Wilder Wellness

Did you miss us?? Because we missed you!  Kristen Ales and Kristin Mathes return to the podcast to fill you in after Kristen's maternity leave. As it turns out they both have been busy nursing new babies! Kristen tells us more about her first few months of motherhood welcoming her daughter into the world and navigating role transitions as a new mother and group therapy practice owner. Meanwhile Kristin Mathes has been in full creative mode launching yet another surf therapy retreat in Costa Rica and full rebrand of her business. They both reflect on both the discomforts and excitement navigating big life transitions. As they both expand and take on new challenges, they discuss the future of the podcast and what to expect moving forward. In this episode we explore: Kristen reveals some highs and lows within her first few months of motherhood after she welcomed her baby girl into the world.  Kristen also discusses the expansion of Wilder Wellness and the direction she is taking her business in the future - with more in person events to come!  Kristin Mathes launches her second retreat-  Finding Flow a week of mind- body surf therapy in Costa Rica. Registration opens soon.   Kristin discusses overcoming a lot of anxiety related to the vulnerability of rebranding her business and working with social media.  To sign up or learn more about Finding Flow a mind body surf therapy retreat to Costa Rica hosted by Kristin Mathes, LCSW see her website for the juicy details.  You can learn more about the hosts Kristen Ales, LPC and Kristin Mathes, LCSW by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10 module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge over how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps towards finding food freedom. Learn more and sign up here. 

While Kristen Ales is out on maternity leave, we are revisiting some of our favorite episodes from the past. These are powerful conversations that we would love for you to hear or are worth listening to again! Abby Chan, MS, RDN discusses how to build a movement practice around empowerment and choice, rather than a place of punishment or in pursuit of purely aesthetic goals. Abby helps us explore how we can begin to slow down and shift our focus to how our body FEELS rather than just focusing on numbers, stats, or how our bodies look in athletic wear. Abby Chan, MS, RDN is a non-diet, weight-inclusive Registered Dietitian who specializes in helping others re-establish their relationship to food, and movement. She is the co-owner of EVOLVE Flagstaff, an integrative facility that focuses on injury prevention and rehabilitation, strength training, nutrition, and meal preparation to help you do what you love, for life. When she isn't working with patients you may find her in the gym strength coaching, teaching a yoga class, or in the cheffing it up in the kitchen. Other than work, she spends her time as an artistic director for Dark Sky Aerial. She is a movement artist who uses her love for dance and aerial arts as a form of expression and processing. When she isn't working or creating you can find her outside on shredding trails on her mountain bike, skiing, or vanning with her pups!

While Kristen Ales is out on maternity leave, we are revisiting some of our favorite episodes from the past. These are powerful conversations that we would love for you to hear or are worth listening to again! 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 as better therapists in our client work and as business owners. We will share with you strategies we both use in our practices to help clients take the first steps toward letting go of perfectionistic habits and tendencies. Joanna is a licensed psychotherapist based in Bozeman, Montana and the owner of Root & Rise — a modern and inclusive mental wellness practice for millennials. Joanna brings her true self and inner nerd to the therapy space. She specializes in the areas of anxiety, perfectionism, self-worth, life transitions, burn out, eating disorder recovery, and is a big advocate of feeling all the feels, authenticity, self-compassion, and letting go of shame. When she's not with clients, she's either hiking, camping, skiing, climbing, making a mess in the kitchen, talking to her plants, or getting lost in fiction novels.

While Kristen Ales is out on maternity leave, we are revisiting some of our favorite episodes from the past. These are powerful conversations that we would love for you to hear or are worth listening to again! 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 Ales as she explores her own experience of letting go of the "fantasy body". She talks about how comparing herself to this "fantasy" kept her from finding joy in her current body, and how it actually held her ack from addressing a number of important issues in her life. In this episode, we talk about using the stages of grief to let go of our fantasy bodies to find joy and acceptance in our "here and now" bodies. In this episode, Kristen covers: • comparing her body to a fantasy she had created in her head • the stages of grief • advice for navigating each stage of grief • a realistic look of what happens when we take this step • the benefits of finding acceptance

While Kristen Ales is out on maternity leave, we are revisiting some of our favorite episodes from the past. These are powerful conversations that we would love for you to hear or are worth listening to again! Join Kristen Ales 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, Vermont, and Jackson, Wyoming. Ally works with individuals who are looking to work through concerns including things like pain, shame, suppression, and control that they feel are no longer serving them when it comes to areas of intimacy. Ally works with her clients who want to express themselves more, overcome body image issues and increase sensuality, understand their desires and limitations when it comes to pleasure, help feel more connection between body and mind, and create healthy boundaries and desires around sex, sensuality, and intimacy.

