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

Alright, Norther thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I started wild solitude from a true rock bottom- after leaving a toxic marriage, while functionally homeless, during covid. I have two kids, and I had been a SAHM their whole lives, out of the workforce for a dozen years at that point. I was starting from scratch in every major area of my life. It was the scariest and also the most free I have ever felt.

Most people in my shoes would have taken the quickest path to safety and that’s what everyone around me said I should do. Go to college, take out loans, get a job ASAP, take whatever you can get, find the cheapest apartment you can and just… do the thing. Do the grown up thing.

But I can’t. I just can’t. I have never been able to go along with the path that has been laid out for me. I have never once done what was expected of me or what I was supposed to do. Just the thought of “selling myself out” like that makes me feel depressed and anxious. I can’t punch a clock and have a commute and participate in weird, scripted social interactions with coworkers. I can’t have a boss.

I’m too feral. I’ve spent too much time alone in the woods, away from civilization. I’ve come far enough along in my deconstruction of modern society that it’s now very laborious for me to “play the game”, so to speak. I’m not available for that anymore.

It was a time in my life that I recognized that my slate had been wiped clean for me in a huge way and that opportunities to completely rebuild your life from the ground up don’t come along everyday in middle age. I didn’t want to waste this opportunity to create something truly unique and specific to me- something that would really showcase my gifts and be a true reflection of who I am.

I thought, “well, I love being outside and hiking, I love talking to people 1:1, I give excellent advice, I love talking about hiking and foraging. I love writing, that’s been a passion of mine since I was a child.”

But I didn’t know how to take those passions and turn them into something that serves others.

At that point I decided to just hand it over to the universe, because it was clear to me that forward brain thinking was not going to solve this dilemma. I spent all winter camping alone in my car, meditating, asking to be shown my purpose.

I received a very clear message one night, my purpose is teaching people how to reconnect with nature. It was very clear and specific. I knew immediately what it meant, but I did not know where to take it next. Like, is that a job? What does that even mean? So, I was excited, but I didn’t feel like I had gained any clarity yet.

So, I stayed on my work of spending time alone writing, meditating, asking to be connected with my path.

I was walking on the beach in late February when the answer finally came through. I came across a large chunk of carnelian in the sand and as I picked it up and turned it over in my hand, I received my long awaited transmission.

Start a guiding service in the Tillamook State Forest.

One thing about me is, I love clear, direct communication. I hate guessing, reading between the lines, vibes, all of that. I don’t cultivate relationships with people who aren’t confident, direct communicators. So, it was really helpful to have this specific answer.

When I got back to my car a few hours later, I called ODF and started the permit process. I had an LLC within six days, took the CPR class, bought insurance, and received my license within the next month. My permit process with the Department of Forestry was very long- it took six months. At the same time, I also applied for a permit with the BLM, for my central Oregon location, which is a place that’s really special to me.

While I waited, I taught myself social media marketing, built a website, took marketing courses, spent weeks scouting the tillamook and creating routes

And, I want to be clear- I did not know how to do any of this. I had never thought much about business or aspired to be an entrepreneur. I’m also not a technology person, so building a website and learning to write copy and marketing and stuff- those were all new skills.

I think the biggest things I underestimated about being an entrepreneur are the amount of mental capacity it would take to be constantly learning new skills.
I also was keenly aware that my energy levels are often drained by the experience of living with multiple chronic health conditions, as well as being a sensory sensitive, neurodivergent person. My energy is finite.

When I give beyond my capacity, it impacts my nervous system. I get overwhelmed easily, I’m not able to be patient with my kids, I’m anxious, I’m stressed out. It would have been all too easy to become my own boss. Believe me, the toxic capitalist programming is definitely alive and well in my subconscious, I was fully prepared to make myself miserable. I had to intentionally choose, at many points along the way, to create a business that allows me to thrive as a sensitive person with limited spoons.

Once I had settled on starting a guiding service, I knew I needed to build myself a niche that was as close to my personal outdoors practice as possible. I like to joke that I only give “Norther Lessons”. What that means is that all the offerings I create are based on my own personal experiences, practices, etc. I don’t offer programming in skills that I don’t use. And everything I do ties back to my personal spiritual practice of using time spent us nature as a connection point.

