Kat Schaumberg started guiding at 18 and spent years chasing what the outdoor industry told her success should look like—bigger mountains, harder objectives, undeniable proof of competence. But over time, through experience, burnout, and deep personal healing, that definition unraveled.
What replaced it is something far more useful: a grounded, intuitive, and deeply human way of moving through adventure—and life.
Here are the practical lessons from Kat’s journey, in her words.
You Don’t Have to Prove Yourself to Belong
Early in her guiding career, Kat was told—directly and indirectly—that respect had to be earned through performance. When she wasn’t being treated as an equal, the advice she received was simple: go climb harder things.
So she did. She stacked massive objectives back-to-back, pushed her limits, and proved her capability. And yes, it worked—“I was getting such good work… there was new space for me.”
But looking back, her perspective has shifted completely. “I don’t think that you should have to prove yourself in order to be given space.”
Her takeaway is clear: proving yourself might open doors, but it shouldn’t be the price of entry. Belonging shouldn’t require exhaustion.
Bigger and Harder Isn’t the Only Way Forward
Kat was taught that success meant leading the biggest expeditions and tackling the hardest routes. That was the metric. But over time, she began to question it.
She saw how the outdoor world—and even endurance sports—can create a hierarchy where only the longest, hardest efforts “count.” And she rejects that entirely. What matters isn’t the size of the goal—it’s the meaning behind it. “Whether that means you’re running a hundred miles or… going on a walk around the block… those can be the exact same thing.”
The shift here is subtle but powerful: effort is personal. Growth is personal. There’s no universal scale for what matters.
You Can’t Optimize Everything—And You Don’t Need To
As a young female guide, Kat felt pressure to be everything at once: strong, competent, likable, charismatic, professional, and marketable. “I needed to be able to do it all.”
But that level of optimization came at a cost. It blurred the line between her personal and professional identity and made it difficult to exist fully as herself. “The expectation… made my whole personal life not become possible.”
Her lesson here is one many people need to hear: you don’t have to be everything to be enough. Trying to optimize every version of yourself will only disconnect you from who you actually are.
Competition Isn’t the Same as Community
Being one of few women in a male-dominated space created pressure—and competition. Kat describes how even among women, the scarcity of opportunities led to comparison instead of connection.
“It turned into competition… it didn’t feel like camaraderie.”
It took time for her to recognize that dynamic as unhealthy. In hindsight, she sees how survival-mode thinking kept her pushing instead of questioning the environment itself.
The shift came when she stopped trying to outpace others and started asking whether the space itself was aligned with her values.
Sometimes the Next Chapter Is Stepping Back
After years of pushing forward, Kat experienced a series of traumatic events in a short period of time—an avalanche, workplace harm, and sexual assault. Instead of continuing to push, she did something much harder: she stopped.
“The next chapter was healing.”
She stepped away from guiding and into massage therapy, not as a career pivot alone, but as a way to understand her own body. “I had been exploring the landscapes around me, but I had never really explored my own landscape.”
This is a crucial reframe: growth isn’t always forward motion. Sometimes it’s stillness, recovery, and learning to listen.
Your Body Holds Information—Learn How to Listen
Through bodywork and abdominal therapy, Kat developed a deeper relationship with her intuition. What once felt vague—“listen to your gut”—became something tangible.
Now, instead of overriding discomfort or tension, she encourages sitting with it. “There’s so much wisdom in actually just being in those stuck places.”
This shows up in how she guides too. Rather than pushing constant movement, she creates space for stillness—moments where participants pause, breathe, and check in with themselves.
The lesson is simple but often overlooked: your body is not an obstacle to overcome. It’s a source of information.
Slow Down and Create Space for Connection
Kat’s approach to guiding has changed dramatically. Where she once focused on objectives and performance, she now prioritizes experience and connection.
That might look like pausing by a river before starting a hike, asking meaningful questions, or giving space for participants to share their stories. The result isn’t just a successful trip—it’s community.
“It’s not about me as the leader. It’s about creating community and hearing other people’s stories.”
Interestingly, this shift hasn’t diminished the experience—it’s deepened it. The summit becomes secondary to what happens along the way.
Think Long-Term—Endurance Over Intensity
As Kat reflects on her career now, her mindset has shifted from short-term performance to long-term sustainability.
“I’m no longer trying to sprint. I am in it for the long haul.”
This shows up in how she makes decisions—prioritizing what will allow her to keep showing up in the mountains for decades, not just for the next season.
It’s a powerful reminder that success isn’t just about what you can do now. It’s about what you’re still able to do later.
Let Your Intuition Lead
One of Kat’s most grounding takeaways comes from her time sailing and studying bodywork: a simple guiding principle she now lives by.
“Lead with the lungs. Follow with the feet.”
For her, this means starting with breath, presence, and intuition—trusting that when you’re connected to yourself, your next steps will follow naturally.
It’s not about forcing direction. It’s about aligning with it.
Final Takeaway
Kat’s journey isn’t about abandoning ambition—it’s about redefining it.
She moved from proving herself to trusting herself. From chasing the biggest objectives to creating meaningful experiences. From pushing through discomfort to listening to it.
And in doing so, she found something more sustainable, more connected, and ultimately more powerful.
If there’s one thread that runs through all of her lessons, it’s this:
You don’t need to become more extreme to belong in the outdoors.
You just need to become more yourself.
The Cairn Project
Mobilizing to empower young women in the outdoors through grantmaking.