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

Chrissy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

My first memory of wanting to help was in the 6th grade when I saw homeless teenagers in my hometown of Las Vegas, NV and I wanted to provide for them. I was 11 years old and didn’t know how, but I wanted to provide care packages of essential items for them. I couldn’t imagine being hungry, not wearing socks, or not being able to brush my teeth – simple luxuries taken for granted. I approached my English teacher and asked her to help me and she said yes, so with hers and my mother’s help I compiled gallon bags full of essentials and distributed them in town. I just needed one person to believe in me, and those kids I was able to help just needed one person to care enough to help – to dare to do something.

To VENTURE means to dare to do something. We founded She’s Venturing, Inc, our 501c3 Nonprofit Organization because we wanted to encourage volunteerism, charitable giving, and philanthropy – for people to get out there and take action by doing something. We know people ask, “How much change can ONE person make in the world?” A lot of people are discouraged that their efforts are too small, not effective, or that they don’t have time or resources to support ALL of the causes in their heart, and often freeze with inaction and discouragement. We knew people needed to be encouraged to join in, together.

If each person takes just one step, eventually our collective small steps can take us great distances. We deeply believe that the impact of individual effort can be felt when joined collectively with like-minded hearts. So where does positive change begin? It begins with every person that believes in their ability to impact, eliminates self-doubt, and takes action toward sustainability, kindness, & compassion. The first step in believing change is possible is believing that our effort matters. It’s about hope, optimism, and giving time and energy to support worthwhile causes in accomplishing amazing goals.

In 2021, in Key West, FL I was contributing to ‘charity miles’ and the project of completing walks for awareness with generous donors sponsoring funds per mile I completed and tracked. Portions of those donated funds would then be released to the charity of choice. I was sharing and promoting environmental causes, human rights, Veterans, and animal support organizations. The creation of our own Nonprofit was to ensure that we can make maximum impact by becoming an organization that promotes other organizations’ expansive and worthwhile efforts and donates 100% of proceeds – everything from Ocean Cleanup developing technology to remove plastics and trash from our oceans to The Boon Project : Agriculture with a Purpose, fostering sustainability by empowering communities through innovative agriculture, and many other important and life-changing organizations.

Being in the Florida Keys and near the ocean, we launched with primarily environmental initiatives to encourage preservation through clean-up efforts & awareness, encouraging sustainable travel, and fundraising for similar partner efforts & causes both locally, nationwide, and globally.

Chrissy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

What we’re most proud of is the number of organizations we’ve been able to partner with, fundraise and volunteer for, and donate to through the compounded efforts of our Nonprofit’s events and our She’s Venturing Travels clothing and product line. We’re proud to donate 100% of proceeds from this effort to continuing to encourage impact through support.

We’ve now grown our efforts to dare to do more. That’s where She’s Venturing begins – daring to make the world better, to not only save our planet, but each other, by doing good and supporting impactful organizations. As avid travelers we have been given not only the reminder of the need for preservation of our environment, but our cultures, our connections, our animals, and our freedoms. Ultimately, we believe people WANT to make positive impact in the world, but they need to be told no effort is too small, and that we can be multi-passionate. For us, it’s not about “reinventing the wheel”, but helping support and promote organizations ALREADY making an impact so they can reach more and do more. We are sparking change one person at a time.

We are using our love of travel to connect and share this awe-inspiring world, and why starting with a heart that dares to venture toward change is so important. So – we’re spreading the word; being a Venturer is not about perfection, it’s about progress. Whether you are on an adventure, or creating the first ripple of change that will touch many, YOU are Made for Venturing – getting out there and daring to do something. We want to encourage people to become Venturers in their own lives. What causes do you care about? What matters most to you?

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The most impactful book for my entrepreneurial growth was Jess Ekstrom’s Chasing the Bright Side. It’s the story of how she founded Headbands of Hope and how she embraced optimism to activate her purpose. It was the encouragement I needed to hear that you could create a business grounded in philanthropy and find your purpose in life. Many times I think we’re encouraged to follow a traditional work structure, and charitable endeavors can seem like wasted time in a society where profitability and productivity are measures of success. This book allowed me to shift into a perspective that success could be measured by how many lives could be changed and touched.

Another valuable addition to strengthening my mindset was Jordan Lee Dooley’s Own Your Everyday. She outlines her struggle to overcome the pressure to prove and instead show up for what you were made to do. It reiterated the belief that we could do more than simply succeed on a surface level, but instead embrace a deeper calling.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

There’s no finish line to building a social media audience; it takes effort every day to continue growth and interaction. It’s something I continue to work on, and something I always wish I had more time for, but I’ve learned some valuable lessons. My biggest piece of advice is to find your cheerleaders. Find the people who believe in what you do, will collaborate with you, and promote you. The greatest success I’ve seen is in like-minded supporters sharing our mission. Social media can be a beautiful thing for ripples of change, but you have to be brave enough to put yourself out there to be seen and heard. You can only be cheered on when you’re brave enough to perform.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shesventuring.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shesventuring/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shesventuring
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shesventuring