The Trade-offs of Seasonal Work, Shifting Identities, and Kite Skiing Across Greenland with Katie Crafts
At age 29, Katie pulled a classic career move: throw your desk upside down, leave your stable 6-figure recruiting job, and go work in Antarctica. You know… as we do.
What started as a bartending gig in Antarctica quickly grew into a multi-year career as a Polar Expedition Guide: lecturing aboard the National Geographic ships in Antarctica, leading 10-day wilderness trips in East Greenland, and educating guests about polar bears in the Canadian Arctic.
Five years later, she rebooted back in Oregon, capping off that chapter with an epic kite skiing feat across Greenland – a swan song to an incredible life era.
We talk about...
Big chapters of life and navigating identity changes
Being in her 20's and wanting to commit to a lifetime of adventure, and later exploring how to balance adventure and stability
Jumping from college to adulting very quickly, then shaking it all up at 30 by going to Antarctica
The feeling that "there's something bigger for me" and when to know it's time for a life pivot
Seasonal work vs. a 9 to 5, but transferable skills: e.g., how Katie used her recruitment skills to get herself a job in Antarctica
Not exactly knowing what you're doing, but immersing yourself in it anyway
When everyone on the outside thinks you have a perfect life, but on the inside feeling like your mojo is gone
Deciding to kite ski across Greenland without knowing how to kite ski
The trade-offs of living a "raw, wild and free" life
Missing her Grammie's funeral to continue her Greenland expedition
The ego around having a badass life vs. being "just me"
When you live a part of a big life, then someday realize you're "losing more than I'm gaining"
Fear and risk
Being a very fearful person who embraces adventure and challenge
Becoming risk literate: when others think you're being unsafe, but you're very aware of risk and consequence
Risk isn't just "safe" or "unsafe"; it's not a binary-- it's about how you approach it
Risk management frameworks to use not just in the outdoors, but in everyday life decisions
Looking ahead in an intentional life
Finding more longevity in each chapter of life
Intentionally embarking on a new decade
Instagram-photo travel vs. experiencing your own home deeply
Living a life based around the seasons and finding the beauty in every season of nature and life
Child Katie's vision of her future and coming to terms with not going to outer space
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Music: The Kind of Sandwich Island by Shut-ins
Thank you to The Ruins, the best wedding venue in Oregon, for supporting the show.