Today we’d like to introduce you to Kylie Bearse.
Hi Kylie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m the Morning Meteorologist at Fox31 in Denver and Creator/Founder of Approachable Outdoors, a hiking resource website. After graduating from CU Boulder with a degree in Journalism, I started my first job in news in Idaho Falls, Idaho. From there I’d go on to get my Meteorology degree while working full time in Salt Lake City, Utah then Minneapolis, Minnesota before coming back to Colorado in 2018. On top of forecasting, the weather every day from 4:30 am-12:00 pm, I do theater reviews and report on Denver’s dynamic food scene.
In 2020 I created Approachable Outdoors hoping to break down barriers when it comes to getting outside and exploring our beautiful state. Hiking had become such an important tool for managing my anxiety and I know the benefits of getting outside when it comes to mental health, but it can be intimidating to get started. At first blogging candidly about my mental health was anxiety-inducing in itself, but I’ve found this wonderful community who has also found the mountains to be healing.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think anyone who goes into TV News will tell you it’s never a smooth road. Picking up and moving to Idaho Falls for my first job, not knowing anyone, making $19k a year was just the beginning. This career involves waking up at all hours of the day and night (right now my alarm goes off at 2 am,) working holidays, missing weddings, and time with family. It also involves opening yourself up to brutal critiques from strangers regarding your personality and appearance. There’s not a single part of my body – from my nose to my knees – that I haven’t been told is ugly at some point in my career. I’ve been told I’m too bubbly, smile too much, and have been called every name in the book several times over.
It also involves an extreme lack of privacy in all areas of my life. Every few months I try to scrub the internet of my personal information when a viewer finds my phone number and thinks it’s ok to send inappropriate texts. Pictures of a man were posted at my station and apartment complex after I received a death threat from someone with a dangerous criminal record. Thankfully, most stations have security measures in place to help with people who take things a little too far.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Approachable Outdoors?
Approachable Outdoors is a hiking resource website aimed at taking the intimidation out of exploring Colorado’s mountains and trails. I love hiking but whenever I would tell someone their first question was “how many 14ers have you done?” There was a level of “snobbery” about exploring the mountains that always made me feel uncomfortable and ultimately, kept me off the trails.
But for me, the mountains are about more than the views – hiking has been a huge part of helping manage my anxiety. Hitting the trails, disconnecting, and spending time outside has had incredible impacts on my mental health and I want others to feel empowered to do the same.
Approachable Outdoors is set up to help people find whatever level hike will work for them, from just starting out to discovering new places. It also has an emphasis on education and the importance of respecting the outdoors, plus fundraisers to continue to have a positive impact on our community.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I’ve found the biggest asset to my success – in so many areas of my life – all comes down to authenticity. When I first started on air, I was terrified to ever make a mistake or stumble over my words, I spent so long practicing to try and be perfect, but once I started to just be myself is when my career started taking off. I learned people were more invested when I stopped “trying to be someone” on television and let them in on my life and who I am. I’m a fairly open book and love sharing my adventures and misadventures. Now it’s incredibly common for me to be in the wrong spot in the studio or lose my train of thought, but I stopped trying to hide it and now just embrace it.
This became deeply personal when I started sharing my mental health journey publicly a few years ago. After years of feeling ashamed and trying to hide my anxiety, suddenly I was laying it out for the world to see. I was shocked at the response which was overwhelmingly supportive. It helped me connect with people on a deeper level and so even though talking about my mental health has been terrifying, it’s been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.
Contact Info:
- Email: kylie.bearse@gmail.com
- Website: www.ApproachableOutdoors.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyliebearse/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/approachableoutdoors
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KylieBearseWX
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kyliebearse
Image Credits:
Dave Puente
