Hilary Hutcheson on “Only The Strong Survive”
Hilary Hutcheson’s love of the outdoors started early in life as the child of parents who worked for the National Park Service in Glacier National Park. Her “wild” childhood was spent riding bikes all over the park, running rapids, floating down rivers, exploring nature and fishing. After the explosion in the popularity of fly fishing, partly thanks to Brad Pitt in “A River Runs Through It,” Hilary became a fly fishing guide as a teenager. Eventually, she pursued a degree in broadcast journalism and was a news reporter for five years in Portland, Oregon. However, the beauty of Montana eventually called her back home.
Now, Hilary wears many hats, continuing on with her first job as the lead fly fishing guide for Glacier Raft Company. She also started her own business, Lary’s Fly and Supply, which sells fly fishing equipment and hand-tied flies. An award-winning filmmaker, YETI ambassador and journalist, Hilary also writes for fishing magazines and creates outdoor films. She also somehow finds time to volunteer and serve on the boards of several conservation organizations. In this episode of the “Only The Strong Survive” podcast, Hilary shares with host Dan Kahn how she juggles her multiple endeavors, what it takes to run an outdoor business and her thoughts on leadership.
Click on the icon above to listen to the entire episode, and here are our top five takeaways:
Working in the outdoor industry can be idealized.
You have to take care of your employees.
There are many ways to help find a balance between work and life.
Volunteering for something you believe in is essential.
Always trust your gut instincts.
Get Dirty
Many people have an idealized concept of working in the outdoor industry. However, Hilary advises anyone thinking of pursuing an outdoor career to look past the perfectly curated photos on social media. To get an idea of what it is really like, you have to get dirty working in the outdoors. The days are often long, and the weather is far from perfect. It can be a rewarding career, but it is not for everyone.
“If you want a career in the outdoor industry, have you looked at it beyond Instagram or the videos that are published? What do you really know about it? Because there is a fair amount of “anticappointment” in the outdoor industry,” says Hilary. “I always encourage people to really get dirty out there first. Get outside and understand how you fit in out there and if you feel comfortable out there.”
Take Care of Your People
Being a guide can seem like a stress-free job where you are always enjoying the outdoors. However, the long hours, constant worry about client safety and satisfaction, and sometimes having to act as a client psychologist can all take their toll. That is why Hilary ensures the focus is on the mental well-being of her employees and not just how happy her customers are.
“We offer counselling through the Raft Company and we also tie in with the Redside Foundation, which is a non-profit that offers support to guides of all different types of outdoor guiding and recreation. They can get telehealth counseling sessions to get help with anything, such as financial situations they might be facing, relationship situations or issues with drugs and alcohol,” says Hilary. “There is a lot of support that is offered in the outdoor industry for guides. But the fact that a lot of guides might need that is something people haven’t talked about.”
Find That Balance
It is not hyperbole to say that Hilary is extremely busy with her multiple businesses, volunteer work and content creation. Having a work/life balance and staying sane may seem impossible. Thankfully, she has found a few things that help her juggle all that she has to do while still having time to enjoy life.
“I am not going out on a bunch of different limbs. I have tried that before, and it definitely didn’t work. So everything I am doing is kind of similar. I can work on a bunch of different things, but they are so similar that they can support each other,” says Hilary. “We (Hilary and her husband) are also pretty good at delegating and giving people jobs. I don’t feel I am a person who has to do everything herself. I am pretty comfortable getting people trained up and having them lead in different ways.”
Raise Your Hand
Volunteering and conservation are huge parts of Hilary’s life. Even for someone who might not seem to have spare time, she still finds ways to volunteer. For Hilary, one of the most important things is finding enjoyable ways to do it, as it leads to her raising her hand even more. Volunteering can take many forms, but you should always enjoy it.
“You have to decide how your strengths are best utilized most efficiently, why you want to do that volunteer work, and what volunteer work looks like for you. For a lot of people, it is not meetings or Zoom calls,” says Hilary. “It is stewardship work, pulling fences or working with their hands on the land. It could be going to Washington, writing letters or articles, or working with the media. There is so much volunteer work that is needed.”
Trust Your Instincts
Hilary’s path from a kid in Glacier Park to a fishing guide, a news reporter, a media agency owner, a guide and running her own business may seem like a winding one. However, for her, the choices she made have been the right ones. Guiding her through it all has been the ability to constantly trust her gut instincts to lead her on the desired path.
“My dad always said to think about your gut. He was very much about trusting your gut instincts and working through your gut and heart as opposed to overthinking things. For me, any time I have had a regret in business, it is because I strayed away from that, and I went and did something that either somebody else said to do or wanted to partner with me on,” says Hilary. “Anything that strays from how I truly feel about what I am doing or any time I have jumped off of that track has been a mistake.”
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