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Paddy: I assume that like you got to this interview by riding on the, like back of an elk

Nicole: that would be great. Uh, no Elks on the island that I live on.

Paddy: Have you scared them away because you're just walking around the woods with an ax all the time? Is that why?

Nicole: Yeah. They'd be like, uh, what is she doing? It's Funny because there's no predators on the island that I live on, so the deer are like, top of the food chain almost, and they kind of know it. they're Not skittish. and they're so curious. And it's funny, like I'll be out,, on a property, like kinda, helping them with like chainsaw stuff or like, clearing some trees in bush and like the deers will just like come like so close up to me with a chainsaw and they're just like, uh, what you, what you doing?

Paddy: That's so interesting. So do you, like, do you have the ability to like, to like pet a deer on its nose?

Nicole: It's not really the Disney princess kind

Paddy: Yeah.

Nicole: of, thing. Yeah. Just like,

Paddy: that's the Disney princess that we have all been waiting for

Nicole: Yeah.

Where is that representation? Disney, come on.

Paddy: the lumber Jill, Disney Princess,

Nicole: if you need your [00:01:00] wood chopped. Just like put some maple syrup on a log, put like some flannel and then yell okie dokie into the forest and I will

Paddy: and, and you'll show up. Perfect.

This is great.

PADDYO VO:

 Chopping wood sucks in such a great way. That...doesn't make a ton of sense but stick with me. My family has a cabin on an island in the northern woods of Wisconsin and it's one of my favorite places on Earth. When I’m there, I like to pitch in by chopping wood. I clean up the deadfall from past storms, take out the chainsaw, and buck up rounds. Then, I grab the ax and the maul and chop up the dried rounds from years past, stack firewood, rotate the stacks, yada yada yada. You get the picture.

Chopping wood takes hours, sometimes days, and you’re never really done. It’s tedious, intense labor that you feel for days afterward in blistered hands and a sore [00:02:00] lower back, but it pays me back in two crucial ways. First, months—or even years—later, those same logs provide the glorious, crackling warmth of a fire on a cold evening. Second, when I’m chopping wood, I’m almost always doing it alongside my dad. Chopping wood isn’t some humdrum chore; it’s an investment in my emotional well being. And this is something Nicole Coenen knows a lot about.

Pause Pause

Nicole is the self-described “lesbian lumberjack of the internet.” You may have stumbled upon one of her hilarious and surprisingly mesmerizing woodchopping videos on TikTok or Instagram. They run the gamut of artsy wood splitting montages like this [00:03:00] to mostly sight gag, giggle-filled, tongue-in-cheek innuendos like this

Video Sounds: All right. Enough talking. Split this baby open.

Here we go. Yeah.

Yeah.

to self deprecating goofiness set in the woods like this

Video Sounds: Do you? Do you like trees? Did you know that the needles of a white spruce kind of smell like cat urine?

Okie dokey.

She might make her living in front of the camera, but Nicole is actually kinda shy. She grew up a quiet, uncomfortable tomboy in the suburbs of Ontario, who found respite and refuge in the outdoors. As an adult she migrated from the city to British Columbia’s Kootenay Mountains, before finally settling on a picturesque island off the BC coast, where there’s more forest than people.

Living in a tiny cottage with a fireplace, chopping wood [00:04:00] was a necessity; finding internet fame by counterprogramming rage bait with wholesome, self effacing and—let’s face it—impressive clips of her woodchopping skills was a complete accident. But these videos are more than a cranial cleanser for the ick that chokes our social feeds these days; they’re a living journal of someone who was saved by surrounding herself with trees.

MUSIC

Paddy: First things first burnt toast. What's your last humbling and or hilarious moment?

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Nicole: oh my gosh. I mean, I feel like I have so many humbling moments. , It's funny because, you know, on the internet people are like, oh man, you must like be so skilled with your outdoor skills. And, um, uh, no, I mean, there's, I have, I have done quite a few wood chopping demos for like, various groups and, uh, girl guides I did one for a group of girls, that live in quite a remote area. they grew up kind of going to nature schools and grew up in, uh, very small communities. [00:05:00] And I was telling them, okay, to do the proper stance, blah, blah. Like, they weren't really paying attention. They were like, okay, that's cute.

Like, gimme the ax. And they were just going at it. wow.

I feel like they could out chop me. these 10 year olds were just like going at it. They're like, oh yeah, girl, I like, I've been doing this since like, right from the womb.

Like

Paddy: so what did you do? Did you just like, sit down, take the afternoon off?

Nicole: Basically, yeah. I'm like, okay, you, and then once you're done shopping, you stack it over there. We're ready for the winter girls.

Paddy: That's not a bad way to like, uh, spend your afternoon is just having somebody else do all the work for you.

Nicole: Yeah, it was great. It was great

MUSIC

Paddy: you have chopped wood with many axes and hatchets, even a flip and sword. I'm assuming you've also used many a maul and I bet you've even karate chopped some wood as well. So the obvious first question, Nicole, is. How many fireplaces do you have? What do you do with all of this? Wood

Nicole: That is probably [00:06:00] one of my most frequently asked questions in the comment sections of my videos. Um,

Paddy: drowning in cords of wood?

