We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexandra Siple a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Alexandra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
The Wild Way’s mission is to provide outdoor experiences to girls to boost their confidence, resilience, and curiosity. Our services not only aim to foster an appreciation for outdoor recreation, but also to provide transformational moments for girls to build a sense of self-efficacy and confidence.
Research—and my own personal experience—shows that true confidence can only be built through experience. I was raised by a single mother in southwest Virginia. I was not a confident child. Life was stressful, and despite my mother giving me as many opportunities as she could, my life felt very small and so did my concept of self. I struggled greatly with my mental health, and later my physical health, due to feelings of inadequacy.
When I left for college, suddenly doors began to open for me. As a child, I rarely left the state of Virginia; now as a college student, I was able to get scholarships to travel the world and study in Egypt and later South Africa. I also began exploring the outdoors throughout my travels and became increasingly interested in hiking and camping in my free time. I was inundated with new experiences, new cultures, new ideas—as you can imagine, many of these experiences were trying. There were times where I was lost, afraid, felt foolish, rejected, and was totally and entirely out of my element. I was always uncomfortable, but I sort of loved it. Every time I experienced this discomfort, I imagined myself “leveling-up”, so I’d be ready for the next mountain in the distance. These experiences fed my soul, and slowly, I felt more and more competent. I became me. I became confident. And I still embrace this process today.
I want to create a culture within The Wild Way that embraces challenge, growth, and self-compassion. I try to create a safe and relaxed space where our girls feel comfortable putting themselves out there and trying something new, even if that means feeling discomfort or even failing. For example, rock climbing isn’t necessarily about getting to the top; it’s about challenging yourself to try something new, battle those feelings of self-doubt, and walk away feeling proud that you applied yourself. Once we get more comfortable with vulnerability and build our ability to adapt, then we are setting ourselves up for success in all aspects of life!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I began working in the nonprofit field in 2010 as a Program Planner and Grant Writer for a large community action agency called Total Acton for Progress (TAP) in Roanoke, VA. I eventually started my own business, Atlas Grant Solutions, in 2014 and worked as a Resource Development Consultant for nonprofits, colleges, and localities across the region. Over my career in resource development, I helped to design and plan for dozens of nonprofit programs and helped agencies earn over $100 million in funding, with an emphasis on Federal grants. During COVID, I decided to pivot. I was tired of working behind the desk; I wanted to start my own nonprofit doing something that I loved—which happens to be sharing my love for the outdoors with others.
In 2021, I founded The Wild Way. I choose to specifically work with girls ages 9 to 14, since studies show that is the age when girls lose the most confidence. Although we want to build outdoor skills and knowledge, confidence and mental health are The Wild Way’s focus. We specifically seek to enroll girls who don’t have a lot of outdoor experience. There is no better classroom than the natural world, and by providing girls with challenging new opportunities, we hope to open their eyes to the amazing things their mind and bodies can accomplish. Some of the activities that we offer include hiking, camping, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, caving, and more. We create a light and fun atmosphere that isn’t intimidating, so girls feel okay being vulnerable. And importantly, since there are barriers to outdoor access for low-income families, our services are FREE to kids and families in need.
Every year, we enroll about 200 girls in approximately 40 days of events. Just over 40% of the families who participate in our program receive fee waivers or fee reductions, meaning we’re making services accessible to diverse populations and serving the girls we want to impact the most. I am so proud of how quickly our organization has grown, and nothing makes me happier than seeing one of my girls with a huge smile on her face after she’s made it to the top of a mountain, stood up on a stand-up paddleboard, or climbed a rock face. I am honored to share those moments with them!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I feel that our brand is built on genuine relationships and trust between our staff, volunteers, participants, and parents. First and foremost, we want to make sure the girls in our program feel comfortable and have a positive experience. We accomplish this by keeping our group sizes small (10 girls per event), so everyone receives personalized attention and support. We get to know each girl in our program and learn their unique likes and dislikes, motivations, and mindsets. We want every girl to feel seen, understood, and accepted.
I also make an effort to go above and beyond in my communication with parents. I send out personalized emails to every family with details on the program, text them updates about their child’s progress, and share photos of every event. Automation (e.g. automatic email confirmations, auto-reply, etc.) becomes necessary when you get to a certain size, but I think it shouldn’t completely replace personal communication. I even still write hand-written thank you cards. We also solicit feedback from both the girls and the parents so we can continue to make our services better.
Additionally, our reputation and growth has been largely thanks to recommendations from previous participants. We could have a stellar marketing campaign, but many families would still be hesitant to enroll their child unless they know someone else who can personally vouch for the program. Relationship-building with clients has been pivotal to our success.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Like so many women, I used to be a perfectionist and felt that I should be able to “do it all” without help. As a consultant, I worked alone and I also wrote Federal grant applications, which require near-perfection to be funded. It wore on me. Well, I can cautiously say that starting this nonprofit has rid me of that terrible mindset! In my opinion, expecting perfection of yourself is the quickest path to burnout.
When I began The Wild Way, there were so many aspects that were completely outside of the realm of my experience and expertise—marketing, donor-building, and accounting, just to name a few. And although I love the outdoors, I am a recreationalist and not an expert. I very quickly realized that I was going to need to swallow my pride. I needed to be comfortable asking for advice or help, and most importantly, accepting and incorporating feedback. I learned that I need to practice self-compassion and humility to make this organization the best it can be. Now, I truly appreciate feedback and new ideas, because I see the magic that happens when multiple minds come together.
I now operate based on a “what if?” mindset. I try to not get too attached to ideas, and there is no shame or embarrassment if they don’t work. I remind myself that the earnest desire to try is what matters. And conveniently, this ethos is also exactly what I’m trying to teach the girls in my program. We are all on the same journey!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thewildway.org
- Instagram: @thewildwayroanoke
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewildwayroanoke
Image Credits
All parents have signed releases allowing their children’s photos to be shared for marketing and outreach purposes.