Meet Haley Cottey | ExploreMore Founder, Yoga Instructor and Serial Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Haley Cottey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Haley, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
As a serial entrepreneur, my work life balance is constantly shifting. I have gone from working 100+ hour weeks in my 20s after opening a restaurant to being super strict about “clocking out” at 4pm last year as my kids were getting older.

I think the key has always been constantly analyzing my priorities and making sure my schedule reflects my priorities. Now that I am a parent, my top priority will always be my kids but there are seasons (such as during the school year) that I can really hustle while they are in school or my husband and I can tag team activities but there are other seasons like during the summer that I really scale back so I can be present with them. My business may grow at a slower pace or even stall during these times but that is a sacrifice I am willing to take.

I am very fortunate to have a very supportive partner in my husband and we often work together so scaling back on work to spend time together hasn’t been needed as much for us. We have switched back and forth on who works more many times. For example, he has a big project at his day job right now so I am pulling more of the weight at home but 2 years ago, it was flipped and he did most pick up and drop offs and was the default parent while I worked a temporary gig.

There have also been times that we have had financial goals so we worked more or worked side gigs to bring in more money or launch a new product at one of our businesses.

We are also very dedicated to our faith and believe God has really provided many times. When I was at a point of severe exhaustion, God lined up our lives to allow me to rest and when my husband lost his job 6 years ago, my job just happened to increase my hours and our businesses started doing better so he didn’t have to rush to get a new job. We have had customers and jobs fall in our lap exactly when we needed them countless times.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m Haley and my husband is CJ. We met in college and quickly bonded over our love and shared experiences in the outdoors. We had both been on extended backpacking trips (I did 40 days in Wyoming with Solid Rock Outdoor Ministries and CJ did 23 days in Colorado with Outward Bound)

One year later, we got married. We have had 2 beautiful daughters, Adeline Rayne (Della) and Anya Lawson (Yaya) who both love being outside just as much as we do! We spend as much time as we can hiking, running, mountain biking, climbing as a family and with friends. I (Haley) have also started hiking and trail running as well as practicing yoga and prayer in an effort to handle postpartum depression after my second child. That is a whole other story that I’m happy to share with anyone who wants to know more but I’m passionate about helping others who are stressed, depressed, etc find freedom through unplugging, slowing down and getting outside through yoga and hiking.

A few years ago we realized we were always reaching for our next vacation to the mountains and had never truly taken advantage of the beautiful outdoor spaces available to us right here in Dallas Texas. We knew we couldn’t live our life wishing we were somewhere else, especially when there are tons of beautiful trails, rivers, lakes and outdoor climbing available all around us. We just had to explore a little more to find them. We also realized people don’t always want to go outside because they don’t feel knowledgeable or equipped for certain activities. We get told constantly “take me with you next time you go backpacking”, “how do I hike with a toddler”, “what kind of hiking shoes do I need” etc

So in true entrepreneur fashion, we started a business. The goal of ExploreMore is to train and equip people to experience the fun and freedom found in nature. Our most popular event is our hike, yoga and brew where we combine a short beginner friendly yoga practice with nature and a group hike followed by a “brew” which is usually a drink ticket to a local coffee shop, brewery or restaurant near the trail. We are also huge proponents of supporting and exploring local business so we are partnering with small businesses as much as possible.

Don’t get me wrong, we still go to the mountains as much as possible and I still want to take people backpacking in the mountains and trying new experiences but I also want them driving 10 minutes down the street and hiking in their local park.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would do an ExploreMore Hike and Yoga at one of the local trails and visit a local coffee shop afterwards and then a local brewpub for dinner.

We would also download the ExploreMore Trail Bingo card and try to hit as many trails as possible.

Possibly Hike and Yoga at Rowlett Creek Preserve, Coffee at Book Club Cafe and Dinner at Intrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery.

We would also checkout Go Ape and Oak Point Nature Preserve, Fort Worth Nature Preserve and hit up maybe Manhattan Project Brewery and Peticolas Brewery or Tupps Brewery and explore downtown McKinney. There are so many!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to recognize my husband for being such a supportive partner and always being willing to run with my crazy ideas no whether he understands them or now.

Website: exploremore.fun

Instagram: instagram.com/exploremore.fun

Facebook: facebook.com/exploremoredfw

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@exploremore4165