Camping Misadventures + Resiliency with Pam & Natalie

Ever wanted to know what happens when two professional women trade their high heels for hiking boots and venture into the wilderness? Let's just say it involves lost tents, midnight floods, and plenty of laughter along the way.

Resilience isn't just about bouncing back from serious life challenges—it's about finding humor in those everyday moments when nothing goes according to plan. In this completely unplanned episode (thanks to a no-show guest), Natalie and Pam dive into their most memorable camping misadventures and what these experiences taught them about flexibility, perspective, and the power of a good laugh.

From Natalie's terrifying tale of waking up with a literal river running through her tent during a torrential downpour to Pam's childhood memory of being given nothing but a tarp and some string to build shelter, these stories highlight a fundamental truth: resilience often comes wrapped in uncomfortable moments that later become our favorite stories to tell.

You'll learn about different camping personalities—from the perpetually stressed city-mindset campers to the danger-seeking selfie-takers—and how they mirror our approaches to life's challenges. The hosts introduce their ultimate resilience mantra, "Did you die?", a humorous but powerful reminder to maintain perspective when facing disappointments large and small.

Next time you're facing a frustrating situation, just ask yourself: "What would Pam and Natalie do?" (Spoiler: It involves laughing, making a plan, and possibly recording a podcast about it.)

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:06

All of us reach a point in time where we are depleted and need to somehow find a way to reignite the fire within. But how do we spark that flame? Welcome to Reignite Resilience, where we will venture into the heart of the human spirit. Resilience where we will venture into the heart of the human spirit. We'll discuss the art of reigniting our passion and strategies to stoke our enthusiasm. And now here are your hosts, natalie Davis and Pamela Cass.

Speaker 2 0:41

Welcome back to another episode of Reignite Resilience. I am your co-host, natalie Davis and I am joined with your co-host, pam Cass. Hey Pam, how are y'all I?

Speaker 3 0:53

am fabulous. I wish people could know the struggles behind the podcasting in the world.

Speaker 2 1:02

Start a podcast. They say It'll be easy. They say it's easy.

Podcasting Struggles and No-Shows

Speaker 2 1:06

It's totally fine. I guess no one says that it's easy. There's an element of complexity that's added to the podcast world when you start to have guests on. And it's interesting because the last couple of sessions that we've had set for recordings, our guests have like absolutely no-showed. And it puts us in a little bit of a pickle because you know, I mean, we're already prepared to talk to them, we know all about them, we know where we're going in that discussion, and then when we wait and the waiting room is empty and we have no idea where they are, and then Pam and I just look at each other. We're like, okay, what are you going to talk about?

Speaker 3 1:41

And we're like, okay, well, let's just talk about this. I guess we're going to talk about this Exactly. Well, and we are recording this on a Monday and I like.

Speaker 2 1:49

First of all, let's just talk about resiliency and it's and it's finest, because I completely rearranged my Monday to ensure that I would be here for recording. I had a couple of coaching calls today that I needed to be in place for. I was getting a new storm door installed at my house that you know. Contractors were scheduled to come out, and so I wrapped up a weekend camping trip 12 hours early, got home yesterday and I said you know what? I'm at home, I'm great, I'm ahead of my schedule. I'm here for whoever needs to get access to the house. I'm here for my clients. I'm here for whoever needs to get access to the house. I'm here for my clients. I'm here for the show, and it has been one thing after another.

Speaker 3 2:37

I feel like that's always how it is. You know best laid plans, and sometimes it doesn't matter how well prepared you think you are, there's always some sort of monkey rich that gets thrown in there, and then you're just like pivot pivot 100 pivot pivot.

Speaker 2 2:50

You know, and I I should have known that today was going to be an interesting day. I it started out. I, you know I was going to have contractors here to install this door and let me tell you, I have been in the process of working with this big box store I'm not going to name them because I don't need to give them any type of additional advertising for at least eight weeks no, it's longer than that, because it took them six weeks to come out and measure it. So for an extended period of time I've been working with them and all I want is just a screen door on my front door. Nothing elaborate, nothing wild and crazy. I go in to check the status of the door one day, a few weeks ago, and the gal at customer service says oh, that's interesting, this order was canceled. And I said by whom.