Nicole: I just have like a little wood stove in, the cabin and, I chop wood kind of for other people. So I'm part of this community wood chopping group.

It's a volunteer based group. It started I think like around 10 years ago. And it kind of just started from, a group of older men who were retired and needed something to do and needed some exercise. So then they just kind of started chopping wood together, uh, for other people.

And then, uh, it just kind of expanded. And so, the group nowadays it's, uh, men and women all ages. And we go out, we source like a feld tree or a tree that has been down from a storm, on someone's property. And so it needs to be removed, we buck up the tree, which means that we chainsaw it into sort of like 16 inch rounds,

and then we chop that wood into firewood and then we sell that firewood to someone [00:07:00] else in the community. And we take that revenue that we've raised from selling firewood and we donate it back to community initiatives.

So

Paddy: so nice. So it's the, the wood chopping for the people. That's what, that's what

you're all about?

Nicole: would chop for the people. Yes, yes. One cord at a time. Haha,

Paddy: do you love trees more or logs more

Nicole: Uh, uh. I mean, trees like, like living, yeah. I

Paddy: that very surprising because I feel like your livelihood is logs. Right.

Nicole: I mean, yes,

Paddy: And

really a log is just a sleepy tree, right?

Nicole: Sleeping for a long time? There's such beauty, I guess, to, a tree and like a log. Yes, you can do so much with it,, and like in a way it's like kind of living when you're able to like craft it into something, I don't know, there's something just so calming about being around trees.

Like, I find I'm like the type of person that, like, I don't, I don't really like to surround myself with a lot of people. I kind of surround myself with a lot of trees, [00:08:00] so like

Paddy: You are

like a very classic woodsy. do you have a favorite tree? And is that tree your favorite

tree to chop?

Nicole: oh. Oh, that is a good question. I mean,

Paddy: Thank you.

Nicole: I feel like, yeah, yeah. Do you do this for a living? This

Paddy: you know, I, I am just trying to, uh, chop these questions with the ax of my mouth.

Nicole: Oh, well done. That was, that was smooth.

Paddy: I try. Thanks. Yeah.

Nicole: yeah. Favorite tree. I mean, when I first moved to the West coast, my favorite tree was the arbutus tree because it was just so unique. Before moving to the West coast, I lived in the kootenays, which is in the interior of bc, which is like quite close to the Rocky Mountains.

Uh, so Arbutus just, yeah, great skiing, no Arbutus trees. Uh, and then when I moved to the West Coast, they grow in the weirdest ways . Like, usually you see, especially coming from the kootenays, like I saw very like straight lodge pole, pines and, like all these conifers that are very like, straight up there.

When you go to the West coast, you just see these, Arbutus trees that are so colorful, [00:09:00] they're orangy, they're red, and then sometimes green and they're kind of just growing outta the rocks, like along the shoreline. And they're just growing in the weirdest ways.

Paddy: Did it have more character than like a tree that's kind of like just true North and south?

Nicole: More character. If I were to almost like, give them a personality, I feel like they're kind of like the flamboyant gay guy of, of the tree. Like they're kind of

Paddy: So you like Arbutus trees because they're sassy.

Nicole: They're sassy. I feel like they're sassy. They're like growing in like the, they're like, I can grow here.

You can't tell me what to do. And like, they just, they have the greatest personality. They're flamboyant. 'cause they're so colorful. They stand out, they're like, look at me like

Paddy: lots of jazz hands, lots of hair flips.

Like tongue, tongue pops.

Like a lot of those. Yeah, There you go. Okay. All right.

I'm into it. Arbutus All right, so

then is that your favorite tree to chop or are you like, no, that, lovely jazz hands tree. I'm not touching, I want only this [00:10:00] pine

Nicole: honestly, it, you know what? It actually is sassy to cut. I'm not even kidding. It is like one of the weirdest, woods to chop. Because it, it is almost never straight grain. When you chop it, it almost comes out in chunks. And so when it comes to stacking it like.

you never really stack it. It's a mess. It's an abstract art piece,

Paddy: Okay.

Nicole: I think my favorite would be like a Douglas fir just like a, good old softwood. Kind of

Paddy: old Christmas

Nicole: hearty. Yeah.

Yeah. The easiest though, and probably the most satisfying, I would say, like, would be, um, like a red cedar, the sound and the acoustics on it are great.

PAUSE PAUSE

Paddy: There's a lot of like lovely humor that you put into your very binge worthy videos .

So I have to ask, can you please explain your tree fart theory?

Nicole: I don't, honestly, I don't even know if there's like much more, to it. It's like the byproduct from them taking in. our waste is like them kind of, they don't really like fart in the way that humans [00:11:00] do.

'cause obviously they don't have the same digestive system. But like, if a tree was a human. their like, our waste is our, our gas waste, I guess is just, you know, it's not like something you wanna suck in. It's not really like beneficial, I don't think, unless you're like trying to get more diverse stuff in your microbiome.

Paddy: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yep.

Yep.

Nicole: not a scientist, but I, I think it was just I was walking into the woods and like tree, like when the, the gas waste from trees is like a beneficial fart. I don't know.

