Outdoor Recreation is frequently described as “The Great Equalizer”, yet many participants carry deep personal histories of adversity into the back country. As a trip leader and advocate for accessible recreation, I’ve seem first hand how inclusivity requires more than just inviting people outside. It requires compassionate awareness, psychological sensitivity, and leadership practices that acknowledge trauma, barriers to entry, identity, and lived experience.
This session will explore how leaders can create a truly welcoming environment while honoring the resilience that many participants bring with them. We’ll discuss trauma-aware leadership, identity-based barriers in outdoor culture, and practical strategies for creating safety and empowerment on trail. Attendees will leave with tools rooted in psychology and real-world guiding experience to support diverse adventurers.
Bio
Hannah is a senior psychology undergrad who got her trail legs in the very program she helps manage today. While studying at Wright State, she’s led trips guiding people and experience levels of all kinds across front-and-back country terrain from Ohio to Wyoming. As a woman in outdoor recreation, Hannah is passionate about creating access, empowerment, and community, especially for those underrepresented on trail. She blends her background in psychology with her field experiences to support trauma-aware, inclusive programming that meets participants where they are, on and off trail.