Left: Kelly McGee (right) and his two Co-Leaders, Tyler and Shelby on the Northern Lights trip in 2016.
Right: Kelly McGee (left) and his business partner on Shark Tank in October 2024.
November 19, 2024
By Banks Church
Edited by Caroline Garrett and Mary Kathryn Wood
“Really think when it comes to your career: how can you use your experience in the best light?”
This is the advice Kelly McGee, a former Moondance student and leader turned entrepreneur, wants to share with all former and future Moondance leaders.
Kelly McGee embarked on his first Moondance trip on a whim. As a native of San Francisco, he knew that Southerners may outnumber him on his trip. Indeed he was correct. However, he explained his experience as the best form of culture shock for everyone! “Ah man, a Pub-Sub would be so good right now” is one of the many Southern phrases he did not understand then, but certainly does now! Kelly went on 3 Moondance trips: Big Wild, Costa Rica, and Chamonix. Kelly’s main takeaway from these life-changing experiences was realizing that people in the South were good people, and it’s good people that he enjoys having around him the most.
Inspired by the desire for “the same student experience, but more,” Kelly became a Moondance leader. One of his students was Preston Hall, lead singer of The Stews. Preston was highly inspired from this trip and attributes it to his success as an artist today. After leading the Northern Lights trip, Kelly and his co-leaders felt like they held the key to unlocking the magic of Moondance for their students. Kelly described it as a powerful feeling and a positively selfish job—creating core memories for his students while simultaneously gaining invaluable experiences himself.
Kelly attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had a successful internship experience with Apple, and after graduating, received an offer from Apple to work as a Product Design Engineer. Though Apple was hoping for a June start, Kelly politely pushed back and told them he had to do one thing before starting his new job at Apple: lead a Moondance trip. In fact, his soon-to-be boss encouraged him to delay his start date and experience what Moondance had to offer.
As a Moondance trip leader, Kelly developed invaluable professional skills that he has brought into the workforce and still uses today. He managed a budget for himself and 14 other people throughout the entire summer, did accounting in the back of a 15-passenger van after his students had gone to sleep, and navigated the rollercoaster of emotions that high schoolers experience, all while successfully managing a team. While Kelly’s time with Moondance strengthened his skillset professionally, he shared that the most powerful takeaway was discovering his passion for working alongside people who share his love for the outdoors and connecting with others.
This past year, Kelly co-founded Yardsale, a company that makes “durable 7-series aluminum ski poles with award-winning magnetic features.” After a pitch and TV feature on the popular series, “Shark Tank,” Yardsale scored a deal with Guest Shark Kendra Scott. The company has since grown rapidly, securing deals to sell their product through retailers like REI.
Kelly stresses the importance of carefully considering what you want to do with your career. When asked to define success, Kelly said “the ability to bring joy to others or help them to connect with others, but also having fun while doing it.” .
Moondance gave Kelly an avenue to create authentic connections, grow in his leadership skills, bring joy to others, and have fun. In Kelly’s eyes, and in ours, that is success! Moondance is excited to watch Kelly continue to bring creativity, leadership, and fun to the outdoor industry through Yardsale.
Check out Yardsale here!
