We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelley Wren, the co-owner of VNTRbirds, a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below
Kelley, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
VNTRbirds (venture birds) is a company whose mission is to get more women in the outdoors with confidence, proper knowledge and self-reliance. To have such a bold mission, you have to have your own confidence. As owners and sisters, Leanne and I grew up in a rural area of Pennsylvania and were constantly outside. We gained confidence from constant exposure and experience in the wilderness. On the water, in the mountains, through the forest, we had the incredible privilege to call the outdoors our true home and feel so comfortable in its embrace. We know that many others did not have this lifestyle early, but are now choosing to be closer to wilderness on their own at older ages. It’s not so easy to start confident, it’s something that needs to be built up. We are here to bring that same encouragement we had to these women who join our clinics and workshops. At times our confidence does drop. Are we doing enough? Are people interested in our mission? What if no one shows up? Though, time and time again our community continues to show up for us, for themselves and is constantly growing.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
VNTRbirds is a women’s outdoor education and adventure company. In the winters we are instructing backcountry education and avalanche certifications and in the summers, we’re on trail coaching mountain biking. We want more women in the outdoors with confidence, proper knowledge and self-reliance. With this we host skills clinics, certifications, maintenance workshops and so much more. VNTRbirds wants this knowledge to be more accessible to all. We strive to be inclusive and welcoming to all women (use of women includes femme, transgender and gender non conforming people who are comfortable in women centered spaces). Last March 2023, VNTRbirds purchased VIDA MTB Series, another women’s mountain bike instruction company that was based in Golden, Colorado. With this merge our community has only grown and become stronger than ever. We have more coaches and therefore more clinics in more locations than ever. Come out to our two day mountain bike courses in Snowmass, Winter Park or Durango, or find a one day clinic in Boulder, Buena Vista, Salida, Breckenridge and Frisco.
VNTRbirds is so thrilled about bringing these two companies together and creating a bigger and better experience for women in the outdoors.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
In the past, Leanne and I were big in the snowboard competition circuit. It was so incredible to be a part of that group. All the women were always cheering each other on and giving big hugs at the finish line. I know not all sports have this same camaraderie. We wanted to be able to bring this to every aspect of the outdoors we were involved in ourselves. Gaining this quality made VNTRbirds a more inclusive company. Knowing our community and being able to be a bigger part in it and bettering it with VNTRbirds. The skills and knowledge came with a lot of mistakes and experiences for growth and being able to really take those and learn from them. Taking advantage of learning opportunities rather than feeling like a failure is best piece of advice we could give anyone. Accept mistakes and move on with a better perspective from it.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Not to brag, but our parents are the absolute best. From the very beginning we were always encouraged to explore and be creative. Finding comfort in the outdoors and never intimidated because we were girls. We ran around barefoot and would catch frogs and insects and our parents were happy if we found happiness in the open air and sunshine. Leanne and I grew up in a log home on a lake that called you outside no matter the weather or season. Our mom and dad both taught us to bike, to ski, to swim and sail. We learned to paddle, to run and climb trees. They explained how to care for the environment by not littering, recycling and leave no trace principles. This is something we can now share with our own clients through VNTRbirds.
We’re also giving back to our parents who recently moved to Durango, Colorado. They are in their 60’s learning to mountain bike and getting hooked the same way Leanne and I did, but with some extra coaching from their daughters.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.VNTRbirds.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vntrbirds/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VNTRbirds
Image Credits
Julia Ordog, Kelley Wren, Justin Park
