What happens when women paddle together.

Carrie Nolan
Jul 15
2 min read

I was motivated to offer Sea & She, a learning expedition for women, to create space where we could come as we are, drop the noise, and remember ourselves again - the self we sometimes lose track of under the weight of caregiving, careers, expectations, and “shoulds.”

We don’t go into the wild to escape life. We go to encounter it - in a pared-down, honest form. For many women, wilderness offers permission to stop performing and start listening: to the land, to each other, and to that inner voice we’ve been too busy to hear.

There’s a moment on every trip when I realize I haven’t looked in a mirror in days - and I don’t miss it. Out on trip, there’s no external reflection shaping how I feel. Instead, I start to notice that my legs are strong. That my arms move the boat. That I’m sun-kissed and sandy and alive.

Research has shown that when women step into all-female wilderness spaces, something shifts. We feel safer. More open. Less self-conscious. More ourselves. We take risks. We speak more freely. We laugh louder.

At Sea & She, that shift is part of something I’ve named our company after: AdvenEd. From the Latin advenire - to arrive, to come toward, to become part of - advene captures what happens when women step into a space intentionally shaped for reconnection.

For our upcoming Sea & She, I’m thrilled to be joined by Kristi Mintz as co-facilitator. Kristi is a registered midwife who began her journey guiding wilderness expeditions - canoeing, teaching outdoor skills, and holding space for others in wild terrain. She brings a joyful, steady presence shaped by years of walking with women through some of life’s most profound transitions. Whether guiding on the land or in birthwork, Kristi knows what it means to accompany. She is also one of my FROG (friendly rambunctious outdoor girls) Sisters and shared a tent with me on my first canoe trip in grade 9!

I can’t wait for you to meet her.