“Healing Is In The Water”: A Conversation with the Founder of Her Waters, Inc.
- The Fly Box LLC
- 13 minutes ago
- 5 min read
This feature was written by The Fly Box and published in Casts That Care, our charity-driven fly fishing newsletter.
Casts That Care delivers real stories, deep dives, and the heart of the fly fishing world while donating 50% of all subscription fees to a different fishing-related nonprofit each month. This month it is Her Waters, Inc.
Use code “HERWATERS25” for 25% off your first month, and we’ll donate an extra 15% to support their mission.
We sat down with the founder and leader of Her Waters for a real conversation about grief, identity, belonging, and what it actually means to hold space for women on the water.
What follows is not a press release. It is her voice.
Before Her Waters
Before Her Waters became what it is today, Dr. Yolanda Edwards was navigating personal struggles, including depression and the loss of a good friend.
As a veteran, an avid angler, and a Black woman who refuses to stay down, she was used to being strong and pouring into others. At the same time, she was working through her own healing in ways that were not always visible to the people around her.
A friend sent her a link to a Veterans fly fishing meetup group. That invitation changed everything.
She told us what happened next.
“What started out as a moment to learn something new quickly became sacred space for me. On the water, my little chipmunk began to slow down. I started observing my surroundings. My crazy expectations of standing in water disappeared.”
She expected to last thirty minutes. Instead, she stayed nearly three hours.
“My guide tapped me on the arm and said, ‘It’s time to get off the water.’ I was like, why? He said it was lunch time. I was stunned. I didn’t realize my knees were not hurting. For certain this was a shift for me.”
That was the moment the connection became clear.
“Healing is in the water.”
“Know My Name”
Long before Her Waters, she was showing up early to reservoirs in her neighborhood. Often, the only woman there. Boats full of men would line up behind her.
She would ask if anyone had space. The answer was almost always no.
One day, after returning from fishing, a man told her, “You are really hooked on fishing.”
Her response “I am not hooked. I am Mz. Hooked.”
“I didn’t need their permission to fall in love with fishing. My name reflects my commitment. I am hooked on purpose, on impact, on making sure female veterans, women, and girls see themselves where they’ve historically been excluded.”
When she says, “Know my name,” she is not trying to make noise.
“It’s my testimony. My name [MZ. Hooked] should say to every woman watching me that she, too, can define herself.”
Holding Space: The Emotional Weight of Leadership
Leading an organization centered on female veterans and women is meaningful work. It is also heavy.
We asked her what has been the most emotionally challenging part.
She said “The weight comes from understanding how much is unspoken.”
Women arrive carrying stories she may never fully hear. Stories from military service. From workplaces. From life.
Her Waters - Fly Fishing Events
“Holding space means creating safety without forcing. It means strength without being tough. The hardest part emotionally is wanting to fix what I know I cannot fix in a single weekend on the water.”
Her role is not to repair everything. “It’s to provide a safe opportunity to get relief, a connection, and empowerment.”
The First Message Women Hear
Before technique. Before casting. Before gear. There is one message that comes first. “YOU BELONG HERE.” Dr. Edwards is intentional about this.
“Before the rod is lifted, I focus on eye contact, tone, and affirmation. I want each woman to feel seen. I have this slogan, ‘You see it.’ My twist is, ‘I see you.’”
Safety and dignity come first. For Her Waters The gear can wait. Belonging cannot.
Learning to Lead Without Hardness
As a military woman, toughness was not optional.
“For much of my career, I had to be strong in order to survive. What I did not realize at the time was I never learned how to turn that hardness off.”
Building Her Waters forced a shift. Women began reaching out from Alaska to Virginia. They shared stories, transitions, and hopes. Visibility grew. With growth came attention and pressure.
We asked her what she is most protective of preserving. Her answer was clear.
“I am most protective of preserving my identity as a Black woman who breaks generational curses in my family to give back what my mother gave to me. I am continuing her legacy by creating Her Waters.”
She is also protective of the mission.
“Her Waters exists to empower female veterans, women, and girls to be included in all communities through fly fishing and outdoor connections. Our mission must be about including all women. My growth will never outpace its integrity.”
Leadership, she says, is no longer about hardness. It is about connection, courage, and hope.
Looking Forward: A Vision Bigger Than the First Event
Her Waters has not yet hosted its first official event under the new branding. But the vision is already unfolding.
Dr. Yolanda Edwards sees coordinated training that guides women from beginner to leader. She sees partnerships that amplify women’s voices in conservation spaces. She sees young girls watching female veterans mentor them on the water and realizing they can do it too.
“The future of Her Waters is not just about fly fishing. It is leaving a legacy and watching women bloom into who they really are. Bold. Beautiful. Brave.”
Why This Conversation Matters
Fly fishing is often framed as escape. Or sport. Or tradition. But for Dr. Yolanda Edwards, it was restoration. It was a return to self.
Her Waters, Inc. exists because one woman stepped into the water while carrying grief and personal challenges, and discovered something she could not ignore.
Healing is in the water.
And sometimes the most powerful words a person can hear before making a cast are simple.
"You belong here."
This feature was written by The Fly Box and published in Casts That Care, our charity-driven fly fishing newsletter.
Casts That Care delivers real stories, deep dives, and the heart of the fly fishing world while donating 50% of all subscription fees to a different fishing-related nonprofit each month. This month it is Her Waters, Inc.
Use code “HERWATERS25” for 25% off your first month, and we’ll donate an extra 15% to support their mission.
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