Sunshine Loveless grew up in a place where being gay was not acceptable. To avoid rejection, she buried her orientation where those who would condemn her would not see it.
Loveless eventually found the freedom to reveal who she was on the rivers of the Southeastern U.S.
“It took a long time for me to be able to come out,” she says. “One of the first places I felt safe doing that was as a raft guide in the river community. It was a welcoming and open place where people accepted me as I was. And that doesn’t exist everywhere we walk in this world.”
Today, Loveless, 42, expresses not only who she is but also her love for all things outdoors as a guide for her Chattanooga-based business Outshine Adventures.
Loveless leaves virtually no stone unturned as she leads hikes and mountain bike excursions along the region’s 100 miles of undulating trails – stopping occasionally to appreciate a scenic overlook or waterfall or dive into a swimming hole.
Loveless also offers serene paddleboard trips down the Tennessee River Blueway or the tributaries of the Hiawassee or Ocoee for people who want to connect with nature.
And if someone has an itch to scale a boulder or climb one of the more than 3,000 rock faces in and around Chattanooga, Loveless will strap on her mountaineering gear and lead the way.
“Chattanooga is on the map as an adventure destination. People from across the country are traveling here to access the outdoors,” she notes. “But few people have the equipment or the skills they need to do the things they want to do. Going with an outfitter can plug you into those special places.”
One of Outshine’s most popular attractions is its Bat Cave Adventure Paddle, which takes place every Friday at dusk. Each week, Loveless guides a group of thrill-seekers on a short paddle to the mouth of a Nickajack Lake cave, where hundreds and sometimes thousands of endangered gray bats emerge for their nightly feeding.
As Loveless steers her fellow paddlers toward the cavern, she sets expectations for what’s about to happen.
“Most people my age and above picture Scooby Doo, with the bats flying out at your face,” she laughs. “But the actual experience is peaceful. The bats come out slowly. It’s calming to watch them do what they naturally do.”
Loveless first encountered the Nickajack bats while working for Outdoor Chattanooga, which offered a trip to the cave. Her job with the nonprofit also introduced her to the wealth of recreational opportunities in the area.
Eager to launch her own venture, she started Outshine as a side hustle in 2018.
Loveless was dreaming big. She enjoyed every recreational opportunity the outdoors offered and wanted to lead people wherever her passions took her. But she lacked the capital to purchase the necessary equipment.
So, Loveless started small.
“Recreational equipment is expensive,” she explains. “So I bought two paddleboards, which was all I could afford.”
Loveless offered bat tours of her own. When Outdoor Chattanooga stopped taking people to the cave, word-of-mouth about her excursions spread, creating an opportunity for which there was no money.
Then came the day a motorist rear-ended the truck Loveless was driving.
“The insurance company appraised my vehicle and gave me a $7,000 check,” Loveless smiles. “Instead of fixing my truck, I bought more paddleboards.”
Loveless has since fitted Outshine with all the gear she needs to offer a variety of experiences – including a solar powered camper van that allows individuals and groups to embark on curated excursions throughout the southeast.
“The outdoors intimidates a lot of people, so we’ll ask a few questions and then create an itinerary,” Loveless says. “You can add inflatable paddleboards, electric bikes and mountain bikes.”
The van comes stocked with an outdoor cooking set, a propane stove, bed linens and water, turning it into a hotel room on wheels.
“All you need to do is show up with your clothes, your food and your sense of adventure,” Loveless says.
Loveless’ wife, Michelle, has joined her on the journey to build Outshine into a stable concern. A former public school teacher, Michelle brings her skills as a longtime yoga practitioner and 500 HR certified yoga instructor to the endeavor.
The marriage of Loveless’ enthusiasm for paddling boarding and Michelle’s yoga expertise produced one of Outshine’s unique experiences: paddleboard yoga.
“Yes, it’s a thing,” laughs Michelle, 45. “Sunshine said, ‘I have paddleboards and you do yoga, so let’s do paddleboard yoga.’”
While the notion of striking a half-moon pose on a paddleboard that’s floating on bobbing waters might scare off novices, Michelle says she offers gentle sessions accessible to everyone.
“Paddleboarding is already a core exercise and then we add moving your body on an unsteady device, so we barely get off our butts.”
Each month, Outshine donates a portion of its yoga proceeds to a different nonprofit. In May, the company partnered with Scenic City Neural Clinic in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month. June 13, it will host a full moon yoga hike in partnership with Lula Lake Land Trust.
The idea, Loveless says, is for Outshine to make an impact socially. Part of this effort includes providing safe and inclusive spaces for everyone to get outside.
“We pride ourselves on being queer-owned and women-led. We highlight those things so people who are typically marginalized in those spaces will feel welcome,” Michelle says.
“Studies have been done and conversations have occurred that suggest outdoor spaces are closed off to some people – and we’re trying to change that,” Loveless adds. “I didn’t want us to lean on being an LGBTQ-owned business, but we live in the South and there are a lot of people here who are not OK with that.”
Loveless can trace her professional roots in the outdoor adventure business to her move to Tennessee in 2000. While taking a whitewater rafting trip on the Ocoee, she asked the guide if he was paid to lead them.
After he said yes, she grabbed an application and was then working for the same company the following summer.
A decade in social work and a bout with lung cancer convinced Loveless to start her own business, but she says she lacked the confidence to try. That changed after she met Michelle in 2016.
“Michelle gave me the support and encouragement I needed to start a business, so I quit my job, sold my house and moved to Chattanooga,” Loveless recalls.
Now Loveless hopes the people she and Michelle guide find the freedom to be who they are, whether they’re hiking along one of Chattanooga’s winding trails, paddleboarding down the Tennessee River Blueway or striking the upward facing dog on bobbing waters.
“We’ll probably lose some customers because we’re promoting ourselves as a queer-owned business, but it’s more important for us to invite those who don’t feel safe everywhere to join us.”
Learn more at outshineadventures.com.