Conversations with Caroline Lewis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Lewis.

Hi Caroline, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Throughout my life, I have been held and guided by nature and the wild. I grew up in Louisiana among pine trees, dogwoods, possums, tree frogs, and armadillos. My childhood was idyllic and beautiful, but during adolescence, I began to move further away from my inner wildness and toward conformity as many young girls do. However, in high school, I attended three outdoor leadership programs during the summers and then worked outdoor adventure in college, and I knew from a very deep place that when working outside with others, I felt the most confident and connected to my true sense of self.

Working outdoor education led me on a path towards wilderness therapy which supports adolescents and young adults suffering from unresolved trauma, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other human conditions that result from disconnection with nature, community, and self, as I worked as a wilderness therapy guide, I was confronted with many of my unresolved inner issues. For example, I didn’t know how to contact the depth of my emotional experience, or how to not feel anxious when in deep connection with others.

Also, while working outside felt somehow right, I didn’t know how to be in a reciprocal relationship with nature. I used nature as a playground or backdrop to have fun or feel better instead of as a living and breathing ecosystem of which I was a part, not on top.

I think all of these things are normal. As modern humans, we are conditioned to be independent, efficient, and individualistic instead of interdependent and ecological. Trauma and stuck energy in the body isn’t just something that happens from life events but is also a result of intergenerational conditioning that has been inherited by family and culture.

After going back to graduate school for an integral counseling psychology degree and through my own healing and awakening journey, I understand deep healing, transformation, and empowerment to happen when held by the ecological web that intersects community care, reciprocal relationship with nature, and a dedication to the inner re-wilding of the human soul.

I carried for many years a dream to facilitate healing work with others intersecting these things, and now the work that I offer is to support others in deepening their connection with themselves, their communities, and the natural world in which we are all apart.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I haven’t walked the easiest path in life but am so grateful for the roadblocks and learnings. There have been many inner struggles like family and individual trauma that I have had to heal as well as continued moments of staying true to myself and my purpose despite personal and outside opinions and doubts.

Most of all, I have had to learn how to have patience and that “living your purpose” is an act of beauty, not a final result. It has been very important for me to continue to return to my joy and fun as I continue to create my dreams!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a holistic psychotherapist, specializing in working with highly sensitive women. I am also a transformational coach, meditation teacher, published author, podcast host, and wilderness guide.

My work includes 1:1 healing sessions and creating an online community for sensitive women to connect, learn, and step into their unique creative power and leadership.

I also facilitate wilderness retreats and immersions, particularly an annual canoe trip through Labyrinth Canyon in Utah where women come together to sing, dance, and deepen their relationships with self, each other, and Earth.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the music and food that Denver has to offer! I also love to ski so getting out to the mountains is a must. I dislike the traffic oftentimes when getting out of the city.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rootawareness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/root_awareness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caroline.lewis.94651/

Image Credits
Callie Neal https://www.ftpcollective.com/, Mallory Shira Metzger, and Sandhya Atkinson