SERIES: Revealing the cover of Hiking Your Feelings
PART ONE: We’re going to be asking you for a favor.
On August 8th, we need your help. Over the next 12 days, we’ll be revealing the cover of Book #2 and sharing the story of how this book came to be. Here we go!
🛋️ PART 2: On the couch, watching Kyle Smith.
📚 On yesterday's post, @crystalfluff guessed that this series is about my next book. She guessed right!
*This* book is the one I was too scared to write in 2019. But before we get into what this new book is about, when you can read it, and the favor I'm asking on August 8th to help me make a big dream come true, I want to share the story of how it came to be:
May 27, 2022
Monterey County Fairgrounds
Cali Roots Acoustic Stage
Fresh off back-to-back retreats on Catalina Island with Rebel & Muse and in Big Sur with Michelle, we attended our first California Roots Festival.
On Friday of the festival, we were making the most of our time before we caught up with Kaleo and Melanie before Kaleo went to work that night. Milling around backstage, we were reconnecting with artists we had collaborated with and that I had interviewed on the podcast, the first in-person hugs after two years of minimal live music.
The vibes were high. Magic was in the air.
We made our way to the Acoustic Stage where Kyle Smith was setting up to perform. We took a seat on the side stage couch to catch some shade and plan out the rest of our day. Before I knew it, I was having a conversation with a sound tech named Jayashri. She asked about our work and when I told her, she mentioned she is on the board of a retreat center in Northern California, and that we should go tour it and check it out.
Our interaction was deep, and though it was short, it felt like the beginning of something important. My mind danced with visions of what this center might be like and what kind of magic we could create there.
Back in the moment, surrounded by hundreds of people who had gathered to hear him play, the crowd started singing happy birthday to Kyle. As they did, a rush of hope and the warmth of possibility washed over me.
Was it the satisfaction of seeing a hard-working musician's dreams coming true at this festival? Was it the magic of first-time festival vibes? Coming off two beautiful retreats? Or was this chance encounter the first domino to fall on making one of my biggest dreams come true?
🎋 PART 3: Signs (banners) from the Universe.
June 16, 2022
Mandala Springs
Cobb, CA
A few weeks after Cali Roots, we made our way to Mandala Springs, the retreat center that Jayashri suggested we check out.
We pulled through the main gate and parked Ruby by the office. In my field of vision was both a Yoda statue and rainbow-colored prayer flags.
A good idea, this was.
We were greeted by a kind woman named Susan, and sat down at a picnic table outside of the office. As we got settled in for a chat before the grand tour, my eyes drifted from the retreat center grounds behind me back to Susan, the office as her backdrop. Above her head hung a bright red banner that read:
Mandala Publishing.
I inquired about the banner. I knew this place was called Mandala Springs, but what is the publishing part about?
"Mandala Publishing owns the retreat center, and MandalaEarth is an imprint of Insight Editions. We're building an office for the publishers here."
Me: 🤯🤯🤯
This banner felt like another gift from the Universe.
Susan continued: "the office doubles as a bookstore and everything in there is something we publish or sell - books, journals, incense, etc!"
I was trying to play it cool & bring my "first date personality" to this meeting but I couldn't help but let my curiosity take the wheel:
Me: Do authors ever host retreats here? Do you accept submissions or do I need an agent? How does this work?
Susan: I'll introduce you to the team.
After the tour, we ate pizza in bed (a ritual) and dreamed of what was possible here. Before we left the next morning, Barry and I explored the trails on the property.
Along the trail, we found several meditation spots. Surrounding some of them were trees containing tags inscribed with the wishes of past guests. I added several, and want to share these two in particular:
You CAN do hard things.
FRONT: Blaze Your Own Trail to Self-Love by Sydney Stardust
BACK: And so it is, my next book will be published here. Thank you universe!
I self-published my first book so I don't know how *this* process worked, but I bought some incense to burn at each step, from now until I signed my first contract. 🤞
✈️ PART 4: Welcome to the jetstream.
