Ambassador Team
Meet our amazingly cool group & plan to join them on the trail!
Anna Claypool | Billings, MT
(she/her)
Hi there! My name is Anna Claypool and I currently live in Billings, MT where I work as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. I specialize in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and strengths-based work, with a focus on serving female and minority populations. I am also currently working to become a 200 hour registered yoga teacher, with a focus on mindfulness and social-emotional learning and education.
Having roots in the Big Sky state has given me ample opportunities to connect and receive the healing powers of nature, both as a child and as an adult. As a child, nature was a calm and consistent environment to be myself and to explore who I am and how I relate to the world around me. As an adult, and a We Hike to Heal ambassador, I am excited and filled with gratitude to be able to share this experience with others. I am looking forward to creating outdoor experiences that are full laughter, connection, and community, and that are a safe place to be ourselves and re-connect with our roots and our inner peace.
Ashley Blue | DFW, TX
(she/her)
My name is Ashley and I'm a weekday workaholic and a weekend outdoor adventurer. I absolutely love encouraging people to get outside! For as long as I can remember, spending time in nature has always been my go to safe space. In different seasons of my life, whether it be a time to celebrate or a time to seek healing, I have always sought the comfort, joy, and refuge that mother nature provides. It has given me a deeper connection of self and God, a more intentional focus as a mother, and a level of peace that I can only find outdoors.
From years of spending time walking the Blue Ridge Mountain trails, hiking to my favorite peaks in NC, or just sitting on my grandma’s porch during summer rains, the outdoors has been the one place I was free to be myself. This is why I love sharing this experience with others. My deepest desire as a hike lead is to show women the beautiful experience of connecting and healing themselves while in the never-ending vastness of the great outdoors.
Brooke Spencer | Philadelphia, PA
(she/her)
Brooke is the Operations Manager for Nanodropper, a medical device startup that invented the Nanodropper Adaptor. Previously, Brooke was the Executive Director of Wellfit Girls, a nonprofit offering leadership, fitness and empowerment programs to teen girls in Southwest Florida. She was the first person in her family to earn a Master’s degree, where she discovered her passion and love for non-profit causes. Brooke is also a certified personal trainer, health and life coach, Wilderness First Responder, and has completed two 200-hour yoga teacher trainings. Prior to joining Wellfit Girls, Brooke completed a Human Resources internship in Costa Mesa, California with a sustainable, non-profit fashion brand called Krochet Kids International. During this internship she learned about humanizing fashion and the ability to offer employment and education to empower women in poverty internationally. Brooke also believes in the mental and emotionally healing powers of nature. She has participated in multiple hikes around the country along with the Wellfit Girls expedition experiences. Each time she is in nature she learns something new about who she is. This powerful, inner knowing experience is what she hopes to create for all who join #WeHikeToHeal!
Caroline Pegram | Salt Lake City, UT
(she/they)
Caroline Pegram is a trauma therapist specializing in embodiment and somatic approaches to healing. She is currently residing on Paiute, Shoshone, Ute and Goshute lands colonized as Salt Lake City. She is the creator of Topaz Healing, a mental health therapy practice working with others who have experienced complex trauma. She is born and raised from the Southern Appalachians (North Carolina to be exact), where she first discovered her love and connection to nature as a consistent + nurturing caregiver. She has cultivated this relationship to nature since moving out west, where access to breath taking hikes are abundant. When she is not on the trails, she is hanging out with her mini-Aussie named Jolene, gardening and nerding out on nervous system science. Caroline is excited to share her intimate relationship to the healing qualities of nature with others, in hopes that as a community we can heal and grow in whichever ways we need.
Carrie Heron | Seattle, WA
(she/her)
Since 1999, Carrie has been supporting individuals, teams, and organizations to clarify their goals, identify and address barriers, and take concrete actions to create change. Working both internally and externally at nonprofit, corporate, and philanthropic organizations, she has developed a keen insight into the underlying dynamics that can undermine the best of intentions and efforts. Clients appreciate the blend of compassion, humor, and clarity that she brings to her engagements.
In addition to her work as a coach, facilitator, and consultant, Carrie also works with individuals in her mental health therapy practice, volunteers for her neighborhood food bank, and spends as much time as possible in nature to recharge her mind, body, heart, and spirit. Growing up in the Washington, DC area, Carrie moved to Seattle, WA in 1996 and still has not gotten used to the jaw-dropping views of snow-covered mountains in every direction (when the sky is clear enough to see them!), and the easy access to parks, lakes, and hiking trails.