Paddy: it's farting oxygen

Nicole: Yes.

Paddy: so then we are breathing in tree toots is what you're saying.

Nicole: uh, basically, I mean that would be kind of interesting. Could you imagine if trees like actually had like a sound when they like, like expelled oxygen? Yeah. Yeah.

the sound of fresh air. The, yeah.

PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE

Paddy: I feel like it's safe to say that you just absolutely love chopping wood, I also love [00:12:00] chopping wood, but I also mainly see it as a chore because it usually

ends up with me being like very, very exhausted, , with like blistered hands and in need of just like a handful of ibuprofen. So why is splitting wood your thing? What does it do for you?

Nicole: Uh, that's a good question because I just kind of stumbled into this and did not realize it was my thing until like, it's been, uh, I guess like, at least two years of me doing it, like as a content creator. , I'm a very, kinesthetic person if I have like a, a lot of energy usually in the morning. I just need to like, move. Um,

and I find like wood chopping, it's not like going to a gym where you're just like running on a treadmill and not getting anywhere., It's like using your body and your own power to. Do something that's beneficial either for you or for somebody else.

it's so satisfying, not only in like that moment when you're like, frustrated with a, round that has a huge knot in it. You're like really going at it. , And then finally splits and like, that's so satisfying. But [00:13:00] then it's also satisfying, months later or even like two years later when you're using that wood and you're heating your home, or, a person that you've helped, , with their wood stack, they're heating their home and you go over to their place and like you see like, oh yeah, I remember that day.

Like we spent like five hours chopping, chopping that cord.

Paddy: Well, it's

warm in your house. You're welcome.

Nicole: yeah, yeah.

PAUSE PAUSE

Paddy: I am kind of a begrudging runner.

the thing that I really do like about it though is that there is this kind of like. unconscious Unconscious meditation that happens when I start to just do the same movement over and over again and I start to feel like this machine set on a track that's just like moving towards the finish and I kind of lose myself in that motion.

And a lot of outdoor sports, right? Have that meditative quality to them. Does wood splitting have that for you? And if so, how can you describe it?

Nicole: Totally. Yes. Meditative is definitely a way that I would describe doing a lot of wood chopping. It does [00:14:00] become almost, like, automatic in just a very like, peaceful way. You're just like, so focused on like, reading the wood just like so in tune with like, your blade, your ax, and like, everything just kind of sinks up you're so focused and it's just like the little things of like. Okay, I'm looking at the grain and, oh, I see a knot right there. So I'm gonna try to get my ax to, uh, fall this way. Okay. It didn't fall that way. So then, and then it's just like those little tiny details that you're so focused on, and then you zoom out to the big picture when it's done and you're like, whoa. There's like a whole pile stacked up.

PAUSE PAUSE

Let's say you see a wood pile and there's a bunch of just big rounds. Your first thoughts are kind of, okay, how long have these rounds been sitting there for?

Like, are they dry? Are they green wood? Um, therefore like, do they have a lot of moisture content in them? What type of tree is it? Uh, 'cause that's also gonna dictate like, how hard it's gonna be to chop. And then when you look at the actual grain itself, is there a bunch of little tiny knots, uh, that can be broken with an axe?

Or are they like big chunks of knots that you're gonna need to kind of like maneuver [00:15:00] around? are there any cracks in the wood that are indicating that it's dry wood? And then that's gonna give you a path on like where you want your blade to fall. And there's just so many little details, I, I find it so fascinating.

And then, it kind of makes you have a lot more like appreciation for the wood itself because you realize like how unique every tree is. The characters of the wood and, and the different, like, textures in the grain. And, It's actually made it more stimulating for me to go out on a nature walk, because then I see, the trees that, um, I've got to know through wood oh, wow, that tree, like, look at the grain on that tree, or like, look at the details of the colors.

And that's so different than like, the tree from, um, what it would look like in the spring and just, um, yeah,

Paddy: so interesting. So it seems like your hikes then become more what in in depth or more cerebral?

Nicole: yeah. Like it just brings a more vividness to it. And I also find then

Paddy: oh that is a cool way to put it.

Nicole: I find I also like take a lot longer on a hike because I'm like, oh, I wanna go check out that tree. I gotta go check out that tree. Like, why are there so many

Paddy: So [00:16:00] as your gal Savannah, like, okay, stuck. Get outta your head. Like, I wanna keep walking here.

Nicole: Yeah, she's been good with

Paddy: Come along dear.

Nicole: minutes. Like, alright, go pick up that stick. I know you want that

Paddy: so then what happens on days when you don't chop wood? Like, do you get like, um, uh, my wife calls it bunch when you have like, so much energy that you're kind of like, uh, uh, a, like a prickly pear cactus, you know, it's

like I, I am sweet on the inside, but I'm kinda spiky right now, you know?

Nicole: uh Yes. Savannah, would also very much say yes. Um,

Paddy: So will she,

be like, you're bunchy, go outside. Chop

Nicole: yeah,

Paddy: goddamn wood.

Nicole: for sure. Yeah. she calls it twitchy and like, because I usually will just kind of be like, like a squirrel and like, she's like, go outside, go, go find some wood to chop. PAUSE PAUSE

Paddy: based on your proficiency at Absolutely annihilating former trees, what else have you discovered through that, that you're very good at?

