{"id":270613,"date":"2026-02-06T11:31:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T11:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/270613\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T11:31:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T11:31:34","slug":"life-after-bain-from-consultant-to-outdoor-entrepreneur-bain-careers-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/270613\/","title":{"rendered":"Life After Bain: From Consultant to Outdoor Entrepreneur | Bain Careers Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Sunny Stroeer, a former Bain strategy consultant, spent her early career on fast-paced case teams, developing the leadership and problem-solving skills that define Bain work. In this Q&A, she reflects on stepping away from consulting, building an unconventional career in the outdoors, and how her Bain foundation continues to shape her work today.<\/p>\n


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Today, I don\u2019t see my life as a pivot away from business, but an expansion of it. Bain gave me a foundation, and the mountains gave me a calling.<\/p>\n

Sunny Stroeer<\/p>\n

Bain alumna<\/p>\n


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What was your early experience like as a Bain consultant?<\/p>\n

In my twenties, I was an ambitious Bain strategy consultant with a Harvard MBA and a\u00a0calendar carved into fifteen-minute blocks. The work was fast, demanding, and intellectually exhilarating. Bain sharpened me during that time, teaching me how to lead teams, think clearly under pressure, be strategic, and manage risk. But gradually, I realized I was applying those skills on the wrong terrain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On weekends, I escaped to the\u00a0mountains and the\u00a0backcountry. I ran long miles,\u00a0climbed until my\u00a0forearms\u00a0gave\u00a0out, and slept\u00a0under the stars. I\u00a0realized I\u00a0was more alive on a snow-covered ridge than in a boardroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What prompted you to consider your next steps? <\/p>\n

Unsure of my next step, I left Bain intending to take a short sabbatical to connect with the outdoors, something that always grounded me. That sabbatical became my new life. I traded my apartment to live in a van for a couple\u00a0years, traveling across western America, and slowly began building\u00a0a career<\/a>\u00a0as an endurance athlete, photographer, storyteller, and business owner.\u00a0<\/p>\n


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Sunny\u00a0rappells down the rock face of Pigeon Spire in the Bugaboos, British Columbia.<\/p>\n

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Sunny skiis\u00a0along the Yukon River, about six hundred miles into the one-thousand-mile journey to Nome.<\/p>\n


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How did your Bain skill set carry into this chapter?<\/p>\n

In 2020, my husband Paul and I became co-owners of\u00a0Dreamland Safari Tours<\/a>,\u00a0southern\u00a0Utah\u2019s leading guide service for hiking and climbing, now serving more than 6,000 guests annually.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a\u00a0perfect intersection of my Bain skill set and my passion for the outdoors: strategy, operations, leadership, and people skills applied in a\u00a0backcountry\u00a0setting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Along the way,\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0pursued ambitious mountain\u00a0objectives, earning 20+ speed records worldwide\u00a0and\u00a0becoming the first woman to complete the thousand-mile Iditarod Trail Invitational on skis, all while documenting these journeys through photography featured in\u00a0National Geographic,\u00a0Forbes, and\u00a0Trail Runner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How do you think about your work now?<\/p>\n

Through the years,\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0become deeply passionate about empowering women in outdoor adventure, where gender equity still\u00a0lags behind. Through my work as Executive Director of\u00a0the Summit Scholarship Foundation<\/a>\u00a0and the GEA Alliance,\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0helped direct\u00a0nearly $300,000\u00a0toward women and girls pursuing mountaineering and climbing goals. My aim is to expand access, visibility, and belief, helping more women take on challenging goals with confidence.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0see my life as a pivot away from business, but an expansion of it. The environments changed, the metrics changed, but the core work stays the same. Bain gave me a foundation, and the mountains gave me a\u00a0calling.\u00a0<\/p>\n


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Ready to explore where a Bain foundation can take you?<\/p>\n

Discover how Bain helps you build skills that last a lifetime, wherever your path leads.<\/p>\n


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