RUGGED OUTDOORSWOMEN ARE GOOD TROUBLEMAKERS

Sometimes Good Trouble Looks Like Telling the Truth

Last week we celebrated the Good Troublemakers of the 2026 World Cup.

Not the billion-dollar FIFA organization.

Not the celebrities.

Not the stadiums.

The people quietly leaving the world better than they found it.

The Japanese fans picking up trash after the match.

The volunteers.

Everyday people choosing kindness.

Because that's what Good Troublemakers do.

They remind us that changing the world doesn't always require power.

Sometimes it simply requires heart.

"The world changes every time someone chooses love over power."

Why LOUDER GIRL Celebrates Good Troublemakers

There's enough noise telling us the world is broken.

That people are selfish.

That greed wins.

That power belongs to the loudest person in the room.

I don't buy it.

One of my favorite quotes, printed on a T-shirt I wear often, is from Jimi Hendrix:

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

Love is the foundation of LOUDER GIRL.

It's why I created Ignited Leadership.

It's why we're celebrating Good Troublemakers this month.

Because every day, ordinary women are quietly changing the world.

Photo: Love

Meet This Week's Good Troublemaker

Back in May, I introduced you to Christine Reed—thru-hiker, trail runner, adventurer, author of the memoir, Alone in Wonderland , and founder of Rugged Outdoorswoman Publishing.

She is also...

A LOUDER GIRL.

An Ignited Leader.

A Good Troublemaker.

The Stories Women Were Never Supposed to Tell

Photo: Blood Sweat Tears Book Cover

In 2024, Christine published and edited Blood Sweat Tears , an anthology featuring 26 women+ sharing personal narratives about hiking, backpacking, trail running, climbing, and mountaineering.

At first glance, it looks like a book about adventure.

It is.

But it's also about something much deeper.

It's about what women carry.

Not just backpacks.

Our bodies.

Our grief.

Our fears.

Our shame.

Our joy.

Our courage.

The essays explore topics we are taught to keep private:

• Menstruation
• Menopause
• Body image
• Mental health
• Motherhood
• Sobriety
• Chronic illness
• Disordered eating
• Identity
• Grief
• Belonging
• Mortality

In other words,

Life.

You can read Christine Reed's entire personal narrative in Blood Sweat Tears here.

Three Women. Three Different Mountains. One Shared Truth.

Photo: Woman Climbing Mountain

One woman climbs Aconcagua while managing an unexpected period, altitude sickness, ulcerative colitis, and the pressure to appear strong rather than ask for help.

Another attempts to break the speed record on the 485-mile Colorado Trail, only to discover her greatest battle isn't with the trail—it's with her own exhaustion, self-judgment, and loss of joy.

Another begins an ultramarathon hungover, overwhelmed, grieving her mother, questioning her parenting, her career, and herself—all while climbing thousands of feet in elevation.

Different trails.

Different mountains.

The same human experience.

Because whether we're climbing peaks...

Leading organizations...

Raising children...

Starting over...

Or simply trying to make it through another Tuesday...

Women carry far more than anyone can see.

The trail changes. The challenges don't.

Truth Is Good Trouble

I'll confess something.

Christine and I met in...

Yep.

Taos.

(I know. You're shocked.)

Despite our age difference and very different life experiences, I immediately felt connected to her.

Good Troublemakers recognize each other.

We're the women willing to say what everyone else is thinking.

We're willing to go first.

We're willing to tell the truth.

That's exactly what this anthology does.

Why Truth Changes Everything

Photo: We Need You to Tell Your Story

Christine's dedication in Blood Sweat Tears is simple:

"For all of us."

In her introduction she writes:

"Sharing these stories and speaking our truth is a powerful form of connection. It is also the key that sets us free."

I couldn't agree more.

Every time one woman tells the truth...

Another woman realizes she isn't alone.

That's how culture changes.

Not all at once.

One honest story at a time.

Even the Critiques of Blood Sweat Tears Proves the Point

Some reviewers complained there was...

Too much blood.

Too much menstruation.

Too much female reality.

I smiled when I read these reviews.

Because that's exactly why this book matters.

Women's bodies have been edited out of our stories for far too long.

Good Troublemakers put them back in.

The stories we're told not to tell are often the ones another woman needs to hear.

Your Good Trouble This Week

Maybe your mountain isn't 2,000 miles long.

Maybe it's making the doctor's appointment.

Setting a boundary.

Leaving a relationship.

Asking for help.

Admitting you're struggling.

Sharing your story.

Choosing yourself.

Every act of honesty is an act of leadership.

Every truth spoken gives another woman permission to speak hers.

That's how we change the world.

One brave story at a time.

Join the FREE LOUDER GIRL Community of Good Troublemakers

A place where women:

• Cause Good Trouble
• Support
• Tell their stories, share their truths
• Lead their lives first
• Get creative

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