This year-long fellowship brings together public policy analysts, elected officials, nonprofit and business leaders who champion free market principles, economic freedom, and limited government. More broadly, the Fellowship Program “educates public and private sector leaders with a firm understanding of first principles; empowers them with the communications skills to become effective leaders; and engages them with an enduring network of like-minded leaders.”

Here's my fellowship bio page.

With the conservative movement flirting with tenets of populism, it’s imperative to keep timeless principles and related policies alive. We can appeal to new constituencies without betraying our values. My hope with the fellowship is to craft better arguments in favor of traditional conservation viewpoints under the three-legged stool model that encompasses fiscal conservatism.

I. Fellowships Defined

Fellowships are programs that are geared towards personal and professional development. They can be short-term or long-term. These programs cross industries, age groups, and experience levels–not just for college or graduate students.

As a mid-career professional on track to one day be a high-career professional, fellowships gave me a needed boost in my career. When I was building my freelance business, I hit a slump. I was acquiring new skills beyond copywriting and public relations, but something was missing. I didn’t feel challenged enough and wanted new experiences to

Benefits of fellowship include forging meaningful connections, gaining new skills, solving complex questions, and challenging yourself to new experiences.

II. The Value of Fellowships

The Club for Growth Foundation Fellowship isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve successfully completed two long-term fellowships and several short-term seminars (aka “mini fellowships”). One fellowship even evolved into my current job as director of IWF’s Center for Energy and Conservation.

Forbes Magazine argued in 2020 that fellowships are the future of learning and development:

Fellowships are a model for leadership development that achieve exactly those win-win-wins, for professionals, their employers, and society around them; fellowships create impact on the Me, We, and World Levels. Fellowships are ideally suited to professionals’ most pressing 2020 needs: connectivity, inclusion, collaboration, innovation, and resilience. They are flexible in terms of time and content for the participants, effective at building authentic relationships among peers, and are highly cost effective for employers.

The article said these three pillars of an effective fellowship:

•   Self-paced, multimedia learning and reflection
• Live inputs with experts
• Peer reflection and accountability
  

Round-Up

This new fellowship means there is no change to my work schedule. I can participate concurrently with my full-time job at IWF and my various freelance contracts.

Cheers to an enriching year as a Club for Growth Foundation Fellow!

The post I’m Thrilled to Be a 2025 Club for Growth Foundation Fellow appeared first on Gabriella Hoffman.

This year brought amazing opportunities like testifying before Congress for the first time and being appointed to a board by my Governor. I’m lucky to be at the apex of my career as a policy director.

But I also succeeded in having a work-life balance and being more present. I strived to be a loyal friend, attentive colleague, and good listener to those around me. I learned that taking multiple 10,000+ step hikes/walks a week is a good for the soul, your waistline, and a necessary escape.

I traveled to Europe again to rediscover my Lithuanian roots and visited three new countries (Netherlands, Poland, Denmark). I met some incredible people and wasn’t afraid to be spontaneous. I won’t wait 25 years to travel across the pond again!

I didn’t fish or hunt nearly enough, but I caught my personal best largemouth bass, harvested my first dove, polished my fly fishing skills, and graduated to intermediate mushroom hunter.

To those who shared some of their 2024 with me, thank you for the memories and good laughs. Let’s do it again next year.

I’m optimistic about the future and for what lies ahead in 2025. I hope you feel the same way, too.

Happy New Year! The best is yet to come.

The post 2024: A Wild, Wonderful Whirlwind Year appeared first on Gabriella Hoffman.

There’s a trout revival currently underway in Virginia’s Western Highlands that’s getting notice in and outside of the Old Dominion State. And for good reason. 

An independent hatchery situated 30 miles northwest of Roanoke, Virginia is taking the culinary world by storm with its unique trout offerings. The former 1930s-era Department of Interior facility is also fostering a new appreciation for the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)—Virginia’s official state fish and sole native trout species. 

Smoke in Chimneys is an agribusiness just three years into operation. Due to growing demand for the product, the small business is expected to raise upwards of 50,000 trout this year to sell directly to followers and some of the Mid-Atlantic region’s top rated restaurants—including a Michelin-rated restaurant in Washington, D.C.

The upstart small business not only desires to raise and sell premium trout, but help change American perceptions about farm-raised trout and related aguaculture industry. Their commitment to regenerative farming practices and conservation stewardship practices has not only won them customers, but praise from outdoor brands like Filson and YETI. 

Kinute caught up with Ty Walker, one half of Smoke in Chimneys, during his recent visit to the Washington, D.C. area to learn more about the operation. 

Continue reading at KINUTE.

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District Of Conservation Podcasts

Media Mentions

This month, I was interviewed by several podcasts, radio stations, and local TV programs: The Sportsmen’s Voice podcast hosted by Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Heard at Heritage/Power Hour, Fox 5 DC, The Tony Katz Show, and O’Connor and Company on WMAL News.

Out and About

I addressed the Congressional Western Caucus again and delivered a second keynote address in New Mexico.