Our cohost Kristin Mathes is launching EMERGE, a surf retreat to Costa Rica where she currently lives and is here to tell us all the juicy details about this incredible adventure! Kristin is inspired to share the fun, and joy in surfing with others who are ready to break free from self limiting beliefs and give anxiety space to breathe. This therapeutic and trauma informed surf retreat will offer mindfulness activities and therapeutic workshops to support you in discovering personal freedom and self love through surfing Mother Ocean's waves.  EMERGE is a retreat for first time surfers / beginners who want to hone in on their skills. But surfing is not the only adventure on this retreat. Tune in to hear more about why you don't want to miss this epic adventure! In this episode, we explore: The intention behind EMERGE, which is to inspire more play, create joy, and reclaiming confidence through surfing.  Kristin walks us through a day in the life at Emerge including everything from where you'll be staying, what to expect from the surf experience, and other adventures included in the retreat experience and of course, pricing. Kristin and Kristen explore body image on the beach and why this retreat would be a great place to challenge negative beliefs about your body's ability and spend time actually celebrating what your body can do instead of what it looks like.  Kristin addresses common anxieties and fears to joining a group of strangers on a retreat and the most common objection: sharks! You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: EMERGE, a surf therapy retreat that will help you discover peace and reclaim your power through surf, community, and ocean healing. This 7 day / 6 night retreat to Costa Rica is reenergizing, our community is supportive, and the surf therapy experience is the perfect blend of adventure and deep transformation. Emerge as a more confident you. Learn more and sign up here.

We are finally sitting down and asking cohost Kristin Mathes, LCSW all of our questions regarding surf therapy - what is surf therapy? how does this relate to therapy work and trauma healing? how in the world did this therapist from Wisconsin learn to surf? and how she plans to partner with a local surf school to offer surf therapy retreats down in Costa Rica. Kristin explains as a newer surfer how she was drawn to the water and how surfing became a part of her life. She tells us her hopes to share a little bit of her paradise and community in an upcoming surf retreat Emerge. In this episode, we explore: Using ocean healing and surfing as an experiential modality for embodying healing, presence, and empowerment. How surf therapy increases resilience through nervous system regulation and skill building that help us move through the hard stuff Kristin tells us more about her story learning to surf and how it brought her to a new life and community in Costa Rica. How Kristin plans to incorporate surf therapy in retreat format down in Costa Rica where she lives. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

We are jumping on the latest instagram trend this week and revealing what's IN and what's definitely OUT for us this upcoming year. Kristen and Kristin both get personal on some of their growth edges and what they each are making more space to welcome into their lives. And of course, on the flip side what is getting booted out the door in 2023. Some in's include: self confidence, boundaries around work, grace in motherhood, mentorship, and movement. And some defining outs are perfectionism, people pleasing, hyper independence, and comparison. In this episode, we explore: Kristen and Kristin reveal their personal Ins and Outs for 2023. We discuss ways in which we can support each other in boundaries around work and running our businesses.  A theme of vulnerability and being real about the process (the highlights and the mess) helping combat things like people pleasing, perfectionism, shame, and comparison in friendships, business partnerships, and mentorship. An overall hope for grace in motherhood, business ownership, and doing our best as humans.  You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

Have you set New Year's goals that have already failed or overwhelmed by the goals you've set? In this episode we are talking with Violetta Znorkowski the founder of Expand and Impact a school of emotional mastery and embodied self- leadership where we are addressing goal setting in a new way. Violetta helps women who are recovering from burnout untangle themselves from hustle culture. She encourages us to continuously check in with the process of working toward our goals and being willing to change direction with our goals. Her approach to goal setting that includes mindfulness and self compassion reminds us that it's not always about the final product, but the process. If we enjoy the process we are much more likely to accomplish our goals without sacrificing our health and wellness.  In this episode, we explore: Violetta shares her personal experience with burnout and its impacts on her mental health and overall wellness that inspired her work with Expand and Impact.  The roots of burnout can look like a need to prove ourselves, lack of boundaries around working hours, or an overvalue in productivity and undervalue in rest and recovery. How hustle culture doesn't often allow us time to really check in with our goals and with our bodies.  Goal Setting should include ongoing check in both internally and externally regarding whether or not this goal is still working for me? Do I still want this? And allowing ourselves to pivot when we need to change direction.  You can learn more about Violetta and Expand and Impact here. Or on Instagram. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

If the diet was meant to work, we wouldn't need to keep dieting! In this week's episode we are joined by Sam Berkowitz a registered dietitian who helps individuals untangle their relationship with food to discover a life free of diet culture, guilt, and food rules. Sam takes a health at every size approach using intuitive eating practices. We discuss why dieting and big new years lifestyle changes often fail us rather than the other way around - you failing the diet. We explore alternative approaches to dieting and ways to support your overall wellness in the new year in a sustainable and supportive way.  In this episode we discuss: Sam introduces herself and shares more about how she works with clients as a nutritionist. We discuss diet trends and big lifestyle changes around the new year that often fail people. How dieting affects our body both physically and mentally.  The importance of diversifying our approach and idea of wellness beyond losing weight and dieting to be thin. You can learn more about Sam and her work here. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

Kristin and Kristen are catching up after the holiday season and looking toward the new year with intention. We discuss discomfort around the social media highlight reels this week which can both be really fun and inspiring but also contribute to uncomfortable feelings for some regarding shame, not enoughness, or trouble showing up authentically online. We also discuss our plan for approaching the new year with intentions of ease + presence. What it looks like for two goal setters to take a break from goals and lean into intention followed by the HOW we plan to stay in alignment with those intentions.  In this episode, we explore: Navigating the highlight reel of New Years on social media. Reevaluating our relationship to social media and showing up in a way that feels authentic.   Kristin and Kristen who are both big goal setters are exchanging goals for intention.  Discussing the HOW to stay in alignment with our intentions. It's one thing to state an intention and another to create a plan for staying in alignment.  You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

