Episode 82- Genevieve Huneault, Social Root Consulting
Travel is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we shouldn't pass up. But what if you could do more than just experience faraway lands and exotic cultures? What if your travel could have a positive impact on the people, environment, or animals around you?
Travel inspires us to capture moments, to learn and grow, to challenge our minds and our bodies. There are no boundaries in our human nature. We can go beyond ourselves and discover something new, something beautiful.
The tourism industry is growing at a rapid pace across the globe. However, in many developing countries, there is a lack of comprehensive data available on the extent and types of tourism services currently being provided and on how they are managed. In addition, there is little information regarding their economic viability and their wider socio-cultural and environmental impacts.
Christine’s guest is here to talk about why she is so passionate about travel and why making positive impacts on the spaces and places you are traveling to is crucial to the growth and development of that destination.
Genevieve Huneault is the Principal Consultant and Founder of Social Root Consulting, an award-winning consulting collective that advises on ethical and sustainable development practices in BC.
Genevieve’s work is grounded in participatory-based community development, with expertise in natural resource management, gender analysis, cross-cultural communications, and regenerative tourism development.
Genevieve's work with Social Root Consulting seeks to adapt the United Nations 17 Sustainability Development Goals towards regenerative approaches for systemic challenges faced by many communities, people, and natural spaces.
Genevieve is also a Senior Advisor and Instructor at Rise Travel Institute and Development Manager at the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada.
In this conversation, we have so many shared passions we wanted to bring into this space it was hard to choose. We talk about the intersection of gender equity tourism and climate share about solo travel and some of the gender base conditions women may confront as they set out alone, and also talk about regenerative travel and learning from indigenous communities.
Join me now for my soulful conversation with Genevieve Huneault.
In this episode, Christine and Genevieve discuss:
Who Genevieve is in the travel industry and how travel has shaped her life
The intersection of gender equity, tourism and climate
Solo travel and some of the gender base conditions women may confront as they set out alone
What is regenerative travel?
Why learning from indigenous communities helps us grow, engage, and make a meaningful contribution to the places we visit
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode
For more information about Social Root Consulting visit: https://www.socialrootconsulting.com
For more information about Rise Travel Institute visit: https://www.risetravelinstitute.org
Follow Social Root Consulting on Instagram and Facebook
A Unique Women’s Book Club Offering Deep Connection To Self And Others
Did you know that I have a book club? Actually, it's really more than a book club. It's a book sojourn. I launched my virtual book club in 2021 and it was such a powerful and valuable experience, we decided to bring it back again this year! This is a journey meant to inspire travel, create cultural awareness and offer personal growth experiences from the comfort of your home, or wherever you may be.
In 2022, each moment we spend reading is a moment that lives in our bones, reading wakes us up. Reading transports us to another world, another experience or another perspective, reading leaves us changed forever. Imagine who you will be at the end of this sojourn. Last year, women said it was one of the most powerful experiences they had!
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About the Soul Of Travel Podcast
Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of the people making a positive impact in tourism. In each episode, you’ll hear the story of women who are industry professionals and seasoned travelers and community leaders who know travel is more than a vacation. It is an opportunity for personal awareness and it is a vehicle for change. We are thought leaders, action takers, and heart-centered change makers.
The guests work in all sectors of the tourism industry. You'll hear from adventure-based community organizations, social impact businesses, travel photographers and videographers, tourism boards and destination marketing organizations, and transformational travel experts. They all honor the idea that travel is more than a vacation and focus on sustainable travel, eco-travel, community-based tourism, and intentional travel.
These conversations are meant to educate, inspire and create community. They are directed to new travelers and seasoned travelers, as well as industry professionals and those who are curious about a career in travel.
If you want to learn about new destinations, types of travel, or how to be more intentional or live life on purpose, join Christine Winebrenner Irick for soulful conversations with her community of fellow travelers exploring the heart, the mind, and the globe. These conversations highlight what tourism really means for the world.
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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Genevieve Huneault (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Rayna Booth.
Transcript
KEYWORDS
travel, tourism, people, conversation, community, feel, gender, travelers, understanding, experience, regenerative, learning, indigenous, perspective, support, book, women, world
Christine Winebrenner Irick 00:08
Thank you for joining me for soulful conversations with my community of fellow travelers, exploring the heart, the mind and the globe. These conversations highlight what travel really means for the world. Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of the people making a positive impact in tourism. Each week, I'll be speaking to women who are tourism professionals, world travelers and leaders in their communities will explore how travel has changed them and how that has rippled out and inspired them to change the world. These conversations are as much about travel as they are about passion, and living life with purpose, chasing dreams, building businesses, and having the desire to make the world a better place. This is a community of people who no travel is more than a vacation. It is an opportunity for personal awareness, and it is a vehicle for change. We are thought leaders, action takers, and heart centered change makers I'm Christine Winebrenner Irick. And this is the Soul of Travel.
Genevieve Huneault is the Principal Consultant and Founder of Social Root Consulting and award winning consulting collective that advises on ethical and sustainable development practices in BC. Genevieve's work is grounded in participatory based community development with expertise in natural resource management, gender analysis, cross cultural communications and regenerative tourism development. Genevieve 's work with social route consulting seeks to adapt the United Nations 17 sustainability development goals towards regenerative approaches for systemic challenges faced by many communities, people and natural spaces Genevieve is also a Senior Advisor and instructor at Rise Travel Institute and Development Manager at the indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. I think Genevieve and I are both a bit like kids in a candy store.
