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

Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Any art is a risk. Our lives are art. Love is art. The work we do or how we approach that work is art. The way we solve the problems of our lives, that’s art. If this art of ours, whatever it is, doesn’t feel dangerous then we are doing ourselves and the world a disservice. We were all put here to make beautiful art of our lives. The greatest risk I’ve taken is daring to be authentically me, even after I’ve failed, even after I’ve been criticized, even after I have a pile of reasons to convince me that I am a fool.

I’ve started a running podcast when there was no other women in the space and I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I barely had just started running and had never recorded anything before. Absolutely no background in journalism or broadcasting. I had ran a few 5ks as a thirty something year old. I was a mom in Ohio that had something burning inside of me wanting to get out. Something I couldn’t ignore.

I started a print magazine when I was divorced and broke. I had no training or experience in publishing. I was not an editor or a writer or even myself had appropriate grammar or any style. I had a vision that was burned into my head, like a ghost that haunted me. I can see and feel the magazine how it should be and made it my work to try to make a copy of that dream that I could hold in my hands and to send it out into the world. Fumbling along the way.

Risk is doing it scared. Risk is wanting to get that burden of the dream off your chest so bad you don’t care about the outcome, that is how it’s received, by anyone. Your only critic is the gap between the ghost of your idea that lives in your head and the thing that materializes from blood, sweat and tears in your hands. The best any of us can do is manage that gap.

Jessica, 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?

I have an indie print magazine about adventure, growth, and trail running. It’s called Eat Clean Run Dirty Magazine. It’s raw, textured, and haunted. It looks more like an art magazine than something about running that you don’t have to be a runner to enjoy. It inspires readers to make art of their own lives and be brave in their own adventures and chasing after big goals. It promotes community, passion and self reflection.

I am the Founder, Creative Director, and Editor-In-Chief of the magazine. Curating all the stories and handling all the design. I also write long form stories with insights from my travels around the country running long distances on the trail, eating food, meeting interesting people, my own healing and personal growth experiences, and going after big goals.

I won the 2021 Fujifilm GFX Challenge grant and made my first documentary film following a fifty year old woman from Ohio that is a Polish immigrant and between duties as swim mom and her career as a librarian runs 100 mile mountain races.

I also work as a freelance Program Manager and Web Designer for Basecamp, an outdoor industry jobs and networking group. I’m currently building out a career coaching platform where job seekers in the outdoor industry can connect with career coaches, mentors, and industry experts to craft an impactful resume, LinkedIn profile, or cover letter to receiving guidance on a complete career pivot.

I am also myself a trail runner and am training to run a 100 mile race on Orcas Island this February.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

When I started Eat Clean Run Dirty Magazine I was newly divorced and fairly broke. I estimated how much it would cost to print the first issue of the magazine and knew I would fall short. I wrote up a description of my vision and made a post on social media and sent out and email to everyone that I knew asking who would be interested in subscribing, contributing art or stories, or making an investment to help get it off the ground. I had a dozen friends and acquaintances reach out, excited to help me realize my dream of the magazine. I called it the founders club. Each founder contributed $250 to my magazine project and I was abler to print and mail the first issue.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The most powerful thing you can do is realize that everyone and everything has been new before. I am a big fan of podcasts. I went back and listened to Tim Ferris’s episode 1. It was mediocre at best, just him and a friend talking about life and drinking wine. The sound quality was rough and there was no clear topic. Listening to that gave me the “permission slip” I needed to start where I was with what I had. Get over yourself with trying to make something perfect. Most of the things you see are on the 100th iteration after years of trial and error and loss of brilliant people’s effort and collaboration poised at improving it. You just need to start, anywhere, with version 1.0 and work from there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eatcleanrundirty.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessica_vandenbush/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.croisant.9/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-vandenbush/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eatcleanrundirty8180?app=desktop