McKinley grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. She spent most of her childhood camping, hiking, backpacking, and snowboarding with her family which grew her love for the outdoors at a young age.

 After high school she moved away to Tennessee to become a guide at a place called CLIMBworks and really enjoyed learning and teaching others about the nature and history of the Great Smokey Mountains. She spent her summers in Tennessee guiding and her winters back home in Utah working at her home mountain, Brighton Ski Resort. One summer McKinley decided not to head back to the Great Smokey Mountains and created a goal to hike all 75 peaks in the Cottonwood Canyons which she completed in just two summers! This cemented her love and joy of challenge and experiencing growth in the outdoors.

McKinley has always wanted to work with other people, especially the youth. She was looking for a job that felt meaningful to her and allowed her to assist others in feeling heard and seen for who they are when she found Elements. Elements has opened doors for McKinley’s own personal growth and has given McKinley the opportunity to embrace change and empower the youth to take on their lives in meaningful ways.