My name is Jennifer MacNevin and one of the founders of a company called Women who Explore which empowers women with any skill level or experience to get in the outdoors and join community. My sister and I created this very special community almost three years ago when we felt we didn't belong to the existing outdoor groups. With no mooney in the bank and no idea abut business we dove into entrepreneurship together and haven't looked back since. We have had our hurdles and bumps in the road but that has and never will stop us from pursuing our dreams, sharing stories and empowering women all over the world to support each other. The stories of women in our community and through Women Who Explore will continue to move mountains and make a difference in peoples lives. I couldn't be more proud when we make mistakes and take ownership and learn from feedback and criticism. We are raw and real and always growing. This truly is a blessing to be able to work on this every day of my life with my sister by my side.
For me personally, the road has not always been easy. As a young child I was vibrant, people pleasing, happy and a shining star. I was well loved and had a nice upbringing but then my parents divorced and things took a turn for the worst ( my sister was only 1 years old at the time). I learned that I was sexually assaulted, which followed a wild crime spree and drug addiction all before I was 16 years old. I was diagnosed with potentially having ADHD after being diagnosed from a psychologist mandated by the courts but did not receive any type of treatment. I still have many regrets for the pain I put my family through and I am not proud of the past and I wish I had listened more to the counsellors and found out what was actually going on in my head.
After several years of being on my own, I decided to go back to university as I wanted to get a diploma which I completed and graduated with my family by my side. I also travelled the world and got a job as a flight attendant and continued to put pins on my calendar and plan trips to unknown places. I formed a new addiction to seeing new places and meeting new people and nothing was going to stop me....until I got pregnant. I never forget the horror and fear that come over me the day I found out. I was scared to death and knew this was going to be most challenging obstacle faced in my life thus far. I was undiagnosed and struggling mentally to want to even stay alive. My beautiful 8 year old girl, Sophia is my entire world and and now I could never imagine my life without her. I was 29 years old when I got pregnant and barley knew her father. Our relationship consisted of violence, abuse, manipulation and fear (just to name a few). I struggled with depression and anxiety from my childhood and then from the current situation and I needed help.
My sister moved close to me, helped me leave the toxicity that surrounded me and get the help I needed. I was on several. She truly saved my life by creating Women Who Explore and helped me see that it was ok to put myself first and that I had many people around me that loved me. I have been off all my medications for 10 months now and I feel amazing. I am learning how to give and receive love properly and most importantly how to love myself. Mental Illness runs strong in my family and we will always have struggles but the one thing I can say is that there is incredible support and awareness about this topic. I meet hundreds of thousands of new people each year and everyone has a story. You are not alone. We all have a choice to want to be better and to be happy. AS my brother Kyle would say "It's ok to not be ok".
Q.) What are your positive outlets and how did you discover them?
A.) My Positive outlets have come from learning about what can enhance your life and make it better. For me being around people I love, meditation, practicing mindfullness, yoga, eating healthy, getting sleep, drinking water, getting exercise, being outside, playing with my daughter, seeing her smile is what can curb the anxiety and stress in my life.
Q.) Do you think nature plays an important part in recovering from mental illnesses?
A.) 100% Nature and the outdoors has saved my life and curbs my anxiety. I feel free and positive when I'm outside. I know I have purpose, strength and peace outside. I'm not exactly sure why but I know I feel better. Being outdoors is therapy for me.
Q.) How do you feel that social media is impacting people’s mental health?
A.) Social Media is how we built our business but quickly realized that we were not actually creating true real connections. That is why we started hosting trips and getaway week-ends. We discovered that women got more out of the connections they were forming with each other than the actual reason they signed up for the trip which was usually the activity provided (example: learn to rock climb) The internet is feelingless and emotions and messages get lost in translation. We only see what we want to or portray what we want others to see which in some circumstances is unrealistic versions of ourselves. Can you imagine if we only posted the raw and the real photos and messages, would social media be so exciting and addicting. We have become addicts to our devices and it's not healthy. One of my inspirations, Jim Kwik proves how damaging it can be to wake up and immediately check social media and why it set up to distract us and rewiring our brain to pay attention to things that do not matter. He goes on to say that improvement of cognitive capabilities come from mindfulness and creating creatively through process. Not all aspects of social media our negative of course as 1 billion users have made this part of our world. However it should not dictate our lives. We should use social media as a way to connect through technlogy and spread love not hate. Let's lift each other up and create positivity rather than negativity.
Q.) What’s your favorite National Park, and why? Or what place have you always wanted to visit? Do you prefer to explore the forest, ocean, desert, etc?
A.) My bucket list place this year is Morocco. I am obsessed with the mountains and the oceans equally so to have the opportunity to see something new is very exciting to me. Sunrise in the Sahara, here I come.
Q.) What is something that someone has said to you that has always stuck with you when overcoming hard times?
A.) I have been told I'm too loud, I try to hard, I can't make decisions, I play with my hair too much, I'm crazy, I'm not enough but I choose to accept my flaws and take responsibilit for my own happiness. My sister told me this once and I will never forget it "Admire the hero's and become one for someone else". I can proudly say I try to do that everyday.
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