About
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” – Confucius
Hey! I’m Stacie Kenton, nature loving country girl, stay-at-home gypsy and Chief Huntress of Follow Your Arrow Adventure Retreats – all-female getaways offering a bad-ass blend of outdoor adventure, self-care and connection with kindred spirits.
I’m what some would call a bird of a different feather. Some of my favorite things?
- Hunting and yoga.
- Good whiskey and green smoothies.
- Shotguns and chakras.
- Facials and fishing.
Basically, I’m bursting with dichotomies, and if you’re here, I’m going to bet you are, too.
Girl, I get it.
Navigating the world as a woman who doesn’t mind a little mud on her boots or dirt on her hands can be a little lonely (and that’s an understatement). And navigating the world as a woman, period, often means putting ourselves – our passions, our curiosities, our adventure-seeking spirits – on the back burner for everyone and everything else, from work to kids to those adorable chocolate labs. (Guilty.)
I created Follow Your Arrow Retreats as safely-wooded-havens for people just like you and me. A place to sink in, grow, stretch.
After years of hosting hunting excursions for men (and making fabulous, lifelong friends from around the globe in the process), I knew I had to find a way to give multi-faceted women like us the opportunity to explore ourselves, the Great Outdoors and the unrivaled connection that comes from sharing a cup of belly-warming whiskey over a crackling fire.
And maybe get in a nice mani-pedi while we’re at it. Because.
This is where it all comes together. And whether we’re shooting shotguns or heading down to the spa for a hot stone massage, at Follow Your Arrow, I want you to know you are sincerely welcome here. All of you.
How “Follow Your Arrow” Came To Be:
>> I fell in love with the outdoors at the ripe ol’ age of 6 while spending my childhood summers roughing it in the Canadian backwoods, camping in tents and reeling in Pike and Muskie bigger than I was from the clearest, sparkling lakes. I’m very much obsessed with being in nature and this is where it all started. Back then, it was all about the adventure…..and it still is, but it’s also the one place where my breath comes easier, my shoulders relax and my worries seem to get whisked away by the wind.
>> Fast forward to high school, when I fell head over boots for this really cute guy who is now my fiance (yep, high school sweethearts!) A huge outdoorsman, we went fishing often but I also found myself having to suit up in camo just to spend more time with him. Our date nights in the Fall were spent deer hunting and checking trail cams….and not much has changed!
>> Trap shooting and archery came next. HELLO new favorite hobbies. Honing these skills helped to broaden my hunting horizons and led to my love of hunting Wild Turkey and Waterfowl….two of my favorites. Which led me to realize, there is nothing better than knowing exactly where your food comes from. When I harvested my very own wild turkey for Thanksgiving dinner and could pull meat from my freezer that I harvested myself, I knew this was a lifestyle that fueled my soul.
>> Later, we purchased a beautiful piece of property in Ohio that’s become our own little piece of paradise – one with enough land to grow my own fruits and vegetables, raise some livestock and forge my own trail in nature every day.
>> Then, my forever-guy and I decided to do what most people dream of and turn our passion into a business. We took our love for hunting and started Kenton Outdoors, and became a Whitetail Deer Outfitter in Ohio. It was, and still is, incredibly hard work but we had a vision and stuck with it and it’s been one of the most rewarding adventures we’ve ever taken. We have had the honor of taking dozens and dozens of clients hunting and we’ve also traveled all over the U.S. meeting other hunters and doing some hunting of our own. And in the process, we’ve made lots of new friends. It’s become just as as much about meeting new people as it is about hunting.
>> And finally, during my travels and hosting hunters, I realized that I wasn’t the only woman who loved this stuff – but we never had female hunters show up in camp. And that’s when I knew I needed to find a way to connect to these like-minded women. I attended a business-building retreat in Portland, OR and that’s when the idea of sharing this lifestyle with other women sparked. Another all-female adventure in Montana the following year ignited that spark into a full-blown flame and help me find the courage to follow my arrow…..to, well, right here.
I created Follow Your Arrow Retreats for the women out there dying to explore the outdoors, connect with other like-minded women, step out of their comfort zones and take some time for themselves.
Sound like your cup of tea (or shot of whisky?) Stick around, sister, ‘cause the next big adventure is just around the bend. (Click here to find out when!)
Stacie in a Shotgun-Shell:
- Zodiac: Pisces
- My spirit animal is… the SUN BEAR. Key teachings of the Sun Bear? Embrace your inner contradictions and nurture yourself.
- If I were a drink, I’d totally be… whisky, straight up, because, what you see is what you get.
- I’m SUPER obsessed with… crisp morning air. Coffee and sunrises. Old trucks and backroads. Boots and bonfires. The quiet of nature. Good energy. Adventures, big & small.
- I could never live without…Hope. And dogs (I have two chocolate labs and I talk about my dogs like moms talk about their kids.) And coffee. And road trips.
- I wholeheartedly believe in a few things: Dreaming big and working hard. Kindness and karma. Loving yourself first and giving with all your heart. And that sometimes you have to get a little lost in order to find yourself.