Employee Story: Roads to Discovery
In our series “Landmark Moments,” people share their formative experiences becoming outsiders.
Mary, Amy and Sakshi are all L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Programs instructors. And while the journeys that got them here are uniquely personal, they all share one common goal: to be strong role models for anyone who wants to experience the outdoors.
4 Min. Read | Stories That Inspire Us
Mary M-B, Senior Instructor, Freeport, ME
ON CARRYING THE TORCH
I was raised in the outdoors. I guess you could say I had a “free range” childhood, where the woods, fields, streams and trails around my home were my playground. Exploring the outdoors was just what I did in my spare time. But years later, thanks to a chance meeting with a spry 68-year-old sparkplug named Loretta O’Brien, it became something so much more.
It was about 20 years ago. Lobster Weekend. An event I was only at because I happened to see it in a magazine – come paddle, eat lobster, camp on an island, that kind of thing. When I arrived, my attention turned to a committee of event leaders shuttling heavy canoe loads out an island. I was immediately drawn to them, their rapport, their vibe – these were my kind of people. And at the center of it all was Loretta. I knew I liked her from the moment I met her.
As we bonded over the weekend, my respect for this remarkable woman blossomed. I learned that she was a single mom who decided to go to law school in her 40s. That she had built a successful law career. And that she was very well known in the Boston chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club – a hiking and kayaking leader famous for running circles around people half her age. I admired her tenacity and the brave, unconventional path she took. I looked up to her because I saw a lot of myself in her.
Loretta is the reason I chose the path I’m on now. She encouraged me to follow my passion for sea kayaking. She inspired me to follow in her footsteps as a guide and a leader – not just for Outdoor Discovery Programs, but in my local outdoor community. And when she passed away at the beautiful age of 88, just a few years after I spotted her snowshoeing in the White Mountains, I felt a duty to continue to carry the torch she so proudly held all those years. To encourage other women to aspire to outdoor leadership. And to help women from all walks of life find their joy in the outdoors – and maybe even their future passion – through our Women’s-Only Outdoor Discovery Courses.
My story has taken many twists and turns since Lobster Weekend, but decades of experience in the outdoors has made me realize that formative moments don’t have to happen when you’re young. Or before you’ve really embraced the outdoors. They can come any time, from anyone, and often when you least expect it. But when they do, it’s explosive. They can change your perspective forever. And even now, as I approach the age Loretta was when she helped shape my life, I still yearn for these moments. As long as you put yourself out there, it’s not a matter of if they’ll happen, but when. I can hardly wait.
Sakshi K., Summer Kayaking Instructor, Boston, MA
ON FINDING CONFIDENCE
Some 18-year-old women work retail the summer before college. Others lifeguard at the local pool or scoop popcorn at a movie theater. Me? I was leading people on kayaking tours down the Charles River as an instructor for Outdoor Discovery Programs at the Boston Seaport.
Before I was offered the job, the interviewer asked me a question that provoked a flood of uncertainty: was I up to the task, as a young woman, to take on the challenge of working with people who would often be older than me? People who might question my abilities or wisdom because of my age? Or my gender? Would I be able to hold my own out there? I was going to be responsible for a large group of participants with a varying range of experience – including first-time paddlers. Could I keep them engaged and safe? Could I be a leader?
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure at first. I was a shy kid growing up. Interacting with people was a struggle for me – it just felt stressful and exhausting. But getting my hands dirty always made me feel like myself. So, I chose to make the outdoors my space – a place where I felt safe and totally in control. As I became more confident in my skills, I also become more comfortable inviting friends and family to share these experiences with me. When I’m in my world, meeting new people and making stronger connections just comes naturally.
Suddenly, I had the opportunity to invite a whole new group of people into my world. But I also had to confront the swirl of apprehension trying to hold me back. I decided that in order to change peoples’ perceptions about me, I first had to make a choice about who I wanted to be. I knew that this job wasn’t just an opportunity to share my skills with others, but also to live vicariously through them. To relive my first time in a kayak with every new group I led. Once I reminded myself of the love I had for the outdoors, all that insecurity and judgement just floated away down the river. I wasn’t an age. Or a gender. I was an expert.
And to think it all started with a single interview question. Are you ready to hear my answer?
“Yes. I am capable.”
Amy C., Sport Shooting Instructor, Freeport, ME
ON TAKING A SHOT
At first glance, the gift seemed like an unusual choice. My father surprised me with a Women’s-Only Sporting Clays Discovery Course from L.L.Bean. I was in my early 20s, and even though I was raised in the outdoors, I had never held, let alone shot, a firearm before. He just thought it would be a cool experience – another kind of new adventure to try. I did too.
I remember going to that first class like it was yesterday. I remember holding a shotgun and thinking, “Okay, this is real.” I was actually nervous, if not a little bit scared. That feeling didn’t last long. I’ll never forget that first orange target I ever hit. It was love from that moment on. So, I fully immersed myself in every sport shooting experience Outdoor Discovery Programs had to offer: half day, full day, private lessons, Women’s-Only courses. I guess you could say I became a fixture around the L.L.Bean shooting range, and a few years later I was asked to join the team.
If you go back 10 or 15 years, you could say that sport shooting was a bit of a boys’ club. Competitions would feature hundreds of shooters, only five or six of whom would be woman. And while the community of female shooters is still relatively small, it is strong. We all know each other, often practice together, and in competition, we’re always rooting for one another. It’s this support system that has helped me better my craft and compete at a higher level than I ever thought possible.
Now, with several Maine State Ladies’ Championships under my belt, I’m thankful for the growing girls’ club that has sprung up around the sport. And by creating an environment where women can feel safe and comfortable, and ask questions without judgement, L.L.Bean is helping us all shoot for the stars.
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