From Adventure Guide to Identity Alchemist: My Journey to the Wild Forge Method

The wilderness doesn't just test your skills, it shows you who you are.

Challenge in wild places has the power to transform us.

I've seen it happen in hundreds of people over the years, and I experienced it myself countless times. But it took me years to understand what was actually happening in those transformational moments..

Adventure in the wild brings us connection with nature, self and community.

It transforms us into more resilient, more empathetic, humble and awestruck versions of ourselves. ​

It feels like a brief, shallow glimpse into what life could be like as a wild human.

When someone navigates alone through unmarked terrain, they don't just learn navigation—they gather evidence that they're someone who can handle the unknown. When they guide others through crisis, they don't just practice leadership—they become leaders in ways their deepest self can't deny. This is what I call Identity Alchemy ™ —the process of consciously choosing who you want to become, then using wilderness challenges as Proof Quests ™ that provide your subconscious with undeniable evidence of transformation.

The Journey to Understanding

I've been lucky enough to lead amazing trips all over the world with incredible people. I had patient, knowledgeable mentors. I learned from hard days and bad decisions.

I literally got paid to play with baby elephants, bolt new rock climbing routes and camp on uninhabited islands. I lived in remote villages, taught mountain biking, led sea kayaking trips, rode horses and so much more. What a dream!

I gained incredible technical skills, but more importantly...

I learned how to use challenge in the wild as a tool.

If that tool is wielded with discretion and empathy, it helps people become their best selves.

It enables us to build communities that prioritize authenticity, empathy and belonging.

I learned how to cultivate a group culture where people felt like they belonged, where like they didn’t have to choose between being authentic or fitting in, and where they could experiment and make mistakes while having a safety net and support system.

Most people think they need to change their thoughts to change their lives. But here's what I learned after leading people through some of the most challenging and beautiful places on earth:

Your subconscious doesn't care about your thoughts. It cares about your evidence.

The wilderness is a forge where new identities are tested and made real.

Leading hundreds of people through transformational wilderness experiences, I started to notice patterns. The most profound changes didn't happen when people just learned skills—they happened when people had to embody different aspects of themselves to meet the challenges. It took me a long time to understand -why- putting war paint on their faces before a really hard day made such an impact.

The shy person who had to become the group's navigator. The anxious person who discovered their inner calm during a storm. The self-doubter who found unshakeable confidence after surviving something they thought was impossible.

They weren't just having experiences—they were gathering proof of who they could become.

By creating 'war paint' from sunscreen and crushed eyeshadow to hype up my students before a hard day, I had stumbled upon an ancient understanding of the human psyche- archetypes matter, and method acting works.

Members, not Observers

There was another level of understanding- a real relationship with wild places, that was missing in outdoor education and adventure travel.

I led a thousand miles of kayaking trips along a single stretch of coastline, and yet I did not know which plants were edible or how the fish moved with the tide.

My kayak, my shelter, my clothes, were all made from synthetics- from petroleum.

Outdoor education and recreation still treat humans as separate from nature.

We establish wilderness as human-free places. It is a place we come to visit and try not to impact. It’s no wonder so many of us suffer from anxiety and depression.

We are wild animals living in captivity.

We are not disconnected from nature, we are dislocated from it.

Have you ever dislocated a joint? It is painful, and it doesn’t stop being painful until the bone is put back into place. Leave No Trace is critical to protecting the few wild places we have left, but where and how can humans have deeper interactions with the land where we live?

How and where can we play and explore and experiment like the wild humans we are while also becoming the most awesome, capable humans we're meant to be?

That is why I started Wayfinder Outdoors.

I’m bringing everything I learned from a decade in outdoor education and I'm integrating it into experiences that allow humans to do human things, like play, track, forage, explore, and create.

The Wild Forge Method ™  

This isn't just about learning primitive skills or having adventures. It's about consciously choosing the archetypal aspects of yourself you want to develop—and then method acting your way through real challenges that make those aspects undeniably real.

I call these experiences Proof Quests ™ —intentionally designed wilderness immersions that provide your subconscious with the evidence it needs to release old limitations and embrace new possibilities.

The goal is transformation that goes deeper than thought- transformation that becomes cellular certainty. 

To help you remember that you're descended from people who lived by their wits and thrived in wild places. To give you experiences that prove you're more capable, more resilient, more essentially you than you ever imagined.

To help you integrate back into the wild—both the outer wilderness and the wilderness within—and discover the joy that comes from knowing you belong in both places.

To give you the skills and knowledge you need to continue the journey yourself, and confidently bring your friends!