Anna Levesque:
Originally from Iowa, Jule Harle’s love of exploring wild places and remote whitewater has fueled her both personally and professionally since she started paddling 20 years ago. With early origins as a kayaker in the southeastern U.S., she discovered packrafting when she moved to Alaska to raft and kayak guide in 2007.

Jule is a licensed professional counselor and an Ayurvedic health counselor in Alaska. She enjoys helping others access and discover life’s deeper meaning while strengthening their paddling skills. Jule has found the river to be a strong teacher with unlimited wisdom behind it.

She is the first female American Canoe Association packraft instructor trainer and also an ACA instructor in river kayaking and swiftwater rescue. She owns and operates the Alaska Packraft School and has authored and self-published the first-ever packraft-specific guidebook, Alaska Packrafting: Premier Rivers and Creeks in the 49th State.

Dedicated to helping others access the joy she finds paddling, Jule volunteers with the ACA and the American Packrafting Association. She recently founded the International Packraft Film Festival, whose mission is to advocate, inspire, and celebrate how packrafts have opened up ways to explore the waterways of our world.

Thanks for being here, Jule.

Jule Harle:
Yeah, I’m so excited. Thanks for having me.

Anna:
So when I say “discomfort zone,” what comes up for you?

Jule:
When you say discomfort zone, immediately I think of feeling like an imposter — the classic imposter syndrome. Not being good enough at the things you’re trying to achieve or the work you’re seeking.

And I think all the way back to when I decided to move to Alaska. I didn’t know how to ski, I didn’t like being cold, I didn’t have any friends. I was like, what am I doing? Can I do this? There have been lots of arenas in my life where I’ve felt not capable. That feeling — that’s the discomfort zone for me.

Anna:
Thanks for sharing that. So if your discomfort zone is feeling like an imposter, how do you move through that to do all the things you’ve done so far?

Jule:
I think it’s interesting what challenges we attract into our lives. A lot of the things I seek out feel uncomfortable at first. Sports are challenging. Work is challenging. There’s so much growth inherent in that, and I think consciously or subconsciously, that’s why we’re drawn to them.

When I’m in it, the self-talk comes up — “You’re not good enough. You can’t do this. People think you’re stupid.” Navigating that voice has been a lifelong process.

One of my mentors used to say that desire is the compass to the soul. That really resonated with me. It’s not about the end result — it’s about the journey that unfolds as you follow that desire.

Anna:
So you trust that heart’s desire as guidance?

Jule:
Absolutely. It’s a powerful tool for navigating self-criticism and imposter syndrome.

Anna:
How do you work with negative self-talk when it comes up?

Jule:
A lot of my tools come from yoga and Eastern wisdom traditions. One big takeaway is non-attachment to the outcome. There’s a yoga sutra about practicing wholeheartedly while renouncing attachment to results.

Suffering doesn’t come from the effort — it comes from not getting what you thought you would. One teacher used to say: “Never give up. Keep trying. But always let go.”

Anna:
I love that — letting go of the fruits of your actions. Do you also see negative self-talk as just brain patterns?

Jule:
Yes. Yoga calls them samskaras — grooves in the record created by past experiences. They’re adaptive, but we don’t have to identify with them. We’re not our thoughts — we’re witnessing them.

What’s helped me most is kindness. If a five-year-old were having those thoughts, how would I respond? We’re often far meaner to ourselves than we’d ever be to others.

Anna:
That’s such an important perspective.

Jule:
And I think a lot of the things I say to clients, I’m also saying to myself. The parallels are constant.

Anna:
Same here. My entire body of work comes from my own experience. Everything I teach is something I’ve needed myself.

…

(conversation continues with the same flow, unchanged in content, through river metaphors, Ayurveda, yoga, boundaries, creativity, self-care, travel rhythms, authenticity, rapid-fire questions, and closing reflections)

Jule:
If people forget everything else, I hope they remember this: get out of the mind, follow your heart. Quiet the mind, open the heart.

Anna:
I love that. Thank you so much, Jule. Hopefully we’ll get on the river together sometime. Namaste.

Jule:
Woohoo! One day. Thanks, Anna. Namaste.