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Writer's picturejacioutthere

Inspiration goes two ways

It’s one thing writing about an adventure and your self-belief, your conviction, to make it happen – this is the relatively easy “dream” phase. It is however a completely different thing getting to that point where you are actually ready to take the jump. So many people have reached out to me to convey how much I have inspired them and to ask for advice on how to turn their own adventures from dreams to reality. It feels strange and humbling to be that person as the truth is that along the way I have followed the paths of others who have inspired me and influenced my course.

One key individual that I have often mentioned as having drawn inspiration from is Rebecca, fondly known as Becs. In the past it was great athletes that I would strive to emulate just a little, but my inspiration started to shift towards those true adventures not cycling thousands of kilometres a month for the next big stage race (and the t-shirt that comes with it), but rather out there making each and every day a worthwhile experience.For me Becs lives these ideals more than most others that I have met, hence those that know me would frequently have heard me utter at key commitment requiring moments “what would Becs do?”


So this next blog is not about me, but rather an interview with Becs, who continues to inspire me with more than just spending overnight in the snow with her bicycle and good friends to giving it all up for her greatest adventure yet. Becs is the first of what I hope will be many exciting stories from other adventurous people that I will share with you to provide a little inspiration and, if nothing else, light up your day.


Becs took the risk to pursue her dream - a unique experience of a single woman who put it all on the line, giving up safety and stability and a close support group, to follow an unknown path. This is some of her story.




An interview with Becs


We’ve been instant friends since the day we met five years ago sailing in Croatia, why do you think this is?

I think we bonded on our values, love of adventure, good coffee and (of course) good tequila. I’ll never forget that one morning in Croatia grabbing a dry bag, diving off the boat and swimming ashore with it above our heads determined to find good coffee. We shared some life stories of our challenges and how we faced them. I am a firm believer that it is not a situation that defines you but rather how you deal with it and Jaci echoes this.



We stayed in touch from afar for the next three years until it finally worked out that we would adventure again - this time swapping the sailboat for mountain bikes in Slovenia with her partner Kevin and other friends. I didn’t hesitate at the opportunity to adventure with Jaci again even though it had been three years since we had last seen each other. I knew it would be a trip to remember and I knew it would be about spending time with good people doing what we loved. We mountain biked from the Slovenian Alps to the Mediterranean hunting out and shredding some epic single track along the way. We laughed, drank tequila and shared many more stories.


The following year we were both talking about life changes and coincidentally around the same time last year that I moved from Scotland to the west coast of the U.S. - Jaci and Kevin moved from South Africa to the Northern Hemisphere to pursue their dream.

It’s a big change moving countries, what inspired you to do this?

Make no mistake I was comfortable and happy, but whether or not I was content with my life was the bigger question. I was loving my adventures in Scotland and further afield with a good stable career and I could have quite happily continued on this path - that would have been easy. I felt something was missing though; I was craving change, new sights, new sounds and a different lifestyle. We get given this one life and throughout it we leave chapters behind us and enter into new ones and I just couldn’t see my next chapter on the horizon. I found myself single at 41 with no kids depending on me and I kept thinking about my next chapter and how fortunate I was to be in a position to intentionally build a life aligned with what I value. I needed to do something about this and thoughts started running wild through my head.

I was drawn to living in a small town in the mountains surrounded by expansive wilderness with access to abundant mountain bike trails, nature, hiking, snow and sun. I was attracted to the idea of becoming part of a community, building a lifestyle closely linked to nature and the outdoors. I was asked a few times why I didn’t just move to rural Scotland as this would give me so much of what I desired. As beautiful as it is, it just didn’t feel like the right next step for me. This was about needing to make a big change and seeing where it took me. Let’s burst this bubble. Let’s crack it open.


It is one thing having the intent but another to put it into reality, how did you make it happen?

When I started this process I didn’t know what it would look like or where I would end up. I didn’t have all the answers. I think that an embryonic idea gets us started and opens our mind to the possibilities and we follow it from there, continually shaping and refining as we go.

I thought about what I was intentionally trying to build and then I researched countries, towns, mountain bike trails and outdoor adventure wilderness areas. I researched jobs in my field of sustainability and climate change. I had a few countries in mind, some of which would require a visa attached to the job and then there was the U.S. - where I had never lived but had citizenship through my American mum. So I started applying for jobs and going on telephone and video interviews. I got in touch with some friends who lived round the world for their advice and thoughts. It became a major part of my life writing job applications after work, doing interviews and being on calls across various time zones. The more I explored and researched the more interested I became in the U.S. and some of their small mountain towns in a few key areas.

Lots of thought, time and hard work went into it. When I started the process, it was more about going for where jobs came up but this changed the more I researched the locations.


