Native Connection to the Land: Jaylyn Gough

Interview with Jaylyn Gough, Navajo outdoors woman and founder of Native Women's Wilderness. Jaylyn has found strength and healing in the outdoors. She talks about why she shares her connection with the land with other Native Americans, how non-natives can support her work, and her long term vision for Native Women's Wilderness.

Our conversation is inextricably linked to trauma, but it is also filled with hope. Jaylyn's experiences as a child growing up on the Navajo reservation in Gallup, New Mexico, set her on her path. She was adopted at a young age, and it was both due to her adopted mother's generosity and certain hardships on the reservation that made her want to become a social worker. But as Jaylyn says, her childhood felt rich with the land.

Jaylyn has a deep-seated drive to help people, especially women, overcome suffering. She also wants to see more women of color and native women on the trail and represented in outdoor media. Jaylyn's passion shines through every moment of this episode - we hope you'll find as much inspiration as we did in meeting her.

Learn more about Native Women's Wilderness on Instagram and Facebook. Their new website will be live within the next day or two, visit it at www.nativewomenswilderness.org.

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Links mentioned in this episode:
Indigenous Women Hike
Indigenous Women Climb
Natives Outdoors
Unlikely HIkers

Hosted and produced by Gale Straub.

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Music for this episode is by Josh Woodward, Kai Engel, and Lee Rosevere via freemusicarchive.org.