Speaker 3 3:30

Interesting Because I'm a party of one. I canceled it.

Speaker 2 3:36

By whom? And she's like well, it looks like your service person canceled it. I'm not sure why they would have done that. I said well, I still in fact, want the door, want the. I'm not sure why they would have done that.

Speaker 3 3:44

I said well, I still in fact want the door, let's make it happen.

Speaker 2 3:46

And then I get a quick call right away. Right, I go in. They fix it. They're like we're on it, we're going to make it happen. I get a call and they're like we're going to schedule it for Monday. Does that work for you? I said I can make it work because this has been a process in the making. I said I will make it work. I will be home on Monday so that you can get access. Well, the contractor poor thing, bless his heart calls me this morning. He's like Natalie. I said, yeah, he goes. I don't know why they scheduled you to install your door. It's not going to be ready for another two weeks. Oh well, then there's that. Thank you, sir. Thank you, kind sir.

Speaker 2 4:23

I gave it 3.5 seconds to be frustrated and upset and I said you know what? I don't have the energy to invest in being upset. It's fine. Call me when you're ready to reschedule. We're moving on and I'm not giving it any more energy. Your thought I have moved on. I could have spent some time in there and I could have the choice words that tried to make their way into my mind didn't escape that space. So here we are here.

Speaker 3 4:44

This is a Monday, it is a Monday of all Mondays it is a Monday of all Mondays and I don't always like to give Monday that bad rap, I know, because I don't. I I hate going into a Monday saying oh it's a Monday, because then inevitably it becomes a Monday. I actually love.

Speaker 3 5:02

Mondays do too, because I'm very much a structure person and weekends can tend to be a little loosey goosey and I get a little bored and I'm like, okay, I'm ready to get back. I'm ready to get back to my structure and what I do, and so I typically love Mondays. But yeah, every once in a while, just the universe just throws something right, a little curveball right at us.

The Joy of Camping

Speaker 3 5:24

Here we are, yeah, so we decided we're like all right, well, what are we going to talk about? And you went camping over the weekend and I thought what a fun topic, especially because it's summertime and there are a lot of people out right now. I know this. I was up in the mountains this weekend and camping is a whole nother level of diversity, whatever you want to call it, because it is so for me and I think I speak for you, taking me out of my comfort zone where we have all of our stuff exactly in order, and then you're just thrown out into the wilderness and you have no idea what, what the world is going to be throwing at you spiders.

Speaker 2 6:10

I wasn't on naked and afraid I was oh my god, best, worst series ever exactly, exactly, no, you know what.

Speaker 2 6:21

Here's the thing I actually enjoy camping. I love breaking up the. I like having that break in my everyday because I too am very structured, I live and die by my schedule, and I think once you get out in nature, it's more of getting into the synchronicities of the natural flow of of of time, right, and so everything starts when the sun comes up, and you pretty much wrap it up by the time the sun goes down. Right, there's no extra time to do extra things, and so you're kind of in that confine, but for the most part everything else is so fluid.

Speaker 2 6:52

I enjoy it and I actually had moments where I just sat just looking out and enjoying nature and taking it all in and just saying like I just love that. It feels like a complete reset or a pause in that moment. There were some tragic events that occurred over the weekend, unbeknownst to me, because I was in the middle of the woods. I had no idea and then, as soon as notifications came back on and news updates started and I was like wait, this is first, is this my reality? Like what did I? What has happened? What is going on in the world? But yeah, I like that. I just like the serenity of it. Yeah, but not like naked and afraid. I feel like you just described naked and afraid. You're like you're thrown out in the woods with no stuff.

Speaker 3 7:36

No, I was being a little dramatic, but I mean people who watch us, see us. We're put together Like we're on stages, we're coaching, we're in real estate, so we're always kind of put together. And I'll remember I grew up camping. My dad was in the military when we were young. He would take off every Friday in the summer and he would take my brother and I camping, and so I have very fond memories and so, like you, as soon as I get into the mountains or wherever we're going camping, I instantly just feel like this calm come over me. Where I'm like, there's no schedule, I can do and sit and you know, whatever I want, however long I want, and just reflect. And I think that's where some of the creativity and those ideas come to us. And so, yeah, it's just such a peaceful, great place, because I have such great memories growing up and I have hilarious stories of things that have happened on camping trips, and those are where the memories happen, because I will never forget some of those.

