Meet Chels
Hi! I'm Chels. I'm curious in nature, an artist, I'm vocal, and love actively challenging the norm. I've always been a disruptor, a tire kicker, and a fire starter. I am rewilding!
Hey there, buddies! I'm Chels. 👋
When I introduce myself, I lead with my pronouns. I'm bi-gendered/non-binary which means that I prefer they/them pronouns. This is an important part of who I am and it has been a really important piece of my rewilding process. Navigating the world as a trans/non-binary person hasn't been the smoothest path. I have had to learn to set boundaries, stand up for myself, and advocate for my right to take up space.
Rewilding has been a constant part of my natural being for as long as I can remember. I'm curious in nature, an artist, I'm vocal, and love actively challenging the norm. I've always been a disruptor, a tire kicker, and a fire starter. I believe in speaking up and am known for lovingly challenging my peers. As an AFAB (assigned female at birth) individual, I have actively challenged my own existence for the entirety of my memorable life.
At my core, I knew I was not the same as my female peers. I dismantled my gender throughout high school and into my early college years where I ventured haphazardly into studying Comparative Global and Cultural Studies with a strong focus on Intersectional Race and Sexuality, at my alma mater, The Ohio State University. It was during this time that I found my own personal truth, experienced the validation of my friends and allies, and began my road to self-discovery as a 2SLGBTQIA+ human in this weird and conflicting world.
In February of 2020, I got sober. For me, this is when my most radical rewilding began. It was my first step on a journey of self-love and radical acceptance. I knew that if I wanted to continue to thrive on this earth, I needed to prioritize caring for myself. Simultaneously I fought against the notion of "self-care" which implies that caring for yourself is something that we only do when we are burnout, exhausted, or hustled all week long. Instead, I started on the path of caring for myself 24/7. All of my energy went into my healing and instantly, I saw the beautiful and positive ripple effect that it had on every single person in my life.
By caring for myself, I had the capacity to care for others more than I ever had before.
I started my yoga teacher training the same year which highlighted the level of violence that I had inflicted upon myself over years of struggling with addiction, my mental health, and unpacking heaps of trauma. Through studying yoga, it became apparent that I had a lot of work to do in order to truly treat myself with compassion.
All of us are flawed. Many of us are "messy". I'm certainly no exception, in fact, if you look up "imperfection" in the dictionary, my photo is probably still there. And, I'm cool with that now. I actually love the fact that I am flawed. Yeah, I'm messy. I'm actively learning and growing every single day, every step of the way. But, holy shit am I grateful to be alive.
That feeling is new to me.
If you've read Jenna's introduction, she highlights that the content we cover will be loaded with vulnerable moments, intensity, and intersectionality (my personal fav). We will radically love, support, and grow alongside each other, our listeners, and our guests.
Join us on a journey of self-discovery, curiosity, challenges, and play. Together we will continue to flourish and grow in this challenging social ecosystem. We will totally fuck up, laugh, and maybe even cry together. If you come along, you won't regret it.
Rewild with us.