In this conversation, we have so many shared passions we wanted to bring into this space it was hard to choose. We talk about the intersection of gender equity tourism and climate share about solo travel and some of the gender base conditions women may confront as they set out alone, and also talk about regenerative travel and learning from indigenous communities. Honestly, I couldn't stop smiling for hours after this chat. Join me now for my soulful conversation with Genevieve Huneault.
Well, welcome to Soul of Travel. I am very excited today to be joined by Genevieve and Genevieve I just realized I did my biggest pet peeve. And I forgot to ask you how to pronounce your last name before we were live. So now I get to do that in front of everybody. But would you share how you pronounce it? Because I'm always sad when people butcher my last name. And I want to respect that.
03:26
No worries. It's Huneault.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 03:28
Thank you see, I definitely would have done it wrong.
03:33
There's a lot of silent letters in there.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 03:36
And for those of you who are listening and can't see it's Huneault so you can see how I definitely have gone down the wrong path. Anyway, So thank you and welcome. Genevieve is the principal consultant and founder of social route consulting. And it is an award winning consulting collective that advises on ethical and sustainable development practices and British Columbia. And I am so excited to have you here today to talk about all of my favorite topics, regenerative tourism, environmental and cultural conservation, gender and diversity like all of these spaces that really get me excited about travel. So I look forward to seeing where our conversation takes us today.
04:21
Absolutely. I'm looking forward to it too.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 04:25
Well, as we get started, Genevieve, would you share with our listeners who you are in the space of travel right now and what that looks like in the work you're doing.
04:35
Yeah, so right now, I kind of wear two hats, I guess, one being the Founder and Principal Consultant for Social Root Consulting. So I've got a small team located across British Columbia, Canada, and we work on a myriad of issues and try to solve I guess, systemic problems through multidisciplinary approaches. So see We're proud of that. It's turning five years in August. So we've come a long way. And we're still continuing to grow in that, in that realm. And then I'm also the development manager for a not for profit called the indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. And I've been in that role for about three years now. And definitely a passion area of mine. I mean, both are, and it allows me to work on so many different areas within the tourism system that's really replenishing for what I feel passionate about, but then also making a really positive and meaningful impact, and then in the system as well. Yeah,
Christine Winebrenner Irick 05:39
Thank you for sharing that. And for our listeners there, I guess probably easily saying that we're going to be looking at tourism from an academic and research perspective or lens today, which I also am excited about, I've had a few other recent conversations. And I think it's really valuable in getting a broader understanding of how tourism can be so impactful. And it's something that's really important to me, but I love looking at looking at it through this lens, because then we can really, we really can see the quantifiable parts of that impact and have a better understanding versus for me, it's kind of always been, it felt just like this knowing and it's good to see something that stacked on top of that to validate it.
06:27
Definitely. And I feel like I'm hoping through our conversation today, I can kind of weave back and forth from kind of this academic, you know, constructive lens, but also bring in like my personal travel experiences, because I'm a huge traveler as well into, you know, how my realizations of being a traveler have kind of informed my academic research as well in my professional life as well. So it's kind of a bit of both.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 06:53
Yeah, and thank you for that. I think that is also so important. And I love seeing how people's journeys do shape, like how they show up in travel, I feel like it's such a, it's just really interesting to watch it unfold. For me, that's like one of my favorite parts of these discussions is getting to see how all of the pieces lay down on top of one another, and then all of a sudden take shape. And, you know, I just think everybody's journey is really magical. And it's so fun for me to get to witness that and be a part of it for a moment. So I think that is a great place to just go ahead and start and get to understand you and your background a little bit. And so I'd love for you to share kind of how travel became a part of your life and how that began to really shape this journey that you are in fact on. Yeah,
07:47
it's been a long journey, which I'm super proud of, when I guess where to start. When I was 19, I did one of my first international travels with my best friend. We went to Europe for a couple of months. And that was kind of the start of it all I would say as a young adults. And like as a teenager, I was always fascinated by travel, but never had the opportunity to really explore internationally, at least always kind of more regionally and provincially in Canada, which was always so much fun. But as an 18 year old, that was kind of where I really gotta like spread my wings and get a taste of travel. And I'm sure you've heard this several times, Christine, but that just naturally were like the travel bug, I caught the travel bug and it's been with me ever since. And since that travel, I took basically four years from high school to post secondary and could just continue to explore the world and understand myself better through travel.
And when I was deciding to go into post secondary, I was kind of lost, I didn't know what I want to focus on. I actually wasn't academically inclined in high school, I was more of a free spirit and kind of do what I feel like kind of person. So when I thought about it, I was you know, the common denominator was travel and I just felt so you know, like I had a fire lit in me around travel and I want to explore what that meant from a professional and academic perspective. So I went into a diploma program at State College in Calgary and yeah, I just it was a very it was a it was a great program. It was just a travel and tourism diploma really just like kind of learning around like booking fairs customer service, like you know your your entry level tourism understanding kind of tourism one on one. Once I succeeded in that diploma, I decided that I wanted to further like continue in school. So I ended up moving to Vancouver Island and doing my degree there. And I would say that that experience really shaped the trajectory of where I am professionally and personally now, the opportunities I had through that program were astonishing. I ended up doing a field school in Ghana and that's where I really learned skills around research.
