Exploring Connection: Nature Girl Expeditions

Welcome to This Daring Adventure podcast, where we work on bridging the gap between where we are and where we want to be in order to live a bigger and bolder life. In this podcast, we will provide inspiration, tips, and skills you need to make your life the adventure you want it to be. Here's your host, mindset mentor and life coach, Trista Guertin.

Okay. Hi, everybody. Welcome back to This Daring Adventure. I have a special guest today. I have Michelle Lucy, who is the owner and operator of Nature Girl Expeditions, and she's Operating here locally in the Niagara region where I am, so I really wanted to take this opportunity to showcase some of the interesting and very fun work that she's doing here locally. I have been a participant or a client, of yours. A few years ago, I came across your group in Facebook and joined you for a paddleboard lesson. And I've kept track of you over the years, but I haven't participated in anything since. Hopefully I will. This summer, but welcome, Michelle. Thank you very much for your time today. And why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself and your business?

I'd be happy to. Well, thanks. Thanks so much for having me today. I really appreciate it. like you had mentioned, my name is Michelle and, I have Nature Girl Expeditions. And so I started Nature Girl about five years ago and it's kind of funny how it worked out. I had this idea for the business and I got it all prepared and I got everything set up and I had my first, event scheduled for March of 2020. And so my very first event got shut down with COVID. and then it took a while for things to get going. but when we were eventually able to open up to 10 people outside, that's where I really took advantage of things because Women just wanted to get outside. They wanted to connect with each other. and it was a perfect opportunity. So, and I do a lot of hike yoga wine events, so the wineries let us do yoga outside in their vineyard and we had our wine tasting out there after our hike. and it just grew from there because I could tell there was a real need for women to connect with each other. But also to be out in nature and to be able to connect with nature, and really promote that wellness, that physical and mental wellness by being outside.

That's amazing. I didn't realize that your first event was March 2020. Wow. Yeah. And so, that must have been just really actually perfect timing for you when you could get back out and yeah, people were desperate to get outside and to socialize and have some fun. That's amazing. Good. So,

yeah, so it just worked out beautifully. I couldn't have. I don't know if I planned it any better for it to work, despite going through COVID was, a terrible, experience. it was a terrible time for a lot of people, but, yeah, it just happened at the right time. And I was a little worried that after things got back to normal after COVID, that people would be getting back to their normal activities, their normal lives, but it actually didn't happen. I had more growth after that, which is great.

Yeah, because I'm not seeing many other, if any, operators that offer women only, these expeditions, these outdoor activities, in the area at all. Are there?

no, not really in the Niagara region. If you go closer to the Toronto area, there are more women, and also if you look out west, you've got Alberta, British Columbia, there's a lot more happening with women only adventure groups out there.

Okay. Yeah, but this is such a great area. You take advantage of the wineries. That's fantastic.

Yes, we have so much to offer here. So we have 83 kilometers of the Bruce Trail right in Niagara. So I try and take advantage of the, of that trail system. We also have great waterways. because I do, as you know, I offer paddle boarding and I also offer kayaking, events. So we have just great resources for outdoor, activities and adventures

right here. What are some of the wineries that you visit?

I'm working with, Henry of Pelham, I've worked with Calamus, Fieldings, Malivore is a great one, so, I've been able to form some great partnerships with wineries that are right on the Bruce Trail, and they really like having the ladies come in to their wineries, which is great.

what's the age range for some of your participants?

so I work mostly with adults, so it'll be 18 plus. If we are visiting a winery, I prefer it to be 19 plus. but I've had on occasion where I've had younger women attend with maybe their mother or their aunt. And I always make sure that I provide something non alcoholic. And, and that's also for women who want to join my adventures but may not drink, and that's completely fine. and I always offer non alcoholic beverages. to those people as well. So yeah, anywhere from 18, 19, like up to like, it's whatever limit, it doesn't matter as long as you've, you're able to be hiking the trails and you're fit to do that activity. You're more than welcome to join us any age.

Okay. And did you always want to do women only?

