Life & Work with Jordan Larson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Larson

Jordan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Well, after performing research and working in mental health for ten years, I wanted to see what other opportunities there were for someone like me and if I could do more to help people, which interestingly started with leading people on local trails in Boulder while I tried to figure out what I was going to do next. I would apply simple risk management, positive psychology, and individualized treatment approaches that I had learned in my previous roles and apply them to my clients. Trying to “meet them where they’re at” and customize these outdoor experiences based on their interests and abilities, which clients would often comment they had never experienced before. 

After further research, this opportunity became even more interesting as I learned that the demographics of those underrepresented in the outdoor industry are the same groups of people that have the highest prevalence rates of any mental illness. This appeared as a incredible opportunity to blend my interests in mental health, environmentalism, and the outdoors. My imagination was sparked as I learned more about this underdeveloped field that seemed like a great opportunity to make a positive impact on public health, the environment, and local communities. I learned that there were some forms of this in either professional guiding, summer camps, “retreats,” or wilderness therapy, but there wasn’t something that was exactly like what I was hoping to create. Which was the ability to easily connect with knowledgeable locals that could take you to hidden gems and not make things feel like you were a tourist, but a friend, while promoting your mental and physical health, connecting you with the local environment, and setting you up to pursue similar adventures for years to come.

 The push to pursue this was further reinforced after I would experience some obstacles, like needing some legal counsel or a technology obstacle, but would then get bookings with a lawyer or software developer shortly after that need arising. I continued to perform research on different forms of this kind of therapeutic adventure and was met with a combination of resistance and support from those in various fields and backgrounds. Considering building an app and realizing I didn’t have the funds to do this, even with an old coworker’s help, I decided to focus on ways to give back more than ways to make money. I was developing different avenues to give more than receive. I would occasionally be asked, “so what do you do?”, and I would try to keep it simple, despite wanting to ramble about how what I do has the potential to make a huge impact, talking about its impacts on mental health, protecting the environment, and striving to be the public health version of Patagonia.

Through these conversations, I would be referenced to friends who they thought would be interested in this kind of thing. Through word of mouth, I would connect with people who are now guides with my company as they have somehow connected with the bigger mission of my company and not just trying to be another guide company. I feel my passion for creating a better world for others is what has led me to connect with such unique people and is what has allowed me to continue to expand and diversify our services. 

I continued to try to connect with local businesses, industry leaders, attend events like Outdoor Retailers and discuss ideas about how to create more opportunities for those within our community and beyond. At the beginning of 2020, I had high hopes it would be our best year yet but was quickly deflated by being forced to shut down. Not being comfortable with just twiddling my thumbs, as outdoor recreation was one of the few things that we could do, I began reaching out to people that I truly believe wouldn’t have given me the time of day. Almost everyone was at home, so I got to connect with executives of Blue Cross Blue Shield, environmental and mental health advocates, which lead to me connecting with the kind of knowledgeable people that had information that I couldn’t find anywhere else. Since then, our organization has only grown and allowed us to give back in even bigger ways through fundraisers, donations, and getting local people more involved and aware of our company, which ultimately benefits our community as a whole.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. It has been very up and down. Beginning with never having run a business before, I had a lot to learn. I only had the money in my bank account and figured out how to develop everything from the ground up. I received some advice from people along the way. Still, one of the biggest obstacles I have faced is convincing people how things as simple as physical exercise, nature, and socializing can make such a significant impact on the prevention of both mental and physical illnesses, benefit public health, protect the environment, and promote local economies and communities. I very much attribute my experience researching the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease to improving our messaging and getting people to understand how it all works. I also had to do all of this by myself and as someone who doesn’t initially find it easy to talk to just anyone, it took a lot of personal growth to get comfortable being vulnerable and sharing your most important passion with total strangers. I also had the task of figuring out how to raise more awareness about what we are trying to do. As helpful as 5-star reviews and word of mouth is, I couldn’t figure out how to reach a broader audience as my social media skills are that of a beginner at best, but I did great with people in person. So I just kept reaching out to people and learning as much as I can.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My company and I specialize in customizing therapeutic adventures for people in a variety of activities like hiking, rock climbing, outdoor yoga, etc. We really excel at connecting visitors and locals with local outdoor experts that curate these outdoor experiences based on the individuals abilities and interests to help reconnect or introduce them to a sport and galvanize sustainable lifestyle change. 

As a company, we support local communities by hiring locally, paying them appropriately for their work, and providing an easily accessible resource that helps  to make getting outdoors easier than ever. This cuts out having to deal with apps, research, or time and helps ensure folks are recreating responsibly. Additionally, we collect what we call a “community use fee” which we use the funds from to donate to local nonprofits that support either local outdoor or public health efforts that improve communities that need it most.

, Our biggest goal is to get insurance coverage for these therapeutic adventures, called NatureRx, to make these activities even more accessible to those who need it most. We have mimicked this in a way through our flex plan to make these more affordable than ever. 

Simply put, we help you explore more and stress less.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I see our industry continuing to expand as the outdoor industry becomes a bigger and bigger economic force, which is why I hope to combine both the healthcare and outdoor industry to create an economic engine that improves public health, protects the environment, and directly supports local communities.

Contact Info:

• Email: help@cairnguides.com
• Website: www.cairnguides.com
• Instagram: @cairnguides
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cairnguides
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cairn-outdoor-guides-boulder
• Other: Tik Tok: @cairnguides