Ahead of Mother’s Day, the Land Rover Experience Driving Center at Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California, hosted a special event celebrating women’s empowerment. Held May 3, 2025, this unforgettable day at LRE California brought together women from Sacramento to Ojai to embrace the spirit of adventure. Against the rugged backdrop of the Santa Lucia Mountains, participants experienced off-roading thrills and formed meaningful connections. Not just an introduction to the capabilities of the Defender, the event was an opportunity to push boundaries, build confidence, and cultivate community among women who share a love of exploration. Attendees ranged from newcomers to the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) family to longtime owners—like Christine from Santa Barbara, who had just purchased her first Defender after owning ten Land Rovers.
JLR representative Yesenia Machuca welcomed participants, noting a growing trend of women choosing Defenders. “We’re so excited that you’re here,” she said. “The theme today is women’s empowerment. We are here to get stronger, more resilient.” The agenda was thoughtfully designed to encourage personal growth and camaraderie, featuring a vehicle walk-around, lessons in spotting technique, and a guided exploration of LRE California’s expansive 10-mile trail network with off-roading icons Daphne Greene and Stephanie Kowall.
Greene, a trailblazer in a historically male-dominated space, has been associated with Land Rover for three decades. In 1995, she became the first woman to represent the U.S. in the Camel Trophy—a grueling endurance event that combined physical challenges like climbing and canoeing with technical four-wheel-drive skills. Alongside teammate Jim Swett, she tackled rugged terrain across Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador in a Land Rover Discovery. The following year, she returned as a support driver for the event’s first east-west crossing of Borneo, during which she famously spent 36 hours stuck in a mud hole. Greene went on to help develop Land Rover’s off-road education programs, teaching nationally and internationally. Her contributions to responsible recreation led to appointments by California Governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, first to the state’s Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission in 2000, and then as Deputy Director of the division in 2004. “I didn’t want to leave my Land Rover career,” she said, “but at the same time, I knew I needed to give back for something that I’ve been so blessed to have.” Since completing her role in 2011, Greene has returned to the Land Rover family, where she continues to inspire and educate the next generation of off-roaders.
That next generation includes Stephanie Kowall, a Regional Performance Manager at JLR whose passion for overlanding led her to off-road rally driving. In 2024, she made her debut in the Rebelle Rally—the longest off-road rally in the U.S. and the only one exclusively for women. The rigorous 1,600+ mile competition spans the Nevada and California deserts, with no GPS, cell phones, or other modern technology permitted. “The first time I heard about the Rebelle Rally, I thought, ‘There’s absolutely no way I could be in the company of these women,’” Kowall recalls. But alongside teammate and fellow JLR colleague Stacy Kasmarick, Team 118—the “Rebelling Rovers”—completed the challenge, spending up to 10 hours a day in the car. Despite initial doubts, Kowall says the experience taught her to “level up” and not fear failure. Competing alongside grandmothers, stay-at-home moms, doctors, and aerospace engineers, she realized anything was possible. The rally instilled lessons in resilience and mindfulness, including how to “let go and forget” mistakes. Kowall continues to inspire others by training for future rallies—including under 2024 Rebelle Rally champion Nena Barlow—and sharing her experiences, emphasizing the importance of stepping outside one’s comfort zone.
At the Carmel event, Greene kicked off the day with a powerful reminder: “Nobody’s judging. Whatever is sitting on your shoulder, talking to you, get rid of it today. We’re here to learn, and that’s the key.” She continued, “Everyone has a different skill set, a different level of comfort. We try to adapt to any and all. We want to comfortably push your boundaries and have you learn along the way. This is where camaraderie and teamwork come into play.” Kowall echoed the sentiment: “Any preconceived notions of what you feel like you should be doing behind the wheel—just do what you’re comfortable doing, and listen to the instructors. Let them guide you. Use their experience. Nobody’s judging—we’re all here to learn.”
The event included guidance from Greene, Kowall, LRE California Manager Sterling Johnson, lead instructor Brenton Corns, and Nanette Nelms, who has been with the center for over a decade. Participants navigated challenging terrain in their Defenders and learned to utilize features such as Rock Crawl Mode and Hill Descent Control in a safe, supportive environment. Several mother-daughter groups attended, with the younger ones eagerly joining non-driving activities like spotting technique—a heartening example of multigenerational learning and empowerment. Blending technical instruction, community, and the beautiful outdoors, the event at LRE California was a beautiful celebration of women stepping into their power, one trail at a time.
The Carmel Valley location is one of three Land Rover Experience Centers in North America, and the only one on the West Coast—the others located in Asheville, North Carolina, and Manchester, Vermont. All three offer sessions for both owners and non-owners, as well as corporate and group experiences. Guests are always welcome to return for one-on-one training to deepen their knowledge of vehicle features and trail techniques, says Johnson. Nestled within the scenic 850-acre Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel Valley, LRE California is located alongside championship golf, tennis, spa treatments, and farm-to-fork dining—making it an ideal destination for both adventure and relaxation.
For more information and to book with the Land Rover Experience Center in Carmel Valley, California, click here.
For more information on Quail Lodge & Golf Club, click here.