Speaker 2 8:38

Those memories create the memories, those moments that you never forget. Absolutely, absolutely, I'd have to say so. My partner, barron, and I went camping and it's it's funny that I lost count of the number of times that he said the shit you talk me into. I did very little research, and if you listen to the prior podcast where Pam and I are talking about vacation, I don't like to be the planner, no, and so this was my idea. So I planned, and when I say planned, it was very loose, with very little research, and so that just creates a higher sense of adventure, absolutely. Yeah, we might have gone off-roading a time or four that we didn't know was going to happen and we were not prepared for it with a trailer, but we did it.

Speaker 3 9:32

But here's the thing, and I have a t-shirt that says this but did you die? But did you die?

Camping Misadventures: The River Tent

Speaker 3 9:37

A hundred percent, that's it. That's it Made you stronger, and you have funny stories to tell about it. Absolutely, yes, absolutely. I remember the very cause. When I was in a leadership position, you know, I was always very dressed up and put together when I would show up. And, and I remember the first time I was up camping and I took a picture of my ratty, nasty tennis shoes that you wear when you camp, because you're always going to get like black ash on them from the fire, and I took a picture of my feet like propped up and the fire behind it and I posted it on social media. The number of comments from the agents were like you wait, you camp. Wait, you have shoes other than high heels. Wait what? And so I'm like wow.

Speaker 2 10:24

Exactly, people don't even have any idea those biases that people have about us. Right, it's like oh wait, you would actually go into nature. Yes, yes, yes, and I've hiked.

Speaker 3 10:34

I've shown up to hike 14ers with groups from the office and they look at me and they're like part of me was thinking you were going to show up on high heels, oh, and I'm like, no, not happening. So tell me what are some of your favorite, because I know you camp. What are some of your favorite, funniest or whatever camping stories?

Speaker 2 10:56

Oh gosh, it wasn't this trip and I think, oh, it was definitely a Colorado trip and I think it was more humor that had to come out of PTSD. Oh, I can't wait to hear this. My family and I went camping down at Seven Lakes. Oh yeah, seven Lakes, yep, yep, believe that's what it's called Southern Colorado.

Speaker 3 11:19

We'll say that's what it's called.

Speaker 2 11:21

Yep and super excited to get a campsite. Here's the thing for our listeners that are not Colorado based Getting a campsite in Colorado is challenging and you really have to plan in advance, and so we were excited. This is a new space that we'd not camped. It's Southern Colorado, so we know that we're not going to be too exposed to the elements. It's more of a deserty feel when you start to head down really South in Colorado and the very first day that we get there set up camp and there are lakes there and we make the food on the fire, the dogs with us, and there should have been like signs along the way that I was paying attention to, there was a. Was it a deer or an elk? It wasn't a moose, it might've been an elk. I think it was an elk that came so close to the campsite. When I say so close, it was probably 20 feet away from our campsite.

Speaker 3 12:09

So close.

Speaker 2 12:10

And our dog thinks that she's like of course, she's all that.

Speaker 2 12:14

Exactly. Well, in this case she like froze. You know, right, it's freeze and she froze and she had no idea what to do. And I was like you need to stay close to the campsite. Anyway, fast forward a couple of hours, the sun sets, you're having the fire, and then we start to hear this thunder and we're like that's interesting. It's fine, it's the end of the day and we're not doing anything. We're going to, we're just going to head on into bed. So the family gets all into the camp tent and this is tent camping. So we're in the tent and all settled and all of a sudden there's a little bit of you know, pitter pattering on the top of the tent. It's starting to rain. Put the tent cover on, it's fine. And then it's a torrential downpour. And when I tell you there was a river running through the tent and I'm a tent camper sleeping on the floor, I don't have a cot. That's very lovely.

Speaker 3 13:57

It's a great concept.

Speaker 2 13:58

I am on the floor, and so I can feel this river just underneath my sleeping bag, and it is rushing through our campsite, and so pack everyone up, pack up the dog, get into the pickup truck. I am sitting in the front of the pickup truck with the dog on my lap.

