“I can't do it. It’s way too steep. What if I fall? Nope, not doing it…”
Does anyone else battle with their lizard brain? Or find it challenging to get out of your own way?
The truth is, mountain biking is really hard. I know for certain it is something I will never master which is also the very reason why I keep showing up on my bike. It exposes my weaknesses in broad daylight. It’s just me, alone with my thoughts and fears on the trail. There’s no place to hide.
Mountain biking also fills me with a ridiculous amount of child-like joy and freedom. It is my moving meditation and I am 100% present.
It’s exactly how I want to show up in the world - capable, confident, kind (to myself). I become the best version of me.
Learning mountain bike skills involves your typical straightforward skill acquisition process: learn proper technique, layer in timing, practice, receive feedback, adjust, repeat and add progressions.
Mountain biking also demands us to be vulnerable and show up with emotional courage. We all know what we *should do* and yet in the moment it doesn’t always align with our actions. What if you learned how to dance with your fear and respond to your lizard brain in that moment?
Through the years on my own journey as an athlete, a coach, an educator, and an advocate for girls and women in sport, I have observed patterns of limiting beliefs, especially in women, and I found myself asking these questions:
What if women showed up as their capable, confident and kind selves (on and off the bicycle)?
What would that look like? Feel like?
How can I help others move from “I can’t” to “Yes I can?”
This is why I founded The Desert Dose.
I wanted to create an intimate and immersive space where women can show up as themselves and be seen. When you enroll, we meet beforehand to create the connections we’ll build on at the retreat. We ask you to take some time to reflect and assess yourself so that you can show up ready to be fully present in the experience. We realize that transformation is a lofty vision which is why we spend 72 hours together in nature at our retreats. When the retreat ends is when the transformation begins. We provide you with ongoing support post-retreat and our signature Success Sisters increases your motivation through the deep connections you’ve made with the other women at the retreat.
When the retreat ends is when the transformation begins.
As a human and as an educator, my focus is all about fun and not taking ourselves too seriously. Repeat after me, “This is not your typical skills clinic.” After we practice skills on the trail, we'll use the mindset tools we learn at the retreat to reflect on our experience as a way to embed what we learned, develop more confidence and continue our progression. Then, we’ll let go, relax, build community and have some adult summer camp shenanigans and remember the freedom and fun that comes with playing bikes.
We exist because we know YOU can do hard things (as Glennon Doyle reminds us). We see that potential inside of you and will help you to realize it. A Desert Dose retreat creates a pathway for you to become the best version of you, on and off your bicycle.
We sure hope you’ll gift yourself the experience of our retreats to feel the joy of reaching for your potential and observing the positive ripple effect it has in your own world.
Learn more about our retreats on our homepage: www.thedesertdose.com
