We recently had the chance to connect with Sunny Stroeer and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Sunny, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
I am chasing a life lived fully.
Do you ever wonder what would happen if we could look into the future or if everything around us was predictable? What if tomorrow equalled today + effort + direction? I do, and I don’t like the idea at all, because I consider uncertainty to be the spice of life – it is the reason that I want to look around the next corner, it’s why I want to tackle the next project, and why I will get out of bed tomorrow. I am motivated to move things forward and to experience life because I DON’T yet know what will happen so I want to find out.
To me, what I am chasing is life itself; there is no stopping.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My work spans a few key organizations: Dreamland Safari Tours, a premier guide service here in Southern Utah which I co-own; AWExpeditions, which leads all-women expeditions to high-altitude peaks worldwide; and my primary focus right now, the Summit Scholarship Foundation.
Through AWExpeditions, we’ve created a unique space for women to develop leadership and resilience in the mountains. But my the center of my passion is the Summit Scholarship Foundation. This non-profit takes the mission a step further by actively breaking down the financial and social barriers that keep many talented, aspiring female mountaineers from ever starting their journey. We provide critical funding and mentorship to help build a more diverse and equitable pipeline of future leaders in the outdoor community. It’s about ensuring that anyone with the drive has a genuine opportunity to test their potential.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
That’s a question I think about a lot, as it’s the very foundation of the work I do today.
I believe that before the world told me I had to be a strategist, a consultant, or an MBA, I was simply an explorer. I was a kid who was endlessly curious about what was over the next hill, driven by a desire to see what my own two feet could carry me towards. There was a sense of play and possibility in that, and some form of confidence that came from navigating the natural world without a map defined by others.
I followed the world’s script for a long time: I went to Harvard, built a successful corporate career, and I’m grateful for those skills. But there was always a profound disconnect. What I discovered over time is that the mountains don’t care about your job title or your resume. They demand you show up as the person you are at your core: resilient, adaptable, and present.
My work now is about creating opportunities for others to have that same reconnection. When I’m guiding on a high-altitude peak or speaking to a leadership team, my goal is always to help strip away the external labels and expectations, and to remind people of the powerful, curious explorer who has been there all along.
Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
Yes, vividly. It’s a memory I think about often because of how much it shaped my understanding of respect and empowerment. I was about eight or nine years old, sitting in the car with my dad. We were stopped at an intersection, and he turned to me and genuinely asked for my opinion on a real, grown-up topic. I remember the feeling of his sincerity—It was the first time I felt the profound difference between being spoken at and being truly listened to. It was a simple question, but the feeling was transformative. I felt like I grew up in that moment.
That memory is one of the cornerstones of my work today. The goal with my expeditions and the communities I strive to build is to replicate that exact feeling of validation. When you create an environment where every voice is genuinely valued, you don’t just build confidence; instead, you also unlock a level of capability people might not have known they possessed. It all comes back to that simple act of respect.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, completely. A huge motivation for leaving my corporate career at age 30 was a powerful need to close what I called an ‘alignment gap.’ I felt like I was splitting myself in two: the professional persona, and the person who truly came alive in the mountains. The life I’ve built since is a direct result of choosing to erase that dividing line. My work as an athlete and entrepreneur isn’t separate from who I am; it is who I am. So the person you see publicly is the same person you’d meet on a trail. It’s a much simpler way to live.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
What I’ve come to understand on a deep level is the true purpose of adventure, and why gender equity within that space is a powerful catalyst for change that extends far beyond the mountains themselves.
Most people see a big mountain expedition as just that: an adventure, a physical challenge, a bucket-list item, or even an escape. But I see the mountains as a high-fidelity classroom for life. When you’re at 20,000 feet, you’re making critical decisions under pressure, managing real risk, and navigating profound uncertainty. The grit, resilience, and leadership skills that someone forges in that environment are directly transferable to the boardroom, to entrepreneurship, and to navigating personal challenges. Adventure isn’t the goal, it’s simply the vehicle for transformation.
And because that vehicle is so powerful, who has access to it and how they get to experience it becomes critically important. This is where the gender equity piece comes in. For many, the conversation stops at representation: the idea that “if she can see it, she can be it.” That’s vital, but it’s only the start. The deeper truth is that creating all-women spaces in the mountains fundamentally changes the learning dynamic. It fosters collaborative leadership, creates the psychological safety for women to be vulnerable and push their limits without judgment, and redefines success around the process, not just the summit.
When a woman masters that environment, she brings back more than a summit photo: she also brings back a transformed sense of her own capability that ripples into every other corner of her life. She is more likely to ask for a raise, lead a team, or start her own business. So ensuring women are on the mountain isn’t just about fairness; it’s about unlocking a huge, untapped source of confident and resilient leadership for the world at large.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sunnystroeer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sstroeer
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunny-stroeer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sstroeer
Image Credits
All images credit Sunny Stroeer
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