Speaker 2 14:18

Wet everybody we're all wet and hot, so the windows are all fogged up, beaming up, and we're like you know what? We'll wait it out, it's fine, it'll stop here soon. The famous last words. We ended up sleeping the entire night in the pickup truck. Very uncomfortable, it was awful it was the worst.

Speaker 1 14:37

Thing.

Speaker 2 14:38

I just it was so bad. And the next morning it's just. I mean, I am wringing everything out in the tent and I'm hanging it on every tree, on the top of the truck, wherever I can hang everything, so that it dries. And so we go through the day and everything dries and I'm putting the tent and the campsite back together and it's probably two o'clock in the afternoon, maybe three o'clock in the afternoon, and we hear thunder again.

Speaker 3 15:02

Oh, no, no, be like, we're out. Exactly how did you? Because that's what I would have done. I out now. Exactly how did you, because that's what I would have done.

Speaker 2 15:13

I'd be like heck, no, we're not doing this again, we're done, we're done. So I have to say that that was probably the wildest experience, because it's. I mean, I've never gone camping, I've gone camping where it's rained and you get yeah but it doesn't last long it doesn't last long things like that happen, but this was a river that ran through and the the trauma response for Thunder. In that moment it's like we're out, we're done.

Speaker 3 15:36

Wrap it up, people, let's go.

Speaker 2 15:40

Yeah, I think even the dog looked at me like we're not doing this again.

Speaker 3 15:43

We're not doing this again. We're not going to do this. No, let's go, let's go.

DIY Camping: Tarps and Teepees

Speaker 2 15:47

Even though that was a high stress. I mean mean, when I'm telling you like everything was soaking wet, everything was soaking wet right, like we didn't have anything dry to put on or anything like everything I had to get dried out, and so that could have been a high stress kind of ruin the taste or leave a bad taste for camping in your mouth. It could have been, but it's definitely one of the most comical camping experiences, just because everyone was on edge and it's like we aren't doing this again no one.

Speaker 1 16:14

We're all on the same page we're like we're done.

Speaker 3 16:16

We don't care, we'll do s'mores at home but I think that that's if you can find humor and stuff like that. It just it's such a better way to go than you know getting upset and angry like you have no control over the rain, the thunder, I mean getting angry, is not going to do anything but making it at least funny, I think.

Speaker 2 16:38

As much as you can.

Speaker 2 16:40

Yeah, and here's the thing I feel like, because you know we often people watch in the places that oh, yeah, I didn't people watch a lot, but there were people that were behaving in ways that caught my attention, like I wasn't trying to people watch this past weekend, but it's so interesting, like how people will still like a couple of things. You'll see two types of people the people that are a couple of times. The people that like just settle in, like we're camping. It varies and let's chill, it's great.

Speaker 2 17:05

The other people that are so high, strong, because we're camping, we've got two and a half days and we're going to do everything in two and a half days and it's go, go, go and everybody's stressed and, and you know, biting each other's heads off and all of that. So you still see like the stress of the city or whatever that regular way of life that carries on with them. And then you have the people that like I don't know how they live in their normal life, but it's like so free-spirited that it's like they want to live in this danger zone. That and it's with everything like, can we?

Speaker 3 17:42

make a bigger fire maybe I need to go jump off that cliff oh, let me taste this berry. I'm sure it's delicious. Like they live in that danger zone. Yes, oh, there's a moose. Let me go pet, pet it. Let me get a selfie.

Speaker 2 17:48

Yes, exactly, exactly, we hear those stories. There's always someone where it's like oh yeah, someone was, you know, attacked by a moose, you know, and we know why. It's because they wanted to get that super good selfie, yeah, or they got a little too close to the edge for the moment for the gram Be careful. Be careful. Yes, oh my God, I love that. So what's your? What is the story that you remember? That kind of brings back the most memories or just a funny one.

Speaker 3 18:17

It's funny, I have a memory from my younger years and it was my dad and his younger sister and my brother and I and my aunt's two boys, and so I'm close to one age and my brother's close to the other the other cousin everyone, and so we get there and we're far away from home, because we were going to do a rafting trip one day.

