Meet Stephanie
My name is Stephanie Ballou.
I am addicted to New Hampshire.After years of wandering the forests, jumping rocks along river banks and casting lines into lakes and streams I’ve decided to share my adventures, show the beauty of this state and inspire others to get into the wild to experience the joy and healing within the trees and rocks and wilderness.
Some of you may remember Stephanie from A Life Enchanted, a health and wellness site and blog where she shared many of these wilderness and plant adventures. Stephanie is a personal trainer, holistic health and wellness coach, healer, gardener, former fitness studio owner and creator of the herbal product line Enchanted Gardens. In 2016 Stephanie decided to shut it all down and dive deep into her love of the outdoors, reconnect with herself and let go of being “busy”.
At the end of each year I would coach my clients to choose a word for the year to come. One word that would describe what they wanted that year to look like, what they wanted to bring into their life, to manifest. For three years in a row my own word was FREEDOM. I was so busy all the time. I loved it, but I also knew this was not something I could sustain and remain happy and healthy. So, after much encouragement from The Mister I took the leap and shut it all down. I was terrified. I went through many months of fear, anxiety, sadness. I had worked so hard and here I was letting it all go. It was FREEING. Now, I wander the woods, grow nearly all of our food and have learned to settle quite nicely into this simpler life.
What is Wild Shire?
Wild Shire is something The Mister and I have been dreaming about for many years. A combination of all of the things I have been doing. Gardening, foraging, fishing, wandering the wild, living as close to nature as our lifestyle would allow and telling my tales of these times, combined with the deep love we share of this great state.
We’ve sat countless nights around a fire deep in the woods, away from everyone and everything, dreaming of telling others about these places and spaces and sharing the beauty and wild of New Hampshire.
Wild Shire is a unique look at a beautiful state. A site that combines foraging, gardening, great food and adventures through the wilderness, special places and unique locations throughout New Hampshire. It’s an exploration of amazing restaurants, country stores, farmers markets and quirky shops. Tales of big fish, hidden coves and secret patches of mushrooms.
The goal of Wild Shire is to inspire a love of this state, dispel fears of the unknown and encourage an appreciation for wild food, wild places and wild adventures.
The Mister
This is The Mister. He is the mostly silent other half of Wild Shire, creator of Salmon Falls Sportsman, the hardworking back behind Ballou Contracting, Marine and life long outdoorsman. He loves to fish, hates to have his photos taken and spends much of his time, when not working, in the woods or on the water.
“I started calling B, The Mister, when I was writing for my previous site. He is such an integral part of my life that I speak of him constantly. He is my partner in everything I do. He became a character in my stories that began to take on a sort of mythical creature persona because he wouldn’t have his picture taken or be at the studio or any events. He has just not been the guy who wants to be in the public eye. But that, my friends, is about to change.
B, yes, just B, that’s what they call him, and Stephanie have been partners since high school. Today they run a business together, have raised 2 great kids and are preparing to be… grandparents. They spend as much of their time as possible adventuring through the wild, fishing, foraging, hunting and enjoying everything associated with being an outdoorsman and living as close to nature as possible.