Articles

December 4th | Townhall | Three COP28 Updates to Be Concerned About

December 5th | IWF | UN Climate Summit Pushes Controversial Net-Zero Food Plan

December 6th | IWF | This Christmas, Ask Santa For Coal  

December 18th | Townhall | Conservatives Shouldn’t Abandon Right-to-Work

December 19th | Townhall | Florida Newspaper Trashes Hunters and Anglers As Low Information, Far Right

December 19th | IWF | Congress Subpoenas BlackRock And State Street Over Antitrust, ESG

December 20th | IWF | WA State Bill Would Criminalize Possession Of Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

December 22nd | IWF | FACT CHECK: Are Electric Vehicles In Demand This Winter?  

December 26th | IWF | State Financial Officers Challenge SEC Rule On Natural Asset Companies

December 28th | IWF | Is The Endangered Species Act Saving Biodiversity?

Stay tuned for January 2024 updates!

The post December 2023 Updates: Articles, Media, & Podcasts appeared first on Gabriella Hoffman.

District Of Conservation Podcasts

Media Mentions

Earlier in November, I was extensively quoted in Fox Business on Natural Asset Companies and interviewed on The Gun Experiment Podcast.

Out and About

I spoke at University of Houston earlier this month and rounded out November speaking at the annual ALEC States and Nation Summit in Scottsdale, AZ.

Articles

November 1st | IWF | Despite Net-Zero Commitments, CA Curtailing Renewable Power

November 2nd | IWF | Major Wind Developer Cancels Two Offshore Wind Projects

November 3rd| Townhall | Farm Bill, Food Security, & Conservation with Congressman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson

November 6th | Townhall | Bidenomics Can’t Save Unreliable Clean Energy and EVs

November 9th | IWF | FERC, NERC Oppose Shutting Down New England Natural Gas Terminal

November 10th | Townhall | Environmentalists Want to ‘Decolonize’ English-Named Birds

November 17th | Townhall | REI is Right to Question Unions

November 21st | IWF/RealClear Markets | The Next ESG Frontier: Natural Asset Companies

November 27th | Townhall | Despite Being Most Trusted Institution, Small Biz Threatened by Regulations

November 27th | IWF | FACT CHECK: Are Lead Bans On Public Lands Backed Up By Science?

November 29th | IWF| ESG’s Luster Continues To Fade

Stay tuned for December 2023 updates!

The post November 2023 Updates: Articles, Media, & Podcasts appeared first on Gabriella Hoffman.

Six years ago today, I took the plunge head first and went public with my freelancing business. Here are six observations from my time freelancing thus far:

Patience is a Virtue

People I meet tell me they envy of me because I appear to be “living the life” and got success quickly. My perceived success, however, is years in the making—not something that came overnight.

I quietly started carving my path in July 2016. After taking a job that nearly derailed my career, I had to regroup and map out a game plan. I took pro bono and low-paying gigs in the beginning. I had to re-introduce myself to people as a freelancer and not an employee of a notable organization. It took some time to establish my new identity, but I gradually garnered people’s trust and began securing clients. Around the three-year mark of my one-person business, I no longer wrestled with rollercoaster income. I charged full-speed ahead. If your business survives three years, it’s considered a success. Six years later I have steady stream of income (and growing), wonderful clients, and supplemental contract work that allows me to write and do political commentary.

You won’t make millions of dollars freelancing immediately—or ever. But if you’re patient, land good clients, and hustle hard your freelance business will take off. And you’ll be fulfilled and happy.

Patience guided me across this journey and is a virtue in freelancing.

Rejection Makes You Stronger

When building up your clientele or making pitches for contract work, don’t expect people to hire you and retain your services. In fact, you should accept rejection as natural and expected—especially early in your career.

The rejection emails will sting. A cool proposal will fail to materialize. And the people who get your hopes up but don’t deliver on prospects will make you question freelancing altogether.

But in my case, I argue rejection makes you stronger. I have had proposals outright rejected because the prospective client got cold feet and jilted me at the offer. I’ve rejected contracts I didn’t feel comfortable with because the pay didn’t match the work output.

Adversity makes you stronger, and rejections bring you closer to acceptances.

Don’t Settle

Alternatively, rejections aren’t simple at the mercy of clients. You — the independent contractor — are in control of work to accept or deny. It takes two to tango. You’re your own best negotiator, and you have every right to walk away from a bad deal. It’ll suck to not have some income, but your sanity is worth more than making a quick buck.

Early in my freelance journey, I said “Yes” to projects or clients I came to regret or not get fulfillment from. As my credibility grew, I’ve grown into a position to reject contracts I don’t feel comfortable with. Strangely, it’s a freeing feeling. And there aren’t sour grapes.

Why? 1) The pay didn’t match the work output. 2) I got bad vibes from the potential client. 3) I wasn’t a good fit ideologically or lacked proximity to the industry. 4) I evolved from doing mostly social media work to media consulting/public relations.

