Holistic Hikes Founders & Directors - Amanda & Shannon
We are only a few sleeps away from Christmas day with many wrapped-up work for the year. Others still working, in the depths of busyness, Christmas shopping and juggling commitments.
I find myself quietly reflective and at a slower pace this year. A lot has changed personally for our family over the past 12 months and as I often reiterate to our clients, the need for space to process and consider these changes is paramount. So, Shan and I are taking a hiking break over the Dec/Jan holidays with our first client hike back in 2023 the meditative eco-therapy sunset walk on 20th Jan & paddleboarding adventure on the Sun 22nd Jan.
A staycation on the Mornington Peninsula - because when you live in a holiday destination – is it even worth the hassle to pay to stay elsewhere? Now seaside, on our break we plan to walk Wonga (Arthurs Seat) – our backyard, kayak on the Bay and enjoy the new home before renovations start next year.
"....our hiking adventures and tours still incorporate holistic elements, our purpose is to inspire and empower our clients through hiking and the healing nature of being connected with the natural world for our mental, physical, and spiritual health. "
Holistic Hikes, now in its 4th year, has continued to organically evolve from a clinic-setting health and wellness coaching-based format into something that I am truly proud of. Whilst our hiking adventures and tours still incorporate holistic elements, our purpose is to inspire and empower our clients through hiking and the healing nature of being connected with the natural world for our mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Hikers traverse the coastline trail of the Great Ocean Walk.
'To see our clients step into a more confident, self-sufficient, and empowered version of themselves, is why we do this.'
In 2022 we welcomed many new faces to our overnight pack hikes, many of whom had never camped before. To see our clients step into a more confident, self-sufficient, and empowered version of themselves, is why we do this. Hearing stories of the challenges they faced in their lives; relationship breakdowns, caring for parents, and the many mothers that were navigating teens, to get a moment to themselves to process, overcome physical obstacles on the trails, and remind themselves they were strong, they were resilient and could face any challenge.
Hiking has that power. It seems simple but often the simplest things are the most effective, they’re just ‘hard’ in other ways. Hiking asks you to dig a little deeper mentally, to move beyond the edges of your comfort zone. The challenging hill can be the most empowering action you can take. Just by putting one foot in front of the other and never giving up. It’s the pep talk that goes on in these moments that matters – the internal narrative – that runs in your mind when things are hard. What is it saying? Is it encouraging or is it antagonistic? This is where we support you. Shan and I share a passion for seeing people achieve all they can be, and we know that hiking holds the power to change your life because it did for us.
In 2022 we had numerous overnight hikes from Wilsons Promontory, Alpine National Park to Great Ocean Walk. 90% of our Pack hikers were first-timers, and the majority were women with an average age of 50 years young.
Our 2022 year gave us some interesting insights as to who is hiking with us, we found:
89% of you were women
Of the 11% Men - 70% were booked in with or by their partner
52% of you were new to Holistic Hikes
The 48% of you that have hiked with us before bought 38% of the new hikers with you
The average age of our hikers was 50 years young although there is a regular representation of 35-65yo
In the diverse range of day hiking tours that we ran, we welcomed many new faces who enjoyed everything nature based from Photography hikes with Janis House, Paddleboarding Adventures with WAM, Big Scale Hiking days with Dinners at St Andrew's Brewery, our Myndful Men's Weekend with Psychotherapist Nick Sutherland of Myndfit, and of course our 3rd year of Hike & Yoga with Megan Killorn at various locations on the Mornington Peninsula.
We're excited for 2023 tours with some new events that we've been curating for years like our Gourmet Grampians Escape. and our first Hike & Yoga weekend. Plenty on offer and for those of you wanting to level up your fitness, the 8-week HIKE FIT program kicks off JAN 16th.
Shan and I are grateful, after years of uncertainty, cancellations, and breathless pauses, that we see our community of holistic hikers continuing to rebuild. We appreciate the support of all that have hiked with us in 2022 and we look forward to welcoming familiar and new faces to the trails in 2023.
We hope you all have a beautiful festive season, some quiet reflective time to look back at what you’ve achieved, where you have overcome and grown from your experiences, and look forward to a New year where you take new adventures and open your world to the opportunities that hiking provides.
Thank you - We appreciate your support.
Mands & Shan