When Women Fly - 056 On Land, Contemporary Indigenous Identity, and Recreation with Ashleigh Thompson - Trail Runner, Climber, and Archaeologist

056 On Land, Contemporary Indigenous Identity, and Recreation with Ashleigh Thompson - Trail Runner, Climber, and Archaeologist

11/02/21 • 66 min

A heartfelt and honest conversation with Ashleigh Thompson - a Red Lake Ojibwe tribal member, avid trail runner, rock climber, snowboarder, scholar and archaeologist - about aligning values and advocating. Ashleigh shares her stories about the problematic myths of the land and Indigenous people, intergenerational trauma, and systemic mindsets connected with the term “public land”. We dive into how the current discourse on land can directly work against creating inclusive and respectful spaces.

This conversation is about connecting with the past to understand identity, how a connection to the outdoors has deep therapeutic benefits, how running and flying can feel identical, why reckoning with our past and understanding the impact of intergenerational trauma is critical, what role challenging fear has in climbing, and the benefits of awareness and courage that go way beyond the rock wall.

Understanding contemporary Indigenous identity and the value of Indigenous sacred sites is fundamental to developing a holistic respect for Indigenous culture. Ashleigh is passionate about shifting a narrative about what respect for Indigenous people looks like and opening a conversation that is more complex than just the protection of a physical space with cultural significance.
As a Native woman, Ashleigh’s commitment to bringing justice for people and the environment is woven into her being. Stay curious, friends, and I hope this gives you reason and resources to acknowledge and honor the land in new and deeper ways.

Topics Include:

Intergenerational trauma
The connection between exercise and emotional health
Building self-confidence through rock climbing
Indigenous archaeology
Traditional foodways
Being a respectful visitor to indigenous lands
Acknowledging indigenous environmental movements
Offensive and racist attitudes
Storytelling and connection
And other topics...

Ashleigh Thompson is a Ph.D. candidate in anthropology at the University of Arizona where she studies traditional foodways and food sovereignty. She is a member of the Red Lake Ojibwe Nation. As an avid runner and rock climber, she is passionate about being a respectful visitor and acknowledging indigenous environmental movements while enjoying the land and sport.
Resources Mentioned:
Instagram: @ashanishinaabe
Twitter: @ashanishinaabe
LinkedIn: Ashleigh Thompson
A Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgment: https://nativegov.org/news/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/
Book: In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Resilience by Helen Knott (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZS2NGP4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)
Want to connect? Visit us online and signup for the monthly WWF newsletter!
Website – https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest – @whenwomenfly
Email – [email protected]

Topics Include:

Intergenerational trauma
The connection between exercise and emotional health
Building self-confidence through rock climbing
Indigenous archaeology
Traditional foodways
Being a respectful visitor to indigenous lands
Acknowledging indigenous environmental movements
Offensive and racist attitudes
Storytelling and connection
And other topics...

Previous Episode

055 On Fear, Motherhood, and Mindfulness with Professional Snowboarder Kimmy Fasani - Advocate for Gender Parity in Sports

What happens when you have two very big but different dreams vying for your focus? Do you choose one? Or do you risk pursuing both and in doing so commit to a bigger conversation?

This was the dilemma faced by today’s guest—a woman who knows a thing or two about what it takes to face the odds, execute physical comebacks and establish herself as a legend in the world of snowboarding.

Meet Kimmy Fasani — Snowboarder. Voice for female athletes. Mother. Mountain Baker. Author. Director of Storytelling @andmother_org. And so much more.
Kimmy Fasani has been a pioneer in women’s snowboarding since she became the first female snowboarder to land a double backflip in the park and the powder in 2011. In this episode, Sylvia and Kimmy discuss balancing family life with a busy career. Kimmy shares how she discovered the truth about happiness after having her first child, living life without limits, and how women can show up as their authentic selves in all areas of life.

This is a conversation about the ongoing journey of finding our way through incredible highs and the inevitable lows in career and personal lives. Kimmy is a trailblazer and voice for women walking that tightrope between career and family. We get a candid unfiltered version of what the journey is like connecting with both the desire to have a family and the desire to get deep into adventures. This conversation allows us to not only look at progression and motherhood in a new way but also offers powerful insights into mindset and fear.

Topics Include:

Balancing motherhood and a career
Pressure and managing it as a professional athlete
Finding connection in the physical world
Experiencing loss and processing it
Asking for help as a woman
Owning your authenticity and being transparent
Mentoring the younger generation of pro athletes
Mindfulness and the importance of presence in the context of fear
And other topics...

