Welcome to The Reluctant Enthusiast –
a home for unconventional people who want
to explore the outdoors, boost their health &
blaze their own trails.
When it comes to health and wellness, I take a different approach than most “experts” out there.
I don’t promote a revolutionary secret that “no one else” will tell you.
I don’t boast about sucking it in now so you don’t have to suck it in later.
And I don’t proselytize about fearing sugar like it’s invited you to a dinner of some fava beans and a nice chianti.
Because I’m as tired of that bullshit as you are.
That’s why I keep my philosophy simple.
As a coach, ecologist, and unapologetic nerd, I use the well-established benefits of time outdoors to help you increase physical activity, enjoy your food, slay your dragons, and give the middle finger to what doesn’t serve you.
Specifically, I help you focus on two key questions:
- How do you want to explore and experience the world?
- What must your body (+mind) be capable of doing to accomplish it?
Most health and fitness pros never bother to ask what you value most, nor what it means to you to live a rich and meaningful life.
Instead, they presume to define it for you.
And when you can’t meet their unrealistic expectations, you’re made to feel as though you’re lazy, unmotivated, and a total failure.
But that’s not how I roll.
Though our weight and body composition are certainly relevant to our well-being, we’ve become so preoccupied with how our bodies look that we’ve forgotten what they do.
And what they do is provide the one and only vessel we have to experience the world around us.
And more than anything, THAT’s what we want out of this winding, crooked, unpredictable journey.
Not just to endure it, but to feel alive.
To savor the stillness of a summer sunset.
Tour our national parks.
Bask in a post-adventure meal with friends.
Delight in the brilliance of a crisp fall day.
Explore the quaint corners of the country.
And find comfort in the infinite possibilities of the universe.
Despite what our culture tells you, your life is not defined by how much you weigh, but by how much you live.
And your time here is too short to spend it apologizing for your thighs or hiding under the bleachers.
Here, I provide you with the resources you need to define your own version of a rich & meaningful life, and help you become strong and sturdy enough to live it.
To get outdoors…
Bag the peaks…
Take the back roads…
Breathe the fresh air…
Push your limits…
Savor your strength…
Delight in great food…
Laugh often…
And blaze your own trail to the most amazing view.
Want to know more about me?
As a 3rd grader, I sported feathered bangs and something we’ll call an “accidental mullet.”
In middle school, I rocked my jeans inside-out a là Kris Kross (it was wiggity wiggity wiggity wack!).
I hold a B.S. in Wildlife Biology, an M.S. in Biology, and a Ph.D. in Awkward.
I have over 20 years of experience in ecology, education, and engaging people with the outdoors.
I’m a Personal Trainer, Certified Health Coach, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, but I don’t shame you into “eating clean,” fearing carbs, or ditching gluten.
What’s a Reluctant Enthusiast?
The name originates from author and all-around renegade, Edward Abbey, who advised in a 1976 speech to environmentalists:
“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast…a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic.
Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it.
While you can. While it’s still here.
So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space.
Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much.
I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators.
I promise you this – you will outlive the bastards.”
