ALISON YOUNG • speaker. writer. adventurer
ALISON YOUNG
speaker • writer • adventurer
Blissful Hiker
INSPIRING YOU TO HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE
INSPIRING YOU TO HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE
Alison Young is a resilience speaker who uses her global hiking experiences and captivating storytelling to inspire and lead individuals and teams to embrace challenges, reinvent themselves, and harness adversity for growth.
hi! I'm alison young,
Blissful Hiker
hi! I'm
alison young,
Blissful Hiker
As the Blissful Hiker, I am a professional backpacker.
Now, you might be wondering what exactly is a professional backpacker?
Well, I’ve walked over 12,000 miles on six continents and in all those millions of steps of walking meditation, I’ve learned some pretty big lessons – plus techniques – for tackling life’s difficult problems.
Like, “How do we quit without feeling like a failure?” or “What does it mean to reinvent ourselves?” as well as “How do we keep moving forward when the path isn’t clear?”
To be honest, I am an expert at reinvention, having lived in a variety of identities from world-class professional musician to syndicated radio host.
Although change can be difficult and painful, I’ve discovered incredible growth and joy in the process and that life may be short, but it’s also wide.
What that means for you is that I am now your expert guide for life’s journey, helping you find the navigate your most personal and successful path.
Using hiking – plus spectacular images – as the setting, we’ll harness powerful emotions for positive action as well as visualize a wider path to make that mental shift needed for success.
hi! I'm alison young, Blissful Hiker
As the Blissful Hiker, I am a professional backpacker.
Now, you might be wondering what exactly is a professional backpacker?
Well, I’ve walked over 12,000 miles on six continents and in all those millions of steps of walking meditation, I’ve learned some pretty big lessons – plus techniques – for tackling life’s difficult problems.
Like, “How do we quit without feeling like a failure?” or “What does it mean to reinvent ourselves?” as well as “How do we keep moving forward when the path isn’t clear?”
To be honest, I am an expert at reinvention, having lived in a variety of identities from world-class professional musician to syndicated radio host.
Although change can be difficult and painful, I’ve discovered incredible growth and joy in the process and that life may be short, but it’s also wide.
What that means for you is that I am now your expert guide for life’s journey, helping you find the navigate your most personal and successful path.
Using hiking – plus spectacular images – as the setting, we’ll harness powerful emotions for positive action as well as visualize a wider path to make that mental shift needed for success.
“Alison is a force of nature! She’s genuine and authentic. Her presentation at the Hike Like A Woman Summit was inspiring. She shared her powerful story with such passion that it left everyone in our virtual conference room feeling motivated and encouraged. If you’re looking for a speaker with a fascinating background and the ability to speak with courage and vulnerability you need Alison on your stage. “
Rebecca Walsh | Founder, Hike Like A Woman
Professional backpacker
blissful hiker's Hike Diary
Professional backpacker
blissful hiker's Hike Diary
blissful hiker's
Hike Diary
first TEDx in the bag
My talk on resilience was a smash because I worked hard to refine it, memorize it, then perform it.
making art in the Porcupine Mountains
It was early spring loud with birds and falls for my Artist-in-Residence at the Porcupine Mountains.
ten things I learned while thru-hiking…
I wrote this right after I had both hips replaced, caught covid and was unsure I’d hike again.
Strong Bones for the Win
To avoid fractures and osteoporosis as we age, we need more calcium. The best way to get it is not in a pill.
Follow in blissful footsteps
It takes hard work, dedication and determination to stay the course. But like life, the rewards are sweet for those willing to put one foot in front of the other. Sign up for the newsletter, and don't miss a single step!
Alison Young's Offerings
join a culture of empowerment
SPEAKER
LIVE AND ONLINE
A syndicated American Public Media radio host and award-winning flutist, Alison Young brings her extensive artistic training and communication skills to her role of professional speaker, using lessons from the trail, as well as research-based practices, tools, and techniques to inspire and teach audiences how to find joy, understand the power of intentional quitting, and tap into their creativity.
WRITER
– and PHOTOGRAPHER
It takes hard work, dedication and determination to stay the course when walking, tramping, sauntering or trekking. But like life, the rewards are sweet for those willing to put one foot in front of the other. During Alison’s hiking ‘career,’ her feet have moved her forward on six continents, for a total of over 12,000 miles. As a cancer thriver with two titanium hips, the blissful hiker journey and insights continue.
PODCASTER
AUDIO STORYTELLER
With over 100,000 downloads, Blissful Hiker Podcast is a series of personal essays coupled with found sound and Alison’s own award-winning flute playing. An extension of “audio narratives,” each episode is a journey of self-discovery where the trail becomes the classroom to reveal valuable lessons. Alison’s aim is to empower you to hike your own “bad ass” hike in this journey that we all share called life.
Learn to
reinvent yourself
and get back
on the right path
Learn to
reinvent yourself
and get back on
the right path
Whether we like it or not, failures, setbacks, and ‘cosmic rip-offs’ happen – and when they do, they can leave us feeling ungrounded, like we missed a waypoint and are walking the wrong trail.
But oftentimes, these transitions are opportunities disguised as loss, opening us up to alternative paths on our life journey.
And the good news is – harnessing difficulty and powerful emotions for positive action is a teachable, learnable skill that can be successfully developed in both individuals and teams.
SPEAKER
LIVE AND ONLINE
A syndicated American Public Media radio host and award-winning flutist, Alison Young brings her extensive artistic training and communication skills to her role of professional speaker, using lessons from the trail, as well as research-based practices, tools, and techniques to inspire and teach audiences how to find joy, understand the power of intentional quitting, and tap into their creativity.
WRITER
– and PHOTOGRAPHER
It takes hard work, dedication and determination to stay the course when walking, tramping, sauntering or trekking. But like life, the rewards are sweet for those willing to put one foot in front of the other. During Alison’s hiking ‘career,’ her feet have moved her forward on six continents, for a total of over 12,000 miles. As a cancer thriver with two titanium hips, the blissful hiker journey and insights continue.
PODCASTER
AUDIO STORYTELLER
With over 100,000 downloads, Blissful Hiker Podcast is a series of personal essays coupled with found sound and Alison’s own award-winning flute playing. An extension of “audio narratives,” each episode is a journey of self-discovery where the trail becomes the classroom to reveal valuable lessons. Alison’s aim is to empower you to hike your own “bad ass” hike in this journey that we all share called life.
“Alison brought the Blissful Hiker story to my Forbes Business Council group on public speaking and it was a great opportunity for others interested in public speaking to see a masterful example of a speaker/storyteller in action. Even if your hikes are confined to your backyard you’ll be inspired by her tales from the trail.”
BOBBIE CARLTON | FOUNDER, INNOVATION WOMEN