Yes, so I have offered in the past, I have offered partners to come with their wives or girlfriends. And what I've noticed, the dynamic completely changes when there's men in the group. So the women tend to just socialize with their husbands or boyfriends and don't really interact with the other people in the group. and so what I'm all about, I want women to connect. I want, like minded women to, you know, find that common ground of nature, outdoor adventures, and, that's why I add on the, wine tasting piece because that's an opportunity to socialize after the event. And so I knew that women really need that connection as I find that you're either, a busy mom and you don't have time to connect maybe with your friends and family as much, or you're kind of more my age where you're in that sandwich generation, so you're taking care of maybe your parents, or you may have children that are kind of young adults, teenagers, and there's really no time for yourself. So, yeah. And sometimes you can feel a little isolated, so it's nice to have that just for women, to be able to get together.

Hmm, I like that, that's nice. And do you find that people are mainly from the local area, or are you getting people coming from other areas, tourists?

I'm getting a mix of people, so when I first started out, It was, I would say 95 percent of my clients were from the Toronto area. And very few locals. and now it's kind of split in half. So I'm getting a lot of locals now. From the kind of Niagara region and a little bit beyond and then half my clientele is coming up from the Toronto area and beyond It was really interesting I had two ladies come from Barrie a couple of weeks ago to do my snowshoeing event and I think that's the farthest I've had somebody come for that for an event.

All right. Okay. I looked at that snowshoeing and I thought It's too cold outside. I'm sorry.

You know what? A lot of people say that, but once you get going, it's such a great workout. Once you get going, you're taking layers off because it's warm. You get warm quickly. So,

right. One of the things I used to do when we were younger, and this is going back like many, and the other thing that we did years ago was cross country skiing in the area because we have all the golf courses and that was a lot of fun, but I don't even know if they still do that around here with the winters that we've had,

they don't, and that's something I've wanted to incorporate. it's kind of difficult because we don't always get a lot of snow and it is, and the weather is so unpredictable in the winter. Sometimes we get great snow and sometimes we don't get any.

So so then when do you start your spring programming? when do you get back to the yoga and the hiking?

It really depends on the weather. So if we have a dry spring, I usually start mid May. If we have a wetter spring, then I'll start in June, beginning of June. It all depends on the trails. just It's not fun to hike in the mud. Nobody enjoys it. It can be dangerous because it's slippery. But also one of the major reasons we don't is because it's not good for the integrity of the trails. You're walking through the mud, you're creating ruts, and it's just not good for the trails. All

And I see now that you have some really fabulous looking international tours as well coming up.

Tell us about those. so yeah, I started a couple years ago. We, I started my very first one, with a group of ladies. We went to Ireland and we hiked the national parks in Ireland and we visited Dublin and Galway and we did a lot of fun stuff. and then from there, I've started building on some really great locations that may be bucket list locations for some women, where you can be kind of active and participate in what that country or region has to offer. So this this September, a group of ladies have signed up for, hiking Machu Picchu in Peru. So that'll be a lot of fun. It'll be challenging. But it's great because it's something that gets you out of your comfort zone and trying new things and learning new cultures. Yeah. So I've got a few in the works to come coming up.

Yeah. And they're all on your website. I was taking a look and they look fabulous. And into 2026, you're looking at, I think it was Ecuador

Ecuador and that the Amazon rainforest, and to do some hiking and canoeing and meeting with the local tribes people. And, I think I've got a cooking class in there and learning some of their traditional foods. Yeah.

Okay. And so do you have to be fairly, I don't know, I want to say active, what's the word, like skilled hiker or experienced hiker for some of these? No.

Some of the trips you may need to have, some good fitness depending on the type of trails that we're, that we'll be doing. And that's. It's all outlined on the description of the trip, but I try to offer trips of different love fitness levels. So not everything is going to be high activity. Some of it is that soft adventure where we meet. We may be doing some walking, we may be in a canoe, or, maybe doing different things where kind of different fitness levels would be able to participate for sure, because I don't want to limit it to just one type of fitness level because then you're excluding, other people that may love to do it, but may not have, that the same fitness as somebody else.

Sure. And what size of group do you have?

