Grief and Loss, the Messiness and Beauty, with Cherise Tuttle

My guest today is Cherise Tuttle.

Cherise Tuttle is an avid adventurer who has spent the better part of her life living in the mountains. From running an adventure sports media company to finding her confidence and independence in sports like paragliding and rock climbing, she has immersed herself in the outdoors and created a lifestyle within it. Her years of experience living and working in these exceptional environments has given her the skill-set to effectively problem solve in extremely challenging, or unexpected, situations. It has given her great opportunity to develop as a writer and photographer with her media appearing in the likes of Outside and Cross Country magazines.

Passionate about making a meaningful contribution to the world, Cherise prioritizes projects with social and environmental impact. Before her husband, Cody, passed away in 2019, they produced a documentary surrounding the oppressive caste system in Nepal. Cherise proudly carries that legacy forward as she continues to support impoverished families and children in the remote villages of the Himalaya.

Cherise’s passion for the outdoors has also gone hand in hand with her love of all things related to wine, and her travels have given her a deep appreciation for the geography and culture that go into creating it. This has led to deeper studies as a sommelier and her current position as a Wine Director in the heart of the Santa Barbara County wine country. Cody was her greatest supporter in following this dream. 

Cherise is also someone who has been on my “I’d really love to have you on my podcast” list and it’s such a great honor to have had this conversation with her and to be sharing with you.

I met Cherise and Cody briefly in 2016 through paragliding.  Meeting amazing people is an awesome side benefit to the sport of paragliding.  When we met it was several months after they had been on site in Nepal for the earthquake of 2015 and they were first responders with a team of other paragliders and mountaineers.  We followed their amazing work over the years and were devastated when we heard the news that Cody had been in a paragliding accident and didn’t make it.  Just a few months ago, my husband, John, and I took a trip to Nepal for the first time.  We met so many people there who were impacted by the work of Cherise and Cody.  We flew in the shadows of the mighty Annapurna Range and the Fish Tail, that I had seen in pictures posted by the two of them.  It was extremely meaningful and special.

Cherise, thank you for sharing these pieces of your journey with us today.  Thank you for inspiring us, being vulnerable, and inviting us into your experience.  I’m so grateful and I know without a doubt that Cody would be so incredibly proud of the life you are living each and every day!

Links:

https://www.invertedlifestyle.com/

https://www.codytuttle.com/

https://www.nyimaproject.org/

IG: @cherisetuts

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