Recap Of Our 2025 Healing Hikes With Local Organizations

2025 was such a wild year, but what kept us committed to this work of healing in nature were the healing hikes.

Being in community with people who understood the power of nature to feel better, create deeper bonds with each other, and care for the land was all we needed to stay grounded and steadfast throughout a year that was so wildly tragic and magical.

We hope you enjoy this short video recapping all the beautiful people we walked with and all the places we hiked. This work really couldn’t continue without the belief that what we do here at Rino Consulting Solutions is making real change happen in harmony with nature.

We’re so grateful to the support guides, Julie Salzman, Maio Buenafe, and Patrick Brown who assisted our Founder & CEO in this year of growing the work.

It was truly challenging in many ways as we entered into another Trump administration. And we don’t anticipate this year, 2026 being any quieter or less dramatic than 2025. We believe we’re entering into the height of the administration’s attempts to amplify the colonizer’s and white supremacy culture’s agenda. Remember, our work in providing healing hikes began in 2016, the first time the administration came into office. So, this work is connected to those actions and also provide ways to support our collective community by building leadership capacity, self-determination, and a deep sense of belonging and unity.

We also understand that those efforts of the Trump adminstration and its followers are far less powerful in impact and numbers to distract us from our goals to create a more just and equitable world.

So we encourage you to keep staying close to us here as well as staying close to your community of love, equity, and unity as we face more challenges ahead. Continue to go to nature for grounding, supporting any efforts to better your relationships to others and your sense of belonging to your safe communities.

To book your agency or group for a private group healing hike, please fill out our application below to get started on coordinating your experience.

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Access this "Trauma Response Toolkit" That Includes My Healing Hike Activity!

This year has yet to fail in its epic and ongoing show of turbulence.

So I must assure you that in these times, we pull together and offer up our best support. As a trauma-informed coach, its really important to know what tools and approaches are out there and how the deep healing work we do can provide some accessible and practical tools. In the case of referring out services or sending extra tools and resources during sessions, it’s critical to know where to send folks.

That’s why when I was invited into contribute to MyLife’s Trauma Response Toolkit, I was really excited about providing the opportunity to experience nature’s healing abilities via technology! Now you can access a healing walk through the meditation app, MyLife and connect with nature anywhere!

I had already experienced the need to pivot the in-person healing hikes into virtual space in 2017 when the first episode of CA wildfires ravaged The Bay Area. No, it wasn’t actually the pandemic that initiated the pivot although the virtual healing hikes did ramp up this year due to the pandemic!

So I invite you to check out the entire Trauma Response Toolkit online series where many other experts, including myself, were interviewed to talk about ways in which we can tap into our personal power to overcome the many challenges of our lives and current societal turbulence.

Also, to be real about this experience for me, you better believe the imposter syndrome came in strong! I leaned in, took a deep breathe, and let the experience flow. Because when I saw the list of experts in this series, I couldn’t help but notice how I was one of two “experts” in the series without a PhD! That darn imposter syndrome had a brief nano-second guest appearance into my mind and I quickly ninja-chopped it out and replaced it with a healthy dose of empowerment. I told myself that this was something to celebrate, loudly and proudly! That I was really proud of myself in being visible enough for a company to recognize me in this way. And I became overwhelmed with gratitude for being part of this spread of awesome experts. I definitely gave myself so love this week! Most importantly, I know it can be a testament to encourage others that have deep, maybe disabling or toxic relationships with their ‘imposter syndrome’ thoughts. That commitment to your truth and life experience is also important to stand by amidst the norms of this world needing credibility in the form of degrees or publications.

I truly do believe that if the support you’re getting from anyone makes sense to you and does something to shift you into your truth and healing, then it’s valid. It’s worthy. It’s real.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the other guest experts:

Some of the other topics I cover in this interview for the first time, publicly is the connection to our ancestors when we heal with nature and how important ancestral healing is to our efforts to heal relationships with each other and the land we live on.

You don’t want to miss this conversation!

