WILLOW, ALASKA (MUSHING) – Bridgett Watkins embraces, “My children became my why.”

On a recent episode of the Mushing podcast, the Iditarod musher, mom, and new author made it clear that everything she does is for her two kids. She talked about the challenges she faced and the lessons learned along the way during her career as a musher. Watkins shares her experiences of training for the Iditarod, overcoming personal injuries, and the importance of perseverance in achieving one’s goals. The conversation also touches on the future of dog mushing and the significance of dreams in both personal and professional contexts.

Mushing Magazine co-editor Robert Forto asked Watkins about the fears that she faced that would stop most in their tracks and how her team of loyal sled dogs and a determination as unbreakable as the Alaskan landscape, she embraced every challenge, finding strength in both the quiet moments and adrenaline-filled adventures.

Speaking about an accident with a snow machine as she was training for the Iditarod and knew she must push on, Watkins said, “I had to push through a lot of pain,” as she recounts a particularly rough stretch of the famed Yukon Quest Trail.

On the podcast, Watkins discussed her new book, Marker to Marker. In it, she offers readers an inspiring, true account of her journey as a musher navigating Alaska’s wilderness, overcoming formidable challenges, and pursuing her dreams one marker at a time. Raised in the wild heart of Alaska, Watkins learned early on about resilience, self-belief, and the importance of stepping out in faith when the path ahead is unclear.

When asked what she hopes to leave her readers with, she said, “You should know that it’s going to be really hard to reach whatever goal you have in your life because it may be buried down so deep that you have to pull that back out, but that you can achieve it. You just have to keep pushing forward. You can’t give up. You have to look for what those goals are each day. Take one step, one marker at a time, and you’ll be able to get there.”

You can get your copy of Marker to Marker on Amazon.