On the Real

Emma Brown shares her journey as a transracial adoptee, rancher, and fly fishing guide, reflecting on identity, inclusion, and building community in the outdoor world.

Emma Brown joins On the Real to share how her rural Colorado roots led to a life of ranching, fly fishing, and forging space for women of color in the outdoors.

In this episode of On the Reel, Joyce Shepherd shares her journey from working on a tobacco farm in North Carolina to becoming a passionate educator and advocate for inclusivity in the world of fly fishing.

Joyce’s fly fishing journey, which began in the 1990s with the International Women’s Fly Fishers, has grown into a lifelong passion for teaching, conservation, and community leadership—culminating in her Hall of Fame induction for her dedication to empowering youth, women, and veterans through the sport.

Nicole Tracey Lewis, a Black fly angler and professional fly tier from Ottawa, shares her journey in the sport—from landing her first steelhead to navigating a decade without fishing alongside another Black angler, and the importance of building community through Ubuntu Fly Anglers.

Nicole, an angler from Montreal now living in Ottawa, discovered fly fishing a decade ago, and since then has become deeply involved in the community—tying her own flies, mentoring others, and fishing across North America—all while advocating for greater inclusivity and representation of BIPOC anglers in the sport.