Research and being in community and conducting, you know, qualitative and quantitative research. And what was really interesting in that experience was not only was I learning to integrate, you know, my interests, which were gender, wildlife conservation, community based tourism, but as a person I was, you know, I was experiencing this really transformational, I guess, this transformational reality of being in a, in a, in a community that was so different from what I grew up in, and the ways of life were just so different. And so to conduct research, to support their initiatives in tourism was, was really rewarding and challenging, but also provided so much personal growth, like for myself, so, you know, those teachings I went away with, and, and kind of, they became king of my guiding principles. And from that experience alone, I decided that I want to continue to do research, continue to support community, continue to understand how indigenous people can use tourism as a tool as a catalyst for social ecological and economic change, and, and what my role and kind of purposes in this in this world. So yeah, since then, I've been able to travel to places like New Zealand, across Canada, of course, with my work ITAC, indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, Australia and Southeast Asia. So it's been, it's been an amazing journey so far.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 11:30
Yeah, I thank you so much for sharing all of that, and especially the experience in Ghana, and like, how deeply that shifted, like your sense of purpose, and how it really connected you to, you know, what this work can do, I feel like, it's really this common thread is I think, amongst all the women I've spoken to is this, get when you get out into the world, and then get into community, there's something about the way that shifts, how we understand ourselves. And I really would love to kind of like, look at that, across the board of how that moment seems to have happened for so many people. And I know for myself, that I think you mentioned a kind of sense of belonging. And it's like this sense of like, it's the juxtaposition of not belonging, and belonging at the same time, that really, I think opens something up inside ourselves and allows for that discovery process to happen. I don't know, if you were you aware of that, that space, when you were participating in that, that part of your life theoretically, so our professor, Dr. Aggateway, Hill did a great job in in trying to prep us for obviously, being in a remote, very isolated community, and understanding from a researcher perspective, how, you know, you're being you're an outsider, and there's a lot of, I guess, we'll start with, like, decolonizing, and understanding your positionality in those communities, especially as a western white privilege person, right. And so, from a theoretical perspective, I understood the concepts, and then being in place and interacting with, you know, the way China and the community members, that's really where I, I was able to, I guess, take a moment and reflect and kind of, like, take a step back and be like, Okay, this is, this is it, this means more than just like positionality and these kind of words we use when we when we're conducting research, which seems so black and white, but then when you're integrated and immersed in it, you realize that there's a lot to unpack, I felt, you know, several wide ranging emotions and having to, you know, like, having kind of like this privileged guilt, and how do I work through that in like, in real time, because I'm there also to support them in their tourism development, which, which they are looking for that support. So it was really challenging and, and, again, not for like, not for the faint of heart.
I struggled a lot with that. I struggled even after coming back having kind of like this reverse culture shock because being in Ghana, you know, taught me so much about the way that our economic system like our globalized, like globalization works and, and the impacts that Western Africa as like a region experienced, like the impacts they have because of our Western world and our economics. So it wasn't just about tourism, it was really seeing the whole thing unfold in front of my eyes and understanding the depths of poverty and the origins of that and you know, the importance of biodiversity and wildlife and, and again, like bringing it back to tourism. Tourism is such a powerful catalyst and driver for supporting the conservation of those things and supporting healthy systems, rather than extractive and negative. And I mean, there's a caveat there, there is a dark side to tourism as well. And it's our responsibility to understand that too.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 15:21
Hey, listeners, it's Christine, did you know that I have a book club? Actually, it's really more than a book club. It's a book sojourn. I launched my virtual book club in 2021. And it was such a powerful and valuable experience, we decided to bring it back again this year. This is a journey meant to inspire travel, create cultural awareness and offer personal growth experiences, from the comfort of your home, or wherever you may be. In 2022. Each moment we spend reading is a moment that is indoors in our bones, reading wakes us up, reading transports us to another world, another experience or another perspective, reading leaves us changed forever. Imagine who you will be at the end of this sojourn.
Last year, women said it was one of the most powerful experiences they had. You can join us beginning in July for the last six months of this journey. Solo travel listeners will get a bonus call with me to welcome you to this experience, and set our attention and begin to build a new community. Does this sound like the type of experience you've been craving? Visit Lotus sojourns.com backslash women's dash book dash club to join this unique travel experience today.
Now let's hop back over to our soulful conversation…
oh my gosh, I wish I could rewind and just like go through like the sentence by sentence because I feel like there was so many things I was really reminded of, I don't know, if you've read beyond guilt trips by a doctor I knew turneffe. And she talks about, like her group, her experience in the beginning of the book, like traveling. And like all of those things unfolding as a student traveler, and not having had any of the preparation that it sounds like you had for like kind of what to expect, and then also not having space to process where they were there and the impact that that had on them. And I hadn't really thought about it before. Before I read that book, like there is some level of preparation that I think is necessary, which i have created in the in the travel program that I have, because I'm more aware of it now.
And not having the language for, like what those experiences were which now we're like understanding like, you know, witnessing colonization and really like we're we're beginning to understand what some of those feelings are that we've maybe felt in the past when we travel. And I love that your experience being in this academic setting actually kind of have you prepared a little bit for it, like maybe had some language for it, you knew what you were maybe up against, but there's always that wheel time, like you've said that real time engagement that you can't prepare for you just can't and that is also part of the magic of the growth of travel is that there's no way you can be prepared for what you're going to encounter. And that's, that's where it's going to happen. So I I just I don't really have any question in that just like witnessing that part of your journey and relating it to my own experiences. But when you were able to return home, and like maybe unpack that a little bit more, Did you discover anything in that process of reflection that really guided what you wanted further?