Now, go ahead and head on over to MyLife’s YouTube channel and check out my interview alongside other amazing practitioners offering up their perspectives and tools. And don’t forget…each practitioner has an activity in the Trauma Response Toolkit, FREE for you to access by downloading the app! Just click the links below to access all of this good stuff!

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The Messages in the Flames

In the wake of our most recent wildfires…

the overwhelming sadness of our reality hit me in a way that validated what I had written about just a few months ago in, “Nothing Left to Justify” . This time I felt this overwhelming feeling of, “it’s really happening” come over me. As I sifted through my emotions and what I was “seeing”, the compounding tragedies of Thousand Oaks, CA came to mind. This was the incident and the moment that hit me with validation. As reported in the Washington Post, it was “non-stop chaos” for this community. For me, it was the incident that brought my connections of the violence of people and nature’s destruction much closer to each other; in fact literally, into the same location.

While I was engaging in conversations with my community, a common struggle to find ways to come to terms with what is going on in our world and “how do we manage all of this “chaos” and find a place in our individual hearts to do something about the devastation without being stifled by hopelessness”. So, a sister healer, Claudia and I decided to have a 1:1 conversation to discuss in more depth what my visions have been and what they meant to the larger view of “where does that leave us as a people moving forward?”. We hopped on Instagram LIVE and talked through some of her key observations of these fires as I discussed aspects of viewing them from a place of our nature identity.

In general what this conversation held where some key moments outlined below

• honoring those impacted by the devastation, loss, death, the rescuers, and those continually helping community on the grounds

• having conversations about these fires but not understanding how we can contribute meaningfully

• support and healing through the experience and after care plans acknowledging the grieving process

• the lack of knowing how to connect to nature and who we are traditionally as a result of societal norms and how the impacts of this disconnection are greater now

• the messages in the flames being one of nature mirroring how we as people treat each other

• being able to recognize fire of the element that brings in swift change and rebirth, knowing how this is a metaphor for our collective society to focus on moving forward

• the work ahead is to look into you and your own conflicts, healing through those points will bring more harmony to the Earth

It’s no doubt that for us in California, our year-long fire season has in itself, ignited this need

to search more deeply into our lives and become more aware and observant of what’s actually going on around us. I end this video by reminding our audience that there’s nothing separate about a seemingly minor argument you have with another to the potentials of this energy being reflected in the behavior of nature’s systems.

We are nature, nature is us

View the conversation in full by clicking the video below. Comment and subscribe my youtube page and let’s continue this conversation!

 11/21/18 IG LIVE @la_clandestina_ @hikeitoutcoaching This was a 1:1 conversation with my sister healer, Claudia to discuss more in depth what my visions have been and what they mean in the larger view of “where does that leave us as a people moving forward”. We hopped on Instagram LIVE and talked through some of her key observations of these fires as I discussed aspects of viewing them from a place of our nature identity.

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A Directional Tool for Supporting Your Life's Purpose and Passion

Who knew that something as simple as the directional compass can support and guide you through any of life's challenges and wanderings, both literally and metaphorically? Well, it wasn't until I began looking into more traditional healing when I realized the compass we were taught as young children also had some powerful significance for our ancestors and how THEY walked through life. In my work today as a nature-based coach, the compass, or Medicine Wheel is the central piece in reconnecting people to nature. 

I even found it a valuable reflection tool for business development. As I was guiding high school students through a workshop on entrepreneurship, I gave my own story as an example of how my journey was reflected in the Medicine Wheel. So, I wanted to offer this priceless knowledge over to you as another reflection tool.

Download the activity and get deep into a reflection on your life's purpose.

Specifically, this downloadable activity is ideal for

• someone wanting to start a business or begin a major project
• a transition time where your next step can go one direction or the other
• if you need to re-evaluate where you are in life and need an organized way to sift through your thoughts

It'll help you to

• Intentionally reflect on YOUR PERSONAL PASSION, YOUR STORY, and YOUR SERVICE BACK TO
  OTHERS
• Reflect on what it will mean to you to begin walking this path or walking in it with more
  ownership
• Connect to the universal compass, the Medicine Wheel, and their respective natural ELEMENTS involved in developing your true path.

