Embracing a New Life in the Subarctic - Kristen Berkeley

February 2, 2022·35 min·2 clips

Kristen describes waking up furious after George Floyd's death and deciding that same day to create the Trailblazer Collection to put BIPOC faces on outdoor merchandise.

A job offer changed the map. Gail Straub introduces Kristen Berkley, founder of Amplify Outdoors, and gives the conversation its shape: a woman from Toronto weighing the life she knew against the subarctic. The choice was practical, but not only practical. Kristen remembers being the city girl who did not think of herself as outdoorsy. Now she wants winter hikes, winter camping, and as much camping through the year as she can manage. Yellowknife did not make her an expert overnight. It asked her to learn slowly. The Northwest Territories were unfamiliar to Gail and, at first, nearly as unfamiliar to Kristen, which keeps the story grounded. She moved because one offer would have kept life recognizable, while the other pointed toward cold, wildlife, and a different kind of confidence. Gail gives that question room. Kristen calls it the famous question: how did this happen at all? The answer sits somewhere between work, timing, and temperament. By her fourth winter, adaptation is the story. Kristen talks about cold seasons like someone who learned them through her own body, especially as warmer weather makes temperature swings feel more noticeable. Her advice is plain and useful. If winter is going to be enjoyable, dressing properly is the main thing, not a side note. Layers make the North possible. Good boots, sweaters, a parka, a covered face, a hat, gloves, and small warmers are what let a person stay outside longer. The conversation never turns the cold into a badge of toughness. It is more about protection, patience, and giving yourself enough warmth that hiking or camping can feel doable. Gail keeps it warm and companionable, opening the advice to listeners beyond Yellowknife while still honoring Kristen's northern experience. After the interview, Gail returns to community notes, music credit, and an invitation to stay connected, leaving the move feeling less like escape and more like finding a new way to belong.

As heard by us

A quiet winter story about choosing Yellowknife and learning to live with the cold.

The episode centers on Kristen Berkley's move from Toronto to Yellowknife, and that choice gives the conversation its shape. What starts as a job move becomes a practical story about learning how to live in the subarctic, from winter hikes and year-round camping to the simple…

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Why you'd press play

You want a grounded story of moving north and figuring out winter one layer at a time.

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