Nicole: When I [00:17:00] started really deep diving into that niche,

I really wanted to understand axes more. there's So much history to axes and it's, one of the oldest tools known to mankind, but like, it hasn't actually changed that much since we first started developing an ax. Like, the ax has been basically just like a chunk of metal and a stick for probably 2 million years.

It's not like it's. Developed like the I Ax 7.0, like,

Paddy: Have you updated your iOS on your iAx

Nicole: yeah, I nerded out so far that I like, wrote a book on it. Uh, like book on axes, firewood,

Paddy: does the specificity that you have put into wood chopping, has that made you a better, partner? Has that made you a better businesswoman? Has that made you a better friend?

Nicole: Hmm, that's a good, Hmm. Maybe not in an obvious way, but I think , it's definitely made me more. Calm person and, appreciative and just like, more in awe of a lot of things. The wood chopping, I think that's been a good [00:18:00] outlet for me. Um, so when I am frustrated or when I, I need to just like blow off some steam, that's been good to do that.

Uh, so that I don't bring that into like, communication with other people or, um, like when Savannah is like, okay, you're, you're a little anxious. Go outside, go wood chopping, and then I come back a better person. ,

Paddy: Is it safe to say then that pre wood chopping and post wood chopping, the difference is that you've become now through this thing a more observant person?

Nicole: oh, yes, uh, observant. And, , just noticing little details. More?

I do find like the more, even though I am like trying to get more aware of like things in nature and be more observant of like things in the outdoors, I find it's harder to do it with people.

maybe it's 'cause I'm an introvert or like on the spectrum I would like to get better at that. How I'm able to like read the wood and like if the wood is showing, uh, signs of a knot, um, that means that I need to like, uh, move the blade in this way.

Um, but with people I find it harder [00:19:00] to, like, if they're showing signs of frustration, then I need to come at it this way. And um, so yeah, even though I can read wood, I'm maybe not the best at reading people.

Paddy: Do you think it's helpful though, perhaps.

Nicole: I think yeah. Helpful. Yeah, like building a muscle, you know, repetition and practice on one thing can maybe translate into another thing.

PAUSE PAUSE

Paddy: Well, your adopted home of British Columbia is very famously home to incredibly beautiful deep forests and all forests have a personality. Close your eyes and like, put me in this place? What are the sights and the sounds and the smells that are happening that make this place so magical and lovely for you?

Nicole: yeah, When you go into, one of the trails around here, um, usually the ground is, it's like very dark brown earth. It's usually kind of moist because it was probably raining either like that morning or the day before. And there's still little bit of that after the rain kind of smell, it's so calming.

[00:20:00] It's quiet. But you hear a lot of birds and there's a lot of, sword ferns. So like there's so much green there. I remember like the first time I went on a trail around here, I'm like. I have never seen so many shades of green. Like everything was just so, I, I felt like I was, I was on mushrooms or something.

I'm like, whoa, green. I've never

Paddy: just so vibrant and so many different shades all happening all at once.

Nicole: all at once. Everywhere you look, you're just like immersed in, in this green and it's so quiet and it's calm and, and the trails are usually like, they're kind of like hilly and sometimes they're a little bit rocky. So it's not really like a straight path.

It's usually like you're zigzagging, so you're really taking your time, you're watching your footing, , because everything is so rocky. and you're seeing a lot of big, thick, uh, cedar trees and huge Douglas firs compared to like, you know, maybe like a, a downtown metropolitan park.

that's like, you know, the grass is [00:21:00] cut and like, there's no leaves on, on the ground that's so different. Like the, the forests here are a mess, which is like part of their beauty because there's like so much diversity in that, in that mess and like, uh, so much happening. There's so many smells and then you keep walking. Usually you're going up sort of, uh, a hill. And when the light is coming, like, sort of in the early morning and in the evening, because the trees are so tall and, uh, the canopies are usually like, quite dense.

Not super dense, but like when the light comes through, it's like that dapple kind of like golden dapple look.

Paddy: favorite. Those like beams. Those like

Nicole: Yeah.

Paddy: beautiful light, you know? Uh,

the way that you describe it is like, it is very magical.

You know? It, it does seem like that Disney-esque, you know,

setting. Right. And you've said that the first time you went to BC that you felt like you were returning home. Why

Nicole: I think it's because so I grew up in Ontario, kind of in like a [00:22:00] small suburb and there was a sort of bog for area that was at the end of my street. And I loved going to it because I don't know why it felt like I was always like entering this other world.

Like, if you've ever read the book Bridge to Terabithia, that was like my favorite book. 'cause I just felt like, I get it. I get it. It's like this, like you can create your own world in this forest. And it's like. Kind of your safe space and you can imagine, , anything. And you can also be who you want to be there.

Like the trees aren't gonna judge you and no one's telling you what to do. You can kind of like choose your own adventure. And as I got older, um, I lived in, uh, sort of a downtown city and, but I would still like, gravitate towards the forest anytime I could just to like breathe and like kind of reconnect with myself.