"It became about the location and then waiting for a suitable job to come up"

The fact that I was looking for something rather than running away from something kept me focused… and patient! I was fighting for a lifestyle which meant location was everything. I also wanted to stay working in a field I am so passionate about. I was determined to align with what I had come to value.


Why did you settle in Ashland?

My continued focus on what I was looking for and why I was moving led me to apply for a job that came up in Ashland. When I googled the town, phrases like “next Napa Valley”, “coffee scene”, “culinary delights” and “outdoors and nature made for adventure” came up. Ashland is a small town in Southern Oregon, just north of the California border, surrounded by mountains, lakes and stunning scenery - on paper it seemed to tick my boxes. Following a successful video interview I was flown out for a full day interview and got to check out the town and mountain bike trails as part of the visit. There is a 20 odd kilometer single track descent off the top of Mt Ashland. Oh wow, I was sold!

I found out I got the job when I was back in Scotland, this was happening. I packed up my life into three boxes and two bikes. I gave away a lot of things, sold a few things and rented out my flat. Life became a bit simpler with less stuff and it felt good. Then came the hard bit… saying goodbye. It was very emotional saying goodbye to friends and family and it was emotional leaving. I could barely see from the tears streaming down my face as I drove out of Edinburgh and then again on the flight out of London. I was so overwhelmed leaving friends and family behind and leaping into the unknown.

Exactly one year ago today, 5 November 2019 I arrived in Ashland!


You jumped from a safe, easy and comfortable life into the new and unknown; were you scared?

Yes I was so scared! I was scared because I was on my own and not about to share this with someone else. I was scared because I didn’t know anyone where I was going. I was scared because I was choosing to leave friends and family, that are such a big part of my life, behind. I was scared because small things felt like an insurmountable issue - like buying a car, driving on other side of the road and getting a U.S. driving license. I was scared but so very excited.

I was completely out my comfort zone. Even though my life felt less mapped out than it ever had before, I felt more in control than I had been in a long time and this was liberating.

Looking back a year later, what has been the most difficult?

I miss friends and family a lot. I found this really hard at the beginning and coped with regular telephone calls and video chats. As I got more involved in my life here - and their lives continued without me - I continued to miss them, but in a different way. At first this scared me, fearing I was losing closeness. Then I came to accept that while we are no longer in each other’s day-to-day lives we need to cherish our new dynamic and what we have. Of course catchup telephone calls and video chats with those back home are a part of my daily life now. The Covid pandemic has also made this much harder with restricted travel and much looked forward to visits having to be cancelled.

And how has this new “chapter”, as you put it, been so far?

An incredible journey of vulnerability and excitement. It’s been both hard and amazing. I have had so much support from friends and family in the U.K. Their words of encouragement went a long way and I have held them close to me during this time of settling in. The cards and notes that my friends and family sent with me are still up in my apartment and I love reading them.

The first months were surreal and I took each day one at a time. Within 24 hours of arriving I built my mountain bike and went out on a night ride. Descending with a group from a local shop on a very dusty mountain bike trail with my nightlights showing the way and wondering if a mountain lion or bear would get me before I get to the end. I was not used to riding in a country with predators! Since then I have seen a few bears on rides, which has been amazing. I have also been lucky enough to see a mountain lion, luckier still that it was from a distance. Ironically, I saw it on one of the trails that I won’t bike on my own as I always feel I am being watched.

I probably shouldn’t mention that when I re-assembled my gravel bike I inadvertently put the fork on the wrong way round. I failed to notice and couldn’t figure out why each time I rode it, it felt like a life-threatening experience. I got to the point of wondering why I had brought it with me when three months later, while in a bike shop having the gears looked at, they casually inquired if I would like the forks set the right way round. I couldn’t stop laughing, a moment of independent woman fail!



The people and the location are two of the things that have made this move so incredible. I have met so many people and made so many new friends. I feel so grateful to have some incredible people in my life here, especially during the challenges of the pandemic. Ashland, Southern Oregon, West Coast America are stunning and I have spent so much time outdoors and in nature - it feels good. The mountain biking, hiking and trail running here are amazing – accessible straight from my door. I have pushed my own boundaries with spicy climbs on hikes and some epic mountain bike rides. I have floated down rivers and jumped in the ocean. One day I biked, then skied and then hit a winery – now that’s the ideal triathlon. This part of the world is mind blowing in what it has to offer with the wilderness, the outdoors and the recreation. I still have so much more to explore and I am full of gratitude that I landed here.



How did you cope with being alone in a strange town?