Matt Matteini an avid outdoor enthusiast, climber, surfer, and white water guide. Matt shares his storied battle with addiction and how outdoor recreation has been an avenue for purpose and self discovery on his recovery journey.  He shares important elements in addiction recovery from someone who has been in multiple inpatient and outpatient treatment settings. As a therapist and public health social worker, Matt discusses how he uses climbing and outdoor recreation as a coguide with his clients who are also in recovery. Through sharing his own story Matt normalizes relapse as part of the healing process and offers advice on how to support loved ones who are also struggling addiction. In this episode, we explore: Matt shares his story of addiction and journey to recovery and becoming a therapist who works with others in recovery.  Normalizing relapse as a part of the healing process.   Mentorship + community being important pieces of addiction recovery. Matt discussed how to support a family member or someone struggling with addiction without forcing change.  Resources mentioned in this episode: In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate Get your loved one sober  You can learn more about Matt and his work by visiting his website.  You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

2023 Reflections and Gratitude As the 2023 comes to a close, Kristen and Kristin reflect on the year. They are reflecting on the year both personally and professionally. In 2023, they started podcasting together and both expanded their businesses in big ways including retreat guiding, planning, and hiring new employees. Kristen shares reflections on her personal journey as a mother being pregnant while Kristin talks about navigating her first year in business while really connecting with her community down in Costa Rica.  In this episode, we explore: Kristin speaks on working through the anxiety of stepping out of her comfort zone in her business and with podcasting. We acknowledge the wins from the year including running thriving private practices Kristen and Kristin share their gratitudes from the year including Kristen's pregnancy journey and Kristin building community in a foreign country.    The importance of pause and reflection before goal setting and moving into the new year. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

In this week's episode we are joined by Chelsea Ortega, an island born surfer, mindfulness mentor, yoga and meditation teacher with a profound story of recovery from Post Traumatic Stress, anorexia, and anxiety. Chelsea shares with us the importance of movement and mindfulness during her recovery. And, the profound impact of Human Design on her healing journey. She describes Human design as the scientific version of astrology that can be used as a tool for understanding and navigating all areas of our lives.  Chelsea teaches us about the 5 human design types. Kristen and Kristin find out their human design type and learn new things about each other as podcast partners!  Chelsea uses mindfulness, yoga, and human design in her mentorship programs, retreats, and workshops virtual and in Bend, Oregon where she works with adolescent girls struggling with similar issues.  In this episode we discuss: The silent survivors of traumatic events and the importance of recognizing all survivors including witnesses of traumatic events. The power of mindfulness + movement in recovery for anxiety, PTSD, and anorexia. Chelsea explains the 5 human design types and how we can use human design as a tool for optimizing our unique energy in all areas of life.  Kristen and Kristin share their design types and explore their energetic differences in business and in life.  You can learn more about Chelsea Ortega at her website or on Instagram You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

This week Kristen Ales is back from leading her retreat in Patagonia! She is catching us up on her adventure to the most southern part of the world guiding a group of women on the W trek in Torres del Paine...all while being 7 months pregnant. Kristen gets vulnerable in sharing her personal process on trail, including a scary medical evacuation. We discuss finding empowerment not only in being independent and accomplishing big things - but also recognizing there is empowerment in receiving care and help while still accomplishing big things. Kristen also shares with us one of her models for guiding a group through a retreat including narrative therapy and story maps in lieu of the week's theme: Life Transitions.  In this episode we discuss: Kristen shares her story from her time guiding a recent retreat in Patagonia on the W-Trek.  Kristen shares with us her parallel process in her own transition story into Motherhood.  Kristen explains one of her models utilizing narrative therapy and story maps to provide direction and a path forward integrating the experiential work beyond the retreat itself.   We discuss the difficulty and importance of  allowing ourselves as guides or therapists to be a part of the group process and how this can create a fuller and deeper experience for everyone.  You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

Let's get back to the basics! Because let's face it, wellness can feel really overwhelming with so many opinions and ideas on what we should be doing in order to be “healthy.” While wellness routines and activities look different from person to person, this week we are discussing the 4 basic foundations including sleep, nutrition, stress management, and social connection as the keys for setting yourself up for success throughout the holiday season and beyond. We discuss the importance of having boundaries around these foundations and how quickly things tend to go ary when we do not. We hope that this episode can be a reminder to not overcomplicate things when it comes to our wellness routines and a gentle return back to our foundation.  In this episode we discuss: Kristen introduces the 4 foundations of wellness including sleep, nutrition, stress management, and social connection and we discuss the importance of each pillar. Kristen and Kristin share more about their own personal relationships with each of these building blocks We explore the importance of managing boundaries around these wellness foundations and some tips on how to do so especially around the holidays.   We often overlook the basics of wellness and when we are not maintaining our foundations it often lends to larger, more complicated mental or physical health issues.  You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

