24%
Fishing doesn't always result in a reward, but that doesn’t discourage most anglers. Research conducted by Take Me Fishing with Ipsos says active women anglers have significantly greater perseverance and grit; in fact, they’re 24% more likely than non-anglers to be undeterred by setbacks.
“The most interesting thing to me about fly fishing is that it doesn't take strength; it takes finesse,” Haney says. “That's why I think women have the potential to be so great at it.” Standing mid-creek wearing thigh-high wader boots, Haney casts delicately overhead, repeatedly flicking the rod backward to 10 o’clock and forward to 2 o’clock, releasing extra line to place the fly where she wants it.
She has learned that refining her leadership style takes just as much intention, resolve and time.
Haney started Outdoor Voices in 2014, fresh out of Parsons School of Design, with a vision to take on the activewear establishment. OV’s stylish and colorful yet practical wares took off and grew a loyal, cool-girl community to match; by 2020, it had storefronts around the country and more than $60 million in venture capital.
But early that year, the company’s valuation was set at $40 million—down from 2018’s $110 million. Reports detailed disharmony about company direction between Haney, executives and board members as well as criticism regarding financial strategy and work culture.
In February 2020, Haney decided to step down as CEO due to untenable board dynamics, she says. She remained on the board for several months after.
of active women anglers are more likely than non-anglers to say setbacks don’t discourage them
How Fishing Helps Her Be A Better Leader
“Finding ways to incorporate activities like fishing into my daily life make me a much happier, healthier person.”
She has reflected on her experiences as a first-time founder and applied those valuable learnings to how she’s leading now, doubling down on fundamentals aside from fundraising, like owning business trajectory and building relationships with her team and her board. “I’m really focused on how we build companies that last,” Haney says.
Haney is growing Joggy, her plant-based energy supplement company that champions a better-for-you approach to performance and recovery. And her new venture, Try Your Best, is a Web3 platform where brands can connect directly with fans, who co-create products by influencing decisions like colorways and messaging—and in return collect rewards like NFTs and other blockchain assets.
It’s a more democratic approach to brand-building, Haney says, that’s an opportunity for companies and fans to create value together.
How The Outdoors Benefit Her Mental Health
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active female anglers say fishing helps them manage their moods and long-term stress
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Her Advice
For Women Anglers & Entrepreneurs
Haney is invested in using emerging tech to open more doors for women. Female-founded companies with large followings across beauty, beverage and fashion are already using Try Your Best. “We get to bring all of these young, mostly female-founded brands into the future, and essentially their fans and users with them,” she says. “That's something I get so excited about, is redefining a space in a way that women get excited about.”
In fishing, too, everything from advertising to apparel is traditionally geared toward men. Little female representation has a ripple effect: Take Me Fishing says 8 in 10 women think of men when they think of someone who’s good at fishing; and less than half of non-white female anglers feel safe when fishing alone. While the larger industry and culture must evolve, Haney encourages women anglers to find their community, big or small.
She’s keeping the tradition alive through the next generation. Her three-year-old daughter, Sunny, is eager to “fly a fish,” and Haney is taking the kids fishing for crawdads using hot dog chunks as bait to get them acquainted with Boulder’s creeks and rivers.
Just as in business, “if everyone has this pass-it-on type mentality, I think fishing can become a really friendly space for women,” she says.
Sometimes, it’s our own internal voices holding us back from trying new things, Haney says. She believes in a beginner’s mindset: For aspiring women anglers or anyone interested in trying a new hobby, she says to ditch the pressure to perform.
“Go in and have the max possible fun.”
No brook or rainbow trout have bit yet. The creek’s fast-moving water, hurried by winter’s snow melt, makes Haney’s quest to catch a fish difficult. She’s in it for the waiting game.
Take Me Fishing reports 1 in 4 active female anglers say fishing helps them manage their moods and long-term stress; almost half say that fishing teaches them patience. As she was dealing with the unknowns of her business future and having a second baby during the pandemic, Haney relished in what she knows to be a salve: moving her body to do what she calls “changing your chemistry.” Haney and her husband, Mark Wystrach of the country band Midland, find time to get outside every day, playing in the mountains and taking their kids on pony rides.
“When I'm able to get out there to be fishing, to be active, there's this euphoric or joyfulness-type sensation that, from a mood perspective, is where you want to be,” she says.“[It’s] this kinetic meditation or peaceful recharge…from a very fast-paced life.”
This perspective has conveniently prepared her for the risks and experimentation of entrepreneurship. Whether it’s brushing up on her casting technique or innovating in multiple industries, Haney considers herself someone who takes big swings and is not afraid to make mistakes.
"I often remind myself to find the little kid in you,” she says. “That little kid generally has this very open, curious spirit that's willing to try something even if you're not good at it, and that's how it all starts.”
“The most interesting thing to me about fly fishing is that it doesn't take strength; it takes finesse.”
Explore more of Take Me Fishing’s research on women anglers
Read the FuLl Report
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