Wilder Wellness

Reflections from retreat leading in Patagonia


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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.⁠

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          Wilder WellnessBy Kristen Ales, LPC + Kristin Mathes, LCSW