Back in 2020, we crashed with our pals Thor and Taylor, founders of the nonprofit, Do Good Shit. The ground floor of where they lived was a coworking space and the vibes were ridiculous. As we got into our respective workflows, someone shouted "Welcome to the Jetstream!" and explained the feeling of the space we were in.
Now, Barry and I step into our own jetstream when we are on track toward a big goal. This space is where everything happens to us and for us effortlessly, so long as we pay attention and take action.
Needless to say, I love the jetstream.
August 15, 2022
Flow Integrative
Encinitas, CA
Last week, I spoke with an executive producer at VoiceAmerica. They offered me a show on their network, and asked me what I'd talk about. I explained that I'd like to zoom out from hiking and backpacking exclusively and focus on...
Wait for it...
Wellness in the Wilderness.
They loved it for a show, I loved it as a way to describe *everything* we do and as a potential title for the book I wanted to pitch to the publisher.
I had a vision - the show introduces the concept of what we do, subsequent seasons promote the book, and live interviews on the road are a key component of the book tour. I was firing on all cylinders. Everything trained me for this moment.
Welcome to the Jetstream.
Now, sitting in the front seat of Ruby, minutes before my third of six ketamine-assisted psychotherapy appointments at Flow Integrative, I set an intention.
"This call is me putting the dream out there, and my session today will show me what I need to see to bring it to life."
I joined the meeting, feeling like a walking exclamation point. As I chatted with Phillip, I learned about the publisher, shared about my work, and walked them through the rough concept of what I thought would be my next book.
It was well received, so much so that they invited me up to their offices in the Bay Area to whiteboard some ideas. We agreed to meet after our retreat in Sequoia and backpacking trip through Mineral King, and determined we'd pick a day/time as we got closer.
Soooo, how did the meeting go? Did I get to razzle dazzle them with my big ideas?
🌄 PART 5: You Only Get So Many Sunsets
AUGUST 18, 2022
San Diego, CA ✈️ Dover, NH
After an inspiring planning meeting in the woods for the next evolution of Hiking My Feelings, we ventured back into society and cell phone range. We got a call from Barry's father.
His mother had been in the hospital for weeks, and it wasn't looking good.
We flew to New Hampshire on the red-eye flight that night.
While we were in the hospital visiting Lydia, we were able to tell her all of the exciting things in the works, and say our goodbyes. It is the first time I can recall being able to sit with grief and joy at the same time and allow them both to be present. The memory of how her eyes lit up whenever we had good news to share brings me tears as I write this. Her baby blues were so expressive, even when communicating with words was difficult. Before we left to go back to California for our retreat in Sequoia National Park, she told Barry,
"Go climb those mountains."
We flew home and took those words to heart. At that retreat, we took our group out to Sunset Rock for sunset and stargazing. The sunset was a burner, and I told the story of my friend Adam, who used to say:
You Only Get So Many Sunsets
As we stood on Sunset Rock, facing the sunset, holding hands, sharing this experience together - a dream came true and grief came knocking. Happy tears for this moment that we were sharing with beautiful souls in this jaw-dropping place and grateful grieving tears for Adam and Lydia were streaming down my face.
What would be waiting for us when we got back to cell service? Would we go have the meeting with the publisher? Or did life have other plans?
💚 NOTE: Today marks nine years since Adam's final sunset. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him, his megawatt shark smile, and his way of living life out loud. In my next book, the first chapter is still titled "You Only Get So Many Sunsets" named in his memory. I will never stop sharing stories about him.
🫶 If you're missing a loved one who is no longer with us, I invite you to read the poem The Dash by Linda Ellis and use it as a point for reflection: how can you live your dash today?
💎 PART 6: Pressure Makes Diamonds
After a spectacular sunset, a dream come true, and an epic first season hosting our programs in Sequoia National Park, it was time to face the music.
We exited the park, trying to stay with the joy when our phones lit up, reconnected to the grid.
As we suspected, Lydia had passed peacefully on Friday. We spoke with Barry's father, who assured us that we wouldn't be missing anything, the services would be in late September or early October, and we should proceed with our plans to go climb mountains.