18:53
Yeah. On I guess on kind of in several, in several like streams, from a personal perspective, I think that was kind of the pivotal point and really understanding privilege, and how I act and in this world and coming back home I felt I felt like it was a bit alien I you know, having been immersed and integrated into a Ghanaian society for just over a month was was transformative and seeing the way that they live. Again, challenging but also so refreshing. And one of the biggest takeaways for me was even, you know, seeing a level of poverty that I had not yet experienced through my travels and through academia, like research was understanding their levels of happiness at the same time. So there's kind of like this juxtaposition where there's like this deep level of poverty and death and sadness but also this high level of comfort , passion and love and joy. And I realized that I think there's, there's these two extremes there because it's extreme living, there's, there's days where you are not going to be able to eat, for example, and there are days where, you know, your cattle runs away.
And that is a huge asset in that area. And life is unpredictable. So I think, you know, I saw, I saw people being very present in the moment and connecting with people and their family in a way that I didn't recognize coming back. And to me, that was one of the bigger changes personally and understanding like my connection to my family and my friends and my community, and how I want to work on being more present and understanding these like the, you know, the the feelings of like compassion and love and happiness, and understanding that like, even just death, and part of the, the pieces that in a Western perspective, we don't talk about or we are afraid of that there's also beauty in that because they, there's the relationship there. So from that, from that personal perspective, that was one of my bigger takeaways. And then from the tourism perspective, it really was about understanding one how travelers have a role in supporting these systems. So learning to be a responsible tourist was a huge takeaway, you know, being culturally appropriate in those spaces was vital. In the region that we were doing our research in, they were predominantly Muslim. So there were a lot of cultural differences there. And to be respectful, we didn't show our skin, it was 50 plus degree weather and our shoulders and our knees and everything was covered. And, and that was a sacrifice and a willing sacrifice that we were really, you know, that we made, but it really hit home that many travelers wouldn't or don't consider that when they're traveling to destinations, and especially ones with different different belief systems.
So that was another kind of key takeaway. And definitely, part of my work is to help inform travelers around what, what kind of impact they're making. So not just from a tourism perspective and a development perspective, but really, like on the ground, like how we're travelers impacting space and place. Yeah, and then from a development perspective, understanding my role, again, as a Western Caucasian woman, how I can be in that space, and what is my place in that space. And I think there's a lot of room to support indigenous communities, and not being the center of it, but understanding what their motivations are, what direction and goals they want to have, in terms of developing tourism for their communities. And then, you know, using your skill set to support that work and be a good ally. So lots of takeaways,
Christine Winebrenner Irick 23:00
oh my gosh, again, like where's the rewind, and they're like, Oh, these diagrams?
Christine Winebrenner Irick 23:05
No, it's so beautiful. And I just, I really see so much of my experiences in your experiences. And so there's a part of that that's just really comforting, because I feel like some of this feels really weighty. And it feels like maybe nobody else must be having these experiences, because nobody else seems to feel like the weight of travel or this responsibility that I felt really early on. Like, I just, I always had this sense of, and I was just sharing this with someone else of like, my duty as an ambassador of where I'm from, and my responsibility of being a guest of where I'm going. And I have always just really tried to think about that in travel. And sometimes it's so heavy when I'm trying to think about that. And you know, very much like you witnessing that juxtaposition and those extremes. And then also like witnessing the beauty and the magic of that and trying to figure out okay, what am I witnessing here? What is different? What can I embrace about this experience and bring back into my own life? How can I share that magic with others so that they're not just observing these cultures from a place of like, pity or burden or like, a lack of opportunity?
Like there's so much to be celebrated and when you can kind of separate like our levels of success and, and like prosperity from their way of living and really like witnessing what is real happiness what is real, what is what is real success, what is success, like? I just feel like and maybe it's a little bit of the sociological brain that I have like I'm always just like, analyzing and taking apart and trying to figure all the pieces out. I really resonate with that. And then the cultural impact for me. And again, this comes back to that, like an ambassador and guest. I really, especially the last few times I've traveled have been struck by this. And I think it's because of the likes of Instagram and social media culture, I have had just moments of just desperate heartache. Like I remember being in Bali and hiking on a trail. And before you enter, there's like this agreement you kind of have to make that you're going to respect the culture like this is sacred land, this waterfall means something to the people, please don't use profane language, have your bodies covered, be respectful of where you are. And I'm thinking, What a privilege that they're allowing me to be here. And like, this is this long trail that we're on. So I felt like we were on our own for quite some time. And like, I'm really trying to embrace the gift of this. And at some point, we come around a corner. And there's all these people in like, string bikinis trying to take their Instagram shot. And I just, I just really wanted to weep. I was like, why do we allow this to happen? What is missing in the conversation of tourism? Is this even allowed?
And like, what are the greater conversations we need to be having, like, all of this was happening in my mind while wanting to go over and just be like, What are you doing? Like? Yeah, it was just, it was so emotional. And I hadn't had that experience, there had been a pause in my global travels while I had young children. And so I had gone from like, this world where Instagram didn't exist, where all of this kind of way of engaging as a traveler didn't exist to like witnessing it for the first time. And it really also ignited a lot of conversations in me from a larger scale. And, yeah, so I feel like there are so many things to be in that intersect with all of these things of gender, community and indigenous conservation and all of the things that you talk about. So I don't know, like, not really having a question again, just like an unexperienced and an emotion, like, how has that come up for you and your experience? Or maybe, what can you share with our listeners about like, maybe where that feeling is coming from what that's crashing up against? From a systemic perspective?