For my international trips, I don't, I'd like to keep it about 10. So that's the perfect number of people to really be able to manage a group. And also it allows the women to, become friends and connect and interact together.

And do you have a place, like I said, like you have some really interesting trips lined up, but do you have, like, where's the place you really want to go or what else are you looking at, you have your eye on that you would really like to go to?

Well, me personally, I really want to go to Everest Base Camp and hike Kilimanjaro. So those are my two big bucket lists. I know that's not for everybody. Okay. there, I know that there are some people that do want to do that. but I'd also like to take almost anywhere, really. I went to Vietnam last spring. I would love to take a group to Vietnam and tour Cambodia and Thailand. That would be a great adventure as well.

Well, I'll keep my eyes on all the listings, So I also think one of the reasons why I wanted to speak to you is because you started this business, but you were also working full time mm-hmm And started this. So tell us a little bit about your story, starting the business and why you started it.

Okay, like I've been working in my career for now almost 30 years. So at the time when I started Nature Girl, I was 24, 25 years in, in the career that, which I'm still working. but I really felt like I needed something more. I was just, I was satisfied with my job, but I just have a passion for the outdoors. and I've always loved being outside and being active and I was trying to think of a way to incorporate, my yoga teacher training because I'm certified as a yoga teacher, but I never, I rarely used it. I rarely taught and I thought, how can I get outdoors? How can I use my yoga training and so it was a long process to go through that But it was a passion that I had That I really wanted to pursue so

and so you had never had your own business before No,

and I had no idea what I was getting into But I figured I to me I had a job already and I figure I have nothing to lose So why not try it? If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I still have a job. So that's, that was my thinking when I started. And I worked really hard and I still, I'm still working really hard. I learned how to, make my own website. And I learned how to do advertising. and I just learned so many new skills that I hadn't. And I did get help along the way, like I accessed free services from our local business center and things like that and asked a lot of people who are already in business. yeah, it's kind of started just from there, not knowing anything and just learning along the way.

Do you imagine that you will transition out of your day job into?

I'd like to. That's the plan. So when I first started the business, I was working full time. So now I'm working part time at my job. So I still work three days a week. and, but I am working. My business full time. So there's a lot of behind the scenes stuff that people don't see, even though I'm like, I'm leading, the hikes and some of the other events on the weekends, but there is a lot of work still that I do behind the scenes. So yeah, between my job and working on Nature Girl, yeah, it's pretty busy, but it's great. It's something. Something that I love to do.

I think when you have that passion and that interest, and it is so much fun that it is a lot of work, I was working both jobs at the same time, for the last few years, but having that business and having that passion and that opportunity to just pour yourself into and learn and grow and be providing, the value and the service that you do meeting the women, cause that's a huge part of my business too. Meeting these amazing women along the way. it's not a drain, like you do, I do get tired, but it doesn't, I don't get burnt out.

That's right. Yes. And there's that creative process to it too, that I find so energizing of, coming up with new ideas and, new things to offer and different ways of offering things. And, I love the whole, I love the whole process. So I don't find it. I don't find it draining.

yeah. And, I always, I pour so much time into my business. And, to me, that's fun. that's how I like to spend a lot of my time. And though, even though it was, there were a lot of evenings, there were a lot of weekends, there's still a lot of weekends and sometimes evenings. I never get bored. And Somehow, over the past few years, having this business, something that I've created, something that I've learned so much about, it really is fulfilling. I don't know what I would do with my time otherwise.

Yes, exactly. and that's how I feel as well.

Yeah. It's like when I hear that people are bored or they don't know what to do and I'm just like, you should have a business and find something that you're passionate about because then it's just, it's never ever an issue.

That's

right.

And how long have you been doing your business?

Well, I enrolled in coach certification in 2020 as well. Like I, yeah, so I think it was September, 2020 when I started and I, as soon as I started certification, like the certification process was eight months, but within a month or two, when I started, we had to start coaching people. As part, like we had to find volunteers and I just loved it and I thought I have to start my own business. I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea what, what I was getting into and all the technicalities and operating a business and setting up a website and a funnel and all the things. I just loved it. I just, it really was very energizing. It did give me a lot of joy.

