Find (or Make) Your Own Happy
"Tall" Ashley Leedberg, Two Loons Guide Service
This week, we’re chatting with Ashley Leedberg, otherwise known as Tall Ashley, who’s a paddling and rec guide, yogi, mistress of the SUP, snowmaker, and all around badass - but none of those reasons were what got me to start internet stalking her for real.
I set out on a mission to meet her when I happened to read an Instagram caption she’d written in February of 2020 that was like a gut punch:
“The end of this month marks 2 years. It’s been an anniversary I’ve taken to tracking each year. It marks the day I walked away from a cushy office career with almost zero ideas of what I was going to do next. An early retirement of sorts. My only plan was to be happy, which I hadn’t felt in a great deal of time.
It wasn’t all sunshine and daisies. If it weren’t for my friends, I wouldn’t have had food to eat, side hustles to help pay bills, or the brainstorming sessions that got me back on my feet in just a few short months.
I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, but I would do it again. I do recommend striving to find work that is fulfilling - to do things that call on your strengths and hold your attention.
Never let your comfort zone become home to complacency.
I’m not sure what I’m doing now or later, but whatever I’m doing, it’s working for me.”
BAM BAM BAM! She doesn’t realize it, but that post was one of a million little things that came to me at around the same time, that led to me starting this podcast and dreaming of a Guides Gone Wild community. Talking to her (finally) for the pod got me thinking again about the stuff that really matters.
But please don’t think this one is all seriousness - Ashley is a hoot, super fun and creative and up for anything. She was a blast to talk to, I know you’ll love her too.
Do we get a little salty? Yeah, we do, but you would too if you were talking about being wet and cold all the time, with no bathroom access, and only a Kia Soul to sleep in at the end of a long day…
So there you have it, more than a few teasers here - listen in and get the full fantasticness!
Make sure you follow Ashley’s kickass Instagram, @TallAshley, and if you want to become the proud owner of some super cool wood art home decor, keep an eye on her @WithTheGrain207.
**April 2022 UPDATE!: Ashley has founded her own guiding company - Two Loons Guide Service! Hook up with Ashley today to take part in her upcoming retreats or to plan your True Maine adventure!
More fun links from our conversation:
Wandering Root Farm (the home of Hannah, “the bad-ass farmer from the Waterford area”)
Midcoast Kayak (Damariscotta, ME)
Birch Bog Farm - check out Tracyn Thayer’s earlier GGW episode!