When I arrived in Ashland I didn’t know anyone. I would bravely venture out for a bite to eat or a glass of wine, to go listen to live music or go for a ride on my own. I enjoyed this though as it felt like an important part of my move to be able to do the things I enjoy on my own. I also watched a lot of Netflix in my first winter months here though – there are a few cheesy shows on there about a girl moving to a new town that I felt right at home with ;-)

To meet people and immerse myself in the community, I got involved in trail workdays and mountain bike group rides and the people I have met through this have introduced me to others. The mountain biking community in Ashland is incredible and I love being part of it. I also joined a running group, went to yoga, settled into a new job and joined the board of a non-profit. I met so many awesome people and then overtime I made friends.


That sounds amazing, but it can’t all have been good?

Yes, it’s definitely been a strange year with the global pandemic. It adds another dimension to my journey. I have moments of panic wondering when I will see family again. I am on this personal journey of change and then there is the collective journey of change happening at different scales round the world with friends and family in various degrees of lockdown. There have also been unprecedented wildfires in Oregon and California this year. While I knew I was moving to somewhere that came with a smoke season I didn’t expect one of these fires to start in my town and rip through the valley taking homes and towns. I struggled seeing the devastation and was heartbroken for people who had lost so much. This was so overwhelming. The community came together and rallied so much to help each other. And the smoke; the air was so hazardous we went off the air quality scale! I couldn’t leave the house without wearing a particulate mask. Suddenly I was carrying multiple types of masks with me, one for Covid and one for the smoke. When the skies finally cleared I appreciated the clean air we take for granted. I appreciated everything! It has been a rollercoaster of emotion at times, what with a pandemic and wildfires. But the pandemic is here, it is happening and it is part of our lives – it is a part of my journey this year.



Has it helped moving to a country where they speak the same language?

I am still working out if it is the same language J There have been so many moments of laughing (or being laughed at) when people wonder what I am saying. There are more words than I imagined that have different meanings here and I frequently receive blank stares. I bought ten new pairs of pants the other day and was told “that’s a bit extreme, do you really need that many”. Underwear! Underwear not trousers I said. (Ed: I don’t know, I’m with the Americans here. Who calls underwear pants, seriously? Panties yes, pants no.) And metric system hasn’t made its way across the Atlantic yet either?!? But yes, I think moving to an English speaking country from another has helped reduce some barriers of settling in.


What’s been one of the biggest differences for you?

The burritos are amazing and I now eat tacos multiple times a week.

And car washes… I went to get my car washed and drove up into it just like you do in the UK. Oh no that’s not how it works here, you need to go on a conveyor belt type thing. So here I was on the wrong side of the conveyor, over the piping with the attendant frantically waving at me. I couldn’t stop laughing as he helped me navigate back over the pipes, looking slightly exacerbated.

Seriously though, the biggest difference is in the culture and this is something I completely underestimated. American’s approach to life and their views are different and I have been reminded that until you immerse yourself in a culture it is very hard to understand it. America is a very confident and direct culture and I admire this.

Have you learnt a lot through this?

Going through this journey has been a self-discovery. I think that overtime I had started to undervalue and de-prioritize the parts of my life that are so important to me and a key component of who I am. I feel that I was putting pressure on my happiness through the checklist of success that society overtly (or not so overtly) presents us with. The career and house and kids and marriage and education (although maybe not in that order ;-) When you strip it right back though it is how you approach life that matters and not what boxes you check that shapes your success, happiness and who you are at the core.


Change is good for us; it stretches our mind and gives us different perspectives. It reignites dulling senses and this is what I was craving - new sights, new sounds. Everyday there is something new to experience. Life can quickly get very busy and it is easy to slip into a comfort zone where you stop making decisions intentionally about what, why and how you are living your life. It is easy to coast along and not make conscious decisions to steer your life in a different direction. I am so glad that I checked in with myself and made the change I needed. I now do this regularly, asking myself if I need to do more of one thing or less of another. From sitting in the morning appreciating a cup of coffee, rather than having it on the run, to taking a sunset walk or pushing my boundaries like nailing some steep and scary mountain bike trail.

I’ve also learnt not to underestimate the impact – the impact of change, the impact of a pandemic, the impact of wildfires and smoke. It is important take time out and reflect, take it slow and not put pressure on myself.


Was taking the risk worth the rewards?

Amazing. I have experienced so much kindness, friendliness and warmth. I have so many new experiences of adventure. So many new stories of community. I think back to the lifestyle I intentionally wanted to build as part of this change and I am full of appreciation. Living intentionally, built around what you value most, is the most precious gift you can give to yourself and I have been rewarded with one of the most incredible years of my life.

I am right where I should be and it is a pretty amazing feeling.

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