Natasha is a former business analyst turned writer, outdoor adventurer, and community mental health instructor. Her work has also appeared in publications such as GearJunkie, Tahoe Quarterly, SISU Magazine, The Dust Magazine, USA Today’s Storyteller’s Project, and more. She’s an avid backpacker, still water kayaker, tour cyclist, snowboarder, and trail runner.
10 years ago, she hated running, and couldn’t run a mile. She grew up running after objects - a basketball, softball, or volleyball - and couldn’t understand why anyone would run towards nothing. When Natasha turned 26, it felt like a boring milestone, so decided to try to run 26 miles. A 5k without vomiting, led to a 10k that would never end, led to a half marathon with her best friend, and then a full marathon. After the second year of training, and a second marathon, she injured her knee on a backpacking trip in New Zealand. Even a short run brought on pain so bad she couldn’t walk upstairs. So, she gave it up.
After years of trekking around the world and settling in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Natasha still missed one of her key mental health tools. So, with a lot of physical therapy and stetching, starting slow and with short distances, and sticking to dirt trails, she’s built her running distance back up to the half marathon and is absolutely loving trail running. Conquering hills, navigating through inclement weather, and enjoying a peaceful gallop through the woods are her new jams, and she looks forward to going farther and farther.
When she’s not exploring U.S. public lands, or cultures abroad, she resides in South Lake Tahoe, California. Click here to register for or schedule a mental health course.