Speaker 3 18:42

So anywhere we're out and on a lake, whatever, and we get there and my dad's like, all right, here's the deal, didn deal, didn't bring tents for you guys, there's tarp, there's string, everyone for themselves. And I'm thinking my aunt is from Atlanta for the city and I'm like I didn't know how old I was, but I was like maybe 11, 12. And maybe I was older, I don't remember, I don't know. I know I was young where I wouldn't know, if you dropped me in the woods, how to take care of myself.

Speaker 2 19:12

With a tarp and a string and good luck.

Speaker 3 19:15

Have at it, and so my dad, because he had been in the military, has one of these sleeping bags that at the end of the sleeping bag has like a little you know, one of those poles. You put in it Like you do a tent like the solo tent its own little individual sleeping tent thing. Took him like three minutes to set up and he's like, all right, I'm done.

Speaker 2 19:34

Yeah, I think those are like those cliff tents, though, when people sleep on the side of a, of a, on a yes, yes so we're all just like what the hell the rest so my brother and cousin was similar to his age was like let's go.

Speaker 3 19:50

They took an ax and we were like, let's go build a cabin, okay. So that's the story. And so my aunt and my other cousin and I the younger ones, she's like, okay, let's figure this out. So we put a string between two trees, throw a tarp over it and then a tarp on the ground, and we're like we'll just put our sleeping bags and we'll just sleep under this tarp over it, and then a tarp on the ground and we're like we'll just put our sleeping bags and we'll just sleep under this tarp.

Speaker 3 20:12

Yes, so everyone, the teepee that the boys made cabin was a teepee that the boys made out of sticks that they cut. Blah, blah was done and we were done. We have dinner, it gets dark, we all go to bed, and so what we didn't realize is where we put ours, the tarp. It was on a hill, and so you either slept like with your feet, your head up and your feet down and you just slid right down off the tarp, or you did it sideways and then you just were rolling everyone's rolling. Okay, my brother and my other cousin end up coming back because what they didn't take into consideration, that they didn't see if they could even fit in the teepee oh, which they could not.

Speaker 2 20:56

But your dad knew this when he looked at it.

Speaker 3 21:00

No, I don't think he even went and looked at it. Oh, they kind of did it off, yeah, like off away from all of us, because you know they're building a cabin or whatever.

Speaker 2 21:08

I kind of like it, I kind of like this actually.

Speaker 3 21:10

And so they end up sleeping on the hill with my aunt and my other cousin, and I end up sleeping in the back of the station wagon, because we had one of the old station wagons with the back door. So none of us got any sleep that night except for my dad. I don't think his sister has forgiven him for that, but the level of shenanigans, yes, saying that, oh yeah, y'all are on your own. Yeah, what?

The Lost Tent and Lessons in Resilience

Speaker 2 21:35

no, yeah she's probably thinking like you are such a jerk, right, because it's that's a sibling piece of it, and I can understand, like, let's do it for the kids so that they can learn these survival skills, right, like I kind of like it. It reminds me of like when my girl give them supplies. That's it. You had string and a tarp, directions, I don't know something, throw us a bone. I feel like if you had a gust of wind or any any type of weather element that would have impacted your camping, that trip would have ended very different, that's oh we would have all been crammed in the back of the station wagon.

Speaker 3 22:12

So note to self if you're ever going on a trip with your family, make sure that you have a tent. Yes, hot pad, all of those things, exactly, yes well, you yeah, that was like from my childhood.

Speaker 3 22:25

I have one from when I was the adult in it and it was my daughter and her husband and Dylan and I, and we had this wild idea let's go camping in Redfeather in October. Oh, because that sounds like a good idea. We've got little tent heaters. Blah, blah, blah. So we get up there and the wind started blowing, so Dylan and I get in our tent and Gwen and her husband have a teepee and actually it's very nice, and they've got a great heater and it's a great design. Blah, blah, blah. Well, I just have one of those tents that you like. Press a button and it pops up.

Speaker 2 23:01

Yeah, Like a little easy peasy.

