What would it look like to take a gap year and travel with your family? Find out in this episode as I chat with Heidi Dusek. Heidi is known as the “Adventurous Mom” and the podcast host and founder of Ordinary Sherpa, an online community designed to inspire families to connect through simple and authentic adventure experiences. You will hear her story of family adventure, how they prepared financially and mentally, and how she faces winding down her career in order to have a gap year.
“I decided to, instead of having these external goals as metrics on what success looks like, I decided to say, what would it look like if joy was the metric.” - Heidi Dusek
“The sooner and easier you make it to get out the door and do the thing, the more likely you are to start. And that's, I think, if you can focus on starting something as opposed to finishing, you have a step in the right direction.” - Heidi Dusek
What You Will Learn From This Episode
About Heidi Dusek:
Heidi Dusek has earned the title of adventurous mom after over a decade of packing up kids and setting off on adventures near and far. She is currently winding down her career in the public sector as a Foundation Executive to take a gap year with her family to live an intentional life challenging herself to not get too comfortable or align with the status quo. Some describe her as a disruptor and an unshakeable optimist.
Her work is featured as the podcast host and founder of Ordinary Sherpa, an online community designed to inspire families to connect through simple and authentic adventure experiences. As an “ordinary” mom, she creates content to guide and support other families on their quest to live a more adventurous life. Her book, Beyond Normal, a field guide to embracing adventure, exploring the wilderness, and designing an extraordinary life with kids shares research, tools, and novel tips to integrate adventure into your daily life.
Heidi and her husband Brent, live in northeast Wisconsin with their three kids and Weimaraner dog. They spend their time skiing, building igloos, making maple syrup, and filling the gaps with hiking, mountain biking, and aim to spend as much time outdoors as possible. While they crave travel they also recognize the privilege and comforts of coming home.
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