To deepen your exploration and walk into your true path with a guide, book a quick consultation with me by visiting my Contact Me page

The "Being" and "Doing" Identity Crisis

Earlier this month I had this crazy idea that I would fast on Thanksgiving Day. When I mentioned it to my partner, his response was, "Well good luck with that!"

But the idea came to me because I was reflecting on the land-based work I do that is centered on giving gratitude for the Earth, its stewards of past and present, and our ancestors. I mean, that's my thing, right? Reconnecting people to nature and its elements, guiding folks into the process of sensing and feeling the elements in their bodies and "inner landscape" so they can start thinking about what that experience means to their outer, physical landscape/environment.

Ultimately, I began asking myself, "What Am I Doing?"

There's no doubt in my mind that the work I've stepped into has brought me closer to my true path. And the many signs around me confirm that this is what I'm here to DO and I know that 

But now, the deeper question for me became,

Well, "Who am I being in this work then?"

Am I really identifying with what I'm doing as a reflection of who I'm being in my work? Am I working on what I say I'm about? Do I even have the permission to do what I'm doing?

And in this moment specifically, I began to question why the sudden revelation to fast on the one day of the year where everyone else around me is consuming everything? I realized that I was always aware of what "Thanksgiving Day" truly represented; also known as "Thangs Taken Day", this "celebration" of abundance and gratitude was only possible through the genocide of the indigenous peoples of this land. How am I supposed to continue walking my path of nature connection and reclaiming ancestral practices of intuitive living if I'm celebrating a time when it was all violently taken away? 

Then the words started to come to me

 REVERENCE, MOURNING, SILENCE, REFLECTION

All of that combined, meant to me, that FASTING ON THIS DAY is what I need to do to align myself with what my service to the world is. Let it be crazy to most! For me, its this message I was sent to align my identity in what I DO to who I'm BEING as I walk this path. And that was a feeling of REVOLUTION! 

So, I'm not saying that you should join me in fasting, but I do encourage you to begin asking yourself those deeper questions, 

• What are you doing? or What impact do you bring to this world?
• Who are you being? or What personal values are you honoring in your work?

These questions are important to self-development but can also apply to organizations that are looking to find more of a solid foundation, revisit a mission or vision, or create a new identity. 

By looking at the two identities we hold in this world (diagram below) we can really begin to understand who we are in both society and the grander scheme of the world. 

Click on my About page where you can reflect for yourself who you identify as in society and in nature. Ask yourself these questions:

• Where on the triangle does your work fall under? Is it fulfilling a basic need or is it bringing service to those closer to the peak? Am I creating or perpetuating equality?
• When do the elements show up for you in life? Do I gravitate towards watching the stars more, or do I find reprieve when I'm closer to water?

Then use your insights to draw upon a specific intention to bring more awareness of your values to your life.

When you look at how you answered the questions above, notice any information coming up. This process could bring up your Value Set. Make a list of what values are important to you and if possible, name your top 3 values!

Now examine:

• Are you aligned with your identities in both society and nature?
• Do any conflicting ideas come about when looking at the two?
• How does it make you feel to think about these two identities? 

Finally, in this process remember to be gentle with yourself. Many times when we start to recognize disconnects or misalignments, our inner critic will come in and make us feel bad or guilty about it. Just know, 

LIFE IS A JOURNEY!

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FEEL LIKE YOU NEED A COACH TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH THIS PROCESS? SHOOT ME A DIRECT EMAIL TO BOOK YOUR FREE 15 MINUTE CONSULTATION! 

In these 15 minutes we can walk through this identities activity and start to build a plan to begin aligning your work to your higher being!

The Growing Up To Do With Nature

As natural disaster levels intensify, I can't help but connect what's going on in Nature to what's also going on with our collective understanding of each other. I don't think its a coincidence that we're seeing unprecedented scales of hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires, simultaneously to shifts in our understanding of societal structures such as power, patriarchy, and race. As we are waking up consciously to our social structures, Nature herself is also coming in with her message, unapologetically. Perhaps there's a correlation there? I'll leave that up to you to ponder.