Speaker 3 23:02

Coleman, yeah, exactly, and I have the little heater that just keeps falling over, and so it turns off falling over when I say the wind picked up. And of course, I went to bed and I had like long underwear, leggings, sweatpants, three pairs of socks, sweater, sweatshirt, jacket, hat, gloves. Dylan is in like his boxer shorts and I'm like you might want to have some more clothes on. No, I'm fine, I'm fine. So that wind starts to pick up and every time it did, it would collapse the tent on us. So we're both like having to get out and like pop it back up. Yeah, we were up the entire night. We absolutely froze our asses off. Yes, we wouldn't wake up in the morning and we're thinking, okay, the wind will be done. No, it was so, it was blowing so hard that we couldn't even make coffee, which is the best part of camping. Exactly, it is yes, so we get into Gwen and Chris's tent, cause we're like we'll just hang out in your tent, it'll warm up, the sun will come up, blah, blah, blah.

Speaker 3 24:04

I get out of the tent and our tent, our tent, is no longer there. So our tent, with the cots in it, lifted off the ground and relocated somewhere else, in Wyoming most likely, and I'm like what the? And? So we very, very quickly packed all of everything up. We didn't even put stuff down. We're like, just pack it up, we are gone, put stuff down. We're like, just pack it up, we are gone, we're done, we're done, we're done. Yes, that was awful and we laughed our asses off. But then we came home. We're like, let's just do a camping at home. I was like we got all this great food. We'll make s'mores. We'll do a camping trip at home. Yes, oh my gosh. So when somebody asked me do you want to do October camping, I'm like no.

Speaker 3 24:52

October camping in.

Speaker 2 24:53

Colorado is questionable. You're not sure what you're going to get. And listen, the other thing Red Feather Lakes. The fact that you're doing that in October. The first thing that came to mind was not the wind.

Speaker 3 25:12

That's the time of year that the bears are trying to like fatten everything up so they can go hibernate. I'm glad I didn't know that, so glad I did not realize that.

Speaker 1 25:15

So we did not get eaten. But did I die? No, you did not, we did not get eaten by a bear but, that's.

Speaker 2 25:19

It could have ended badly so camping, oh my gosh, I love it. Well, listen here, listen for our listeners. This is what you get when we are just prepping on a whim.

Speaker 3 25:32

This is what you get from us.

Speaker 2 25:33

Listen, I'm sure that you all have picked up Like there's never a dull moment in our lives Like this is just what we do. But I think that that's what keeps it exciting, it's what creates those memories. It's definitely what helps in molding resiliency, because, again, any of those situations we could have spent time in that space like woe is me, oh my gosh, I'm out. Like you never talked about the lost 10. You're like, oh, I guess we're done here. You can go into the money that you've invested, the time loss, the lack of sleep, like you can go into all of those things, but that's not what's going to help build up your resiliency. So, at the end of the day, take all of these moments, these small things, because these are just small things in this and just ask yourself how would Pam and Natalie respond to this situation?

Speaker 3 26:19

I think that should go on a shirt, that should go. There's that. How would Pam and Natalie respond? I think you just ask yourself that question when stuff is hitting the fan. Yes, ask yourself that question when stuff is hitting the fan. Yes, ask yourself that question. What would we do? What would we do? What would we do?

Speaker 2 26:37

what would we do? And we would probably laugh and do a podcast episode about it. We would laugh, there would be a plan, everyone would be okay, it's gonna be fine. Absolutely, because at the end of the day, did you die? No, we did not. Now listen, don't go out there doing anything dangerous, nothing crazy, because that's not who we are.

Speaker 3 26:51

We do not do crazy things, we're not we?

Episode Wrap-up and Closing Thoughts

Speaker 2 26:53

no, I like to stay adjacent to adventure and away from dangerous adventure. That's where I live. Yes, me too. Me too, oh my gosh. Well, listen, until next time. We will look forward to sharing some more funny and crazy and adventurous things. We do have some amazing guests lined up for the next couple of weeks, so we are looking forward to bringing those episodes to you. And if you want more information about us and what's going on in our world, head on over to reigniteresiliencecom. Until next time, we will see y'all soon. Thanks everyone.

Speaker 1 27:26

Thank you for joining us today on the Reignite Resilience podcast. We hope you had some aha moments and learned a few new real life ideas. To fuel the flames of passion, please subscribe on your favorite streaming platform, like or download your favorite episodes and, of course, share with your friends and family. We look forward to seeing you again next time on Reignite Resilience.