My experience, exactly the same.

Yeah. And I really wish that everybody could find that for themselves. Yes. because spending this time and I've grown so much, there's nothing else that beats it. And I told myself for years and years that I was not an entrepreneur. I didn't have that bone in my body. I had no experience with anybody around me, family or friends that had done, started their own business, had done any work like this previously. So I told myself for years that. That's not who I am. And it was only like once I started certification and they had, a component to help you start your own business. And my coach was like, that's not a thing. people learn, this is just something that you learn and you do as you go. and I've been doing it ever

since. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. I love hearing stories like that when people will go after their passion. I always encourage women. So I, I have, a coworker who I work with at my, In my career job and she wanted to start a business and she's like, I don't know, you know what to do or how to get started and hers, hers is a cookie business and she's a wonderful baker. She always brings her samples into work and so it shares them with us and it's amazing and I'm like, just do it, just do it. You have nothing to lose. You still have your job here. Just do it. And, she's she's starting now and, I couldn't be more happy for her that actually just doing it. And it's so inspiring to see women just going after their passion and no matter what it is, like just,

it is

better to try.

Yeah. And I think, the opportunities now are so vast, especially being online. the, all of my work is on Zoom. All of it. I would love to do an in person event. I had actually scheduled something at the library last month and then I cancelled it. because being in Lebanon, I really didn't have the opportunity to do in person events. it just wasn't the place or the time. I had done some, workshops for my team where I presented some of the work that I was doing in my coaching, which was a lot of fun. But I would love to do something like that here, but I haven't, dipped my toe yet into that. but for sure, I definitely do, I do recommend and I do encourage women to, to take their dreams seriously, because I've had several conversations with friends who say, I would love to have my own bakery, or I would love to, I want to transition out of teaching and do something and I said, if you've been doing something for 20 years, or you have a passion for it, for sure, you can make a business out of that. Mm hmm. it's just, it's believing in yourself and

Exactly.

putting work in right?

Yeah. And I think as women, that's where sometimes I think we struggle. We don't always believe that we can do it or there's so much on our plates all the time because we're always looking for other people that we feel like, okay, maybe I don't have the time to do that. So many other things going on, but it's so worth the investment to put it into yourself, to carve out that time, to do something that you absolutely love. maybe it's not even starting a business. Maybe it's just spend some time on your own or getting out with your friends or yeah, whatever it may be.

All right. I really appreciate your time today. as I said, I did that paddleboarding lesson with you, I guess, three years ago now. I remember I had to go up to Welland. I got lost. You waited for me. You were very kind. And then we had a great lesson. I had never done that before. So I had no idea what I was doing, but you made it very easy and very enjoyable. And so congratulations to you on all the work that you've done in your business and expanding into the international tours. that's fantastic. You should be very proud of your work.

Well, thank you so much. And you as well, starting a coaching business, that's. That's that's huge. So congratulations to you as well.

Thank you. Thank you. So is there anything you want to leave the audience with anything you want to share before we go?

I think we've pretty much talked about everything that I can think of off the top of my head. yeah. So I think mine is my takeaway is it's like I started this at 51. So it's never you. There's never too late to do something, to make a change, to start your own business, to go traveling, to, do whatever you want to do. So

yeah. And I think that's a really important message. And that's definitely one that I try to share with my audience. Yeah. Good. All right. Well tell people where they can find you.

they can find me, on my website at, naturegirlexpeditions. com. so all of my contact information is there, so if you want to get a hold of me, directly, my number's there and you can, call, text, email, and I'd be happy to answer any questions or

Yeah. Alright, well, I'll make sure that's all in the show notes as well, so people will be able to link to you quickly and easily, but thank you so much. It's been a pleasure.

Trista, it was great talking to you.

Thank you for listening to this daring adventure podcast with your host Trista Guertin. We hope you enjoyed the tips and conversations on how to get excited about life again. As always, you can head to tristaguertin.com for additional resources and to book a one on one coaching session. You can also follow Trista on Instagram at tristavguertin. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll see you next time.