So now that Mother Nature is saying, 

 "We're playing a different game now,
and its a grown up game. So listen deeply
and do differently,"...

what do we do now? How can we really start to THINK and DO in a way that we haven't before? I think it's time to play that grown up game of listening to her. So, what will it take?

INTUITION
Flex your intuition like your survival depends on it. The next time you have that gut feeling, trust it as your truth all the time. If you have a "bad feeling" about it, don't do it or hesitate for a healthy pause. And in that pause, think about the very first image or word that comes to your mind when something doesn't feel right and ask, "what was that image/word about in relation to that discomfort?" You can also scan your body for the location of the discomfort or tension and try to draw on what that body part represents. Ask yourself about that connection, maybe think creatively about the metaphor embedded in the body connection. 

FEELING & SENSING
When we take the daily observations and attach an emotional feeling or intuitive sense to it, we're actually putting into action our listening. And this is what Nature wants since we don't "speak the same, literal language", our senses are there to help guide us towards knowing, or sometimes, survival. Even if survival means surviving that difficult conversation with your boss, being able to feel and sense your way through things allows you to be PRESENT in the moment and make more mature decisions about what to do. Challenge yourself to "feel" more of life. 

GET BACK TO BASICS
This is exactly what we do on our healing hikes. We get back to the basic interaction with nature, which is so much more than just "spending more time outside". To get back to the BASIC way of moving around our world will only serve us well because the evidence is in the way our ancestors lived. They survived the world many thousands of years by living simply with the land; they had a deep relationship with her. But how do we do that in this modern world and still follow the ways in which they lived? One simple beginning step is to be outside in a different way with the land. And that's one of the first steps we take when we gather; 

We give GRATITUDE and ask for PERMISSION

Do this every time you go out and I guarantee you, your relationship with Mother Nature will shift! You don't have to make a huge ceremony out of it. Just think about the words in your head and be honest and intentional about being grateful and humble about your presence.

If the tips above have ignited more curiosity, I encourage you to explore and practice outside! This is the essence of growing a deeper relationship with Nature. And answering the cries of Mother Nature doesn't only mean being more "sustainable" in our lifestyles. In addition to making greener and sustainable decisions, it also means having a deeper and more mature relationship with her and connecting with her in ways we're not used or ways that have been taken away. Reject the belief that we have no language to communicate with her and listen to the lessons of our ancestors that lived with the land.

Like what you read? Have something to contribute? Want to share feedback? Leave it in the comments and let's get to talking!

 

Feeding the Inner Soul with Healing Outside

This guest blog post appeared on Nutrition Consultant, Mike Nguyen's blog on December 26th, 2016.  Alas! The year is coming to a close! Can you believe it? Now is the time to reflect on and celebrate the year past. But for many the weight of the holidays and all its festivities are a true challenge in keeping balanced both physically and mentally as we charge through to December 31st. EMOTIONAL well being, meaning the well being of spirit, can also be challenged. Especially in these most recent months of more social and political tensions, I’m seeing and hearing the vast majority of us longing for some sort of timeout from society’s happenings. It’s true and it’s real. We are a nation in transition; the world is going through it as well.

So how do we maintain the balance of mind, body, and spirit when in every soundwave, every corner there lies some sort of commotion happening? How do we sit with our position in these events?

How do we manage our stress, better yet, move through stress with a time out from life? Nature, of course! It’s the one thing that grounds us, the one thing we are made of, and the one thing you can guarantee is there for you WHENEVER you need it.

And for those over achievers out there, I’m not talking about a trip to the beach or some epic Redwood Forest hike, although if those things are close to you, I say go there! We ALL should be able to find nature no matter where we are. Impossible you say? Let me illustrate for you how I coach during walks in nature whether wild or urban.

