Exploring, Adventuring + Paying it Forward in the Alaskan Wilderness

She Who Wanders

Apr 18

A Convo with Jillian from @jillian.blum

Meet Jillian. Jillian is a wife, mom, photographer and outdoor adventure lover from Arizona, now residing in Alaska. She’s passionate about living every day focused on and grateful for the present, while working hard to build the vision she has for her life - one of the greatest keys to a successful + happy life. She’s the founder of Rove Co, a community based in Alaska that seeks to increase independence in the outdoors and help others find their way to outdoor adventures through meetups, cool apparel and overnight trips. Seeing her overcome the challenges of adventuring in the Alaskan wilderness inspires thousands to find their passion, chase their dreams and not let fear of the unknown stop them from creating their own fulfilling reality.

Tell us a little about you and your family like where you’re from, where you live now, how old are your kids and anything interesting or unique you’d like people to know.

As a military family, we’re from all over the place, but my husband and I both grew up in Tucson, AZ which is where we met. Living in Alaska is a huge change from anywhere we’ve lived but it was welcomed as we’ve been trying to get stationed here our entire marriage. Our daughter, now 4, was just a baby when we moved here and I’m so thankful we get to raise her in Alaska’s wilderness. Everyone always asks how we manage raising our family so far away from our own, but the truth is we’ve never felt more at home than we do here.

The kind of adventure activities you take on are so impressive. They must take so much stamina - both mental and physical - to achieve, considering the activities + the elements. We would love to hear what you do to maintain your physical strength to be able to take on these kinds of challenges? And how do you prepare yourself to stay mentally tough when your body wants to quit?

I have no secret for keeping strength aside from being active outdoors year round. Although maybe I should “workout” more because the trails are constantly kicking my butt. With under 4 hours of daylight and easily -30 F temps in the winter, keeping active continually couldn’t be more important. We have fallen in love with XC skiing since moving here. Many in Alaska are upset that it’s spring and keeps snowing, but I love the opportunity for more time on our skis!

Living here also forces you to keep up with your mental health not only because of the darkness but the weather and terrain. We have what you call “The Alaska Factor” which basically means be prepared for anything and don’t expect your trip to go as planned. The more flexible you are with that concept, the better you set up the entire family for success in the outdoors. I’ve definitely been on trips that have tested my mental state, having the support of my husband or the friends I’m with in reassurance of what we are doing is beyond helpful. Surrounding myself with a good outdoor community is vital for my mental game.

The Great Wanderlust is all about moms stepping outside of the box and diving deeper in both travel and in life! The mission is to inspire mamas and families to feel fully alive through adventure and exploration! What is your great wanderlust? What most makes you come to life?? Take us back to a moment when you felt that.

Hands down, the outdoors is what makes me feel alive. Recognizing the places my body can take me and just how lucky I am for those opportunities is the best reality check. When we’re on a trail, or river, or catching a fish, I can see the happiness I’m feeling on the faces of my husband and daughter. Feeling more moments like that is the drive to building the lifestyle we want and pouring more intention to all our decisions. It took me a long time to realize the routine 8-5 “normal” life I was raised in was optional. That’s not to say having that lifestyle is wrong, I just know it’s not for me.

I’m so inspired by how you focus your energy on what really matters in life. What are some ways you stay positive, grateful and hopeful in the midst of the everyday challenges of life?

I actually made a post about this recently, that most people realize how precious life is when they go through tragedy and the awareness of it often fades and people go back into their routine until another tragedy hits. I probably evaluate my life daily in regards to “am I working for the future I want in addition to living in the moment”. Being brutally honest with myself when something is stressing me out or I’m feeling overwhelmed by stopping to think “does this bs actually matter in the grand scheme of life?” and most of the time the answer is a big fat NO. That alone allows me to redirect my thoughts in a more positive and intentional way. I hope to challenge others to do the same by asking themselves if they are truly living a life that fullfills them and not letting all the nonsense distractions that don’t matter create a barrier to their happiness.

What inspired you to start Rove Co. and what is your mission behind it? Take us back to a moment where your dreams for it came to life. What is your biggest future dream for it?

