“Life is hard and sometimes you got to sweet talk it or sometimes you have to just buck up and do.” Meet Tori Stackhouse who introduces herself as a hard worker who works tasks to the best of her ability. She’s an adrenaline junky and finds ways to challenge herself. She is an outdoors person and always has been.Repelling off of a cliff, diving or anything to get her blood flowing. She scuba dives, hikes, repels and travels all while meeting nature and wildlife. She is a preparer and puts those key elements she learned from hanging out with scouts— learning to be prepared.We talk about her most exhilarating experiences and that was in Alaska for her to meet an amazing bear. We talk about her most heart stopping experience and that was when her sister had a close call when she missed a jump over a waterfall drop. The people Tori hands out with on trails and such are very trained and certified in medical rescue calls—knowing what to do and knowing something going wrong can always happen.We go down the road of why Tori is certified in so many ways from lifeguarding, scuba diving, stress and rescue. She has the theme to her life that she wants to be able to help herself and others. She wants to be overly prepared and she went to get her EMT so she could—once again— help people.This podcast peeks into a young adult as she went to Auburn and got into her passion of Wildlife and Forestry at Auburn University. She learned out in the field so much because she paid attention and stepped up for opportunities. She fell in love with bats and studies that centered on them. The internships Tori experienced are fascinating and she shares some stories. With a need to protect wildlife, she went on to get her masters in homeland security and she started working in intelligence combining law enforcement and wildlife.We talk about the sacrifices she makes and quickly she says it is time. The experiences are great but she was studying or working when others were playing. That continues to be the case. You hear about her move to Arizonia and what life is like as a young adult making it all work. There are tips of money management, getting hobbies underway and figuring out life on your own. Tori embraces where she is —she finds comfort in her stepping stones and focusing on herself.There are many aspects to Tori’s life and she shares some of her strategy. One commitment she made was to find mentors and she learned at a very young age to learn to communicate with people in positions. She believes that you look to people who are in the fields or jobs that she had an interest. Those people invest in her and push her.She has insight into athletics and why she has that as an outlet today. There was a tough spot she found herself in with a knee injury and having to have surgery. She’d say that nothing in life is handed to you and working hard is part of the thrill.Tune in for this episode!The song “STOMP” is used by permission of song artists Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff.
Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff
