May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this Be What You Don’t See leader features mental health advocate and fly-fishing guide, Ashley White. Known as The Gentleman Lumberjack, Ashley has been guiding the lakes and rivers of Minnesota from the Twin Cities to the Driftless region for the past five years. He came to fly fishing only ten years ago after being diagnosed with PTSD.
For Ashley, fly fishing and the outdoors provided a path out of darkness and depression. Bob Bartlett, fellow co-founder of Ubuntu Fly Anglers, talks with Ashley about mental health and healing through fly fishing and being in nature.
I didn’t want to die. I just couldn’t figure out how to live.
When Ashley’s wife nearly died giving birth to their third daughter, he was there for her and their newborn child, who remained in the ICU. At the same time, he was caring for the couple’s other two children and maintaining a demanding corporate career. Once things had settled down, Ashley began having severe panic attacks that took him to the brink of suicide. Hospitalized for his own protection, he resisted taking medication, and other traditional forms of treatment were not helping. The son of a preacher, Ashley tried prayer to calm his mind. When that didn’t work, his wife suggested therapy. He tried multiple therapists until he found one that made him feel comfortable. That therapist suggested that he and Ashley have an outdoor session.
“That turned into walks, that turned into other meetings with my therapist in less traditional spaces where he helped me understand the practice of mindfulness.”
Ashley’s therapist asked, “What do you love doing?” “Fishing,” was Ashley’s answer.
When he moved with his family from Ohio to Minnesota, Ashley was looking for a new community and a new challenge. He signed up for a fly-tying lesson, which introduced him to fly fishing. Then he caught a fish on a fly that he had tied. Already spending more time in nature, Ashley found that his new interest in fly fishing deepened that connection.
Fly fishing allowed Ashley to focus. “That one cast and everything slows down enough for you to actually hear yourself think or sort your emotions.” He “fell down the rabbit hole” of fly fishing, and spent so much time at his local fly shop that they gave him a job.
Ashley transitioned from a full-time corporate VP to a full-time fly-fishing guide over a ten-year period. His Instagram handle and guide business moniker “The Gentleman Lumberjack” is a nod to his corporate “gentleman” identity, along with his inner outdoorsman “lumberjack.”
“The gentleman was always clean, always shaven, always well put together with my talking points. And then there was the lumberjack, who was probably more of who I was, the outdoor side of Ashley, who wanted to not shower for a week out in the Boundary Waters. That hard work, discipline, sweat, and equity in that space were more of who I was. Now, I’m like 70% lumberjack, 30% gentlemen, and they’re both very much me.”
And then there is Ashley, the mental health advocate. Using his skills as a corporate officer and adventurer, Ashley also speaks to groups about leading through struggle, unlocking your passion, outdoor leadership, and other topics. Veterans and others with trauma have found their way to Ashley and to peace on the water, guided by the Gentleman Lumberjack. “I’ve had people book me (as a guide) because they heard me tell my story…We are on the water for eight hours, and it’s just us. People tell me things – we got close real fast.”
Every time Ashley has a conversation about mental health or wellness, every time he shares his story, he is reducing the taboo of mental illness and encouraging others to seek the help they need.
- Follow @the_gentleman_lumberjack on Instagram
- Hire Ashley as a guide through https://www.thefishinggent.com/trips-and-rates-fly-fishing
- Tell your fishing friends about Ashley
- Buy Gentleman Lumberjack merch https://www.thefishinggent.com/shop
- Book Ashley for a speaking engagement at your fly fishing club or place of work https://www.thefishinggent.com/speaking-engagements
Ashley has created a safe space for his clients to discuss their mental state and share their stories. Here are ways we can all be allies and advocates for mental health in our communities:
- Fight stigma and misinformation by educating yourself
- Listen with empathy
- Be mindful of your words
- Share your story and experience with anxiety and mental illness
- Ask how you can help
- Take care of your own mental health
- “Whether it’s family, church, or medical, they are here to help you. Allow them to.”
- “Normally, people go to drinking, drugs, or other risky behaviors. Seek out positive activities that will help you cope. I got addicted to nature.”
- “If you need medication, get medication.”
- “There are tons of resources for black and brown folks. If you don’t have the resources, hit me up.”
- “Every journey is different. You just have to start the walk.”
Every journey is different. You just have to start the walk.
The 2026 iFishiBelong “Be What You Don’t See” campaign highlights leaders breaking barriers in the fishing industry. Throughout the year, we will feature individuals who challenge conventions and inspire change with passion and resilience, motivating the next generation of anglers to create their paths and “be what they don’t see.” By highlighting these trailblazers, we aim to inspire broader participation and show that leadership roles in the fishing industry are accessible to everyone, creating a more inclusive vision of success.