27:42
Yeah, I mean, it's, it's so dynamic, and it's not easy to unpack, I guess. And like you said, like, there's so many intersections around gender and environment and tourism, and, and, you know, indigenous culture and tradition and indigenous worldview. And I am still on that journey to figure out how I'm reading these and how I'm staying cognitive, and mindful around the impacts of each of these and going even going back to Ghana, and the as a traveler, and as a professional in this in this sphere, I can't help but see that everything is, is interconnected, and one feeds the other. And the relationships are very actually quite closely knit. And so when we talk about, for example, indigenous worldview, and indigenous culture and the origins of their systems, and the way that they function, say, for example, here in Canada, you can't talk about those things, you can't understand those things without looking at gender without looking at ecology and the connection to place. So it's all very holistic, and I guess maybe this even feeds into a kind of understanding regenerative tourism, and, and why as a concept, it's so powerful for positive change. But I think the feeling that comes up for me is, again, kind of this mirroring and seeing the way that travelers and destinations function, I guess, I would say and then how that relates to my life. And so when I, when I'm traveling, and this has taken me a long time, I've made mistakes through my travels and, you know, I haven't always been informed and respectful. And it's been through mistakes and learning and being taught by locals or, you know, through through education, that some of my errors but it's, it's been a journey that I feel is one that a lot of travelers have kind of like this evolution where you make those mistakes, and you kind of witness these dynamics, social dynamics. And for me, the feeling is, I guess, wanting to do no harm.
I don't want to be in this world and when I make choices and when I make decisions, I want them to be for a you know higher frequency or like a positive impact. Fact, and I don't know what feeling to attach to that, but that's kind of the drive and the purpose of it. And so, you know, my drive to help, you know, for example, women understanding their independence and feeling empowered to travel and feeling safe in outdoor recreation spaces, and understanding gender there, it stems from, from my personal experiences, it stems from me learning how to feel empowered in those places, and understanding the power dynamics and the shifts and relationships of, of nature and, and gender, it stems from me making mistakes with connecting with First Nations or indigenous people as a traveler, and then starting my own decolonization journey and how that role has led to the work that I do now. And again, wanting to make that positive impact. So maybe it comes from a place of ego, but I don't think it's a negative thing. I think it's me understanding my identity, my impact, and then again, that mirror, how does that relate to what's already happening in the travel industry and the travel sector? And how do I position myself there to make the biggest impact and in a positive way?
Christine Winebrenner Irick 31:13
Oh, gosh, again, so many good things, I feel like we have like a 20 part series here. I'm so grateful for this beautiful conversation we're only part way through, I would really love to kind of from here, talk about what we've talked about this intersection of these have all these different things that we really love to focus on and learn about and understand. But I would really like to kind of maybe dive into that a little bit more, can we talk about how the intersection of gender and environment in the context of travel, like we talked about this a little bit when you and I talked before, looking at that, like how the environment impacts women, how this impacts culture and this intersection with place, and then you engage in this with tourism. Like, I think there's just so much to learn about understanding a place you're going by looking at these pieces. And I don't think it's something we again, like as a history of travelers have done or you know, there's some people that really focus on this, but for the most part, it's not been a focus of understanding as we travel.
32:27
Yeah, I, I guess, I would say to like, in, in my interactions with my friends and family and fellow travelers, a lot of people don't look at the world through a gendered lens, even though they are embodying and exhibiting characteristics of gender, right? It's part of our social fabric and the way that we understand one another. So it's such an integrated thing in our world, that people don't see it playing out and the way that it plays out in the relationships it has with tourism, for example, or the work or family life, right. So when I talk about gender and tourism, or gender and outdoor recreation, I still think there's a lot of learning for people just to understand, like, what does that kind of mean, and in its essence, it's really understanding how, how your gender, not your sex, not what you what you are genetically born with, but how you identify either as a female or male or other impacts the way that you one, and, like interact in those places, but also how it like those places are informed, inform you and and shape your identity. And I did a master's in natural resources and environmental studies, and I focused on how outdoor recreation and specifically fly fishing, how gender was expressed in, in that outdoor activity. And through the literature review, over and over and over again, what came out was that women in nature are characterized in a few different ways. One, nature itself can be characterized as feminine or masculine.
And those languages we use around those pieces are really impactful. So from a fly fishing context, for example, it's a, it could be characterized as quite a finessed activity to learn to fly fish, it's not like sport fishing, it's quite finesse in its movements. And, a lot of anglers have to embody those movements in order to be successful. Then when you look at the language, they're often using language that's quite how do I how do I say like, the fish is feminized. And so to catch the fish is kind of, like a violent conquering act. And so like what to me that poses the question like, why is the fish gendered? Like feminine, and then they've had this like masculine act and, and a lot of nature is feminized, right, like Mother Nature. So it's just, it's so interesting, I guess to take that apart and then see how, from a tourist perspective or as a female traveler or outdoor rec enthusiast, how you play a role in that. And from my own experiences as just someone who loves to hike, for example, I constantly think about that. I constantly think about how I feel in those places. And when I feel for example, uncertain or afraid, or there's a risk factor, how that's different and like, where, where that conditioning is coming from, where, where the risk really lies as a female in terms of like power dynamics in nature. Yeah, I feel like I'm starting to grasp all these things. But it's so hard to kind of concentrate on it. But yeah, I just think it's interesting to dissect, travel and outdoor rec in those ways. And there's no, there's no right or wrong in terms of feminine and masculine spaces or gendering in those ways. But it's really just about understanding how that plays a role in your life.
