Wilder Wellness

Meal planning is typically associated with stacks of perfectly organized glass containers, filled with perfectly portioned meals for each day of the week, and each meal consists of a lean protein and leafy vegetables. Not only does this typical way of approaching meal planning seem restrictive, but is also exclusionary and complicated. If meal planning and prepping feels like a stretch for you eac...

Feeling anxious about how other people view you? Feeling guilty saying no, or speaking your mind? Feeling the need to fix or solve people’s problems in order to feel valuable? Saying yes to too many things and then feeling angry or resentful? You might have some traits of people pleasing, but don’t feel too alarmed because we do too! Kristen and Kristin are talking about their own unresolved peopl...

If the traditional 9-5 lifestyle freaks you out a little - you’re not alone. Maybe you're considering ditching the 9-5 for something a little more untraditional that allows for more flexibility, time to travel or spend on adventures. After all, working remotely just requires wifi! In this episode, we talk with Isobel Griffin, a copywriter for small adventurous brands who operates her business...

Do you struggle slowing down and taking the time to check in with yourself? Do you have a difficult time knowing what your body needs or wants? Stress, anxiety, unresolved emotions, trauma, and the demands of our daily life can make slowing down feel impossible or sometimes deeply uncomfortable. Today we are joined by Lo Segal Registered Dietitian and Yoga Instructor who shares more about her phil...

See You At the Summit Trip Recap +  the importance of integration We are catching a breath in this week’s episode and catching up as Kristin comes off trail from her 9 day expedition with See You At the Summit, a therapeutic wilderness expedition designed for teens affected by cancer. Kristin recaps highlights of her experience in the backcountry of Central Oregon guiding a group of teenagers + di...

It can be hard to imagine your therapist as a real person with vulnerabilities, insecurities, and their own shame and traumas. But we are in fact very human, and often our own struggles that lead us to becoming therapists. This week we get vulnerable on the podcast and are joined by Leah Chambers, LPC and fellow ex wilderness therapist, artist, writer, daughter, partner, friend. Leah is passionate...

In this episode we chat with Abby Haeg, MS, RD, LD a weight inclusive, anti-diet, dietitian nutritionist specializing in unhealthy relationships with food, body image and eating disorders.  The relationship we have with food is personal and often times influenced by food rules we have adopted over time. In her work as a dietitian, Abby does an amazing job of helping her clients unpack the food rul...

Where western medicine meets the mountains. It is often difficult to quantify why and how the wilderness is therapeutic and healing in and of itself. Today we talk with Heather Rose, a deeply passionate wilderness facilitator who has spent the last 20 years finding a way to bridge the gap between wilderness therapy and the medical community in her pursuit in creating See You At the Summit - a prog...

Prepare yourself for this mouthwatering episode as we travel along with Morgan Sinclair, an Eating Disorder Dietitian and founder of The Eating Expedition where she hosts food focused trips and experiences around the world. Her goal? To have us celebrating food, culture, and travel. She strives to create experiences where food can be exciting and pleasurable rather than scary or anxiety producing....

Having spaces + communities where we can show up authentically and still be accepted and appreciated is an essential piece to our sense of belonging and value in the world. Today we talk with Charlie Sprinkman the Founder of Everywhere is Queer - a world wide map for queer owned businesses. His mission is not only to highlight and uplift the voices of the queer community but also to help create ac...

This week you will really get to know Kristen Ales, LPC. In this episode we will discuss everything from her accidental start as a therapist, the highs and lows of leading retreats, her past and current relationship with the outdoors, and the freedom that comes from not trying to fit into societal boxes. Kristen currently works remotely from Bend, OR where she works primarily with clients impacted...

It's time to meet our cohost Kristin Mathes, LCSW! Kristin takes the spotlight this week as we learn more about her journey to the podcast. From growing up in small town Wisconsin, teaching English as a means to explore the world throughout her early 20s, to today running her own virtual therapy private practice while living down in Costa Rica. Kristin is driven by experiencing the most out of...