When we go outside say, “for some fresh air”, there’s more to that statement than the physical intake of less contaminated, indoor oxygen. Breathing outside in nature does something to your body, therefore something in your mind triggers an ancient memory. Outside is where we come from. The elements outside are also found in our bodies. Think about it. Earth (our body), Air (oxygen we breathe), Water (in our cells), and Fire (adrenaline, or the passion in our hearts). All of these elements that exist in us, exist outside. So when I start a hike with my clients we always acknowledge these elements FIRST. Then, we ask those elements FOR PERMISSION to heal us from whatever it is we need healing or balancing around. I’ve done this with clients on a forested trail and I’ve done this sitting in front of Lake Merritt with a lot of people walking by. This can be an everyday stress management practice for you. This can be your meditation.

This simple practice of acknowledgment and asking for permission is an intentional way to feed your inner soul. Just like when you would mindfully choose your meals because you want to make healthier choices in nutrition intake, acknowledgment of the natural elements around you when you are outside and asking for permission for balancing are the synonymous actions of intention setting. And when we walk through life with more intention, magical shifts begin to happen.

Back in October I started a series of monthly healing hikes in San Francisco called, Vicarious Trauma Healing Hikes. This hike invited service professionals working directly with clients experiencing trauma. The work is stressful. The work takes work to stay balanced. I know from previous career experience, vicarious trauma can house those dangerous levels of stress that impact everyone. So, I worked with my spiritual teacher to create a walk in meditation and healing for these professionals so they can cleanse themselves of stress-related symptoms and go back to work in full capacity to sustain their service. In this intentional process, we ritualized our presence by acknowledging the elements and asked Nature to accept the stress energies we would be releasing to her that day. The processing of trauma proved to be transformative for all of our participants.

“The Sunset Healing hike gave me permission to focus on my self-care needs and gave me the courage to continue my self care practice with no apologies.” — Lyslynn Lacoste, Director, BMAGIC in SF

I also started weekly healing hikes in Oakland. Since then, hikers say they are feeling much lighter at the end of our walk; there’s healing happening. Jessica Sanchez, a Program Manager for Grassroots Ecology in Palo Alto says the facilitation is, “…using and reclaiming nature to honor and replenish our spirits on these wonderful healing hikes…..I feel free to be myself and explore who I am.”

Reclaiming. That’s that ancient memory I mentioned earlier when we breathe in fresh air. Reclaiming Nature is a part of our identity and that’s important when we need to feed the soul. When we go back to these ancient memories we are healed the same way our ancestors were healed and guided through life. And when we feel some sort of reconnection to our spaces, we know that our souls are being fed. I invite you to join me on a healing hike someday and engage in this radical act of self care alongside your daily routine of healthy living. Mindful walking and mindful eating go hand-in-hand with a holistic approach to a better life. To find out when and where the next healing hike will be, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and my website.

Inviting in the Elements to Move Through Sorrow

The mood around The Town is pretty heavy right now. It's a mixture of the usual hustle & bustle of holiday festivities coming up, but in the background of tragedy. The Oakland Ghostship Fire happened near me. If I need to hop onto Bart or drive down to the highway, I have to see the streets that are blocked off for the investigation and watch the police and firefighters working tirelessly. And its overwhelming. The amount of sorrow that came to me on Saturday morning, the morning after the fire was also overwhelming. Because I saw the actual building, its remnants, the people, the police, the tents up. It sunk my heart to the ground. I can't image. Right now I can gratefully say, I'm only witness to this tragedy. I know I have friends out there who are directly mourning the losses and who did share moments in life and memories with these artists and activists. So this isn't "far" from me at all. It isn't far from anyone, really. In this time of deep sorrow and a season that brings us into a deeply compassionate place, how can we hold ourselves and our community through such a tragic event?

Honoring the human process of shock or grief or sadness is a needed step in the healing process. It's a critical acknowledgment of our human condition. We honor these by being present in these states as long as we need to be; individually, as a community, during vigils, etc. When it gets hard to be present is when we get interrupted, we're asked questions, or we need to go back to work, or we need to take care of this or that. It causes our healing to take longer. What can we do if we don't have full capacity to grieve and process wholly?