What Rove Co represents today is a result of what I wish I had when moving to Alaska. We moved right before winter hit and my husband went overseas. We were so excited to be in Alaska but most people I met either didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to share their knowledge, or didn’t want to hangout with a chick who had a 5 month old. It was the most bizarre feeling to be in Alaska but have it out of my reach! I worked hard to meet people who were willing to show me the ropes and I finally decided that a more accessible community needed to be available. Sure there are tourist guided trips you can go on to learn from, but I’m talking about a true community of locals who want to facilitate people feeling more confident in the outdoors with other likeminded people. I also wanted a community for my whole family. I see lots of outdoor women organizations, but I love to explore with my family and other families. I wanted to create a space that was coed and open to all ages. I think I knew my dreams were coming true when I hosted a meetup on winter solstice in Fairbanks and it was -37F outside and we had 40 people show up, including kids! It was proof that people want to feel empowered to get outside, won’t let weather get in their way, and want to do so with a fun group.

I started Rove Co as an apparel line with monthly outdoor meetups in various communities. Now we offer overnight trips, day clinics, and weekly outdoor meetups in various Alaska communities thanks to my ambassadors! We’ve started to have ambassadors join from all over the nation as well, spreading rove co’s values of community, confidence, education in the outdoors! I couldn’t be happier when I see people forming friendships and planning future outdoor trips together or trying a new skills for the first time at one of my meetups and then going and conquering it on their own! It fills my cup beyond measure.

My ambassadors have become some of my dearest friends and those I want to explore with! We plan trips together and I am seeing ambassadors in other areas planning trips as well!

I’d like Rove Co to reach more people outside Alaska because I’ve seen what a positive impact it can have. So having more ambassadors to support that would be amazing. I’m also starting to hire my ambassadors as employees for our overnight trips instead of outside guides. I’ve been able to start this as people with extensive knowledge and experience are joining my team. I’d like for all my future trips to be guided by my ambassadors and support their growth in outdoor leadership skills.

What would be your biggest piece of advice for someone who wants to take a big leap to chase a dream like starting a business or taking on a new physical challenge, but they keep analyzing all the factors and are too scared to jump?

Me not being completely happy with my life is what tipped me over the edge for finally taking the leap. I was constantly thinking about making change and knew there was more out there for me. I’d say if you have a similar feeling about something you want to try, and thinking about it won’t go away, then go for it! There’s not enough time for “what ifs”. I believe everyone is capable of more than they think and often fear is what gets in our way. There are things I’ve accomplished and thought to myself “I can’t believe I almost didn’t do this because I was scared”. Don't ever let that fear get in your way because going out of your comfort zone to accomplish new things is supposed to be scary and uncomfortable.

I love how passionate you are about spending time outside - both for you and for your family. What is the greatest thing you have learned from nature? What is something you hope your daughter will learn from her immersion in the outdoors?

Nature has taught me to live intentionally, paying more attention to the now and the simple memories that will be non-existent before I know it. It’s also taught me resiliency and to give myself grace. These traits are not inherent to me and I did not grow up with them. It wasn’t until adulthood that I understood how important it was to believe in yourself when faced with a challenge. I want my daughter to learn those lessons from the outdoors early on.

Where are you off to next and what are you most looking forward to about it?

We recently bought a raft so I’m excited for camping trips down our river ways! Float trips are my favorite outdoor activity in the Summer but we always rely on others for gear and experience. I’m excited for our family to take on this new challenge and see more of Alaska not accessible by road. My daughter loves being on the water so I can’t wait to see her excitement knowing we now have our own raft.

Is there a question you wish I would have asked or anything else you’d like to share with other mamas relating to travel or life?

I want everyone to know they deserve a life of true happiness and that it’s not selfish to go after it. It’s so easy to get lost on this path with endless access to social and comparing yourself to others. Don’t compare your life to others. Always set goals and seek the questions to your answers from within. If you can make those intentional choices, you’re going to create a life that is perfect for you/your family.

Who inspires you to dig deeper in travel and life?

Amanda Manville @alaska.mountain.mama, Kirsty @wildadventuremum, Taylor @meandering.may are such wholesome accounts and humans. They have life figured out and are raising their kids with values to appreciate the outdoors as well as chasing exactly what makes them happy in life without letting fear get in their way.