Did you miss the podcast? Don’t worry friends, the Wilder Wellness Pod is back and better than ever! In this episode, Kristen Ales returns from a year-long podcast hiatus feeling inspired, renewed, and with an exciting new addition to the podcast, a new cohost! In this episode, we welcome Kristin Mathes, a fellow therapist, and friend, who has been living in Costa Rica for the last year running a...

Back after being MIA for 6 weeks, Kristen opens up about experiencing burnout while growing her business. In this episode, Kristen gets candid about her patterns around burnout that she has repeated, again and again, the lessons that she has learned along the way, and states the boundaries she needs to set for herself moving forward.  In this episode Kristen covers: • Her tendency as an Enneagram...

In this personal episode, Kristen chats about her own journey to adopting intuitive eating. She dives into different phases of her own disordered eating, and common patterns and behaviors that she has experienced and that you can likely relate to. In this episode, Kristen gets candid about why viewing food as "fuel" can keep us stuck in disordered eating patterns and how the outdoors pla...

Have you ever thought about running your own adventure travel company because of the impact travel has had on your life? Or returned from a trip feeling totally inspired to make a change in your life or create something new? Travel is one of the most exciting and impactful ways we can deepen our relationship to ourselves and our world. Breanne Kiefner, founder and CEO of Root Adventures believed t...

Can't seem to shake feeling out of control around food? Do you wake up feeling remorse about what you ate the night before, only to find yourself bingeing AGIAN later in the day? You are not alone. This is actually a common cycle that impacts all of us who are prone to restricting or trying to control our food. Creating a consistent and sustainable relationship with food is not about controlli...

There are many benefits of adopting a sustainable movement practice. Less stress, increased cardiovascular health, and feeling more connected to your body are all major benefits. However, diet culture can often make our relationship with movement more stressful because of all of the expectations and rules we have placed around it.  Creating a consistent and sustainable relationship with movement i...

Want to know one of the most important steps in actually cultivating positive body image and a healthy relationship with food and our bodies? One of the first and most important steps of this process is letting go of the "fantasy body" that we have created in our heads, and rejecting the idea that once we lose weight all of our troubles and issues will magically disappear. Join Kristen a...

Join Kristen as she answers listener questions all about how to navigate a busy wedding season as a guest. According to the New York Times in 2022 there will be 2.5 million weddings, which is the most in 30 years!!! For many of us, we will be attending multiple wedding celebrations this year. While weddings can be a blast, they can also come with heightened anxiety, especially when it comes to bod...

What do intuitive eating and being an entrepreneur have in common? Turns out, it's a lot more than you might think. Join Kristen as she chats with Morgan Sinclair, a dietitian turned branding extraordinaire, business coach, strategist, podcast host, and international trip leader. In this conversation, Kristen and Morgan discuss what it really feels like to run your own business. They discuss e...

Joanna talks perfectionism! In this episode, we talk all about how clinging to perfectionism can increase feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. And how we can begin to loosen our grasp on feeling like we need to be perfect all of the freaking time. In this episode, we also discuss our own relationships with perfectionism and how showing up messy or imperfectly has allowed us to show up...

On this very special episode, Kristen chats with Annah, a member of the Wilder community who has spent the last two years transforming the relationship she has with her body. Annah talks about her experience in the Wilder Wellness Body Image Program, and the Women in Wild Sedona Backpacking Trip. Annah opens up about what her relationship with food and her body was like prior to diving into the wo...

Have you been thinking about signing up for the Wilder Weekend Retreat? This episode will give you a deeper understanding of the work that we will be doing together over the course of three days. Ever been curious about running therapeutic adventure-based retreats? This episode will also touch on how Kristen began her career and the path she took along the way!

Join Kristen and her friend, and fellow therapist Ally Barnett, LCSW as they discuss intimacy, desire, and how pleasure can be a powerful tool to connect with our bodies. In this episode, we discuss how sex and sensuality can actually help you feel more at home in your body and connected to your desires in and out of the bedroom. Ally Barnett is a sex therapist who lives and works in Burlington, V...