So we did. We spent the next week traversing through the Mineral King area of Kings Canyon National Park, and it was exquisite - check out our Guides section for a full recap!
But what about the meeting?
We routed our flight home from Lydia's services through San Francisco so we could meet with the team at @insighteditions.
October 3-4, 2022
Dover, NH ✈️ San Francisco, CA
10am ET: Lydia's service
4pm ET: Family meal
3am ET: Wake up, get to BOS for first flight out
Noon PT: land at SFO, pickup rental car
After we checked into the hotel in San Rafael, we went to get lunch nearby. As we sat down - unshowered, up since midnight PT, fresh off a burial and a cross-country flight - the publisher calls.
Our meeting was scheduled for tomorrow, and they were asking if we could move it to this afternoon - a few hours from now - because the owner is in town and wants to join.
At any other point in my life, this might have thrown me for a loop. Instead, I smiled, agreed to move the meeting up, and hung up the phone.
I put down the phone and looked at Barry.
"This might be the most insane 24 hours of our lives," I said.
He nodded.
"But hey, pressure makes diamonds right?!"
We laughed. We finished lunch. We showered. And then we walked over to the office from the hotel.
Phillip greeted us in the lobby and showed us to the conference room.
This was all new to me. I self-published my first book. I don't have an agent. Other than what I had seen in movies and on TV, I had no idea what to expect.
But I had a plan. It involved me, a whiteboard, and a marker. This was my moment.
Was I ready? Were *they* ready?
🪂 PART 7: "Could you bring your first date personality to this meeting?"
An old boss in agency land asked me this question before a client meeting, suggesting that my actual personality was too much, and he wanted less.
Little did he know, my last first date was when I earned my skydiving license, and it ended with me sharing my first smooch with Barry as we plummeted toward an oncoming planet at 120+ mph.
So for this meeting, with Barry by my side, I brought *that* first date energy.
October 4, 2022
San Rafael, CA
Armed with a marker, a whiteboard, a great idea, and a request, I surrendered to the freefall of going for a lifelong dream and trusted my training.
The Meeting was close to two hours long but went by in a flash. I presented first to Phillip (my contact through this process so far), then Phillip and Raoul - the owner of Insight Editions, MandalaEarth, and Mandala Springs, the retreat center where this all started. In the middle of it, Raoul stood up and left the room.
I panicked a bit.
Phillip reassured me:
"I've worked with him for years and he's excited about this. He's going to the stacks to find something we've published that is relevant to what you're doing. This is a good thing."
He came back with a book about forest bathing, a self-care journal, and a hikers logbook and slid them across the table to me.
Up until this moment, we had been discussing an entirely different book than the one we are revealing now. They loved it. And at the end, I made my request:
"So one more thing, I self-published my first book in 2019 and was a week into my book tour when the pandemic cancelled everything. I've got some updates I'd like to make to that book, so if you're interested in helping me re-release it, I would love that, too."
I slid two copies of Hiking My Feelings: Stepping into the Healing Power of Nature across the giant table.
Phillip thumbed through it, as did Raoul.
"Well let's get a copy over to Katie, our editorial director, and once she's reviewed it, we'll be in touch with next steps!"
As we walked back to the hotel, I fistbumped Barry and asked,
"Is that how it goes? Did I just find a publisher?!"
🎬 PART 8: Trans-Catalina Trail, Take 3!
Now that the majority of the title is revealed , I'm pleased to introduce you to
Hiking Your Feelings: Blazing a Trail to Self-Love
Real talk: this is the book I was too scared to write in 2019. More on that soon.
October 5, 2022
San Rafael, CA
I woke up the morning after The Meeting and felt calm, satisfied, and excited. Then immediately anxious. Not because of The Meeting, but because Barry and I were celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in one week and we had zero plans.
What do we do on short notice when we know we want to have a good time? Hike the Trans-Catalina Trail, of course!
We had been hosting retreats on the island for a few years at that point, but we hadn't hiked the TCT since the life-changing trip in 2018 that started this whole chapter. If all of this was possible after two hikes across the island, what would a third hike bring?
