We recently connected with Chelsea Burnett and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Chelsea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

Being a storm chaser isn’t for the lighthearted! There is no true storm chasing position that brings full-time consistent income for anyone. I have a full-time remote salary-based job that allows me the flexibility to storm chase and give weather presentations. So many people assume I make great money because of the publicity storm chasers receive. There’s also a misconception that because our chase content was on the news, that we made profits from it. Chasing storms costs more than we make, with gas, food, hotel stays, and wear/tear on our vehicles. So making this passion a profitable venture is next to impossible without years of sponsorships and other similar financial vehicles.

Chelsea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Chelsea Burnett, a storm chaser, photographer and public speaker. I grew up in Oklahoma (the heart of Tornado Alley) and became obsessed with weather at an early age. After years of trying to fit into a societal mold of having a corporate job & a college degree, I decided to carve my own life path! I struggled with a life-long speech impediment and it hindered my confidence and potential to achieve big things into my adulthood. I began storm chasing as a way to fuel my weather obsession, and met my spouse along the way. He sparked an idea of public speaking on severe weather awareness. I had never spoke in front of large groups of people so this scared me to my core, but also excited me. After a few presentations I began to notice how stuttering wasn’t as much of a struggle as it had been. Speaking about my passions allowed me to feel calm & comfortable, allowing my speech to flow much smoother. My confidence SOARED and I began to see it soar in my daily life interactions! I then realized how big of a life hack I had achieved by following my heart and taking a chance on living my dream. Profound moment of achievement I’ll never forget.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Growing up with a passion with limited role models didn’t set me up for as much success early on as I had hoped. I had big dreams & goals as a young adult, but no one around to show me it could be done. As someone who struggled with a lifelong speech impediment, I want to show young aspiring STEM students that exploring science & nature can turn into a career if we venture outside our comfort zone! It doesn’t matter what limitations we (think) we might have, we can still pivot and grow past those limiting beliefs! I’m here as a living, breathing example.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The biggest turning point in my life/career path was a divorce in 2014. I thought I had my life laid out perfectly. I had a corporate job, a husband, a house, a baby, and was closing the chapter on my college years. Turns out it was all wrong and a divorce shattered my ultimate comfort zone. With a divorce came big changes, so I decided that if I was going through changes in one area – why not change in others. I left the corporate job, sold the house, and finished out my college degree. I struggled and made wrong moves. I decided to put storm chasing at the forefront of my goals and began storm chasing the following year in 2015. I saw my first tornado and it was craziness from there! I saw more tornadoes, met new people, made new connections, and developed more goals in the years after that, leading up to my public speaking role today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beyondtheskies.net
• Instagram: Chelsea_beyondtheskies
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086558085455&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsealburnett
• Twitter: Chels_burnettwx