Nebraskaland

72 Nebraskaland • March 2021 Julia Plugge of Lincoln was looking for a certain kind of podcast: female- led and focused on the outdoors. She found quite a few led by experts, but none tailored for beginners, like her. So she started her own. Plugge and coworker Micaela Rahe began the podcast She Goes Outdoors in October 2019, hoping to engage women with similar interests and inspire them to explore activities such as hunting and fi shing. Since then, hosts have explored a wide range of topics, including hunting with a baby bump, picking out turkey blinds, bowfi shing, mushroom hunting, camping and Dutch oven cooking. Rather than presenting themselves as experts, they make it clear that they're learning, too. "We don't want to be the podcast hosts that feel like we know it all, and we're telling you 'this is the way it should be,'" Plugge said. "We want our followers to know we are learning with them, as well as battling the same roadblocks together." A typical episode includes lots of informal chatting, laughter and sharing of tips and experiences. Many episodes are conversations with women who are knowledgeable in a particular area, while others are seasonal, looking ahead at opportunities like pheasant season or camping season. Most episodes are around 30 minutes, which is intentional, Plugge said, so busy moms like herself can fi t in time to listen. One episode that stands out to Plugge came early on, when she and Rahe investigated women's options for hunting apparel. "It was so fun because we decided to venture out and hit a local retail store. We checked it all out and took a bunch of pictures, and then we came back and chatted about what we found," she said. "We were not necessarily telling [listeners] what they needed to wear, but more just fi guring out together what the possibilities were." Plugge and Rahe were new to podcasting, and it took time to decide on a name, create a logo and fi nd software to edit and record with. "Our fi rst recordings were — and honestly still are — from our phones," Plugge said. "It's certainly been fun, and it's been a learning experience." Today, the podcast enjoys a growing audience, especially after Plugge added new female co- hosts from fi sh and wildlife agencies in Iowa and Kansas. Plugge, who works for Nebraska Game and Parks, had partnered with them to off er She Goes Outdoors subscription boxes, with items to keep women active and learning about the outdoors through the COVID-19 pandemic. From there, it was natural to add her new partners in as additional co-hosts. With the new support, She Goes Outdoors is now on a weekly schedule and expanding its reach. "Every time a new episode goes out we have more followers," Plugge said. "So I'm happy to watch it continue to expand and grow." She Goes Outdoors is available on iTunes, SoundCloud and Spotify. Learn more at sgooutdoors.com. MIXED BAG SHE GOES OUTDOORS: AN OUTDOORS PODCAST FOR WOMEN By Renae Blum PHOTO BY JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY Julia Plugge is the host of She Goes Outdoors, a new female-led podcast that focuses on the outdoors.

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