Meet Misti and Arla, the voices behind Lady Overlander Radio

We’ve talked about podcasts in the past, but we all know there’s no shortage of great minds out there. Now it’s time to put the spotlight on some casters who are educating and encouraging women to get out more, either with their spouses or solo. Meet the women of the Lady Overlander Radio (LOR) podcast: Misti Tokarsky and Arla Cress. And of course, meet their rigs, too: Arla’s 2018 Jeep JKU and Misti’s 5th Gen 4Runner.

After serving 20 years in the United States Coast Guard, Misti retired and started homeschooling her three children. She and her husband, Joe, were “so used to moving every few years that no one place really felt like home.” So, they sold their house and most of their belongings and began traveling full-time, roadschooling their children, and vlogging the whole adventure.

Arla works in the logistics and transportation industry and has been off-roading for years with her husband Tony and their daughter and vlogging along the way. She started overlanding back in 2020, where she adventures to new places to enjoy kayaking and exploring the outdoors.

About the Podcast

Misti founded the Lady Overlander Radio podcast in July 2021. Her goal? “To encourage, educate, and empower women to get out and explore more.” With the knowledge that comes from spending six years traveling full-time in both RVs and overlanding rigs, Misti hit the ground running.

Getting your family out to hit the dirt with you is a dream for so many overlanders. Misti noticed that the overlanding community was primarily geared toward men, so many of whom wanted nothing more than to travel and explore with their wives or girlfriends. It’s a story we hear all the time. We overlanders are a social breed, and we all know the struggle of trying to get kids and significant others to join in on the fun. Or at least, what we perceive as fun…

After numerous conversations with both men and women in her life, Misti found that quite a few of the women had that desire to get out and explore, either alone or with their significant others. But there was always something stopping them; they didn’t feel comfortable or confident enough to send it. Misti tells us she “realized that one way she could empower those women was by starting a podcast geared toward women.”

Since she brought Arla on as a cohost in January 2022, Misti and Arla both have been working to expand the podcast’s reach and extend it to the widest audience they can, highlighting additional ways to educate people who want to get into overlanding.

Ladies Roundtables

Lately, on their roundtable episodes of the podcast, the ladies have been handing some serious subjects that we think are so important to talk about as female overlanders, like solo traveling and traveling with firearms.

“One of the biggest takeaways from our guests is that overlanding has improved their self-confidence, communication skills, and mental health. To us, that speaks volumes as to the benefits of getting out and taking the roads less traveled,” Misti and Arla told Tread.

“The Ladies Camping Retreats not only include tons of quality time with other female overlanders but also valuable lessons in critical outdoor skills.”

The roundtables started after Misti and Arla reached out to influential women overlanders to ask if they would like to be a guest in a live roundtable discussion. (Note: one of their guests was Tread’s own editor-in-chief, Kelly Nomura, a badass female overlander if we’ve ever met one.) Their favorite roundtable moment? During their ironically titled “Women Should NEVER Overland Solo!” roundtable, a male viewer commented, “I’ve never used my penis to defend myself…so there’s that.” There’s that, indeed. No further comments there.

Misti and Arla have lots of ideas for the future, so we’re sure to see many more roundtable discussions to come. A dream guest for the future is Itchy Boots, an amazing adventurer who is overlanding solo globally via motorcycle. Get connected, girls. We bet that would be an awesome episode.

MOORE Expo

At the beginning of this year, Misti and Arla were invited to host the Ladies Overland Lounge at the MOORE Expo in Springfield, Mo. At the MOORE Ladies Lounge, there were “ladies only” classes on firearm safety, solo travel, gear and equipment, plus, a Ladies Roundtable episode hosted by LOR . It consisted of a panel of five female leaders in the overlanding community, featuring Keri of Discover4x4Adventures, Cara of Ozark Overland Adventures, and Ashley of Okiegirl Overland, as well as, of course, Misti and Arla.

“Make sure that you CAN do everything by yourself before you go, and don’t let yourself be limited by equipment that doesn’t work for you.”

If you tune in to this episode, or any for that matter, you’ll get a ton of great advice from women who truly know what they’re doing. They aren’t just using their survival skills, sharp wits, and keen awareness to keep themselves safe on their adventures — they’re keeping kids and pets safe, too.

Advice from Experienced Overlanders

At the Expo, as guests filtered in, conversation topics ranged across the board as the panel tackled some of the most important questions for experienced and newbie overlanders alike. As we know, it is extremely helpful to trade ideas and hear about what works for other overlanders. That’s why we highly recommend the show and episodes like this one to anyone who wants to start but doesn’t know how. All of their advice is both informational and entertaining, and there’s no better experience than personal experience.

Kicking it off, the panel discussed cleanliness at camp, which we’re sure is a concern for any newbie overlander. Dude Wipes were a popular solution among several panelists. They moved on to discuss packing, recovery gear, and more, focusing on strategies that work for them and their families.

Dealing With the Tough Stuff

While traction boards, winches and dampers, tow straps, and tree savers are all important, something the whole panel emphasized was just how important knowing how to use your gear is. It may never occur to some people, but being able to physically pop up your roof top tent by yourself is a deterrent to many aspiring overlanders for a whole host of reasons. Their advice: Make sure that you CAN do everything by yourself before you go, and don’t let yourself be limited by equipment that doesn’t work for you. We all have physical limitations, so be smart about your gear and research to ensure that you’re capable. Take a stepstool if you need it – there’s no shame in it!

In order to get good at something, you’ve got to be bad at it for a little while. The panel also recommended wheeling stock and camping in your yard for your first attempt – learning your vehicle, your needs, and your gear in a safe situation before you head out can save you.

Having and being able to read a quality map is also critical. Knowing where you are as well as being able to navigate to where you need to be when you can’t rely on help can be difficult, but don’t shy away from learning. It just might save your life!

The strength that comes from having a group of women that empower each other is the ultimate resource. Each panelist has created a community of female overlanders and off-roaders that support each other in all their adventures. To top it all off, every experienced overlander in the room agreed on one thing – never being afraid to hit the trail solo. There are caveats, of course, but as long as people know where you are, and you know what you’re doing, there’s absolutely nothing to stop you.

Girls’ Trips with LOR

On the horizon for the LOR ladies is something they’ve been working on for a while. These girls-only camping trips have been a hit in the past, and the plan is to continue doing more of them in the next few years. The Ladies Camping Retreats not only include tons of quality time with other female overlanders but also valuable lessons in critical outdoor skills. Alongside partner Switchback Outdoor Safety, Misti and Arla offer classes in first aid, trauma care, outdoor safety, and vehicle recovery. Sometimes they also go kayaking or hiking. These trips are a haven for female overlanders who want to share their knowledge and experience around a campfire while sharing delicious meals with likeminded women.

Tune in to Lady Overlander Radio

“Our hope is that all female adventurers learn that they should never be afraid to get out and explore.” Misti and Arla are starting a movement in the world of female overlanders. “We encourage them to learn everything they can about their rigs, take an off-road safety and recovery course, and learn how to change or repair a tire,” they explain. “One big thing we hope they discover is that they are way more capable than they think.”

You can find the Lady Overlander Radio podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic. You can stay updated on all things Lady Overlander Radio @ladyoverlander.radio. Plus, keep up with Misti and Arla on social! You can find Misti @barefootoverlander and with her family @thedaywemake and Arla @mrsbatsoffroad and with her family @batsoffroad. 

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