This week we are joined by Shelby Leigh, a somatic trauma specialist. Shelby specializes in complex developmental trauma and supports clients and other practitioners in settling and regulating their nervous systems. She has created a program called Creating Safer Spaces and Creating Safer Healthcare where she focuses on educating and supporting other therapists, medical, and healthcare professionals in trauma informed practices.  Shelby identifies what development trauma actually is, and how it shows up in our minds, behaviors, bodies, and nervous system over time. We discuss why developmental trauma can make returning home or even thinking about the holidays feel distressing. Shelby emphasizes ‘less is more” when it comes to regulating our nervous system and offers some great tools for supporting ourselves during this holiday season and beyond. In this episode we discuss: Shelby identifies what is developmental trauma and how it lends to patterns of perfectionism, eating disorders, micro managing, scarcity, shame, and chronic medical issues.  Shelby breaks down important parts of the nervous system and what nervous system dysregulation looks like.  We address why holiday time can feel so dysregulating for many of us. What nervous system self care can look like through the holidays and beyond.   You can learn more about Shelby Leigh by visiting her website our Instagram.  You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠ notes

Are you someone who feels anxious in relationships preoccupied with how your partner feels about you? Or perhaps have difficulty with trust, opening up emotionally, or really committing in relationships. Or maybe you're in a relationship with someone who identifies as such. Regardless, understanding how we show up in adult intimate relationships has a lot to do with understanding our attachment style. This week one of our hosts, Kristin Mathes discussed the 4 main attachment styles: Secure, Avoidant, Anxious, and Anxious/ Avoidant and how our relationships with our primary caregivers early in life have everything to do with how we show up in adult partnership. Understanding our own attachment style and that of our partner can help us understand our emotional needs, help resolve conflict, and work towards developing deeper trust, intimacy, and security in relationships. In this episode we discuss: Kristin teaches the basics of the 4 attachment styles: Secure, Avoidant, Anxious, Anxious/Avoidant. She helps us understand the basis of how attachment is formed in our earliest years of development with our primary caregivers. Kristin offers examples of how attachment styles lend to conflict, dissatisfaction, games of cat- mouse, or a push/ pull dynamic with your partner. There is hope! Kristin discusses key factors in how we can use this knowledge to work toward creating trust, intimacy, security, and healthy adult relationships. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

This week we interview Dr. Erica Matluck, a modern medicine woman who dances between science and spiritual in her practice called Seven Senses. She lets us in on her holistic approach in helping clients achieve balance in all aspects of wellness looking beyond medical or mental health diagnosis. Erica walks Kristen through some of her discomfort around what might sound like more “woo-woo” practices (things like meditation, breath, or body work) that could feel a little edgy for some of those who find comfort in more traditional western or mainstream approaches.  Erica teaches us the basics in Shadow Work and the importance in unearthing what is hidden in both our psyche, emotions, behaviors, and within the physical body. Each of us touch on a shadow story and how attending to our shadow self can lead to personal growth and breaking unhelpful patterns.  In this episode:  Who is Dr. Erica Matluck and how she arrived in this place between Science and Spiritual in her business Seven Senses. What holistic healing looks like when we consider all aspects of health beyond just our physical health. Erica walks through addressing skepticism and the importance of building safety and trust with clients who may not be comfortable with alternative approaches to healing.  Erica explores the fundamentals of Shadow Work and how revealing the shadows that live in our behavior patterns, thoughts, emotions, and our physical bodies can lead to transformational healing.  You can learn more about Dr. Erica Matluck's work at her website or instagram. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

This episode is for anyone with a menstrual cycle! We are tuning into our forgotten but intuitive knowledge regarding our menstrual cycles - beyond just the days of bleeding. We are exploring the freedom that follows from connecting with our cycle, our moods, needs, desires, and cravings from life.  This week, we are joined by the lovely Natalie Martin, a menstrual cycle and life coach who discusses with us the benefits of cycle tracking + gaining a deeper understanding of our menstrual cycle particularly for women who might be struggling with menstruation issues, hormones, sexuality, pleasure, or recurring patterns in mood dysregulation. Natalie shares the four cycle archetypes including the Crone, Maiden, Mother, and most famously, the Wild Woman. She helps us recognize the four archetypes so that we can better embrace each phase of our cycle, meet the inner needs of each archetype, and live a more balanced,  joyful life.    In this episode we discuss: We learn more about Natalie's journey and inspiration in becoming a menstrual coach and how she currently supports women in her practice.  The benefits of cycle tracking beyond predicting your next ovulation or period. How understanding our cycle can help us live a more intuitive, balanced, and fulfilling life in all areas of our lives.  Natalie introduces us to the four cycle archetypes including the Crone, Maiden, Mother, and most famously, the Wild Woman.  Finding our cycle reflected in nature with the lunar cycle and seasons of weather, and how these reflections can help us understand our internal needs + desires.  You can learn more about Natalie and her work by visiting her website. Or on Instagram.  You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

