Surviving Capitalism in the Outdoor Industry: Jen Gurecki on 12 Years of Coalition Snow, Enoughness, and Building Far Out by Her Values
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She started the first women-owned ski and snowboard brand in the universe, ran it for 12 years, and then closed it — and this conversation about what’s actually worth fighting for is required listening for anyone who wants to survive capitalism and do some good in the world.
Jen Gurecki is a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur who has spent her life doing things differently — founding Zawadisha, a microlending program for women in rural Kenya; starting Coalition Snow, the first women-owned ski and snowboard brand in the universe; and mentoring small business owners on aligning their values with their livelihoods. Her newest venture, Far Out, brings together outdoor adventure travel and creative exploration.
Jen and Angie talked about:
Growing up as an activist, not an entrepreneur — from a McDonald’s playground moment to taking down her principal in the school paper
Panty Line Productions, her first business: screen-printed underwear reading “The only bush I trust is my own”
Founding Zawadisha, which still provides microloans to women in rural Kenya today
Starting Coalition Snow in 2014 “to fuck with the industry” before anyone cared about women in business
The startup scene and the soul-crushing pressure to endlessly grow
Why “unisex” gear is a business decision, not change and the internalized misogyny women bring to women-made gear
The cancer diagnosis that rewrote what’s worth fighting for
Deciding to close Coalition after 12 years and why passing the torch is not failure
Far Out: no fake urgency, no discounts, no Black Friday, and a story page for every maker
The Fourth Space: funding community dinners and backyard gatherings because small actions matter
Redefining wealth, enoughness, and why you should stop waiting for someone else to fix it
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