Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to BillieJo Garcia. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

BillieJo, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

There are two driving factors that make profitability with hiking a challenge. The following are of my opinion.

The first issue: small distinct audience. I mean, it’s not very exciting to watch someone walk. So you have to be creative in how you present your adventure. Figuring out how to engage your fan base, who spends their free time doing anything but hiking, is a challenge. You have to stand out. I used to obsess over making myself unique in a way that grabbed attention. Now I’m just me. Love me, hate me, fan or not, I’ve decided my best feature is being myself. If I am profitable then awesome, if not….. oh well, I’ve got all these adventures and experiences.

The second challenge is over saturation. The audience is already small. Now factor in the fact anyone with a smartphone and a pair of sneakers can document a walk in the woods. Just a quick search on YouTube and you’ll find hundreds of thousands of amateur hiking videos. You become a needle in a haystack in the middle of an ocean.

Now IF you are able to profit, you still have gear to buy and fix when it needs it. Gear is a HUGE expense. There is nothing cheap about quality gear.

I personally have never made a profit. Profit is not the name of my game. I’m just out there for a good time. I’m out here to show others how to have a safe good time in the wilderness.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My entire identity was wrapped around being two things, a wife, and a boy mama. That’s it. I was always “Mike’s wife” or “ Oh that’s Nunu’s Mama.” I loved my identity. I took pride in raising those wild eyed adventurous boys. I got married and had children right out of High school. I never knew a different way of life. As long as I had my boys, I had purpose. When you’re a new mom at the age of 19, and you look at that sweet cherub face, 18 years seems so far away. It feels like they will never grow up.

Then one day the boys grew up. They began moving out and finding their own identity. That left me in a state of severe depression. If I’m not able to actively mom, then who am I? Where do I fit in? The depression hit swiftly and it hit hard. With each son leaving the nest, the blackness became darker.

I had tried many things to “snap out of it”. Therapy, meditation, crying, none of it helped. I stayed stagnant.

I had followed a local social media page where people went on hikes. Everyone raved about how much better their mental health had become. I got to see pictures of truly happy people with big Mountain View’s. I had nothing to loose. Maybe a walk up Blood Mountain would help me.

The next morning, my husband and I sat quietly drinking our coffee. I turned to him and said, “Oh by the way, I’m going to hike Blood Mountain.” He looked at me as if I lost my damn mind. After a moment he replied, “ That sounds like a terrible way to spend a Saturday.” That’s when I told him he wasn’t invited. I think he was relieved.

My Marine son on the other hand was not excited. He was absolutely terrified his mother would be out there alone with zero survival skills and absolutely zero knowledge of what hiking was all about. He made me promise to wait for him to come home before I hit any trail head.

One early March morning I got up at the ridiculous hour of 3 am. Got the car and the boy ready and took off. Armed with an old pair of Brooks running shoes and a military backpack I set out to see what Blood mountain had to offer.

I was out of shape. My breathing was labored. The trail was tough. Slow and steady I made my way. And then it was there. That view. I had seen all the pictures but nothing compared to the actual experience. I met AT Thru hikers and became inspired. It was a perfect day.

I didn’t notice my sore legs, tired feel, or lack of breath. But I did notice something very strange. When I was on that trail I forgot that I was missing my adult children. The hurt was healed. I felt alive again.

I didn’t need a therapist or medication. I just needed a healthy dose of Nature.

Ever since that day I have found myself on many trails all over the South East. I’ve evolved from the sneakers and military backpack day hiker. Now I solo backpack hundreds of miles each year. And each year those miles get bigger and bigger..

I’ve finally found my identity and purpose beyond motherhood. I can’t wait to see where the trail leads me.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

The goal, hiking wise, has always been to find my way to the Appalachian Trail and Thru hike it from Georgia to Maine. I’m very close to announcing my class.

Over all I want to inspire women and young girls. I want them to know they are just as capable as the men they love and admire.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

My husband is a non-creative. He doesn’t understand the “why”. To him, all the videos, pictures, the time it takes to write about where I’ve been and what I’m doing just seems like a waste of time.

I believe this to be true for most non-creatives. I think they struggle most with understanding the “why”. Why take a picture? Why do you need to write about it? Why isn’t it enough to just have the experience and keep it to yourself?

Your “Why” is yours. For me, the reason why I post is because someone else had the courage to post. Their posts inspired me. Their posts honestly saved me. Maybe, just maybe, there is a mom out there who is going through the same mom struggles I experienced. Maybe that mom will see my story and get inspired. Maybe through my experience, she can see her value and her capabilities. She might think to herself, hey if she can do it then I can do it. And maybe, just maybe, that struggling empty nest mom will be able to find her own identity outside of being a mom. And maybe that mom won’t suffer as greatly as I did. Maybe she will find peace and inner strength. That is what keeps me writing, taking pictures and videos, and posting my adventures.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Facebook.com/BillieTreks4Vets
• Other: TikTok : @BillieGarcia97