Kristen Ales announces she is pregnant and expecting a baby girl! We could not be more excited to dive into both the spooky and sweet surprises of her pregnancy journey. Kristen talks about what it's been like to not have a lot of control over what's happening in her body while it's been busy making a baby - and how that has been affecting all the other adventures she's been up to this year! She talks about some big changes in her relationship to her body, food, movement, work, and learning how to ask for help. Kristen shares some of the tools that she's learned throughout her own recovery and as a therapist that have come in handy during this time of big changes and big cravings. We do recognize that each woman's experience with pregnancy varies immensely,  and that this is a tough subject for some. If you decide it's too spooky or triggering, feel free to skip this episode. In this episode we discuss: Kristen buys a little home on wheels  + announces she's pregnant with a baby girl!  Kristen shares more about her relationship with her body throughout pregnancy and meeting changes with neutrality and compassion rather than judgment or shame.  With her body busy making a baby, she's finding it easier to practice boundaries with her time and precious energy. The gift of learning how to receive while letting go a little of the  “boss babe, do it myself” mentality. Kristen's favorite resources for pregnancy and expecting parents:  Books: Expecting Better, Emily Oster Bumpin': The Modern Guide to Pregnancy: Navigating the Wild, Weird, and Wonderful Journey From Conception Through Birth and Beyond, Leslie Schrock Podcasts: The Pregnancy Podcast, Pregnancy Confidential You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

There is nothing more spooky than stepping out of your comfort zone. Usually getting out of your comfort zone includes uncomfortable feelings of anticipation, anxiety, and even panic. These are emotions that most of us don't like to experience on a daily basis. So it makes sense why you might want to play it safe and stick to routines that you know. However, without stepping out of our comfort zone we risk boredom, complacency, and a lack of purpose. Turns out, there are many benefits of stepping out of your comfort zone, and in this episode, we explore how we Kristen and Kristin are pushing ourselves to step out of our own comfort zones professionally. We get vulnerable chatting about public speaking events, launching retreats, and showing up scared and at times a little messy. We discuss what we have learned from getting uncomfortable and the major benefits we have experienced. In this episode, we discuss: Kristen's most recent public speaking event, and the pride she feels after the fact, even if it wasn't perfect. Kristin explores how podcasting has been a huge leap outside of her comfort zone and the benefits of doing something even when it feels scary. Kristin also talks about how vulnerable it has been to "soft launch" her frist retreat, and the amount of excitement and support she received after sharing the news. The general benefits of stepping out of your comfort zone and reminders to pace yourself so that you don't experience burn out. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

Are you someone who is either ALL in or ALL out? Do your projects feel like either a total success or a complete failure? This week we are talking about the sneaky ways our brain gets in our way of success, joy, and balance by labeling experiences, people, and even ourselves in dichotomous boxes such as All good Or All bad,  Healthy or Unhealthy, Always or Never. You may not even notice you are doing it! Kristin explains why our brain gets comfortable thinking in black and white and how to get comfortable living in the gray.  In this episode we discuss: What are some examples of dichotomous thinking and why our brains love to organize things into black and white boxes. How dichotomous thinking can negatively impact our relationships, ability to think critically,  try new things, start new projects, or even impact our self esteem.  Why is living in the gray area so uncomfortable and how do we do it? Tools for training and rewiring the brain toward more flexible, open thinking can actually create more room for self compassion, curiosity, and more meaningful relationships. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

Do you ever feel that you cannot trust yourself around food? Are you consumed by thinking about food 24/7 or counting the minutes until your next snack? Or maybe you swing between patterns of binging followed by patterns of restricting or arbitrary rule following? This week host Kristen Ales, LPC and disordered eating specialist demystifies the framework and approach to Intuitive Eating. While it can be scary to begin to ask the body what it wants when diet culture has taught us to tune out our intuitive nature and healthy body cues, Kristen helps draw the roadmap to recovery, building self trust, and finding food freedom.   In this episode we discuss: Kristen shares some personal history of her own intuitive eating journey. Exploring how spending time in nature and outdoor recreation is a natural gateway for increasing our body awareness + the ability to tune into our body's needs.  The ten principles of Intuitive eating and how Kristen supports clients through each phase. The benefits of Intuitive Eating extend far beyond our relationship with our body and food.  Kristen shares the details of her 10 module, self paced, online Intuitive Eating Course that will help you reclaim your time and mental clarity and take steps toward finding food freedom. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

In this episode we are getting straight to the facts and hard science around nutrition and high performance activity. We are debunking myths about our body and food that are all around us - sometimes even taught in school! We are joined by the brilliant Shira Evans, MS, RD, CSSD, LD an expert in Sports Nutrition, RED-S, and disordered eating. After many years working as a Sports Dietician for Division-1 universities, Shira now works with individuals in her private practice. For any athlete, outdoor enthusiast, or sports dabbler, Shira helps us spot the difference between what is a “good” athlete and what might be disordered.  In this episode we discuss: Shira shares more about her history as a competitive athlete and shares that witnessing her teammate struggle with an eating disorder inspired her career path. Debunking the idea that thinner = better and how to properly support different body types especially as they change throughout phases of our life. Spotting the differences between a “good athlete” and disordered athlete. Finding harm in places we typically think are safe and supportive such as elementary schools, university sports teams, or even health class. You can learn more about Shira and her services by visiting her website  You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