I didn’t know if my work would resonate with anyone, and a lot of people told me that it was a poor business idea. Guiding is not a very good way to make money. I was encouraged to expand my business in lots of different ways- summer camps for kids, etc. but I passed on anything that didn’t feel authentic to me and stayed true to my vision.

In the beginning of my third year, things really started to take off. I expanded into offering digital guides to obscure destinations, custom travel planning, foraging, navigation and now weekend retreats. I now have a roster of great regular clients who I love working with, and business continues to grow.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started doing this type of work after spending most of my adult life in the outdoors, learning all these skills the hard way, and doing almost everything alone. I like to joke that I’m not qualified to do anything else, but really- it’s true.

I had a near fatal mountain climbing accident in 2017, that transformed the way I spend time in the outdoors and the way that I relate to nature and myself.

The work that we do as Wild Solitude Guiding is unlike what any other guide or outfitter offers. All our programming is centered around a practice I call “Intimacy with Place”, which just means we center our relationship with the land we recreate on over all other things.

We offer foraging, navigation, night hiking, and nature connection practices in a community class setting twice a month in Portland, Oregon, and then we offer a monthly weekend workshop on rotating, seasonal themes like working with fear, learning to navigate in the desert, and more.

In addition to community classes, we offer 1:1 workshops on overcoming fear and mindset blocks (our most popular offering) as well as connecting with your intuition and developing mastery in the outdoors.

Beyond in-person events, we also offer limited edition guides to obscure destinations in Oregon and local hidden gems across the Pacific Northwest, custom travel advice and trip planning services, and destination research instruction.

We also have our own tarot deck coming out next year- the Tarot of Oregon Places!

Developing a connection with natural landscapes is central to all the skills we teach- foraging and navigation guide us to pay attention to our surroundings, destination research helps us see undeveloped public lands in new ways, learning how to slow down, pay attention and de-center ourselves is at the root of everything we do.

Our work appeals most deeply to individuals who are interested in examining the ways that the patriarchy and white supremacy have compromised their ability to connect with nature. Our clients are primarily women/LGBTQIA+, and we encourage anyone who thinks they are “too slow” to join a group hike to come with us and set the pace- slow hikers are always welcome.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I have always loved being on instagram- my personal account has 1700 posts going back over ten years. I knew when I started Wild Solitude that my target demographic was primarily on IG, so I’ve prioritized developing my presence there.

Pretty early on, I took a marketing course from the social justice educator Bear Herbert called “Marketing for Weirdos”, which is like a social media marketing class taught through an anti-capitalist lens. That really set me with a good foundation to start building an audience- again, prioritizing staying true to myself and my personal practices over all other things.

I also received some great advice from a friend recently, when I was kinda feeling burnt out. “Fuck content. We are not content creators. Share your art”.

For me, running a service-based business where people essentially pay me to take them hiking, accurately representing myself is everything. I want clients who love ME, not done performative version of myself that I then have to masquerade as while working. I want to attract people who love ME and my ideas.

My best advice for social media- be yourself, have fun, and use it as an outlet for your creative expression, rather than following a formula. The algorithm is always changing, don’t hold on too tightly to any one process or strategy.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The vast majority of my client work is in-person, so I focused on creating content that would specifically appeal to local audiences- regional hiking advice, talking about foraging in the PNW, etc.

I also post, a lot, and share about my life and my own adventures, a lot. I give people lots of opportunities to connect with me and my work and I love networking with as many people as possible.

I also try to offer something new, rather than following trends. There’s a ton of very generic “hiking girls” on instagram that offer the same type of content, with very little to distinguish between them. I find it’s very easy ti stand out when you get clear on who you serve and bring very specific, rather than just trying to appeal to everyone.

Follow your friend’s friends! Talk to people! Ask questions! Be the engagement you wish for on your own posts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wildsolitudeguide.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/wildsolitudeguiding?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

Image Credits
Norther Emily