The moral of the story is this: don’t settle for subpar freelance contracts as your career advances. It’s okay to say “No” and wait for good clients.

Diversify Your Clientele List

If you’re able to work with clients spanning different industries, do it. It’s worked well for me. It could work well for you.

Having largely worked in politics, I knew I couldn’t be wholly dependent on one industry. Campaigns pay peanuts for long work hours and candidates who don’t know how to fundraise easily gip you for money. I’m also not just defined by politics but also have cross-over in the outdoor industry.

That led me to seek out clients who are like-minded and/or share similar goals. When prioritizing this above all, I found I attract more quality clients.

Today, I maintain several long-term clients and other longstanding contracts. Diversify your clientele list as you do your portfolio.

Stay Humble

No matter how successful you become as a freelancer, it’s important to stay humble. People assume if you get more notice and kudos, you automatically must change and change yourself. That’s patently false.

I’ve tried to stay true to my roots, to remember my humble beginnings, and to always speak to people as your equals.

Never get cocky. Never tear down others. Share in others’–especially your clients’–success. Freelancers are hard-working people who largely come from humble beginnings. This workforce is appealing because it’s merit-based and pro-worker.

Be true to your self and see your one-person business blossom.

Fight for Your Livelihood

It’s not enough to be a freelancer; you must ensure opportunities to freelance exist for our peers.

Freelancers shouldn’t take their unique standing for granted because it could slip from our fingertips. What am I referring to? Look at California Assembly Bill 5. This legislation has decimated many freelancer livelihoods. And then there’s proposed federal rule making aimed at making it harder for workers to identify as independent contractors and not employees. That’s scary.

I’ve gotten involved and written about threats to independent contracting. Get involved as best as you can and join the fight for freelancers.

The post Six Things I’ve Learned From Freelancing appeared first on Gabriella Hoffman.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor announced proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act to impose barriers on workers who wish to work as independent contractors. If adopted, the rule would impose strict criteria on independent workers to prove they are not workers in the form of a new test of economic reality. This is a major departure from the Trump-era rule that favored a flexible worker model.

As a full-time freelancer in Virginia, I would be penalized for honestly living out the freelance lifestyle according to these dull worker guidelines.

The DOL argues that this revision would curb perceived misclassifications in the workplace. However, the reclassification of most workers as employees makes them candidates for union jobs – a declining sector accounting for just 10.3% of the workforce. Virginia workers who survived the pandemic with independent work do not want bureaucrats to destroy their livelihoods.

Drafting federal regulations aimed at barring independent contracts would be costly to Virginia’s economy.

Continue reading at Virginian Pilot.

Cross-posted to Daily Press.

The post Virginian Pilot: Preserve Freedom for Virginia’s Independent Workforce appeared first on Gabriella Hoffman.

Despite touting hook and bullet activities, the Biden administration is potentially settling with Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) to undo the expansion of 2.2 million National Wildlife Refuge lands opened in 2020 to new hunting and fishing opportunities. More troubling, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) may cede to the radical organization’s demands to ban lead use under the guise of protecting endangered or threatened species. A bill from Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) similarly echoes this goal.

With more Americans finding refuge in the Great Outdoors in response to the pandemic, however, this shortsighted effort would roll back these monumental gains.

Continue reading at RealClearPolicy.

The post RealClearPolicy: Lead Ban Would Undermine True Conservation, Outdoor Access appeared first on Gabriella Hoffman.

The White House recently announced its intention to sell E15 (15% ethanol and 85% gasoline) to offset high prices at the pump — attributing it to the so-called “Putin Price Hike.” In an unprecedented move, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to fall in line and will issue a rare emergency waiver greenlighting the sale between June 1st to September 15^th —which was previously forbidden under the Clean Air Act, given air pollution concerns.

But this rule change would be sustainable for neither working families nor the environment.

With rising inflation, increasing production of corn-based fuel will further add to economic woes. Though it’s been lauded as a viable alternative to conventional fuel, E15 has vast shortcomings as a reliable fuel source.

Continue reading at RealClearPolicy.

The post RealClearPolicy: E15 is the Wrong Fuel to Drive America’s Energy Plan appeared first on Gabriella Hoffman.

Indiana is the most recent state to act. Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, signed House Bill 1296 into law Monday, giving Hoosiers the right to carry without a permit. Alabama and Ohio recently passed similar bills, and Georgia ’s Legislature is closer to adopting such a measure, making it the 25th state to do so. 

Permitless carry is the next frontier for safeguarding Second Amendment rights.

“Constitutional carry” laws allow law-abiding residents to carry handguns without a permit. Similarly, states with “permitless carry” laws allow citizens to carry, though they may require them to meet certain qualifications, like minimum age. Permitless carry isn’t a fringe policy — Vermont was one of the first states to adopt this expansion of gun rights — nor will permitless carry lead to the Wild West: Those boasting criminal records, including prohibited possessors, are ineligible from participating. And firearms training is always encouraged in light of these rules changes.

Continue reading at Washington Examiner.

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