Every time I’ve ever set foot in New York City, it’s felt like an adventure. My first trip was as a twenty-something on a blind date with a group of West Point cadets and their girlfriends — a whirlwind that included a comedy club, a speech by General Norman Schwarzkopf, and a private Dave Matthews concert. Later visits involved Peter Pan buses, cookie dough the size of boulders, a shop devoted entirely to peanut butter, and more shenanigans than I’ll ever admit. Eventually, there was spy school training that I can’t exactly go into, but suffice it to say, I became very familiar with the avenues and streets of Manhattan.
If you look up adventure in the dictionary, you’ll find words like hazardous and unknown. That tracks. I’ve always secretly hoped for minor catastrophes when setting out to do something new; not anything serious, of course, but a flat tire, a wrong turn, the question of where to find your next meal or bed for the night. It makes for a better story, and maybe that hint of risk is what keeps us sharp.
Leading up to this most recent trip to New York, the hazards felt more emotional than physical. It was the launch of Spy Ruck—GORUCK’s first line of gear designed by women for women—and my first time stepping completely out from behind the scenes. There were last-minute hurdles in manufacturing and logistics, unexpected teammate substitutions, and content deadlines pressing down to the wire. This time, adventure meant vulnerability: putting myself out there and hoping the work would speak louder than the nerves.
To steady myself, I did something Jason would never do: I bought tickets to Hamilton, starring Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr. Sitting in that dark theater, surrounded by sheer talent and conviction, I felt my face melt off (I cried through most of it). Watching those performers own their stage reminded me what courage looks like. Would I be able to do the same, in my own way, the next day?
Walking into a spy museum in downtown Manhattan and seeing footage of you and your team playing on a loop is a surreal experience. Luckily, no one came to hear me sing. Instead, I got to guide some of the top female editors and content creators in health and fitness through a spy-themed ruck adventure. They kitted up with Spy Rucks, got a mission brief, and headed off to solve puzzles, sneak past lasers, and share laughs, all while carrying weight and working together.
By the time we gathered in the Debriefing Room, the transformation was visible. We went around and shared each person’s high, low, and unexpected buffalo of the morning. In those few minutes, the energy shifted. What started as a room full of strangers became a team bonded by shared effort, vulnerability, and lots of laughs. We heard about the challenges it took just to show up (failed alarm clocks, snarled traffic), the dreams and burdens each woman carried, and the joy of realizing they’d forgotten the weight on their backs because they were having fun.
That was the highlight for me, the moment of connection. Even if it’s fleeting, it’s real. That’s the magic of scalable social fitness like rucking, of GORUCK, of community. You start with a bit of weight, a few unknowns, and a willingness to show up. Somewhere along the way, the load gets lighter, not because it weighs less, but because you’re not carrying it alone.
To everyone who made this adventure possible—our team at GRHQ, the Badass Babes of GORUCK, our all-female team in Vietnam, the women and men of GORUCK Nation, the incredible Liz Plosser, my Ruck & Flow guinea pigs (ladies), and my favorite sherpa, Jason (even if he still refuses to stop for snacks), thank you. The mission continues, and like any good story, we’re just getting started.
