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:

For more information or to get in touch with Leah, email her at: [email protected] 

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:

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:

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: 

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:

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:

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:

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:

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!