Inclusivity, Fear-fighting, and How to Keep Moving Forward When You’re Too ‘in your head’
I caught up with one of our community members and Alptitude alumni Amy Cullen, the founder of Ladies Who Shred. We talk inclusivity, epiphanies, fear-fighting, and how to keep moving forward when you’re too ‘in your head’.
What do you do?
I’m building a community called ‘Ladies Who Shred’ encouraging all types of women to get into adventure sports. Historically and stereotypically there’s this view of what women should, or have to, look like in order to do these things and I don’t believe that’s the only way it can be done.
So it’s all ages, all body shapes and sizes, all ethnicities and all economic means, cause it can have a high starting price when getting into it. It’s all about raising awareness that anybody can do it, and supporting the women that are doing it already, and those who want to start.
What does the community look like?
Right now it’s primarily on Instagram and Facebook, I’ve actually just launched a Mighty Networks website. I did a big announcement earlier this month, where I kind of ‘came out’ as the founder, to encourage women through my own story to get involved and to take part in this thing, that I think is gonna be really big.
How did you find this path?
I kinda haphazardly got into adventure sports. Last summer I competed in a white water kayaking tournament, I was 100% terrified and convinced I was not good enough to do it, and the few women that were competing (there was about ten of us) were so supportive, and so encouraging that I entered despite my fears.
It was one of those fundamental things that happen occasionally through life that shift something, and you go ‘Oh my God…this is so incredible!’
So that started the love affair, I guess, with women in adventure sports. And then I went to see a friend who was on a panel for The Coven in Minnesota, they’re a co-working space for female entrepreneurs, and I walked away from that super inspired and like ‘I’m gonna start a business!’ Then I was like ‘Wait…what am I gonna do?’
I explored all these crazy ideas (like ‘I’m gonna carve knives! No..wait…no I’m not…) and finally one day, I was working on my Instagram, which was called ‘LadiesWhoShred’ and I thought ‘Why am I not making this my business?’ It’s clearly a passion. I love it, I have a lot of experience already in it that I can share with other women…and it was just a lightbulb, the classic lightning strike — there it is, oh my god, hit the ground running, let’s do this.
When did it start to feel like a success? It sounds like it might have been almost instantly.
The feedback that I get from women and men too (30% of my followers are men) is just so energizing. I have women saying ‘I love what you’re posting, it reminds me that I’m capable!’ or ‘Seeing this other person who looks like me do this stuff, makes me think I can do this stuff!’ and just getting to hear those kinds of stories.
I have women that are reaching out to get involved and be ambassadors and I’m like ‘Woah! I’m not ready yet! Give me like one more second, I wanna build this right!’ The energy and the excitement is already out there, it’s just about me being able to grow it responsibly, as opposed to trying to shove everything out there really fast. The response has been great.
I love that. It must be really life-affirming to get that response — representation is so powerful!
Exactly. I was just reading an article yesterday that really hit home, about how diet and exercise used to be all about selling this perfect ideal. It’d be focusing on how ‘You can get there’ and become this perfect person that was presented.
There’s a shift happening now, people are realising that communities work better when they’re led by someone relatable, who isn’t perfect. Seeing them take falls on a mountain bike, or not make a climb they were going for, isn’t a failure. It’s part of learning and growing, and people don’t look down on that, it gives them permission to learn too.
It’s a lot more authentic, when you’re real about your experiences and what you’re dealing with, what you’re fighting. We all have those battles, you know? It’s exciting, to see these movements being led by people like that.
What with it being on social media too, it must such a relief to be able to use it as a force for good.
Totally! And I struggle a bit with the ethics of using social media, worrying if it’s bad because it takes away from the “real world”, but also I think that it’s just a fact of life at this point, and it can be used to encourage people to do things outside of social media, which makes it cool. At least that’s how I justify my guilt!
How do you define success for yourself, and for Ladies Who Shred?
For myself, my goal is to be financially stable: to make this 100% my career. Right now, it’s made a total of $12.96, and I fund it completely from the money I make at my day job. For me that’s success, to be able to leave my job for a career that is really meaningful and powerful.
With the success of Ladies Who Shred…it’s already successful in my opinion, it’s all about the people that I want to serve, encourage and amplify. It’s already happening and it’s only gonna get better.
Is there anybody you can think of who has inspired you?
Yeah! So Melissa who I met at Alptitude, who started Glamoraks is awesome. We have a lot of the same fears and concerns, difficulties and challenges, excitements and just the passion that goes behind it too. That was super exciting to really get to know Melissa and grow a friendship there.
There’s a lot of what I would call ‘warriors’ out there who are doing great stuff. There’s this group called Unlikely Hikers, who are just doing a phenomenal job up in Portland. They’re centred around hikers who are all different shapes, sizes, genders, it’s really really cool. And they’re starting to get a lot of attention too which is really exciting to see. The Outdoor Women’s Alliance, who have been going since the 70’s, they do a lot of cool stuff.
The thing that keeps me going is that I offer something different from them too, and I believe there’s enough for everyone. I don’t come from a place of competition: I see us as all on the same team, growing the same spirit of what we can do together.
What’s been the most important skill that you’ve developed?
I feel like the biggest thing has been not losing focus when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I think a lot of business people get that. When you’ve got fifty things in the air, you’re dropping them left and right, you don’t feel like you even have the mental capacity to sort it all out, and you start on that downward spiral of ‘Oh God — this is all gonna fall apart, this is not gonna work…’
I remember this lesson from the counselling I did in high school: Recognise when you’re going on that downward spiral, if you can recognise it, stop. Just stop. You don’t have to get out of it, don’t put extra stuff on top of it, just see if you can stop that thought process. Take a breath, and then just say ‘OK, what I can do right, right now?’ Just the tiniest step forward you can take to move back upwards, instead of further down. That was a really big one for me.
It’s so powerful to be able to do. That idea of stepping back, looking at what’s real, and moving forward from that place. It’s that spiral that’s so damaging!
Yup — really. A lot of times I find that my most painful moments have almost been like self-inflicted. Just because I was so caught up in some perception I had, that I couldn’t step outside of it to go- ‘Is this real? Is that really how it is?’
What’s been the greatest reward you’ve seen back from Ladies Who Shred?
The love. The love and support that this community has already given back is really exciting. I know I have a lot of passion for it and I know it can be contagious, but meeting people who also have that passion, and getting really excited together is so cool. I’m also so proud of the cheerleading that happens. Really, it has a life of it’s own, I don’t feel like I have a claim to it. It’s so amazing to watch it grow.
What do you want to learn from the Happy Startup School?
I’ve already learned so much! You guys have just been so amazing, it really helped me clarify a lot of things. I think I’ll have a lot to learn from you guys on the next step, launching the online website as our community space. Not only am I learning from the classes and articles that you guys are pushing out but also watching how you run your own site too. It’s limitless, you guys are super inspirational!
