Take a Hike

EXECUTIVE: Mireya Eavey, 55, is the Sarasota area president of the United Way Suncoast. Eavey directs the organization's programs in Sarasota and DeSoto counties and is also executive director of local workforce development organization CareerEdge Funders Collaborative. CareerEdge was brought under the umbrella of United Way Suncoast's Sarasota services after Eavey took on her position there.

DIVERSION: Hiking the Appalachian Trail in separate trips. Eavey started this endeavor two years ago, and hikes the trail in sections whenever she can escape the demands of her job. “It detoxifies my brain,” she says. “Even though it's probably one of the hardest things I've ever done, it's one place I can go where I don't think about work.”

SPOUSAL SUPPORT: Eavey's husband, Andy, joins her on the hikes, even though he may not be as passionate about it as she. “On our trip over Thanksgiving he forgot the tent,” she says. “As soon as he realized he forgot it, he said, 'We'll just go home.' And I said, 'Oh no we're not.' We had to buy another $300 tent. But he enjoys it once he's out there.”