Meet Stacey – My journey to becoming an Inspiration Outdoors Guide
Meet Stacey – My journey to becoming an Inspiration Outdoors Guide
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Becoming an Inspiration Outdoors guide – How I got the best job in the world!
To tell you the story of How I ended up being an Inspiration Outdoors guide (aka. best job in the world!), I have to go back a little and start the story of when I was young…
…I have always loved animals, when I was little my friends and I used to rescue bugs from the swimming pool and weekends at my uncles farm with all the animals were bliss. I drove my parents crazy. Any animal we saw whether it be on tv or in real life, I wanted. The injustice of not being allowed a pet shark or even an elephant was too much! I eventually wore my parents down and they allowed me to have a dog.
My dream as a child was to become a veterinarian but for one reason or another, it remained a dream. I think the task of taking care of sick animals and having to constantly say goodbye would break my heart. For a few years of my adult life, I tried different jobs that I thought would be the best fit for me. I started off with a job in hospitality. I loved the social aspect; the daily interactions with people, and the smiles were great but, the dynamic, fast-paced environment was a little too much for me.
“I learned to push through my fears and expand my boundaries.”
Gypsy blood was passed down from my mothers family so I was in love with travelling from a very young age. I learned so much about myself and about life on my first trip travelling on my own in Northern Thailand. I gained a different perspective on life and since then have always had the desire to be adventurous; jumping out of planes and off bridges, white water rafting, canyoning etc. I’ve learned that you never feel more alive than when you are scared. I learned to push through my fears and expand my boundaries. I was so unprepared during my first big trip that I wasn’t even sure if I’d packed shoes.
What could I do that carried over the things I liked about hospitality but not as crazy? How do I integrate travelling into my life? Oohhh….A Travel Agent! It was a great job; a little slower-paced (but not too slow) where I can interact with people and talk about fascinating destinations, adventures and holidays. What could go wrong? 😜 Turns out, I’m not very good at sitting at a desk for long periods of time.
A few nights of restless sleep and days of pulling my hair out trying to figure out what I could possibly have as a career that has lots of movement, minimal periods of desk sitting, all the while interacting with people…I got it – Teaching. Being a teacher encompasses all of what I love in a job. I decided to become a primary teacher as there are lots of activities, interactions with (little) people, I like to do crafts, finger paint and read picture story books. What a great set of skills to have for when have my own kids; we’d also share the same holidays and there are so many job prospects. It turns out that it takes a lot to be the kind of teacher I wanted to be. I enjoyed the work but something was still missing and then, I had a light bulb moment.
I decided that I was going to be a tour guide. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Combining my love of travel and the joy I get in meeting people. It’s perfect! Every moment after the 💡 light-bulb moment was so easy. I didn’t struggle to write my resume. Things happened and I got a job running one day tours from Melbourne which I instantly loved. I’m finally on the right track. This was it! Not long after, I was surfing the net and randomly came across Inspiration Outdoors and as luck would have it, they were looking for another East Coast Team guide. I had a quick look at their job application and before I even realised it, I was answering the questions and having fun doing it. That interaction inspired me and I haven’t even met anyone yet and when I got the interview, I was stoked!
The interview went so well that I literally went directly from the interview to an outdoor store and bought myself new gear. Needless to say, I got the job! I feel so blessed to be working for Inspiration Outdoors. It is the best job in the world and am working with a bunch of passionate people who are both the same as me and my mentors. Spending days in the amazing outdoors, see animals in their natural habitats, meet interesting people who share the same passion as I do and am around people I can share amazing experiences with.
Super Guide, Ace of Stace,
Stacey
