Holly Kreczko on The Appalachian Trail, Recovery and Reflection
Holly is the creator of Kick Butt Life. Her brand emphasizes the importance of incorporating adventure, thrills, strength, play, and community into everyday life. She has a deep love for the outdoors and is a strong believer that everyone should follow through on their craziest dreams. She thru-hiked the 2,200 mile-long Appalachian Trail in 2019 and has done extensive hiking throughout Arizona, the Adirondacks, and the White Mountains. Her upcoming adventure plans include the Oregon Coast Trail, adventuring through the Caribbean, and Mount Kilimanjaro. Her journal on taking control of your life story comes out this June.
Connect with Holly:
Instagrams @kickbuttlife & @_hol_lay_
I really enjoy having people on here who are adventurers and travelers who aspire to do more traveling and couldn't have the option after high school to do such a thing. I find having conversations with people like Holly, who orient themselves so that they can be in the world more to be very rewarding for me.
As this conversation unfolds, we start with Holly's background of how she basically got to the point that the Appalachian trail made sense for her. But then, at a broader level, we talk about what drives people to do something like the Appalachian Trail. At some points, you could see it as something where people do it for one reason, but then they actually mean to do it for a different reason altogether, something that's driven by the external rather than the internal.
So you won't derive as much from it, if it is for an external reason, rather than the internal, because when you have to spend so much time on the road without the normal comforts of life, You're confronted with these realities that you wouldn't be otherwise. We start with the Appalachian trail, but I think we unpack it to how struggles and grounding yourself in reality and rest and recovery all play into how you feel fulfillment in your life.
And it was a lot of fun. By the time we were basically done with this round one, we had realized just how much more we could cover. With that, please enjoy this round one. Holly Kreczko.
Show Notes
[00:04:38] Holly's Background
[00:06:24] Was movement a core part of growing up?
[00:07:48] Call for nature
[00:10:15] What Holly had to do before traveling?
[00:11:18] Travel Role Models
Indiana Jones (Rotten Tomatoes) Watch on Amazon
[00:13:37] The Appalachian Trail
[00:17:29] The power of nervousness
A New Study Says Anxiety Can Help You Perform Better -- But Only If You Know How To Respond To It
[00:18:56] Technology for navigation and Resupplying
Guthook Guides - GPS Hiking Guides & Maps Created by Atlas Guides
[00:21:31] People who don't leave towns during through hikes
[00:22:30] Night Hiking
[00:23:56] Four State Challenge
[00:25:38] Self Defense and Other Safety Factors
[00:28:18] Hostel Information Network
[00:29:28] The Trail Feels Old School
[00:32:19] What is a typical day for a hiker?
[00:37:10] Hiking to improve awareness of the body
The effectiveness of proprioceptive training for improving motor function: a systematic review
[00:39:12] Form Follows Function
Form follows function - Wiki
Kettlebell Swings: The 1 Exercise That Fixes 99 Problems
[00:42:53] Rest and Recovery
[00:47:46] Self Reflection
[00:49:57] Power of Handwriting
Erich’s Favorite Notebook - Code and Quill Origin
[00:51:47] Putting space between work and life
[00:54:05] Realization on the trail
[00:58:53] Tracking and Anxiety
[01:00:43] Jane Goodall
Dr. Jane Goodall — The Legend, The Lessons, The Hope (#421) – The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss
[01:03:02] Recommended Books
Manifest Now by Idil Ahmed
