow (Monday) so with this...hopefully things will continue to improve even more.
Many thanks to those of you who have been praying and sending positive vibes this way and to those of you who have given monetary donations to Saluda Fire and Rescue for their hard work over these crazy times.
Stay safe everyone!
Photo Credit: Image by Natalja
Beu from Pixabay
Natural Crisis 2.0
Is a very surreal feeling to be sitting here writing this from yet another “basecamp” amidst another sobering crisis in Western North Carolina. The wildfires that began 9 days ago near Saluda, NC (Three separate fires...each named “The Deep Woods”, “Black Cove” and “Fish Hook” fires have now been consolidated under one name...”The Black Cove Fire Complex” are located just north of I-26 above and to the Northeast of Saluda.
If you’ve read many of my other posts over the summer you would have learned a little bit about the Green River Wild Gamelands (where the Upper Green River is located) and Green River Cove (where the Lower Green River is located). This is where these fires are centrally located...right smack in the center of the Green River Gorge.
(Another area that is on fire adjacent to Green River Cove is the forested areas where Cove Creek flows through. This is where the trails to Little Bradley Falls and Big Bradley Falls are located).
Post-Helene you heard me talk about the devastation in and around the Green River and the enormous amount of tree damage there was in these areas.
Much of what is burning is downed trees from Helene...but please note here...the Army Corp of Engineers have been working to remove tons and tons of deadwood in an around the Lower Green River area for the past few weeks...and had this not been done prior to now...I suspect the fires burning down there would be a LOT more intense.
There are residences scattered throughout some of these mountainous areas and Polk County has done an excellent job creating an evolving map showing areas of warning to prepare ahead of time if mandatory evacuations are declared.
I mentioned in an earlier post that the “not knowing” where the fire was moving to next was problematic. It was like knowing there was a storm coming but not being able to view radar to see what direction it was headed. After a few days, fire management teams recognized this need and implemented this color coded “Evacuation Map”.
You can view this realtime “Evacuation Map” by clicking below.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1usnYrYs6pofyEWfoza7jmsfVU3OZWGs&ll=35.25509241290396%2C-82.36026564076737&z=13
It became pretty obvious to me early on that the fire management teams were learning on the fly just like we were. And many thanks and kudos for their adaptability as we all roll with this...yet another...crisis as it unfolds.
So now...9 days in...we have some valuable resources to use to better prepare and plan for how we need to respond for our own safety.
1- The Polk County Emergency Management “Evacuation Map”
2- Updates viewed at Polk County Management and Saluda Fire and Rescue Facebook pages.
3- fire.airnow.gov online wildfire location map
Once you know what the imminent danger is to your front door step it becomes much easier to make the necessary decisions to stay or to go.
Please note here too...when you’re THIS close to these fires you KNOW they are there. You see the smoke, you smell the smoke, you hear the helicopters and circling planes, you hear the emergency vehicle sirens. But what you can’t know...is which way these fires are moving. It’s mountainous terrain...so you cannot actually see the fires unless you’re on a higher mountain top looking down on them or can get a view from the air above them.
According to a press release by Polk County Emergency Management published yesterday (March 26th), over 300 firefighters are working to contain the Black Cove fires. With a heavy emphasis being placed on the I-26 boundary lines (near exit 59) to prevent the spread of fire into additional area.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the Black Cove Complex is the highest priority fire in the Southern U.S. Currently, there are 303 personnel from North Carolina and other states across the nation supporting this incident.
Which brings me to the next amazing subject...air support! Apparently you cannot have a wildfire the size of this one (currently over 5,000 acres) and not draw attention to the severity of crisis level.
In the first few days of this, a Chinook and Huey helicopter were deployed to provide structure protection and support. Yesterday, a HUGE DC-10 could be seen circling over the area of these fires. This aircraft can carry up to 12,000 gallons of fire retardant. I’d say...”the big guns” have arrived!
Yesterday afternoon, Polk County Emergency Management published an update to the “Evacuation Map” which included the area where I live. This update put my area in “get ready” status.
Worthy of note...prior to this moment...I’d been living within 2 miles of these fires with all the things...the smoke...the sounds...the announcements of mandatory evacuation areas daily since the 19th. This shift was what pushed me to finish packing up essentials and evacuate to a safer location.
After watching this unfold in realtime...I felt like it was only going to get worse before it got better.
Please note...if you’ve read this far...I’m writing from my own personal experiences. Use only County Emergency Management official statements if you are seeking facts over opinions.
Meanwhile there are other very severe and threatening wildfires in the area. These are the Table Rock Fire and the Persimmon Ridge Fire and both a blaze in South Carolina and now the Persimmon Ridge fire has become threatening to the Cedar Mountain Community in North Carolina.
Bottom line? We need rain! And to get to the other side of this...please sing and dance every rain producing song you know.
I’ll post some helpful links in the comments for additional details as things continue to unfold here.
God speed. And stay safe everyone!
Photo Credit: MARCH 24, 2025 - Smoke from Polk County wildfires, as seen from Henderson County, North Carolina. (Photo: WLOS Staff see also wlos.com)
