Jennifer Nelms has spent years showing up for others. Her family, her colleagues, the job. When she joined 10KO’s Alaska Women’s Fishing Trip, she was looking for a chance to decompress. What she didn’t anticipate was walking away with five women she now calls sisters.
We sat down with Jennifer to hear about her experience in her own words.
Why did you want to go on this trip?
“It’s a pretty rare thing for me to do anything for myself. Most of my time, money, and energy goes into my four children, my husband, and my job. My husband and dad encouraged me to be selfish this time and allow myself to take this amazing opportunity and enjoy it. So, I did. I wanted to be selfish and treat myself to this once-in-a-lifetime experience with other women like myself to slow down in nature and see all that Alaska had to offer.”
What did you expect to get out of it?
“I expected to just be able to shut off that “serving and surviving” part of my brain that I’ve been living in for many years now. I expected to meet other amazing women whom I could relate to and decompress with.”
How did the trip go?
“It was the most amazing experience of my life. The stunning natural beauty of the Alaskan wilderness and wildlife is something I will never forget. But most of all, meeting the 5 other women and tearing down our barriers together while building up friendships was the most rewarding part of this trip.”
What did you take away from the trip?
“Not only did I gain 5 sisters, but I feel like I found pieces of myself I’d forgotten existed. Life tends to bury parts of us under our jobs, families, and responsibilities. We run on autopilot and just try to stay afloat in the hustle of life. But this trip helped me find those pieces of myself again. Thank you simply isn’t enough for the gratitude I feel being given this opportunity.”
Where Sisterhood Starts
Jennifer came to Alaska to slow down. She left with something she hadn’t planned for: a group of women who understood her in ways that are hard to find in everyday life. For first responders who spend their careers giving to others, that kind of connection can be rare. Alaska delivered it.