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 each Sunday, don't worry you're not alone. Today we are joined by Deanna Michaelson, owner of Stoked Coaching. In this episode, they help us break down the barriers that overcomplicate the meal planning process, and we discuss all of the different benefits that come from bringing intention and structure to the way we feed ourselves. In this episode we explore Deanna's work at Stoked Coaching. How the concept of meal planning is generally tied to diet culture, and how we can approach meal planning from an Anti-Diet lens. How meal planning benefits many areas of our lives including providing a sense of routine, and saving us both time and money. Share tips and resources Deanna offers in their meal planning zine! Deanna Michaelson is a multidisciplinary creative, outdoor enthusiast, and life coach. They founded Stoked Coaching in 2021 out of a desire to help unconventional people lead intentional lives. Get Stoked on Meal Planning is the first in a series of life skills zines focused on “adulting” for creatives, entrepreneurs, and adventurers. You can find Deanna and learn more about their offerings by visiting their website or Instagram @stokedcoaching You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠ Check it out! This course is on sale for just $100 for the month of September!

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 people-pleasing tendencies and how it shows up in various aspects of their life. We discuss the roots of people pleasing as an maladaptive coping mechanism and the detrimental impacts people pleasing has on our overall happiness and well being.  In this episode we discuss: Kristin and Kristen discuss how to identify people pleasing behaviors and how it shows up in their personal lifes, too.  People Pleasing as a response to trauma and emotional neglect during critical development. The impacts of people pleasing on our sense of self, relationships, and physical wellbeing. We explore ways to challenge people pleasing behavior and helpful affirmations to rewire thought processes involved in people pleasing.  You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

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 fully remote. We talk about the glamor and the allure of creating our own schedules, having time flexibility for those mid-day yoga classes, and the freedom to work virtually from anywhere in the world. But any sort of freedom can come at a high cost - We get real about the difficult aspects of remote work that are not glamorous and sometimes jeopardize the freedom we craved in the first place! In fact, it often requires great skill in boundaries, and discipline to avoid becoming a slave to the work. In this episode we explore: 1. The freedom remote work creates and can offer more space/ time to connect to outdoor recreation, getting outside, and traveling - virtually anywhere! 2. The importance of allowing yourself to pivot - take up a new career path or completely change our mind about what you want to study!  3. The reality that working remote can feel really isolating and lonely, with connection and relationship feeling more difficult to attain and maintain.   4. The extra importance of strong boundaries in our relationship to work given work is carried with us everywhere.  You can find Isobel by visiting her beautiful website or Instagram @isobel.griffin You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

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 philosophy and approach to slowing down and tuning in. Lo discusses her challenge as a former Division 1 Athlete and Collegiate Sports Nutritionist where she felt important elements of wellness and personal wellbeing were not aligning with the typical athlete mindset. She now owns her own business called Intuitive Athlete Yoga where she turns clients inward for guidance about what their body needs for a healthier relationship with food, movement, and beyond. In this episode we explore Lo's journey from a former D1 athlete and collegiate sports nutritionist toward an approach and philosophy that feels almost opposite. What does it actually look like to tune into our bodies and how it can help us have a healthier relationship with food, our body, and overall purpose in life.  Challenging typical Athlete mindsets like “All or Nothing”, “Go big or Go Home” and guilt related to not sticking to a plan! How trauma or unresolved emotions can make slowing down and listening to our bodies scary or uncomfortable + how to work with this in a safe trauma informed way.  You can find Lo and her offerings by visiting her website or Instagram @intuitiveathleteyoga You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠ here

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 + discusses the most rewarding aspects of facilitating adventure therapy. Kristen and Kristin reflect on the importance of integration from any travel or adventure experience as a way of bringing home the lessons, taking a pause, and intentionally weaving life changing moments into our day to day lives before we're onto the next trip! In this episode we explore: Kristin recaps her 9 day wilderness expedition facilitating a group of teens from See You At The Summit She shares personal and student success stories from the field  Kristen and Kristin explore the importance of making time for integration after any big trip, retreat, or new experience.  Exploring integration as means of enrichment in our lives and perhaps the reason life changing experiences actually in fact change our lives.     Check out the 2023 trip report and more information about See You At The Summit here. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

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 about rewriting our shame narratives and becoming the hero of our own story. She opens up about her personal shame story rooted in past relationship infidelity and shares more about the difficult, scary, but incredibly rewarding aspects of doing the healing work.  In this episode we explore: What is Shame and why is it so important to understand. We can put a “band-aid” on shame, but the roots of healing lie in our wounds and/or traumas Shame is a relational wound and must also be healed within relationship. Engaging in intentional therapeutic work with or without a therapist can help us in creating new narratives and physically rewiring our brains for new neural pathways and patterns of thinking. For more information or to get in touch with Leah, email her at: lchambers@trilliumfamily.org  You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

