The Off-Road Antidote

The culture of American work life has serious problems when it comes to well-being. Spoiler alert: there’s not much wellness. High burnout rates are the norm, and the impacts of job-related stress on work and personal relationships are real. Fortunately, there’s a simple, free, and obvious remedy to counter that stress: going outside.

For years, Outside has documented the benefits of time spent outdoors starting with mood and self-esteem boosts after even short bouts of outdoor activity. And beyond the instant mental health upsides, we’ve covered the science that backs up the lasting physiological benefits—from reduced hypertension and asthma to boosted immune systems—explaining why an increasing number of doctors are prescribing time outdoors.

Unfortunately, we’re not taking our medicine. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American spends 90% of their time indoors. And even with the means and time to break free from the work grind, nearly half of U.S. workers with paid time off don’t take all of it anyway.

Sometimes an intervention is needed for a real outdoor escape. This spring, we screened hundreds of people, online and in the streets, to find the most severe cases of indoor-bound, overworked employees. Sadly, respondents who claimed to have an unhealthy work-life balance were all too easy to find. But out of the uniquely stressed, we picked the three workers most in need of an unmatched outdoor experience.

The prescription is a Bronco Off-Roadeo®. These unique adventure camps—spread across the U.S. in Moab, New Hampshire, Nevada, Tennessee, and Texas—pair backcountry driving challenges and instruction with a curated basecamp experience. Beyond the immersive off-roading behind the wheel of a Bronco SUV, Bronco Off-Roadeos boast incredible opportunities for adventure around every corner. Broncos are provided for everyone who enrolls, and the experience is complimentary for all Bronco owners. Five locations means there’s an Off-Roadeo within 500 miles of the vast majority of Bronco owners—and non-Bronco owners can join the action too, thanks to the Half-Day Adventure option.

With that accessibility in mind, Outside collaborated with Ford to send three of the hardest cases of overworked employees to experience a Bronco Off-Roadeo for themselves. To level up the rejuvenating impact, we set up each Off-Roadeo participant with a Ford Bronco ambassador. The goal: provide personalized guidance on stepping up the adventure fun, and to bring balance back into these individuals’ lives. See their stories below.

If you’re feeling burned out too, fill your own prescription for outdoor adventure and sign up for the next Bronco Off-Roadeo near you.

Episode 1: Jamie Holmes
Bronco Off-Roadeo New Hampshire

Supervising an emergency shelter for teenagers in West Virginia, Jamie Holmes struggles to disconnect from her full-time social work, even off the clock. “My husband says that when I’m not talking about work, he can tell I’m thinking about it,” says Holmes, who also works a second job serving at a country club on the weekends. “The closest I get to being outdoors some weeks is serving the outdoor section.”

With Holmes in serious need of outdoor recreation therapy, her Bronco Off-Roadeo trip puts her behind the driver’s seat of an off-road vehicle for the very first time. Challenging? Yes, but that’s the point, as friendly trail guides help Holmes through rocky, forested New Hampshire terrain. After tackling the course’s hair- and wheel-raising obstacles, Holmes teams up with professional mountain biker and Bronco Ambassador Rachel Strait to continue her outdoor adventure on two wheels. Collecting her breath after having not ridden a mountain bike for ten years, Holmes confides in Strait how the day will help her restore better work-life balance. “I definitely felt empowered through the experience,” she says.

Episode 2: Giovanni McEastland
Bronco Off-Roadeo Texas 

Giovanni McEastland works long hours—all indoors—as a Los Angeles-based office coordinator for a major animation studio. Being on call at all hours, McEastland admits “it’s not really a work-life balance.” And when he’s not working, McEastland is a single father to a 6-year-old daughter, leaving no time to enjoy the outdoors he remembers as a child, playing outside from dawn to dusk. As “adulting responsibilities” came into play, McEastland says it’s been years since he had time to get outside.

Fortunately, an invitation to Bronco Off-Roadeo Texas provides a much-needed escape. Watch as McEastland tackles steep rock crawls, learns to master technical obstacles, and then lets it rip on the speed course through the hill country west of Austin. The day’s adrenaline isn’t finished when McEastland teams up with professional athlete and Bronco Ambassador, Rodolfo Rojas. Known best for his slackline and watersport stunts, Rojas guides the drive to take McEastland standup paddleboarding for the first time. After finding his balance on the board, McEastland discovers a new perspective on achieving greater overall balance in his life.

“If I’m being honest, this is the best day outside ever,” McEastland says. “I needed some time to get away and reconnect.”

Episode 3: James Lawless
Bronco Off-Roadeo Nevada

When James Lawless recently bought a Ford Bronco, he hoped the SUV would help get him off road and into nature more frequently. Turns out that easy escapes haven’t been the case for the career firefighter from Cambridge, Massachusetts. He didn’t realize just how much the demands of 24-hour firehouse shifts would keep him in the city. “Sometimes you get caught up in just working,” says Lawless, “and not taking care of yourself and getting outside.”

Lawless also didn’t realize that owning a Bronco provides free access to the adventure-packed Off-Roadeo experiences located across the country. So with a trip to Bronco Off-Roadeo Nevada, he can scratch a neglected itch to get out and explore. Lawless immediately revels in the outdoor immersion, powering up and over the rugged terrain on the western outskirts of Las Vegas, a mere 20 minutes from the Strip.

“I didn’t know you could have fun going 1 mile per hour,” Lawless laughs, adding that he’d recommend the Off-Roadeo experience to fellow Bronco owners. “You end up getting more comfortable and have more confidence with [the vehicle] and want to do more in it. I had no idea some of those things were possible or how to do them—it’s going to change the way I use my Bronco.”

Back at the basecamp, Lawless connects with Bronco Ambassador Maiza Lima, who leads him up his first outdoor rock climbing route. Through the vertical challenge, he gains some hard-won perspective, plus another new realization about time spent away from the worries of work, “when your mind’s really off.” There’s a freeing effect to acting in the present moment, focused solely on rolling over a new obstacle, or climbing up the next section of rock. And it’s one that’s sure to rejuvenate.

“It was a wake-up call of how good it feels to get outside and take advantage of going on these adventures,” Lawless says as the sun rises on a new day. “With that energy you can go back to whatever you have to do with a better mindset—like you got more life going.”

Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company’s Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for customers and deepen their loyalty. 

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