Insane Ranger Seeks Fellow Overachiever for Leadership Cross-Mentoring

[HedgeMage]

When a Ranger is also a sheepdog, she may tend toward surrounding herself with mentees, protectees, students, and sheep who need her protection and guidance.  This is as it should be--what good is it to accomplish anything if the lessons learned aren't shared, and the strength not put to good use?--but it may lead to an isolation of sorts, even in the midst of a crowd.  That's the isolation that happens when everyone around one is looking to one for answers, and one has nowhere to turn with questions.  I see that I'm going there again, running headlong into yet more interesting leadership activities, and making an effort not to isolate myself for a change.  I have a good team at work (amazing boss included), and some folks in my hacker world who know I'm just human, but I'd like to have another high-achiever and leader in the realm of physical things to chat with as well.

 

I'm not looking for someone who's learning to give up soda or walk 30 minutes a day for the first time.  You aren't a bad person, you're just not where I am right now.  I'm not especially looking for someone who's just chugging along being a natural athlete, either.  I'm looking for someone with a few miles on their odometer, who's used to clawing through challenges, and who is currently in at least one leadership position...someone with enough accomplishments under their belt that I can talk openly about the things I'm working on without having to choose my wording carefully to avoid sounding arrogant or otherwise hurting feelings.  Bonus points for overachievers, workaholics, operators of various kinds, sheepdogs, rangers, and anybody who holds themselves to standards others find ridiculous.  Bonus points to anyone who doesn't fit any of the usual molds.

 

The best ways to communicate with me are usually email, IRC, and SMS, though I do make an effort to catch up on phone calls at least once a week if that's better for you.  I assume that if we find some mutually satisfactory mode, a rhythm will sort itself out before long.  I expect this to be a fair give-and-take.

 

Below is a bit about me, though you may also find my introduction, why I'm a Ranger, and my first and second challenge threads interesting.

 

Some History, in no particular order:

• Volunteered for over a decade working with at-risk, abused, and traumatized youth and adolescents as well as survivors of domestic abuse in shelter and counseling center and outreach settings.
• Volunteered for a few years as a search-and-rescue worker: medic, field engineer, scene commander, and other jobs as needed.
• Grew up on a farm surrounded by some rough neighborhoods.
• Studied a number of martial arts, including an experimental modern knife fighting style, Apache tomahawk fighting, and Shorei Goju-Ryu karate.
• Spent most of my adult life (and most of my young life, for that matter) obese due to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), only recently diagnosed.  Did SAR and martial arts at high levels anyway.
• Proud hacker who learned her trade informally with the mentorship of many bright and wonderful people.  Details at http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/girls-and-software if you're interested.
• Co-author of two tech books.
• Bopped around the tech startup world as a freelance developer, security geek, and consultant for a number of years.
• I've been up and down the socio-economic ladder.

Some Current Events, also in no particular order:

• Mom to a wonderful 13yo son.
• Working out of a computer security research center attached to Indiana University.
• Backpacker, hiker, weightlifter, whatever-looks-interesting-this-week-er.
• In the process of buying a house.
• Staff director at a nonprofit, the Internet Civil Engineering Institute.
• Leader of New Guard, a mentoring group for early- and mid-career technologists interested in helping to fix and maintain aging internet infrastructure.
• LinuxJournal columnist
• Trying to find time for other writing projects.
• Trying to find time for my love life.
• Constantly straddling social divides... engineer/academic, hacker/egineer, academic/hacker, different socio-economic classes, different political groups, etc. to try to get things done.
• Constantly trying to balance social/leadership and technical challenges at work and in other endeavors.
• Semi-frequently dragged into nonsensical "women in tech" and other identity politics messes.
• Figuring out how to shape my training now that I'm no longer active in SAR.  I've gone from trying to shape my body to a performance purpose to...I don't know exactly what.
• Mentoring some students at work, looking at taking on two more leadership projects in the next year.
• Dealing with my lack of pedigree and what that may mean for long-term career direction.

 

So...are you out there?

[CrazyKate]

Hi, I'm Kate.

I don't have quite as many achievements under my belt as you do, mostly because I'm only 18. Still, I hope I qualify for what you are looking for. I have volunteered as a lifeguard for most of my life, earning the official certificate for my home country at 12 years old. I now, help teaching a team of younger lifeguards(although my job is usually just to keep the kids in line). I've also recently been accepted into police training, and will be starting as of march. I'm also learning to be a medic. I windsurf in my summer Holidays, play hockey(I'm a goalie)and am learning Shotokan Karate. I also teach extra English, German, Latin, physics and maths to younger teens (and occasionally people my own age) who struggle in School. I love to snowboard and hike, too. You won't have to worry about sounding arrogant. If anything, you'll motivate me to become more like you in the future. I think I'll, despite my young age, be suitable for cross- mentoring (I like to think I'm very mature for my age, but that's not really for me to decide, now, is it? ), but I do understand if you are looking for someone closer to your own age.

I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes, as English is not my first language(I'm a German)