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 rules and myths they have adopted over time, and helps her clients create a relationship with food that work for them as individuals. In this episode we all get personal, and share our own journey's with food and how they have developed over time. In this episode we discuss: Abby's journey to becoming a dietitian. What it is like to work with a dietitian, and why it is so important to work with a therapist and dietitian while navigating recovery. Kristin's experience as a collegiate athlete, and how normalized disordered eating was within that community. Kristen's journey being diagnosed with the celiac gene and her own process of grief and acceptance around removing gluten from her diet. Learn more about Abby on her website, and keep up with her adventures and fun recipes on her instagram. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

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 program dedicated to teenagers in cancer treatment. With a team of medical providers, wilderness facilitators, therapists, military, researchers, and more, See You at the Summit is launching its second summer summiting mountains and rewriting outcomes for young people experiencing cancer treatment.  In this episode we discuss: Why is wilderness programming and outdoor facilitation so transformative and healing, particularly for this population of adolescents in cancer treatment. The importance of quality of life that western traditional medicine often misses. What the research is saying about how adventure is healing parts of us that medicine cannot touch. Challenges and pushback Heather Rose faced in getting support from the medical community, and how she joined them to pursue a degree as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in order to get support and create changes from inside the community. You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

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.  In this episode she gives us the rich - we're talking wine, pesto, truffles, balsamic, parmesan RICH details of the itinerary for her upcoming 10 day tour of Northern Italy.  In this episode we discuss:  The importance of creating and cultivating a connection to the food we put in our bodies. How creating exciting experiences around food can help us honor and celebrate tradition, culture, and pleasure with our food rather than stress, anxiety, and fear. The benefits of solo travel - breaking free from any box or labels we feel stuck in and showing up authentically.  How new experiences can deepen our appreciation in our lives when we return to routine. Morgan paints the delicious details and inspiration for The Eating Expedition and her upcoming tour through Northern Italy.  Learn more about Morgan Sinclair & the Eating Expedition here. Follow on Instagram @theeatingexpedition & @morgansinclair You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

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 access to safe, comfortable, community spaces whether that is within your own hometown or when you're off adventuring around the world.  In this episode we explore: Who is Charlie Sprinkman? And more about his inspiration behind Everywhere is Queer. The impact that a sense of belonging can have on our perception of self, ideas of what is possible, and how we navigate through the world. Charlies shares intimate stories from users of Everywhere is Queer who have found barbershops, photographers, real estate agents, gyms, and more. Difficulties behind managing entrepreneurship alongside ADHD / Neurodivergence, burnout, and more.  You can learn more about Everywhere is Queer here.  Follow on Instagram @everwhereisqueeer You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

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 by disordered eating and negative body image. Outside of being a therapist, she spends her time recreating outside, cooking, and finding new ways to express her creativity. In this episode, we explore: Who is Kristen Ales The importance of creativity and new experiences in Kristen's life The highs and lows of leading retreats Her hopes for the future of her business and what steps she is taking next You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

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 life, and is currently dedicating her time to surfing and learning to speak Spanish. Join us as we explore more about her therapeutic practice and plans to incorporate Surf Therapy into her practice! In this episode, we explore: Who is cohost Kristin Mathes, LCSW? What it's like living and running a remote private practice from Costa Rica. Kristin's work as a trauma specialist & using Brainspotting among other body based practices for healing. Kristin shares about her new love for surfing and upcoming plans to offer Surf Therapy as a tool for Trauma Recovery.  You can learn more about the hosts ⁠Kristen Ales, LPC⁠, and ⁠Kristin Mathes, LCSW⁠ by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by: The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. ⁠Learn more and sign up here.⁠

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 virtual therapy private practice and spending her free time surfing and learning Spanish. Listen in as we reflect on our story, talk about our partnership as cohosts, and get excited for what is to come! In this episode, we explore: The return of the podcast, including the changes that we're making, and how we are expanding the topics covered on the show.  How Kristen and Kristin know each other. Shifting patterns and beliefs, especially around burnout and taking breaks. Our thoughts around wellness and how we can view it from a wilder perspective. You can learn more about the hosts Kristen Ales, LPC, and Kristin Mathes, LCSW by visiting their websites. This show is brought to you by:The Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating online course is a self-paced program that will help you heal your relationship with food and your body. This 10-module course will help you stop obsessing over food so you can reclaim your time and mental clarity, take charge of how you take care of yourself, and begin to take steps toward finding food freedom. Learn more and sign up here.

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 7 is to get bored quickly, move too fast, and over-commit. • Names how burnout shows up for her and talks about her desire to just say "f*** it" when it comes to running a business. • The lessons she has learned from podcasting, running two retreats, and building out a self-paced course.  • Changes and shifts will happen moving forward. As promised in the episode, here is a link to a free online Enneagram test. Are you interested in exploring intuitive eating and looking for personalized support and community to lean on along the way? Sign up for the self-paced Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating Course. This 11-module course will help you through each intuitive eating principle with video-based curriculum as well as an interactive workbook that includes quizzes, journal prompts, and activities to support you along the way! Learn more here!

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 played both a positive and not-so-positive role in her recovery journey. In this episode Kristen covers: • Kristen's journey to adopting intuitive eating. • Why viewing food as "fuel" can be problematic. • Hitting diet rock bottom. • How intuitive eating has changed her life. Are you interested in exploring intuitive eating and looking for personalized support and community to lean on along the way? Sign up for the self-paced Wilder Wellness Intuitive Eating Course. This 11-module course will help you through each intuitive eating principle with video-based curriculum as well as an interactive workbook that includes quizzes, journal prompts, and activities to support you along the way!