I called Cinde from Catalina Backcountry and asked her if she could help. Of course she could, and this time, she sweetened the trip with two nights on a private beach AND the promise of a hot shower, laundry, and a delicious meal at her home in Avalon before we took the ferry back to the mainland.
The hike itself was pure magic, as it always is. This time, we did the trail in reverse order from Two Harbors back to Avalon. We rehashed memories made and retraced steps taken years prior, this time with a fresh perspective.
If you've been around these parts for awhile, you know that hike and subsequent conversations over freshly caught tuna led to our decision to move to the island in January.
When we moved there, I was all in on figuring out how to run HMF from a single location for most of the year instead of being mobile, guiding with Catalina Backcountry, and revisiting a big dream I had in 2018 that Cinde and I were going to bring to life, together.
But what about the publisher? What would happen next with them?
🤪 PART 9: BuT WhAT aBoUt tHe BrAAAanD?!?
Shortly after we moved to Catalina Island, I resumed conversations with the publisher. They said they wanted to move forward with the book I pitched in October AND re-release my first book.
🤯🤯🤯
I handed over the manuscript for my first book and the 80+ page workbook for Read + Reflect - the predecessor to our flagship program, Blaze Your Own Trail to Self-Love.
Upon their review of the materials, they suggested we change the title to Hiking YOUR Feelings.
I've done a lot of work to unlearn the internalized pressures of capitalism and to relieve my Corporate Marketing brain of her duties, but she came out of retirement screeching:
🤪 BuT WhAT aBoUt tHe BrAAAanD?!?
Would Hiking Your Feelings confuse people OR was it the perfect evolution?
Today, arriving at Hiking YOUR Feelings feels like victory. I'll be honest though, it was an emotional adjustment.
Not because I didn't want to change it, but because this change means We Did It. We've survived everything life has thrown our way since the first book tour was cancelled in 2020, and now we have the great honor and privilege of zooming out from my experience to help you start Hiking YOUR Feelings.
This is something we've been doing online and in person in our retreats and programs since before the first book was even written. But I was too scared to write this book in 2019.
Back then, I didn't have the courage or confidence to write about how my lived experiences could help others, so I just shared the stories. I didn't believe that I was qualified to offer solutions and support because I don't have letters after my name.
But now, after 400+ events in five years, having introduced thousands of people to the healing power of nature, and having healed myself over and over along the way using the programs I developed, I KNOW this works.
On February 14, 2023 I signed my first publishing contract. Well, I docusigned it then printed the contract to capture this photo of me signing a paper contract because HELLOOO I've been dreaming of this moment before docusign and digital signatures were a thing!
SO NOW WHAT?!
🏝️PART 10: The island always gives you what you need.
We moved to The Island That Changed My Life with big dreams - having a home base for HMF, welcoming visitors to the island through our events, revisiting a dream from 2018, and hiking our faces off.
Instead, we experienced unprecedented rains which closed the trails and cancelled most of our guiding clients, and left us to hike once every three weeks if we were lucky.
I was freaking out, pretty sure I had made The Worst Mistake Ever. This - being stuck inside, trapped in an apartment on an island, isolated from everything and everyone we love - is not what I had envisioned.
Then the publishing contract came through - a ray of sunshine amongst the storms.
That weekend, we left the island for the first time in six weeks and went to a music festival in Long Beach to celebrate Barry's birthday and my contract. Refreshed and eager to get back on island time after navigating through big crowds, now I was ready to write.
What I wanted was to thruhike the trail again and write my book along the way.
The island always gives you what you need.
Turns out, what I needed was the rain. It cleared my schedule so I could have all the time in the world to write this book. And, as the storms bring the drought-stricken island back to life, I channeled that energy of growth and renewal into my writing, and gave this book everything I was too scared to give it back in 2019.
When my brilliant editors Tania and Peter handed over the first round of the new manuscript, I'll be honest, I was overwhelmed.
They had removed tens of thousands of words from the first book, wove the strongest parts of the workbook in with what was left of the original manuscript, rearranged some of the stories, and then asked me a bazillion questions to help me write the rest and tie it all together.
