Growing up in beautiful South Australia, founder Jo Demmler discovered her love for exploring at a young age. Like many Australian kids, Jo’s childhood was filled with memories of backyard sports, camping under the stars and 4WDriving on red dirt outback roads.

However, life took a serious turn when Jo experienced two debilitating illnesses in her early adulthood – Post Viral Fatigue and a severe bacterial infection that left her bedridden and unable to pursue her outdoor passions. Instead of being defeated by these illnesses, Jo took them as valuable lessons to never take your health and happiness for granted.

With utter determination, Jo regained her health and wasted no time in returning to nature and experiencing the outdoors, on HER terms. 

She travelled the world and embraced once-in-a-lifetime experiences including trekking through the Indian Himalayas, traversing the Karakoram Mountains in Pakistan, exploring the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and cycling Singapore to Beijing via Indochina. Other challenges included cycling Istanbul to Beijing and white water rafting Tasmania’s Franklin River. Jo then spent 10 years living in Canada where she discovered trail running and hiking as a way to meet new friends and share a sense of community.