And, you know, a lot of for example, going back to hiking, a lot of women are nervous going in the backcountry alone, or even just with fellow female friends, right? And why is that? Is it because they lack the skill set? Is there a narrative from our society that suggests that they're too weak for example, to do it or lack the skills is there a financial barrier are, you know, are men being men and boys being groomed and conditioned to be perhaps spend more of their disposable income on things like that, and that there's an allowance in our society, for men to go into those places in spaces, where women, perhaps the narrative is different. And this is that's more from a Western perspective, not crossing, you know, different, different cultures and areas in the world. But that's really the place that those are the things I think about, those are the things that I want to continue to learn around and understand.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 37:03
Thank you. Um, me, too. Um, this is like such a great conversation for me, I've just immediately wanted to study 50 different things and like, No, try.
37:14
That's really sticking with me on that one. I was like, Yeah, I think a little like, well, gun approach here, but we'll bring it back.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 37:23
Yeah, and what I was thinking about too, especially when you're talking about like the context of fear and, and exploration, especially like, when you're looking at maybe single, solo female travelers, or, like you said, just women in the space of adventure, obviously, I talk a lot about what it feels like to be one of the only women doing many of the things that many of my guests have done, like, you know, as diverse explorers, you know, anthropologists like all these different things, many of these women are one of the first or one of the only women doing it. And so why is that? And then, as I was thinking about, like, heading out and traveling or or backpacking or exploring, like, if I'm saying I'm taking my three daughters on a backpacking trip, like, what is the response going to be to that? Oh, have you done that before? Are you prepared? Aren't you nervous? Taking your daughters into the wilderness? Are you sure they're going to be comfortable?
You know, these are the kinds of conversations that would come up versus, like, if my husband were taking three sons, we'd be like, What a great adventure. Oh, my gosh, it's gonna be so exciting. They're going to learn so much that it's really going to toughen them up. They're going to like a rite of passage. Yeah. Yeah. And I just think, again, like there's not an answer. There's just a question of like, why is that the narrative? What supports that fear? What supports the accessibility like you were talking about? And I think, as we start asking those questions, then maybe like you said, we can kind of begin to unravel what the issues are systemically or what what do we need to support in order to create more equity, in access and, and not even an access sometimes in the storytelling, which is something that's like a whole nother part of this? It's not that there aren't women who are doing these things, and historically, have been doing these things. It's just that the lens of storytelling has often been masculine. And those have been the stories that have been elevated. And that's like a whole nother we could go down. But I just think it's so interesting for me, what I want to do is open people's minds to the questions. And so as anybody who's hearing us talk, if you're like, I haven't, I haven't thought about this or like this thing, a particular leak catches my interest. Like, I just encourage you to run with it and see what happens in that process of discovery for you.
39:57
Yeah, and I'll even extended an open invitation To connect with me after if there's deep curiosity, and one of the topics that we're talking about today, I'm happy to, you know, support some resources or share a little bit more in depth around, you know, something that they might be curious about. So, yeah, I'm open to being contacted. Yeah. Well,
Christine Winebrenner Irick 40:20
We talked a little bit about regenerative travel. I'd also like to just kind of lean into that a little bit more in the context of the work you're doing. And how that also really is deeply connected to supporting indigenous communities. Can you share with us a little bit about why you think that's so important and what that allows for? Yeah, so
40:45
just to give some context, in terms of kind of like, what the difference between, you know, how I interpret regenerative tourism versus sustainable tourism and responsible tourism, you know, I think they're all under the same umbrella. And a lot of them have the same kind of goals. I would say regenerative tourism, as a movement as a concept is the newest and the shiniest of the concepts, but really, at the as a framework. And as a foundation, it's really about looking at how we can regenerate this system and work on some of the negative impacts and the damage that has been done because of tourism. And because of our economic and kind of consumerist ways of life, from a Western perspective, of course, and of course, globally, but regenerative tourism at the core is, is looking at the different systems, how they intersect, and how we can work on building approaches and modeling and development from marketing and a management perspective.