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 that travel is "the best way to connect to yourself, community and world around you is to go to a place of vulnerability. Travel allows us to strip away our preconceived notions and see the people and communities around the world through a new, less-filtered lens. Travel should be a transformative, soul-connecting, honest exploration of your deeper self." Root Adventures is an adventure travel company that focuses on creating adventures that allow you to stray from the beaten path and connect to the local culture, nature, and community in an authentic, honest way. They create itineraries custom to your dreams while ensuring sustained support to the local communities and nature. Join Kristen and Breanne as they explore: • how Root Adventures was started • how purpose and passion can positively impact our mental health • the upcoming Heli Backpacking Trip in Banff, Canada.

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 controlling our bodies, it is about trusting them. Join Kristen as she gives talks through each step of this cycle and how we can actually interrupt it the next time it happens. In this episode Kristen covers: • Common examples of the binge and restrict cycle. • How our desire to make a plan to eat less is driven by shame and guilt. • What gets in the way of the plan, and why we almost always end up reverting back to our "problem behavior". • Simple steps to change this behavior.

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 is NOT about adding more structure and rules to your schedule and routine, it's actually about adopting more flexibility and freedom.  Join Kristen as she gives talks through 3 mindset shifts to adopt when we are ready to engage with movement in a way that adds to your life, instead of just adding more stress.  In this episode Kristen covers: • How to find motivation for movement that has nothing to do with weight loss. • Removing the rules that tend to cause "all or nothing thinking" when it comes to movement.  • Letting yourself try out new forms of movement. • The benefits of cultivating a regular movement practice. 

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 as she explores her own experience of letting go of the "fantasy body". She talks about how comparing herself to this "fantasy" kept her from finding joy in her current body, and how it actually held her ack from addressing a number of important issues in her life. In this episode, we talk about using the stages of grief to let go of our fantasy bodies to find joy and acceptance in our "here and now" bodies. In this episode Kristen covers: • comparing her body to a fantasy she had created in her head • the stages of grief • advice for navigating each stage of grief • a realistic look of what happens when we take this step • the benefits of finding acceptance

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 body image. In this episode Kristen covers everything from anxiety around: • body changes • finding the right dress • comparison • seeing ex-partners and friends • stress around money • honoring your energy

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 everything from: • Giving yourself permission to pivot and change roles and careers. • The importance of trusting your gut. • How intuitive eating has been beneficial in being a successful entrepreneur. • How vulnerable it can be to show up in your body in the online space. • Learning about new cultures and places through food-focused experiences and travel. Morgan Sinclair is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, which has led her to start a handful of businesses. She started Morgan Sinclair Designs when she noticed a gap in business education for weight inclusive clinicians. Her primary role is working with clinicians who develop their branding and marketing strategy and designing their website, but also led her to develop the Weight Inclusive Business Academy - an online education platform for the DIY clinicians. In addition, she co-hosts the Weight Inclusive Innovators podcast, leads food-focused trips around the world through The Eating Expedition, and is the conference co-chair for the Houston Eating Disorders Specialists. Morgan is an Enneagram Type 7, feel-your-feelings, dessert-before-dinner kinda gal and when she's not working, she can most likely be found at a coffee shop in Houston or on her way to the airport for a weekend getaway.

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 as better therapists in our client work and as business owners. We will share with you strategies we both use in our practices to help clients take the first steps toward letting go of perfectionistic habits and tendencies. Joanna is a licensed psychotherapist based in Bozeman, Montana and the owner of Root & Rise — a modern and inclusive mental wellness practice for millennials. Joanna brings her true self and inner nerd to the therapy space. She specializes in the areas of anxiety, perfectionism, self-worth, life transitions, burn out, eating disorder recovery, and is a big advocate of feeling all the feels, authenticity, self-compassion, and letting go of shame. When she's not with clients, she's either hiking, camping, skiing, climbing, making a mess in the kitchen, talking to her plants, or getting lost in fiction novels.

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 work, and where she is now. On the Pod, We Discuss: • What led Annah to seek support and what she was experiencing prior to joining the body image program • The shifts she felt during the program and what sort of insights she had along the way in terms of food, body image, and self-care • The outcomes she has seen in her life as a result of trusting her body and intuition.

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, Vermont, and Jackson, Wyoming. Ally works with individuals who are looking to work through concerns including things like pain, shame, suppression, and control that they feel are no longer serving them when it comes to areas of intimacy. Ally works with her clients who want to express themselves more, overcome body image issues and increase sensuality, understand their desires and limitations when it comes to pleasure, help feel more connection between body and mind, and create healthy boundaries and desires around sex, sensuality, and intimacy.

Join host Kristen Ales as she discusses the challenges of dating as someone who is struggling from disordered eating and negative body image. Kristen shares her thoughts around the dangers of putting so much focus on "happily ever after" and how blaming your body for not finding your partner is detrimental to your overall self-esteem, but also in your quest for love.