Sarah interviews Julia Hartley about creating Guided Outdoor Adventures and her “confidence gap” idea: helping people feel safe and supported while getting outdoors with caring professional mountain leaders who keep groups together and make walks more accessible.

Julia traces her motivation to moving to a new area and to childhood experiences on PGL trips where instructors provided security after her parents’ separation, shaping her confidence and adventurous spirit.

She shares her winding career path from early hospitality work to gaining qualifications, becoming a sports therapist, and later feeling restless before returning to her business idea with encouragement from a friend. Julia describes building a two-sided “Airbnb-style” platform for guides and customers, securing lottery-related funding, growing from six to 67 leaders, learning marketing and SEO through mentors and courses, facing competition and critical coaching, and planning gradual expansion while prioritising purpose over profit.

A Question for the Listener

Julia leaves the audience with a couple of powerful prompts for self-reflection.

Links for Guided Outdoor Adventures

Website

Facebook Group

Instagram

References

The Confidence Gap https://guidedoutdooradventures.co.uk/the-confidence-gap-guided-outdoor-adventuring-cic/

HF Holidays https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/

Mike https://cheshire-online.com/

Ilaria Petrucci https://herwildadventures.co.uk/

Meet The Guides https://guidedoutdooradventures.co.uk/meet-the-guides/

Damian Baxter https://www.geogrowthmedia.com/

Steven Bartlett https://stevenbartlett.com/

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: sarah@sarahventurer.com

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career coaching questions and photos from the Peak District.

In this raw and deeply personal conversation, Sarah Lister talks with ultra-runner and endurance coach Allie Bailey about the intersection of life, career, and running, shaped by the format of her new book. Allie shares her journey from a high-pressure career in the music industry to hitting rock bottom through alcoholism, and eventually rebuilding a life centered on her core values. This episode is a must-listen for anyone feeling "stuck" in a career or life path that doesn't feel like their own.

Sensitive topics

Alcoholism: Allie speaks candidly about her history as a "raging alcoholic". She describes reaching "the bottom of the barrel," losing her home, partner, and money due to her addiction.

Mental Health Struggles and Depression: Allie talks about her struggle with depression and mentions having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Suicide: Allie mentions trying to kill herself and talking to her sister about killing herself.

Toxic Work Environments and Exploitation: The conversation touches on the harsh realities of the music industry, where Allie witnessed artists having "nervous breakdowns" and described the culture as one that "exploits you basically for your talent and makes you frightened to leave".

Body Image and Self-Esteem: Allie mentions common insecurities she hears from athletes she coaches, such as "I'm not a real runner," "I'm too big to be a runner," and "I'm not good enough".

Trauma and Difficult Family Dynamics: There is a brief mention of how some women "grow up miserable and pass that trauma down" , and Allie notes that for some people, "family isn't everything".

Strong Language: The whole interview contains frequent swearing throughout the conversation.

Core Content & Key Takeaways

Values are the Compass for Change:

1. Allie emphasizes that unhappiness often stems from working against your personal values.
2. She identifies her own core values as kindness, authenticity, and honesty.
3. Success is redefined not by status or money, but by whether your decisions align with your value system.

Breaking the "Lucky" Narrative:

1. Allie rejects the idea that her career change was due to luck. Instead, she attributes it to belief, doing the work, and manifestation.
2. She encourages listeners to stop "giving their magic away" to companies or people that don't deserve it and to start investing that energy in themselves.

Thoughts are Not Facts:

1. A central theme of Allie’s coaching and her new book is challenging the stories our brains tell us to keep us "safe".
2. She discusses "fear storyboarding"—taking a fear to its logical conclusion to realise that reality is rarely as catastrophic as our imagination.

The Myth of the Quick Fix:

1. Real change requires active participation. Allie notes that reading a book or listening to a podcast won't change your life unless you do the work consistently.
2. She highlights that "confidence comes from doing what you say you’re going to do".

Navigating "The Dip":

1. Allie discusses the inevitable emotional and physical drop that...

In this episode of the About The Adventure podcast, we hear the inspiring story of Claire Hunter, a former HR professional who has embarked on a transformative journey of career change. Claire shares her childhood dream of walking the Pennine Way, and how redundancy and life events led her to take time out for self-reflection and personal growth. She discusses the significance of her 'chrysalis year' in 2025, during which she completed various certifications and assessments, consolidating her skills and rethinking her career path.

Now focused on aiding midlife women navigate change through coaching, leadership development, and mindfulness, Claire offers insights into starting her own business and the importance of nature and mindfulness in her coaching methodology. This episode captures Claire's evolution from a structured HR role to a fulfilling career aligned with her passions and values.

Recording information

This interview was recorded in Grindleford on 29th December 2025.

Links

Elysian Leadership

Follow Claire on LinkedIn

References

My Pennine Way Reflective Journal by Claire Hunter on Amazon.

Final notes

Visit About The Adventure website to contact Sarah, the podcast host, with your comments, questions or suggestions for future guests. Or email directly: sarah@sarahventurer.com

Subscribe to Sarah's newsletter to receive episodes in your inbox, along with career change interviews and career coaching questions.

Podcast music is by Tsarzi and artwork by Tiffany-Francis Baker.

Thanks for listening!