So that as we continue to, you know, invite people to destinations, they're not just there for, they're not just, you know, extract like using that place as an from like a kind of an extractive or hedonistic perspective, but also facilitating change from, again, the environmental, social and cultural. So we're really looking at not just how we can sustain a system sustain that destination, but add value. And the work that I do at ITAC is really around elevating the indigenous worldview, which is essentially and has always been regenerative tourism. So regenerative tourism is kind of our western understanding, understanding and conceptualization of what indigenous people and First Nations people around the world have been doing and embodying, since you know, for 1000s of years. And I would say it's a way for, you know, a non Indigenous person or someone who's been brought up kind of in these western systems to understand and deconstruct their understanding of the impact that they're making and kind of reconnecting to place and to people and to something that's a little bit more holistic. And, and again, like I had said before, it's kind of a journey that each person is going to have to take, and, and whether that's through tourism or not, I hope that I hope that they do, because there needs to be kind of that awakening. And so I essentially support indigenous tourism businesses in sharing that story, and helping them elevate their voice and sharing what they're doing to, to not only foster a healthy tourism enterprise in a community, but to also give them the tools so that they can connect with their community on a deeper level. So they can support conservation for that, like wildlife conservation, or habitat conservation. So that they can use their traditional values in their traditional ways. And kind of integrate into, you know, supporting research, for example, it's not just about doing, you know, traditional ways of, of life, but also finding kind of this new path forward in reconciling with the systems that they're working within, because we still are are working in kind of these colonial systems here in Canada. So how do we elevate indigenous voices? How do we integrate those traditional systems? And how do we also communicate that to the visitors so that they can use their tourism dollars and support an economy that's more circular that's more holistic, rather than seeing leakage or or rather than supporting non Indigenous or something that's maybe not as authentic? Gosh,
Christine Winebrenner Irick 44:34
I really got stopped just at the beginning of your conversation there or your description with the idea that this is a Western way of understanding what an indigenous approach has always been. That was a really powerful aha for me. And also, for me, because I think and this is also coming from our earlier conversation shinned about, like, how you and I both always had this really deep connection or curiosity or knowing of indigenous communities being really important. And knowing that this is like a part of our journey in some way, like just knowing like, there was some call to honoring this wisdom, preserving, sharing. And now this aspect of regenerative travel being a way that we can do that I think is really powerful. To think about, again, this is a real common theme is this deep need for belonging to this set of wisdom. And I think we feel this when we travel, especially places like Africa and South America, when we have the opportunity to connect with indigenous communities, like, there's something in us that stars and I feel like, there feels like sometimes such a strong disconnect. I know for myself personally, like, I feel like, I feel so far removed from that identity. And yet, like really deeply connected to it, and I don't know how to make those two pieces fit together. But I also know that that is the part of me that drives forth, this passion for creating community, creating global impact, creating, you know, initiatives that support this type of travel. And so I really love that, that way of connecting these pieces.
46:34
Yes, you got my mind just going. And I feel like this is probably deeper and broader or like it for a different time conversation. But to me, if I summarize it really for it's about kind of like raising consciousness. And I think, and I'm only just going to talk about my own personal experience, but I have an inkling that there are other people who are feeling this, but I feel disconnected from my origins. And, you know, I can say that I come from French Canadian and from France. I have a German background, but I think as a result of colonization and a result of war and moving to Canada, there's been a removal of my own culture and my own identity in those spaces. But I think a lot of people are waking up to kind of this, this deep, like awareness of their own, like spirituality and wanting to embody kind of a little bit more of like a deeper understanding of like, like, of themselves, and that I think part of that is wanting to connect to community. So when we see indigenous people who, although have seen a lot of, you know, horrific things happen to them, you know, over centuries. They're still a living culture, and they're still thriving and being resilient, despite the genocide of efforts despite colonization, despite being disconnected from their family members. And to me, there's almost for me, I almost feel a little envy there. And, not that I would wish any of those horrible things on them, of course, but to me, I just see the power of, of what they have. And part of my journey is to kind of connect with that as well, even though that's not my community, and those aren't my culture, that's not my culture, and those aren't my traditions. There's something that speaks deep inside of me from my origins that I think are similar and and that's kind of a way for me to feel kind of connected to and I think that's goes back to that purpose driven mindset that I have it's not just professional or personal it's also kind of like spiritual and a part of me learning to like raise my consciousness and use my kind of natural like powers and abilities and skill sets in the in this in this sphere.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 49:06
Ha so so good. Like you said, I again, like yes, another conversation could fully come from that. I feel like I just had so many aha moments again, in that brief moment of conversation and I'm so excited. Like I actually am really excited for people to listen to this because I don't think they're gonna come out. There's no way anyone can listen and not come out of this with something that just shook a little bit, which I also think is one of my goals. I like to walk around just trying to shake. Yeah, I love seeing that moment when people go like it just that awakening that wakening that happens I'm so excited by it. i This is why I think travel is so important because it really puts us face to face with so many things. And it really allows for that growth and for the different situations at different times. Texts of different religions have different environments, like all these things, like access or ignite different parts of our being, and they all live there. But we don't have access to them when we're kind of just tunneling through this normal, normal life. Like, we need these experiences to ignite those things. And I think like, if we're looking at, you know, consciousness raising, like, I feel like that's what a lot of people are just really leaning into right now. And I think that's why regenerative travel, mindful travel, transformational travel, why all of these things are becoming so important in this space is because as a whole, we just deeply need these experiences.
50:52
I agree. 100%? Yes.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 50:55
Well, I feel like we can't go anywhere else from there without writing a whole other book. I would love for people you offer so graciously for people to reach out to you, Genevieve, how can they find out more about the work you're doing? And how can they be in connection with you?
51:11
Yeah, they can go on to Social Root websites, I would say start there. My email is located on the website, you can have a look at some of the projects that we've done. As, as a firm, the email is Hello@socialrootconsulting.com. And yeah, I you know, I'm open to LinkedIn connections as well
Christine Winebrenner Irick 51:35
I don't know if on the live feed, you can see my name below. But just type that in and just ask for a connection. And I'm happy to connect through LinkedIn. And yeah, so I would say those two, those two areas are probably the best ways to reach me. Great. And I'll share that in the show notes. And people can find that on my website when they're listening to the podcast version. Well, in this conversation, I just have a series of seven rapid fire questions to let you probably get to know a little bit more about you. Although I feel like this is definitely like one of the most eye opening and beautiful conversations already. But we'll see what we learn out of the last moment here. So the first one is what is your favorite book or movie that offers you a travel escape or inspires your adventures.