And, then when I mo finally moved to BC I felt like, oh wow, I'm surrounded by that feeling that I've constantly been like searching for and craving and I don't need to like go try to like find it. It's like it's, it's [00:23:00] everywhere. It's, you're just like So in the wilderness. Yeah.

Paddy: are, are you familiar with the word Anemoia?

Nicole: No.

Paddy: It's a feeling of nostalgia for a time or a place one has never experienced. And to me,

this sounds anemoia. So what does it feel like to come back to a place you've never been?

Nicole: oh. Okay. Well, thanks for Word nerding me there the anemoia. That's, I resonate with that. Yeah. That's a good way to describe it too. It felt like I had never been to bc but like, it felt nostalgic. I, I was like, I've never, I've never seen some of these trees before. I've never been in this land but there was just something so familiar about being surrounded by nature and by trees, and because it's so, big and expansive, in BC, it felt like.

the same sort of feeling in nature, but I didn't have to go try to find it in these tiny pockets.

Instead, it was like I was just immersed in it.

PAUSE PAUSE

Now that I've gotten to know, BC and done a lot of traveling, [00:24:00] especially like, uh, kind of from the interior to the coast, there's like certain stops that I have along the way. Whenever I do that travel that I'm like, okay, I need to go down this forestry street road because I know at the top there's like a cool little creek, and like, that's where I'm just gonna like, like relax and,, uh,, it's like almost like visiting a friend,

So then you just like go stop in and say hi, and you're like, ah, you're looking great. Like, I remember last, last month, like, you were like, uh, you know, like, spring's been looking good on you.

Paddy: Nice. Yeah.

Pause Pause

PADDYO VO:

More from professional wood chopper, Nicole Coenen, after the break.

MIDROLL MIDROLL MIDROLL MIDROLL MIDROLL

I wanna talk to you about your interaction with social media. The algorithm rewards, outrage and scandal. You know, that Covers everything from like the professionally offended political influencers, the rage baiters, the sensationalists dog, whistlers, the overt sexuality posters, the ists and the phobes.

You know, the sexist, the racist, the homophobes, the [00:25:00] xenophobes, and on and on and on. Far too often social media is this, like hellscape of the worst parts of humanity, but you've garnered the attention of many, many, many millions of followers through wholesome self-effacing, pg PG rated videos. Even the videos that you've described as lesbian thirst traps are fun and not cringey.

You come off as affable and not as a try hard. Is your style, an intentional choice to give folks something other than porta-potty humanity? Or is it just like happenstance? Is this you just being naturally you in front of a camera?

Nicole: Oh. Um, I don't know. I would think actually looking back on some of my stuff, I'm like, oh, that's cringe. But like,

Paddy: Really? What is cringey?

Nicole: Oh God, I don't usually look back on my stuff.

But then all of a sudden, like the algorithm will almost like show me myself and I'm like, oh no, why did you do that?, I think in my early, early stuff, like I was still like, I [00:26:00] don't know what I'm doing. And I mean, I still don't know fully what I'm doing. But in my early, early, content, it just kind of happened that, like I started posting wood chopping videos and people like, it just kind of took off like suddenly

and I was like, whoa, did not expect this.

Um, so then I was like trying to figure out like, okay, there's only like so many ways that you can chop a piece of wood. Like, how can I make this interesting? How can I make this, you know, entertaining and like, the algorithm is gonna throw me away soon. I didn't really like, have a voice or like find my voice yet. So I think like I did a quite a bit of like, little bit of cringey content. Like, not super bad, but like, looking back I'm like, oh, was just like throwing stuff out there when I didn't even know like what I was throwing out there.

now I've kind of like, found a little bit more grounding, . I kind of wanna make content that where I feel like people are kind of just hanging out with me outside

and, you know, we're having a good time.

We're chopping wood and like, I want to inspire, ironically, like. I want people to see this on their phone and like, put down the phone and maybe go chop a log or like just go for a walk

Pause Pause

a lot of things on social media go viral because they're [00:27:00] like, uh, scandalous and uh, you know, like shock value. Like you can't really have a lot of shock value in, like, trees are cool, but like,

Pause Pause

Paddy: why do you think so many folks love this deep woods cabin, sawdust and tree, sap ax wielding, wholesome video vibe, style that you have.

Nicole: my theory is sort of based on my own experience. when I was living in a city and I was working at a job that I really did not like, I was working in like this gray cubicle, as I would be like doing my work on like, a side tab, I would have videos of people in the outdoors playing

and for me it was like a form of escapism and in a way, Kind of like a funny twist of fate that like, I feel like I'm almost creating the content that I would've loved to have seen when I was in that

gray cubicle, like wanting to escape. I'm not talking about technology or anything that's confusing.

I don't wanna talk about political things. I just want to be like, go outside, like,

Paddy: Well, the downsides to being [00:28:00] a well-known social media personality are well covered. What are the upsides?

Nicole: I've met some really awesome people from social media. Like one of my good friends, Rosie Turner, she's in the uk uh, living in London and I never would've met her if it wasn't for social media. And it's funny because like we're so the opposite, uh, like I am, you know, kind of the outdoorsy, woodsy lesbian Canadian, and she's like living in the city.

she's like the fem kind of lesbian living in the city. So we're kind of like a funny duo. Um, so whenever we collab it's like hilarious.

