Made This Way: Founder’s Story
Introducing Mayfly Rising
Some stories begin with a business plan.
Others begin with survival.
For Kimberly Ranalla, founder of Miss Mayfly Wading Gear and host of Mayfly Rising, this journey began after a life-changing assault left her physically injured, emotionally exhausted, and uncertain about her future. What followed was not just the creation of a women’s wader company — it was the birth of a mission centered around visibility, inclusion, healing, and the voices of women anglers everywhere.
In Episode 1 of Mayfly Rising, “Made This Way,” Kimberly shares the deeply personal story behind both Miss Mayfly and the podcast itself — a story built on conviction, sacrifice, and a profound belief that women deserve to be seen, heard, and valued in the fishing industry.
Why Mayfly Rising Exists
For over a decade, women anglers from around the world have shared their stories with Kimberly — stories about belonging, exclusion, resilience, fear, confidence, joy, and determination. Over time, those conversations revealed something larger: women were participating in fishing in growing numbers, yet many still felt invisible within the industry itself.
Mayfly Rising was created to change that.
The podcast exists as a platform where women can speak openly about their experiences — from access and safety to industry barriers, participation, representation, and opportunity. It asks difficult questions:
Are women truly being represented?
Does the industry understand the realities women face?
What happens when a demographic is overlooked because it is poorly measured or misunderstood?
And how do we build a future where women are sustained within the sport instead of quietly disappearing from it?
These conversations are not just about fishing. They are about community, visibility, and creating pathways for future generations.
Fishing Changed Everything
Before Miss Mayfly existed, Kimberly worked in the mental health field. After suffering severe injuries during an assault by a patient, she spent years in treatment and rehabilitation. Doctors eventually told her she had likely reached her physical limit.
Then a friend took her fishing.
Standing in the water for the first time in oversized borrowed waders, something shifted. Fishing gave her more than recreation — it gave her peace, focus, and healing. For the first time in years, she stopped thinking about pain. And slowly, her physical strength began returning.
But while fishing transformed her life, the gear itself revealed a problem.
Women’s waders at the time were poorly fitting, restrictive, uncomfortable, and inaccessible for many body types. Kimberly discovered that most women’s sizing stopped at size 14 despite the majority of women being above that range. Height, width, and foot sizing were scaled incorrectly, forcing many women into ill-fitting men’s gear.
Instead of accepting it, she decided to build something better.
Building Miss Mayfly From the Ground Up
With no background in apparel manufacturing, Kimberly spent years teaching herself everything — graphic design, grading, production measurements, body scaling, fabrics, logistics, and sizing systems. She researched women’s measurements obsessively, studied clothing brands, and developed an entirely new sizing approach designed around how women’s bodies actually vary.
The process was exhausting.
There were moments of isolation, financial struggle, self-doubt, and near surrender. Yet through every setback, she kept returning to the same belief: this work mattered.
Eventually, the breakthrough came.
Instead of scaling width and height together like traditional waders, Kimberly realized each height needed multiple body-type variations. That insight became the foundation of Miss Mayfly’s innovative sizing system — one designed specifically for women rather than adapted from men’s products.
And when the first shipment finally arrived, women of all shapes and sizes tried them on — and they fit.
A Purpose Bigger Than Gear
What started as a product solution became something far deeper.
As women continued sharing their experiences, Kimberly realized the true purpose of Miss Mayfly was never simply waders. It was creating support, belonging, and validation for women anglers who had long felt overlooked.
One story from the episode captures that purpose powerfully.
At a fishing show, an extra plus-sized woman approached the booth hoping — desperately — to find waders that fit her. At the time, Miss Mayfly still didn’t carry her size. Kimberly watched the disappointment on her face and made a promise: she would go home and design a wader specifically for women like her.
That promise led to the creation of the “Extra Plus” sizing system, now one of the company’s top sellers.
Because inclusion, as Kimberly explains, is not performative. It is a way of being.
More Than a Podcast
“Made This Way” sets the tone for what Mayfly Rising aims to become: a space where women’s stories are documented honestly and thoughtfully, where difficult realities can be discussed openly, and where participation, representation, and sustainability in fishing are explored together.
At its heart, this episode carries a simple but powerful message:
You belong here.
Whether you are a lifelong angler, new to fishing, struggling to find your place, or simply searching for community, Mayfly Rising exists to remind women that their experiences matter — and that their voices deserve to rise together.
Listen to Episode 1, “Made This Way,” at MayflyRising.com.
Meet The Host
Kimberly Ranalla
Our Founding Sponsor
Contributions & Sponsors
Although a separate business entity, Miss Mayfly is the founding sponsor of Mayfly Rising.
Mayfly Rising is a free community resource that relies on contributions and sponsorships to continue our mission. So if you believe in what we're building and want to help us continue this work, please consider supporting us.
Listen & Join the Conversation
If our purpose resonates with you, we invite you to subscribe and share our podcasts with someone who may feel connected to our conversations.
You can also continue the discussions within the FaceBook group, The Mayfly Society and follow along as we explore these topics in the episodes ahead.
