gsgraham-stephens

When I’m not working as a life and business coach, I’m usually outside. I volunteer as a firefighter and EMT, write, and care for a farm animal rescue with a small, boutique campground that’s home to alpacas, sheep, donkeys, chickens, and guineafowl. I camp often in my Wolfpup camper with Groot and Rocket, keeping things simple, quiet mornings, good coffee, and no rush. Paddleboarding is a big part of my life, mostly flatwater and long, easy days on lakes, always with the dogs along. I enjoy helping people get comfortable on a board without making it a big deal. I’m a Tai Chi instructor, which shapes how I move, slow, balanced, and attentive. I’ve practiced Vipassana meditation for many years, which helps me stay steady and present. I’ve written many books, mostly about grief, meaning, and meditation. In groups, I’m grounded and low-drama. I like real conversations, campfires, shared food, and time outside that isn’t overplanned.

These days my favorite places are places I can get to easily with my Wolfpup, where Groot and Rocket are welcome, and where I can be on the water. I keep coming back to Cedar Point State Park on the St. Lawrence River, Fish Creek Pond in the Adirondacks, and Umbagog Lake State Park and Lake Francis State Park -- both in New Hampshire. They’re simple, they work, and I can camp, paddle, and have a good day without a bunch of hassle. And outside of parks, I love music festivals.

I came to the outdoors early. I solo hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1987, then worked as a four-season Outward Bound instructor, leading trips in New England and canoeing courses in Florida and Oregon. Over the years I spent a lot of time on the water, including multi-day paddling trips in the Boundary Waters and the Allagash. In 2015 I completed the Long Trail and later hiked the GR20. My body looks different now, with two knee replacements and a hip replacement, so hiking is slower and more deliberate. I’ve started back on the Long Trail with Groot and Rocket, taking it a section at a time. These days paddleboarding is where most of my outdoor time goes, including a twenty-one-mile day on the Connecticut River with Groot and Rocket, which led me to write a book on teaching dogs to paddleboard