Paddy: You guys should switch places for like a weekend

Nicole: oh my God. Yeah. Like,

Paddy: It'd be like the wood chopping city version of like, freaky Friday or something.

Nicole: Oh my God. Yeah. That's hilarious. Okay. I feel like I

Paddy: that. down, please. Yes, please, please.

Nicole: That'd be hilarious.,

Paddy: Pause Pause

Do you feel like your digital life has actually expanded your community in real life in person?

Nicole: yes [00:29:00] in the way of expanding outwardly, but maybe not in the way of depth. Like,

I know a lot more people, a lot more people know me.

But like deep connections obviously take a lot more time than just kind of like, oh, I saw your YouTube video when I do talk to somebody and maybe they've seen a video or like they've seen me show up on their algorithm, like, we already have a basis of like, um, a conversation. , Which is actually something that at first I was so awkward, um, when somebody would come up to me and they're like, Hey, are you the wood chopper?

I would be like, yeah, do you chop wood? Um, and people would like, I had no idea how to talk to people when they like recognized me

I think like through sort of the, uh, I guess the niche of wood shopping, um, it's sort of like, it's kind of like a magnet. I feel like people have been sort of gravitated, , towards it I think almost through social media, it's kind of like expanded my, my own idea of what community is it's not just like your neighbor or, people that like live close to you. it can also be people that have a similar interest. It [00:30:00] could be people that identify with a certain ideology.

It could be people that like, um, have a certain, uh, way like lifestyle. It could be, I don't know, I guess it's just, in a lot of ways it's expanded the definition of community.

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Paddy: if you could sum up the mission statement, the goal for your work, what would it be? What do you want people to think of when they hear, oh, Nicole Coenen has a new video out. I gotta go see it.

Nicole: Oh, that's, that's a question I've been asking myself, almost every day since I started doing this. Um, I don't, I don't think I have a very clear answer yet. One of the things I want my videos to do is just to get people to go outside just to see like the wonders and awes of nature and just like, connect with nature, connect with themselves and their own inner power and inner strength.

I want people to think, can I go chop a piece of wood? Can I go climb a treat? Can I do these things? Like, I want people to like, challenge themselves, I guess. Even if you haven't chopped a piece of wood, like, you know, look how fun it is. Maybe you [00:31:00] should try it or like do something else outside.

So I'm trying to figure out like ways of communicating that, that are interesting and relatable because also I think a lot of people are like, I'm not a tree person, or I'm not a nature person.

It's like, that's the person I wanna get to and be like, you are. I wanna get a little bit more into, almost feeling like a friend, talking to a friend about this cool thing that I think will benefit them.

Like that's kinda the feel that I want to have.

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Paddy: lumber, jacking and bushcraft have a pretty gendered history. What have been the most surprising challenges about navigating these male dominated spaces and what

have been the most rewarding parts of it?

Nicole: There was a lot of challenges when I first started posting, it was a lot of, , particularly older men telling me what I was doing wrong. Um, I got a lot of that,

Paddy: That's so shocking to

Nicole: yeah. Yeah. So shocking.

I mean, there was a lot of that at the beginning, I took the comments like, [00:32:00] kind of personally, and I was like, oh, wow, I suck at this and like, I shouldn't post any more videos.

And like, kind of went through that. Um, but then I was like, I kind of have fun with this. then I would also get comments usually from women, saying you kind of inspired me to go, take my husband's ax and go chop some wood, because I usually wait for him to do it. Having like some comments that were like, you're not good at this, and then some comments that are like, Hey, you actually kind of inspired me to go try this.

I was like, I wanna inspire people to just go try this. I remember one of the, comments that like, kind of did stick with me was, in the beginning, I got a message from a dad and he said that he showed his little girl, uh, some of my videos and she started saying, Okie dokie a lot.

And she's like, I want an ax for Christmas.

And, and like, he's like, she loves it and she wants to go chop some wood and she likes going outside. And I was like, okay, if I can have that impact, if I can get a little girl to go outside and like chop some wood, then that's, I'm gonna do another video and

Paddy: mean, that's gotta make you feel like you should keep [00:33:00] doing this for the next a hundred years. Right? Because you, you've spoken before about not having a lot of female role models when you were young, whose strength was one of their more prominent attributes. Now you got a lot of comments like that, right?

That, that you are in fact this role model, this very strong role model for, young girls. How do you feel about it, like becoming the kind of role model that you wanted when you were a kid?

Nicole: Huh. I think when I sort of had that realization, like, I can really have an influence on people, like it's terrifying. Um, and uh, I'm like, oh my God. Um, especially when like I went to. Like, when I first got in contact with a girl guide group, and, the leader was like, you know, these girls watch you and they're, they'd love for you to come.

And at first I was like, oh, that's cool. And I'm like, oh my God. Like, these young kids are what? Ah, some of them shouldn't, like, don't watch, don't watch this video, don't watch the next video that I'm gonna post. Like, there's an innuendo in there. Like, um,

but when I started to realize like, I can be the almost like this like [00:34:00] character that I didn't have growing up, this representation that I didn't have growing up. It felt like a little bit of a responsibility.