Kimmy Fasani is a legend in the world of snowboarding, and an incredible athlete both on and off the slopes. In 2016, Kimmy earned the women’s Rider of the Year and Video Part of the Year honors. Her cookbook, The Mountain Baker, launched in 2020. Kimmy’s resume also includes a strong social media following and a stack of published photos. She is a vocal ambassador for Boarding For Breast Cancer, Protect Our Winters, LIV Bicycles, and luluemon. Kimmy and her husband, Chris Benchetler- a professional skier married in 2011, are also Co-Owners in Dessert’D Organic Bake Shop, an organic/all natural bakery with a storefront in Mammoth Lakes, CA. They are also co-owners in Juneshine Hard Kombucha, and Marea Coffee.
Resources Mentioned:
Website: http://kimmyfasani.com/
Instagram: @KimmyFasani
&Mother: https://andmother.org/
Cookbook: The Mountain Baker – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085RDDM9Y/
Dessert’D Organic Bake Shop – https://www.dessertd.com/
Juneshine Hard Kombucha – https://juneshine.com/
Marea Coffee – https://mareacoffee.com/
The Five Love Languages – https://www.5lovelanguages.com/
Want to connect? Visit us online and signup for the monthly WWF newsletter!
Website – https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest – @whenwomenfly
Email – [email protected]

Next Episode

057 On Taking Risks and Personal Transformation with Backcountry Badass Caite Zeliff - Pro Skier, Paraglider, and Twice Queen

This is the story of an athletic prodigy. It’s also the story of how setbacks become catalysts for change, how determination fuels a dream, and how a drive for adventure can evolve. And it is a story of risk-taking, mountain life, and personal reflection that characterize what it takes to ski and fly in the backcountry.

For pro-skier Caite Zeliff, the derailing of her career as a ski racer was an opportunity to reconnect with herself and become the athlete she was always meant to be. At 12, Caite Zeliff has started a ski racing career that brought her all over the world. She ascended, she earned a scholarship to a boarding school, she won titles, she received an invitation to the US Ski Team – and she also was rejected, blew out her knee, and burned out – all by age 20.
When the U.S. Ski Team invitation didn’t come, and she blew out her knee while racing for the University of New Hampshire, she left college and headed westward in search of big mountains and powder. It was in Jackson Hole, WY, where Caite found her true calling – freeskiing.
Paragliding. Thanks to COVID and an idea inspired by a soaring raven, Caite decided to learn to paraglide. She continually pushes herself to the edge of her comfort zone. Paragliding is a wild sport, one that challenges Caite in all kinds of ways. It requires slowing down and a constant awareness of the situation. Caite is constantly looking for challenge and currently obsessed with understanding how to strengthen the relationship with the wing, moving air and gravity.

This risk-taking mentality has built her a career as a professional freeskier. Beyond winning Jackson Hole’s Kings and Queens of Corbet’s twice, Caite has starred in films like Warren Miller’s Timeless (2019) and Teton Gravity Research's Make Believe (2020), and Stoke the Fire (2021).

Topics Include:

Caite’s journey from ski racer to professional freeskier
Viewing “failure” as an opportunity
Wrestling with an inner obsession for achievement
Shifting focus from the outcome to the process
Processing childhood
Taking risks and stepping out of comfort zones
Finding your voice as a female in a male-dominated industry
The transformational power of women supporting women
Learning to fly and a shifted mindset
And other topics...

Caite Zeliff grew up skiing in North Conway, New Hampshire. She now lives in Jackson Hole where her career as a professional freeskier began.
Resources Mentioned:
Caite’s Website: https://www.caitezeliff.com
Caite’s IG: @caitezeliff
Timeless, Warren Miller (2019): https://warrenmiller.com/film-archive/timeless-2019
Make Believe, Teton Gravity Research (2020): https://www.tetongravity.com/films/make-believe
Stoke the Fire, Teton Gravity Research (2021): https://www.tetongravity.com/films/stoke-the-fire
Powder Magazine: https://www.powder.com/stories/pro-deal-caite-zeliff/
Freeskier Magazine: https://freeskier.com/stories/jackson-royalty
Want to connect? Visit us online and signup for our weekly newsletter!
Website – https://www.whenwomenfly.com/
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest – @whenwomenfly
Email – [email protected]