Girls Moving Mountains

Creating Culture with Hailey Childress, NorCal League Program Manager, Mechanic, and Artist

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Episode notes

In Episode 3, we talk to Hailey Childress, the NICA NorCal League Program Manager. She began as a part-time employee while simultaneously working as a bike mechanic. Now, she has been hired on as a full-time employee with the league as they launch middle school racing in NorCal!

Hailey is very passionate about helping girls and women find mountain biking by creating an inviting and inclusive environment. She has helped found the GRiT program in NorCal and is the GRiT Coordinator. She is also on a local all-women’s team called Hello Mello Racing. Besides bikes, Hailey has a lot of other interests! One of her other passions is art. Hailey creates really rad paintings using the acrylic dutch pour method. Don’t know what that is? Don’t worry! She gives us a play-by-play as to how she creates these cool paintings.

We also talk with Hailey about what it’s like to be a female in the bike industry. While her experiences have generally been positive, there is good conversation around what it feels like to be a female mechanic in a male-dominated profession. This episode is awesome as it shows how Hailey is a well-rounded person with a spark for helping get #moregirlsonbikes!

GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us!

Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org

Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org

Nikki Peterson is the League Director for the Nevada League. Learn more about the Nevada League here: www.nevadamtb.org