She seeks to help more Hill Country women embrace an adventure-filled life.
Many of us women entering the fourth, fifth, and sixth decades of our lives know a little bit about that impulse to run free, to shake off a lifetime’s worth of inhibitions and “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” to explore the wider world. But where do we begin? And what if we’re feeling a little nervous about acting on it?
One daring Hill Country woman is hoping to help meet that need, by reconnecting women with nature through a national organization.
Meet Bobbie Blouin.
On who she is and what she does
“I grew up just south of San Antonio, in Natalia, Texas. My husband, Mike, and I have lived in Atlanta, Georgia, and in Austin, Texas, but South Texas has always been ‘home.’ In 2006, we decided to move back here, after living away for 7 years.
I’ve worked in the financial industry since 1999. In 2013, I facilitated the start of a local retirement planning firm in San Antonio, for which I am now the office manager. Today, my husband and I routinely enjoy spending time at Medina Lake. We have friends and family that live there, and we’ve spent many weekends camping at the lake. It’s one of my happy places. My other happy place is the Frio River. I grew up camping in Concan with my dad, and I spent weekends at Garner State Park with friends. The Frio brings me peace. Mike and I have a pleasant time hiking at Government Canyon State Natural Area. It’s located close to our home, which makes it easy. We’ve recently taken up kayaking, which we’re both loving!”
On discovering Women on Adventures
“I ran across Jenny Zink, the founder of Women on Adventures, on Facebook. I was at the beginning of a transition in my life, and I loved the information she shared. I started following both her personally as well as the global Women on Adventures’ pages and groups. I followed along for about 6 months before I took any action. I spent months wishing there was an outpost for the organization here. After working with a life coach, I realized that I was missing the outdoors. I craved outdoor spaces that bring me peace and make me happy. That’s when I became an official member of Women on Adventures, despite the nonexistence of an outpost here in Texas. I thought I could just take mini-vacations for adventures with out-of-state outposts and other crazy ideas. Less than a week later, I came to my senses and contacted Jenny about becoming an official ambassador here in San Antonio.”
On becoming a Women on Adventures ambassador
“As a Women on Adventures ambassador, it is my responsibility to research opportunities around Texas for my members. This doesn’t just entail finding fun things to do, but it also includes speaking with proprietors about the organization–who we are and what we do–to ensure their particular adventure opportunity is a good fit for my members. Additionally, being an ambassador includes keeping in contact with my existing and potential members, keeping them abreast of planned events, and staying open to the types of events they are interested in doing. Most importantly, I make sure all of us–my members and myself–aren’t just playing it safe. Being part of Women on Adventures involves finding one’s comfort zone and expanding it. We want to redefine our idea of what makes an ‘adventure’ and expand on that as well as we go along.
In becoming an ambassador, the hardest part was getting past my own fear of being seen. It meant stepping up to the plate and making my presence known; the rest was gravy. As an office manager, I’m constantly juggling a series of tasks with equal priority. I feel like my years in my ‘day job’ have giving me priceless skills necessary for being an ambassador. Plus, I have the support of Jenny and my ambassador “sisters”. We fuel one another. We’re on Slack nearly every day, bouncing ideas off one another. We follow each other’s social media platforms not to just get ideas, but also to help support everyone and our members as well.”
On why she chooses to #OptOutside
“My reasons started off very selfishly. I’ll be 45 soon, and I’m in a transition phase of my life. I felt myself breaking through all these boxes that I’ve been put in, either by myself or by others. I wasn’t sure what that meant for me. Through all my processing, I realized that being outside was where I’d find some of my answers–even if the answer meant my taking a 30-minute walk at Phil Hardberger Park on my way home to wash away the work day and prepare for a relaxing evening at home. Outside does that for me. Outside does that for almost everyone I know. Being surrounded by nature is, I believe, healing. I find so much peace for myself there.
As things with Women on Adventures have evolved, my reason ‘why’ has changed. In June, I planned a girl’s weekend in Galveston. I wanted to add something more than time spent at the beach to my visit. So I searched for potential adventures on Groupon. I soon found a sunset kayaking adventure and knew that was for me. Long story short, when my friends and I completed that adventure–something I didn’t think I was capable of on my own, I knew that I wanted to help other women find that feeling. I want to help women find that sense of power in themselves, that feeling that comes from pushing back fear in order to do what scares them. To face that fear. I want to help them redefine who they are outside of those boxes: wife, mother, boss, employee, daughter, and caretaker. The list goes on and on.
Also, while a lot of adventures do happen outside, not all do. I’d love to help people experience all sorts of new things, places, and foods. That’s why my first adventure is an adventure of the taste buds to a place that a lot of people I know have never tried. Some adventures are simply getting out and meeting new people. For a lot of us that is just as scary as jumping from a high platform. To quote Jenny Zink, “Being exposed is scary. Showing up is twice as scary, but creating a shift in someone’s life because they saw you show up and they went out and tried something new which may be life changing is why we do this. When someone says ‘I’ve always wanted to do this’ after an adventure you hosted you will be filled with warm fuzzy feeling. YOU made that happen for someone!!!’
Yeah, that’s why focus on women. That’s why I choose to #OptOutside.”
Why the Hill Country is a great place to be “outdoorsy”
“There’s the variety; tubing, kayaking, hiking, new foods, wineries, craft breweries, camping opportunities, and so much more I have yet to find! Through the use of sources like TheTexasWildflower.com, I’m finding new things all the time. The people are another great reason. You can’t beat small town Texas hospitality. Even San Antonio in its greatness has its own small town vibe. In making calls about Women on Adventures to these places and hearing the support they have for us, I just love it!”
Explore More
Bobbie suggests readers begin by visiting www.WomenOnAdventures.com to learn about the organization’s membership as well as, their quarterly digital magazine, newsletter, podcast, and blog. Bobbie also invites interested area women to join her own chapter’s Facebook group and to follow her on Instagram.
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