52:24
It's not what I wouldn't say it's travel related. But I am in love with women who run with the wolves by Clarissa Pinkola. Her last name is wrong. But that book inspires something inside of me, and it feeds my drive to continue being a feminist to continue to, you know, like lean into what it means to be a woman in this world. And for that, to me that's travel. So travel and tourism. So that book definitely inspires a lot in me and just kind of ignites a fire. So I'd say that's probably one of my favorite books,
Christine Winebrenner Irick 53:02
I would highly recommend it. We read that last year in my book Sojourn with the community women that I guide through like a book journey that mirrors a little bit like a travel journey. And it was very powerful. And I also feel like that is the most quoted book in any other book that I read by someone else in that space. So, such a good recommendation, what is always in your suitcase or backpack when you travel.
53:31
Okay, the first thing that comes to mind is a wine opener. Which is true, I have a wine opener. I do love my wine. But another thing would probably be essential oil. So I love eucalyptus or tea trees and especially if I'm traveling in places where there's not a lot of creature comforts. Something about tea tree oil and peppermint or lavender oil is really soothing and it can help me, you know, fall asleep or just kind of provide a safe space. So essential oils and wine bottle opener.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 54:03
Always have essential oils as well. And I hadn't thought about this sense of comfort, although I did like early on kind of always use lavender around my daughter's like as a way for calming but also like as a way for their brain to know it's like a safe space for like relaxing and so when you travel like a fund's at someone else's house, I'll just like open a jar and it's like it does it kind of creates that connection. What has been your favorite destination?
54:33
That's a tough one. That's a really tough one. I would say a piece of my heart and soul is in this place called finger Bellavista. And it's the sustainable Treehouse community in the Golfito region of Costa Rica. And I think about it all the time. I want to go back. It was such a transformational experience. It was in my earlier years of learning what it is to be a traveler and In a responsible one. And so, I would say Central America has a big piece of my heart. But there are many others. Like I said, gonna, although it was quite challenging as a piece of my heart to go through Southeast Asia, many parts there, LAO, Lombok, or beautiful New Zealand, just stunning landscapes and beautiful culture there too. So, yeah, there's a lot, but I would say, my part of my heart and soul is to think about this stuff.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 55:29
Where do you so long to visit
55:32
Central America, Central America, I have a longing to go to India, there's always been a calling there. I have yet to experience that place and that culture. So I think there's a part of me and perhaps past life that spent some time there. And there's always been a calling to go there. So there's a bit of a longing there, too.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 55:51
Yeah, me too. And actually, my daughter has the same one. So I think I have to take her there. Like she, she's like, I don't know why. And she's 12. So she doesn't really even have a lot of understanding. She's like, I just really need to go to India. It's like, okay, I will take you there. Because I believe, I think probably much like you, that it's really important to answer that call when our soul is drawing us to a place where there's something we need, something waiting for us there. What do you eat that immediately connects you to a place you've been?
56:22
That's an interesting one. I guess to answer this one, I grew up in a hunting family. And so I grew up on a lot of wild game and venison. And every time I reconnect with wild game, I do always think about my travels, and how people, you know, how people sustain themselves with wild game and how their farming or hunting practices are so different, but uh, like, so it doesn't quite answer your question, but that there's not one specific food. It's more just an appreciation of how people sustain themselves. And I connect through that by eating venison and wild game myself.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 57:03
Who is the person that inspired or encouraged you to set out to explore the world?
57:09
I would say my mom, she's not, she's actually not a huge traveler, but she is passionate about travel and tourism. And I think she instilled that in me at a very young age to feel like I can always explore and be independent in that way. And yeah, I would say my mom probably has had a big influence on that.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 57:30
And the last one is, if you could take an adventure with one person, fictional or real, alive or past, who would it be?
57:36
These are good questions. You just got to think about that. I think I mean, having experiences with, you know, influential women who have made an impact in many areas, such as, like Jane Goodall, like if I had an opportunity to work with her or do some travel with her, that would be phenomenal. If I, you know, I have so many close friends that I love. They're still here with me in this world. But traveling with them is always such a great opportunity. So friends and family, of course, but yeah, I don't know who else. That one's. That one's a tough one to think about. There's a lot of options.
Christine Winebrenner Irick 58:11
There are so many good options. And I think travel is such a powerful way to experience the world with someone. It's like such a privilege to think about sharing that space with. Yeah, it's almost scarier to think about that than just meeting them in person. Like having a travel experience that's really intimate and powerful. Well, this has been such a good, good, good conversation. I'm so grateful for this time. I really hope people listening just had a moment of like really feeling our passion for this and what it means and had this spark to travel in a different way.
58:52
Thank you so much for having me. Christine. says this was such a privilege and I really enjoyed myself. So thank you,
Christine Winebrenner Irick 59:00
Thank you for listening to the Soul of Travel. I hope you enjoyed the journey. If you love this conversation, I encourage you to subscribe, rate the podcast and share the episodes that inspire you with others. I am so proud of the way these conversations are bringing together people from around the world. If this sounds like your community, welcome.
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