Ali Juten combines

By Abigail Blonigen

Writing And The Outdoors To Create Dream Career

After Ali Juten attended an outdoor writing conference, she took a leap of faith and quit her day job to pursue a new career empowering people to get outdoors.

Juten grew up an avid angler and hunter, following in the footsteps of her father. She has fished as long as she can remember and took her firearm safety class at age 11.

Juten grew up an avid angler and hunter, following in the footsteps of her father. She has fished as long as she can remember and took her firearm safety class at age 11.

“I think one of the reasons I took firearm safety when I was a kid is because I was a big daddy’s girl,” Juten said. “I was the youngest of four, and I just wanted to spend time with my dad.”

By the time high school rolled around, Juten became preoccupied with activities such as sports, theater, dance and choir, so she did not hunt for a number of years.

After graduating from Hermantown High School, Juten attended the University of Wisconsin-River Falls to earn bachelor’s degrees in journalism and international studies. She enjoyed the small town feel of River Falls, and being an outdoorsy school, she got back into hunting again, purchasing a bow at age 21.

Juten went on to work in radio for about a year, and then took on the role of operations and content specialist at Maurices in Duluth, where she managed a number of projects related to corporate communications.

Meanwhile, Juten had been freelancing for Northern Wilds, a lifestyle magazine focused on the North Shore of Lake Superior and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The editor of the magazine encouraged Juten to attend an Outdoor Writers Association conference that was being held in Duluth.

At the conference, Juten realized she could combine her love of the outdoors and her professional background in journalism into a career.

“I thought, wow, there are people literally doing what I went to school for, but in the outdoor world,” she said.

She noticed there were few women and younger folks represented at the conference and saw an opportunity to make an impact.

The following Monday, Juten put in her two-week notice at her day job to pursue outdoor writing full time.

Since then, Juten started a limited liability company

Continued on page 16 called Empower Outdoors, launched a blog and website showcasing her work, and started a podcast. She expanded her freelancing work and primarily focuses on helping small businesses with marketing and social media.

While she doesn’t explicitly work with outdoor companies, her passion is collaborating with businesses and brands that empower people to get outside, whether it be hunting, fishing, running or hiking.

“I like having flexibility to take on new things and do projects that I want to do,” she said.

Juten will soon take on a new role in the writing world, details of which she could not reveal at the time of this interview. In the near future, she aims to relaunch the “Empower Outdoors” podcast and create a new website after a brief hiatus due to the birth of her daughter, Holland.

Women in the outdoors has been a significant part of Juten’s work, as hunting and fishing are historically maledominated industries.

Ali Juten is an outdoors girl through and through and takes her daughter, Holland, along whenever she can, even bowfishing, when Holland was just a baby.

Juten recalled one instance a few years back when she had gone into a store to shop for a bow after she had been shooting for about six years.

When she asked an employee if she could try shooting the bow she was interested in, he responded, “Are you going to shoot or are you going to buy, because there’s a difference,” in a tone that suggested she didn’t know what she was doing.

“People … talk down to you or assume you don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

A few weeks before, Juten was in the same store with her husband and did not encounter any issues.

Juten hopes to expand the narrative of what it means to be a hunter.

“I went from working in women’s fashion to working with archery and hunting brands,” she said. “It’s OK to be able to do both. You don’t have to fit that one narrative or that one mold. You can bounce around and be whatever you want to be.”

Of her many hobbies, archery holds a special place in Juten’s heart. Last year, she partnered with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and a local church to teach an archery class.

She obtained her archery coaching certificate and led a 13-week course which drew kids as young as 7 to adults in their 60s. She noted that most participants were women.

The group not only learned archery, but also toured a facility to learn about how deer meat is processed after the hunt.

“I think it’s very important to know where your food comes from if you’re going to be a hunter or if you’re going to eat meat at all,” she said.

Juten loves introducing people to the sport and to her lifestyle, so she found the class to be quite impactful and hopes to continue teaching in the future.

For those interested in getting into the great outdoors, Juten encourages people to find a mentor. There are a number of programs folks can look into, from the DNR’s Becoming an Outdoorswoman program to women’s hunting groups on Facebook.

In terms of entrepreneurship, Juten offers similar advice, to seek out a mentor, join local organizations and put yourself out there.

“Everyone rises,” she said. “I’m not here to push you down. It’s more like, why not have more female entrepreneurs out there?” D