In 2003, I moved to New York City. In the following years, I completed my master’s degree, I started a career, and then got married. Aside from having children, it felt like I achieved all the common goals that we set out for in this society.
Fast forward to 2014, I re-established my deep relationship to nature, which was very strong in my childhood. I was stressed out, burned out, unfulfilled and desperate to re-connect to the natural world. I changed my entire mindset around how I connect with nature as a city dweller.
In winter 2016, I went on vacation to Hawaii which fulfilled a long-held dream. I saw nature documentaries that spoke of the stunning level of biodiversity and unique species that exists there. Even still, I didn’t know very much about the islands aside from that I really wanted to go. Then I came back from this trip a changed person.
My time in Oahu was fantastic and full of wonder. But my time spent on the Big Island changed my life forever. Volcanoes National Park has some of the most fascinating plants and volcanic landscapes I had ever seen. Living in the Northeastern United States, I always loved ferns. I would enjoy seeing them in the spring when I would see the fiddleheads growing. Then when I was hiking on the Big Island and I saw the massive fiddleheads of the Hapu’u Ferns, I ran up to them like a young child in an amusement park, and said “Is this actually real?” I was in total awe of these plants. I had never seen a fiddlehead on a fern that was bigger than me. For me, hiking on the Kilauea Iki Trail was like something of a different planet. Hiking through the lava tube and seeing the roots of the Ohi’a Lehua trees hanging down and soaking the moisture from the damp environment was an otherworldly experience.
The land formations and the plant life had left me experiencing more awe and curiosity than I had ever experienced in my adult life. There were so many awe-filled wonders: incredible sunrises, the green sand beach, the black sand beach, a landscape still steaming from an eruption that was 60 years old, a sunset from the summit of Mauna Kea, and more. The geological wonders and sense of awe was absolutely incredible.
After I got home from this trip, I noticed a strange phenomenon. All the sudden, I was able to see and perceive things in the natural world with a level of clarity that I hadn’t before. My senses were so exaggerated that I was left in awe of myself. My awareness of plant life and my ability to sense animal life was extremely enhanced. My ability to perceive and sense things in natural areas was so much stronger than it was before.
I experienced an explosion of curiosity, artistic inspiration, while undergoing a spiritual and philosophical rebirth. It still inspires me to this day. I began to study geology, botany, and aspects of Hawaiian spirituality like the Seven Principles of Huna and Ho’o’ponopono.
I knew I had to share my strong passion for nature with the world, but I wasn’t sure how. It took about a year of pure excitement and rumination before I knew that I wanted to pursue life coaching as way to offer this healing energy to the world. My interest in ecotherapy and curiosity of nature was my vehicle. At the time, I still hadn’t realized how the power of coaching could take to even higher levels. My ability to bring nature connection into a unique form of urban wellness, stress reduction, and purpose began to take shape.
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