The Other Side of the Coin: Becoming the Manager I Needed

When I think about my journey with Offbeat Travel, it doesn’t feel like a straight line. It feels like a series of small leaps, some exciting, some terrifying, each one shaping the person I am at work today. I started as a guide, learning how to lead, connect, and stay calm when plans changed. Now I’m stepping into a management role, ready to support others the way I was supported. And honestly? It’s hard to put into words how meaningful that feels.

Coming out of COVID and into the real world again

I became a guide at a strange time in life. The COVID years changed the way we all moved through the world, but for me it especially affected how I felt socially. After so much isolation, I carried a quiet, constant social anxiety, like I’d forgotten how to “return” to people.

Guiding is social by nature. You’re meeting travelers, building trust quickly, reading personalities, making people feel safe and excited all at once. Some days, just the idea of stepping into that role felt like trying to sprint with a weight on my chest. But I wanted it. I wanted to grow. And I believed that pushing through discomfort was better than staying stuck.

My first summer: the hardest season

I won’t romanticize it. My first summer as a guide was hard.

There were moments where I felt like everyone could see how overwhelmed I was. Moments where I questioned whether I was cut out for the job. I was learning everything at once: the logistics, the timing, the guest energy, the unexpected problems, the pressure to keep things smooth even when they weren’t.

And beyond the tasks, there was the emotional part: showing up every day as the version of myself that other people needed. Confident. Friendly. In control. Even when I didn’t feel that way yet.

But I kept going. I reminded myself that being new doesn’t mean being incapable, it just means being in the process. And I learned the most important lesson of that summer: perseverance isn’t loud. Sometimes it’s just choosing not to quit.

The summers that made me resilient

With each new season, something shifted.

I started to build a kind of resilience you can’t fake. The kind that only comes from experience, seeing what can go wrong, learning how to respond, and discovering that you can handle more than you thought.

Over time, I became more adaptable. More confident. More steady under pressure. I learned how to stay calm when plans changed, when people were stressed, when the day didn’t go as expected. I learned how to problem-solve without panic. How to connect with guests without overthinking every interaction. How to lead even on days where I didn’t feel 100%.

And somewhere along the way, the social anxiety that once felt like a wall turned into something manageable, like a shadow that didn’t control my steps anymore.

Seeing the other side of the coin

Now, I’m preparing to experience Offbeat Travel from a new perspective: management.

It’s a strange feeling, in the best way. For so long, I was the one being supported. I had a manager behind me, someone to turn to, someone who helped me grow into the role. And now, I’m getting ready to be that person for others.

I’m stepping into the “other side of the coin,” and it comes with responsibility I don’t take lightly. Because I know, firsthand, how much of a difference a good manager makes.

A guide can be talented, hardworking, and passionate, and still struggle if they don’t feel supported. But when you have a manager who believes in you, who has your back, who helps you learn instead of making you feel small? That changes everything. It can be the difference between burning out and leveling up.

The kind of manager I want to be

The goal is simple: I want to be an excellent manager who supports his guides 100%.

Not just with schedules and logistics, but with real support, the kind that makes people feel confident, capable, and valued. I want my guides to feel prepared, protected, and respected. I want them to know that if something goes wrong, they’re not alone. That they have someone in their corner.

Because I remember what it felt like in my first summer: trying to figure it all out, trying to prove myself, trying to be strong while still learning.

If I can be the manager I needed back then, patient, dependable, encouraging, then I’ll be proud of the work I’m doing. Not just because trips run smoothly, but because people grow.

Full circle, but forward

This journey from socially anxious after COVID, to struggling through that first summer, to becoming resilient in the seasons that followed has shaped me more than I expected. It taught me how to lead, how to adapt, and how to keep going when things get uncomfortable.

And now it’s bringing me into a new chapter.

I’m not just moving up. I’m moving into a role where I get to create the kind of support system that helps others thrive. I’m ready to fill those shoes—and I’m ready to do it right.

Because I’ve lived the guide side.

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And now, I’m ready to become the manager who makes the difference.

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