Um, and also like freedom in a way. Like I can be this person. And that can maybe expand somebody else's idea of what they can do. especially for, for young girls. 'cause yeah, I definitely remember growing up in like, the late nineties. Like, I don't remember like any outdoor kind of strong female characters.

Like there was like a lot of female characters that like, loved nature, but they were very soft and like very feminine and like very delicate I found where I didn't see like a lot of like strong females like going out and like having fun outside

Paddy: do you feel that same sense of being a role model or sense of duty to be a role model in the LGBTQ plus community?

Is it one and the same?

Nicole: Kind of, I guess it's like one and the same. Yeah. Like, uh, that's just like part of me. when I first, um, started getting a following, it didn't seem like people knew that I was [00:35:00] part of the L-G-B-T-Q community. So I, I almost felt like I kind of, in a way like, uh, put it out there a little bit more in videos, like made it more obvious in videos or like in comments.

Uh, but now it's like I feel like my following just kind of knows it. And like, when I also first started putting out videos that like had a little bit more of an obvious like, I'm a lesbian, uh, than I lost, I lost some followings too. I lost some people, which is fine. Like, I'm like, that's fine.

Like, you don't need to, you know, I love when people in the comments are like, I'm unfollowing. It's like, you don't actually need to comment that. You can just, you can just hit bye

Paddy: you know, a a lot of my queer friends have said they feel so much belonging in the outdoors because the community they found has filled this void around their sense of belonging. The pursuits in the outdoors are centered around fun and joy, which is very great, uh, for so many things, very deeply meaningful.

But they've said that real power comes from the idea that this is the [00:36:00] family they chose. There's a lot of healing in that, and a lot of self-actualization too. Has wood splitting in the greater outdoor community felt like this for you?

Nicole: Yes. I think at first though, it wasn't the human community itself that I. Felt that from, it was kind of actually just being in nature and that was like my safe space. That was where I started to connect with myself first, and like felt like I had the, the freedom and the ability to like be whoever I want and like kind of explore that.

I remember like, I would only ever have the thoughts of like, who am I and who do I want to be? When I was outside in nature, I couldn't do that. When I was at home, I couldn't do that when I was at school, I couldn't do that around other people. I couldn't be honest about those things. But when I was out in nature, I could actually be honest and actually like, get curious and explore and like, just like go through these like mental kind of questions that I did not feel safe.

Even like having these like, mental questions, around other people. So I think like at first I, yeah, definitely [00:37:00] gravitated towards being alone in nature. But then when I did find, other people in like the outdoor spaces, . Especially like when I moved to the Kootenays, it was weird. Like, you know, I would be like on a walk alone and then all of a sudden I'd run into a person and we'd get talking about life and found out that they're queer.

And they almost had the same sort of experience. Like they kind of like ran away, to the mountains and felt like that's where they could be themselves. And there was like, uh, actually quite a few people like that, that lived in these like, almost like isolated places. And they were sort of misfits in the communities that they grew up in or like were kind of ostracized, uh, usually for being queer or like for having, uh, different sorts, sorts of lifestyles.

But in nature they were able to kind of go through that same thing. They were able to like, connect with themselves and then almost like connect with other people, uh, through that. they Kind of were drawn to nature, because it's a non-judgmental space. It's a safe space. and then they found other people who were also interested in nature for that reason.

And usually it's a common theme of like, because [00:38:00] that person needed a space like that because they didn't have that space at home or in their community

Paddy: well, it seems like it's like wood splitting and the, greater outdoor community, the outdoors in general, have allowed you to present as your true self, right? Rather

than presenting as this, like, this is who I feel like my family and, and society wants me to be, and I have to protect my true self because, uh, I'm, I'm concerned of how that's going to be perceived.

I'm concerned that I'm gonna lose something so would you say that it's helped you feel solid, uh, or built a foundation of, of identity, of truth,

Nicole: Yeah. Yeah, no, definitely. I think like, when you sort of grow up in a space and you feel like you need to sort of like conform or fit into a box, you feel like you constantly need to shrink yourself. But then when you get into a space where people are like, you can be you, like we accept you, we love you, I, we actually want you to be you because we wanna get to know the real you.

Then you just feel like you can expand and you're like, I could never fit into that box. Holy crap. Like, you just feel like [00:39:00] you can expand it. You could never go back to shrinking yourself. Uh, 'cause it's like, whoa. Everything that you want it to be was like let out and you can't put it back.

Paddy: Oh, that hits me. That hits me. Yeah. I don't know what it's like to, to grow up as, uh, you know, like a closeted queer kid, but I do know what it's like to grow up feeling like you have to keep a secret it's like this protected vacancy.

Nicole: Hmm.

Paddy: um, where only you exist within this, like really like, kind of like sad self-built prison, but you're trying to like, hold up the walls of this like phony identity because if you were to truly, uh, show who you were, you wouldn't be accepted or you would crumble, you would fall apart.

And when you're on the opposite end of that, You're expansive, you're, exuberant. would you describe that as, as how you live your life now?

