Cristen
Cristen’s been involved in the outdoors and adventure sports in some form for over 25 years. Her desire to be involved with and have a positive impact in the natural world drew her from Missouri to Arizona for a degree in Conservation Biology. This brought her into broad experiences in the field, both remotely and interacting with people.
Careers Unfold
Biological field work took Cristen from Arizona to Florida, where she found a deeper love for birds and the ocean. But soon, she missed the human integration of outdoor connection and completed Life and Spiritual Coaching certifications in order to integrate the two. She moved to North Carolina and began her business as an EcoCoach, taking clients outdoors to enhance the benefits of their sessions. Her method of EcoCoaching was even featured in Sierra Magazine. From here, she moved back to Missouri to help a family member through a challenging time and began writing across several genres. After meeting Matt, she joined him in his entrepreneurship and, eventually, Keyword Adventure was created.
Choices Change the Journey
In 2007, Cristen finished a field work term in the Everglades and decided to go on a sabbatical of sorts: building out a van to live in while traveling across the U.S. to visit national public lands. More than anything, she was looking for those elusive answers about life and what she wanted from it. Reflecting on these six months of living on the road, she now sees how pivotal this long road trip was (for many reasons). Years later, she would visit Peru with a group of women to study Shamanism in the High Andes - also a life-clarifying experience. Matt joined her after that portion of the trip, and the two of them passed their self-imposed relationship test of foreign travel. After their son was born, they were faced with unexpected news of his uniquenesses. With time and plenty of thought, they decided that a new path was theirs to design.
Adventures Equal Experience
Through it all, nature, loved ones, and adventure are the key parts of Cristen’s journey that she treasures most. She’s an Adventure Advocate and Leave No Trace Trainer, dabbling and focusing on various adventure and outdoor sports: hiking, camping, backpacking, kayaking, paddle boarding, rock climbing, trail running, biking, sailing, travel, and road trips. Cristen believes in the power of time in nature for overall wellness and connection, which is what inspires her in her role with Keyword Adventure… education, empowerment, confidence, and connection.