I felt empty. Who was I without the parts they removed?
Fortunately, I remembered a lesson I learned on Catalina; the difference between spaciousness and emptiness.
I wasn't empty, and neither was the manuscript. It (and I) now had space to expand into.
So how did it go?!
🫶 PART 11: Themes + Dreams
Okay, I was gonna wait to post this until tomorrow but I'm too excited so I'm gonna BREAK ALL THE RULES and post TWICE in one day.
Tomorrow (Monday) will be the final puzzle piece before the big announcement on Tuesday. Until then, here's are some themes from my new book, Hiking Your Feelings: Blazing a Trail to Self-Love!
INSPIRATIONAL & INSIGHTFUL: Follow Sydney as she reflects on her own journey from buried traumas and poor body image to acceptance, healthy coping mechanisms, and self-love.
RELATABLE & UNIVERSAL: Touches on themes and problems that many struggle with, including grief and loss, sexual assault, poor body image, career stress, and the stigma of diabetes, all presented from Sydney’s supportive and self-effacing perspective.
HEALING POWER OF NATURE: Discover how getting outside—even just for a walk around the block—can help you tune into your body better.
HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE: Learn to love yourself as you are now. Go from eating, drinking, working, or spending your feelings to hiking your feelings.
UNPACK YOUR TRAUMA PACK: Identify new activities and rituals that will allow you to choose love over fear and lift the invisible weight from your shoulders.
PROMPTS, ACTIVITIES & EXERCISES: Apply the lessons Sydney has learned to your own life, through thoughtful tasks at the end of each chapter.
Before we put the final puzzle piece on the grid tomorrow, my intentions for this book:
I hope this book reaches you when you need it most.
I hope this book stirs questions within you and reminds you that you have the answers.
I hope this book starts healing conversations about the topics discussed within.
I hope this book helps you find language to articulate what happened to you.
I hope this book inspires you to get outside and connect with this beautiful planet.
I hope your experiences outdoors open your heart and mind to new ways of thinking.
I hope this book reminds you that you can do hard things.
I hope this book helps you understand yourself and others more deeply.
I hope this book sparks your curiosity.
I hope you love reading it and working with it.
🧩 PART 12: The final puzzle piece.
WE MADE IT, FAM! Today we shared the last corner of the cover, so here’s the whole thing!
Real talk: we were a week into my first book tour with the self-published version of this story when the pandemic wiped the calendar clean. Since that day, I've been scared to allow myself to surrender to my usual levels of excitement and hope. I didn't know if I would survive the aftermath of losing another dream like that.
Slowly but surely, especially over the past year, I've been allowing myself to expand into my joy, purpose, and power. I've been intentionally, actively healing for five years and while the work is never done, I feel like I can finally breathe a full, deep breath.
These days, life feels like I am actually living it versus surviving it or healing from it, and I gotta say, that feels good. It took so much work to get here, and now this book shares the HOW behind my healing:
🧡 HIKING YOUR FEELINGS: Blazing a Trail to Self-Love
By Sydney Williams
March 12, 2024
Published by Mandala Publishing
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Join wellness and Wilderness enthusiast Sydney Williams as she shares her healing journey from eating and drinking her feelings to hiking her feelings.
When Sydney unexpectedly found herself diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, while grappling with grief and unresolved trauma built up over a decade, she set out on a quest to turn her pain into power. Two hikes across Catalina Island and eighty miles later, she learned to disconnect from distractions and reconnect with herself, all through the power of nature. Now, she's encouraging others to get outside and blaze their own trail to self-love, turning
buried traumas into healthy coping mechanisms.
With affirmations, prompts, and reflection exercises throughout - all presented from Sydney's supportive and self-effacing perspective - Hiking Your Feelings offers
a toolkit to unpack your "trauma pack" and step into the best version of yourself.
🙏 Tomorrow we need your help to make a dream come true, and we are so excited to share this with you! Tune in to Wellness in the Wilderness wherever you get your podcasts, click that “Blog RSS” feed at the top of the page to get notifications of new posts here, or follow us on social media!
Follow the cover reveal in real time on Instagram