Nicole: No, that, that's a really good way to, way to put it and yeah, that's so true. You almost need to like hide in order to like, almost like protect yourself and like protect the outside world and protect the [00:40:00] yourself from Yeah, it's, it's a very, uh,

Paddy: What's

Nicole: sad feeling really,

Paddy: on the other side of it is joy and truth. the key to love, I believe is truth. so the

only way in order for anyone to love you is for you to be truly open and truly, your full self. Would you say the wood chopping, wood splitting has helped you with this?

Nicole: Truth is such a, a big part about, of, of actually genuinely loving yourself and someone else, and like, giving love, receiving love. Yeah. You're like a, a modern day philosopher on that,

Paddy: I don't

know. I don't know if I'd I'd go that far. I'm just, some dude with a mustache and a microphone.

Nicole: Yeah, it sounds so funny, but

Because growing up I, I lived so sheltered and so I, I constantly was isolating myself from other people out of fear of, showing any sorts of expressions of my inner self and them rejecting it or them, ridiculing it or them harming it in some way.

Embracing the wood chopping and outdoorsiness and like all of that and [00:41:00] people being like, ah, this is cool. I wanna try some, it's kind of embraced my own inner truth in a way, like an expression of my own inner truth.

And, uh, yeah, definitely helped me like connect more with people

Paddy: and yourself. It seems like,

Nicole: yeah. Yeah. Totally. Yeah.

PAUSE PAUSE

MUSIC IN THE CLEAR FOR A BEAT

Paddy: So it is now time for the final ramble. One piece of gear you cannot live without.

Nicole: I mean, this might be an obvious one, but like an ax.

Paddy: if you said anything else, I feel like be disappointed

Nicole: Yeah. Yeah.

Paddy: Best outdoor snack,

Nicole: Honestly just a good like high protein granola bar. I get hangry, quite suddenly. Like, it's not like a, like a, it's thank Savannah, my partner, God bless her, she, she sees the early signs and she's like, you need a granola bar. Get, get something in your mouth. So just like a quick snack, like a quick grab and go granola

Paddy: the early signs of your hanger?

Nicole: [00:42:00] I think. Okay. I'll be like, you know, on let's say a trail or something, we'll be like talking and I'll be like, happy go lucky. Like talking about like trees and stuff. And then I'll go like, really quiet.

Paddy: it's the same. I go silent

and it's

like I always talk, if I go silent, my wife is like, you need a handful of something. I don't know

Nicole: yeah, yeah.

Paddy: dirt or whatever. You better put

something in your grill and chomp on it.

Nicole: Yeah, go eat a leaf. Anything, anything?

Paddy: What is your hottest outdoor hot take?

Nicole: I think gear is like so important for sure. get good gear for the outdoors. 'cause that'll help you experience the outdoors better and everything.

But like, also I think it's like super important to like learn about gear, but like, also learn about your surroundings and like learn about the outdoors that you will be going into and like, learn about the we, like how fast does the weather change? Um, like what are, what's the wildlife there and

you know, focus on the gear, but like, learn about your surroundings. Like, and

Paddy: don't know if that's like the super hottest hot take, but I love how simple it is. It's just like, Hey, [00:43:00] be smarter

Nicole: Literally I've like seen people that have bought like, uh, you know, super expensive sleeping bags, um, that are for camping trip where you're gonna be like, you will literally cook if you sleep in this sleeping bag.

Paddy: a minus 40 bag and it's like

July.

Nicole: yeah,

Yeah.

I'm like, we are going into the, like the wildfires, um, don't like,

Paddy: This has been. So much fun. thanks for taking the time away from chopping wood to talk about chopping wood.

You know, that's really

nice of you. I'm sure you're chomping at the ba I'm sure your knees are like bouncing to like go

run on all fours outside to go after this. Are you about to go chop like several million pounds of wood? I.

Nicole: Well, you know, at the, at the community wood pit, there are some there.

I'm gonna actually go drive by it later and be

Paddy: The community wood pit. Where do you even, you don't live in the real world.[00:44:00]

Nicole: Yeah, last time I drove by there was some alder, so I might, I might

Paddy: I'm about to smoke some alder dog. That's what I'm about to do, dude. Yes.

MUSIC

PADDYO VO:

Nicole Coenen is the lesbian lumberjack of the internet. Check out her hilarious and mesmerizing chopping videos on TikTok and Instagram at Nicole underscore Coenen. Nicole also has wonderful how-to videos on her YouTube channel. And if you want to buy some of her merch or her new book, Axe In Hand: A woodchopper's guide to blades, wood, and fire, check out her website Nicole Coenen dot ca.

 And, remember you extra wonderful humans you, we want to hear from ya. Email your pod reactions, guest nominations, odd pop culture refrences, and whatever else you want to tell and/or ask us to �����ԹϺ��� Podcast At �����ԹϺ��� Inc Dot Com.

The �����ԹϺ��� Podcast [00:45:00] is hosted and produced by me, Paddy O'Connell. But you can call me PaddyO. The show is also produced by the storytelling wizard, Micah "why use a colloquial term when I can crowbar an obsucure  multisyllabic word into the conversation" Abrams. Music and Sound Design by Robbie Carver. And booking and research by Maren Larsen.

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