When I lead participants on healing hikes I invite in all the elements of Earth, air, fire, and water, by calling on the four directions that hold them, North, East, South, and West respectively. If you're not familiar with medicine wheels, these are the diagrams that show us the interconnectedness of our world. When we place ourselves in nature we are in direct sight and contact with these elements. Not to mention, in direct communication to them as well! So, an intentional healing hike is when I honor the directions, invite their elements in, and then begin the process of healing the individual while we walk in meditation. I've coached through grief at Lake Merritt, a very public and populated area in nature. And I've coached in the forest, deeply immersed into the redwood groves. As long as you are intentionally honoring the elements to be there for your healing you are honoring yourself through a process. And THAT creates transformation.

As you think about holding a space for yourself and/or community, try to remember  how these elements are here for you. Each direction holds something in our value for healing. When you cry you are actually inviting in the West; it holds the water that allows us to move through things and actually heal. The East is air and when we get overwhelmed we take a deep breath and sigh allowing newness to come in after darkness. The South is fire where we gain insight, understanding, and a strong heart. The North is Earth that holds the wisdom we need to keep grounded and on the wheel to bring us back to the East.

Grounding and interconnectedness is dependent on the world around us. The people you are surrounded by at any moment in your life, the places you find yourself experiencing...they all have influence and energy. Hold onto the components that bring you balance, light, and celebration even in the saddest of times. And remember the four directions and the elements they hold. You face each direction everyday and we are made of each of the elements they hold!

The Rise & Fall of the Sun

We lay witness to the days that have come before us and act upon creating what we need ahead of us. As the sun rises to birth a new day, it also sets- carrying all that we have endured throughout the day. Find space in this process to focus on what brings you peace.

Since the launch of this business, I've been organizing weekly healing hikes for community to participate in. The act of my organizing hikes with an intention of offering a coaching and healing session was in direct response to the devastating results of our election. That's why they are called healing hikes, and not just "a guided hike".

I, myself experienced in my family and community the worry, fear, uncertainty, and disappointment that would later linger on for the next few days as the collective trauma our country was experiencing. It was in these raw moments where I gathered my most recent thoughts and plans to develop pathways to healing in nature. Then I got the message. It was time for me to act; no more planning and contemplating, no more thinking. I saw a friend post a yoga session in response to the election. That was my cue; my community needs an opportunity to heal and I can provide that. I quickly organized a sunrise hike in a nearby park location and blasted close friends to meet me at the trailhead.

Six people showed up as the sun began rising! As we all gathered in this rawness we asked Nature to be there for us, to heal us. In gratitude, we grounded ourselves, walked the trail intent on feeling better afterwards, WE DID THE WORK! The coming weeks would bring more healing hikes, some of them during the sunset; all were needed by each hiker. Here is where I recognized the birth of my abilities to lead these hikes to heal community.

The rise and fall of the sun is like the fire that sits within our hearts, rising with the passion and struggle we've held as a community of color for so long. And the falling of the sun into the night is the fall of those old destructive ways, negativities, and endurances in life that leave us taxed, damaged, sometimes dead.

The beauty of our fire, now ignited in full flame, was the organizing that happened right after the election. ALL the people, ALL the youth that came out in protest. That is our fire, our passion to be better people. Each day the fire became brighter, the groups of protestors grew larger. Solidarity was seen across the nation.

And as the sun sets in its natural process we must accept it. The end of the day, the darkness that prepares us for rest is honored by witnessing the winter sky turn from white to fiery red at sunset. In these moments we accept the change and ask the falling of the sun to take with it the things that no longer serve us. Sunset hikes are those opportunities to release our burdens. With respect to our current events, I view sunsets as the taking down of those destructive and negative mindsets and values that have have hurt us for far too long.

Just like we do on these hikes, we work to reclaim this communication and connection to Nature. We learn and relearn how these offerings can support our well being in these challenging times. Watch the sun rise and fall and pay attention to the messages that come to you.