Chandra Pointer-Titus | Rochester, NY
(she/her)
Chandra Pointer is a Northeast Retail Recruiting and Engagement Partner at REI Co-op, a proud mom of an adult JEDI champion, and a lover of everything outdoorsy. Chandra is passionate – an 8x marathoner and an avid hiker who believes in the power of nature, community, and the freedom to express oneself genuinely, in any space, anywhere. She is honored and excited to serve as a WH2H Ambassador, and looks forward to listening, learning, growing and laughing-out-loud, as we enjoy a ton of adventures together.
Dominique Cowling | Vallejo, CA
(she/her)
Dominique is a Black Queer femme and Bay Area native dedicated to transforming trauma and violence into opportunities of embodied freedom. For the past decade, she has been honored to learn & share liberatory tools for healing. Her former work as the Healing Justice Program Director at Community United Against Violence supported queer and Trans survivors of intimate partner violence, hate violence and police violence through direct service and organizing. At CUAV, she provided peer counseling, seasonal healing programs and community trainings. Her business, Black Seeds Project is guided by her relationship to spirit and the natural world. These offerings include private and group sessions in the outdoors that curate practical tools for emotional and spiritual health. This work gives an opportunity to weave all her studies in psychology, ecotherapy, mindfulness, trauma informed yoga and community based frameworks of care. Her heart swells thinking about the courage it takes to accept the invitation of deepening a relationship with self, community and mama earth. Visit her website at brownsugayogini.com.
Erin Lawler | Grosse Pointe Woods, MI
(they/them)
Isioma Odum | Chicago, IL
(she/her)
Isioma grew up in Vancouver, Washington, surrounded by evergreen trees. Her father was the Director of the Department of Ecology for Washington State, where her passion for all things environmental stems. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Social Science, concentrating in Sociology and Psychology, from Washington State University and a Master of Arts in Social Justice from Loyola University Chicago’s Institute of Pastoral Studies. Isioma is currently serving as the Chicago Outreach Senior Coordinator at Faith in Place and founder of the hike-to-heal community, The Afro Trek Tribe.
Jennifer Winther | Culver City, CA
(she/her)
My parents named me Jennifer, but I have a lot of other labels: professor, teacher, leader, mentor, writer, healer, student, motherless mother, survivor, patient, disruptor, Buddhist, mama, auntie, wife, partner, descendant, ancestor, mixed race, 50-something, cisgender, woman. At different times in my life, I have called the Midwest, the East Coast, the West Coast, and Japan, home. Life is full. And because some of that fullness is really challenging, I left academe to teach yoga and meditation full time. Some of my colleagues said “what a waste” but I say “what a GIFT.” As a teacher, I can see people’s lives changing right in front of me. Right there - in the moment & for the better. As a teacher trainer and mentor, I have the great pleasure of guiding healers to embrace their own cultural roots as they honor the roots of yoga and meditation. As an Ambassador, I am delighted to share all the tools I have learned for healing, for connecting, and for transforming suffering into joy. I’m here for you and with you, practicing and journeying and healing alongside you, and I’m so glad that we’re here together.
Jo Rattiliff | Euclid, OH
(she/her)
My name is Jo Rattiliff but most people call me Mama Jo. I’m elated to serve as a WH2H for the Midwest Region. I been a resident of Euclid, Ohio since the early 90’s. I left a couple of times however was drawn to back to the location due to the Lakefront which I enjoy walking along and hiking the trails of Cleveland Metro Parks. As being a leader of other non-profit organizations, it is my passion to share green spaces with my fellows’ sisters young and old. As a life-long intercity dweller, I can understand the drudgery that one experiences living within the city limits. Being outdoors in nature has always allowed me to find peace and healing. As a result, I made it my mission to empower my sisters do the same as form of self-loving care.
Nalini Ravindranath | Washington, D.C.
(she/her)
Nalini is a nonprofit development specialist by day and outdoor enthusiast by weekend. She started her outdoor journey when she jumped into a six-month trek from Georgia to Maine on the Appalachian Trail. She made a lot of mistakes but also learned from them, developed a love for the outdoors, and embraced a life of adventures. These days, she spends her time tending to her balcony garden, hiking, backpacking, and learning to be a climber. She loves sharing her misadventures in hopes of inspiring other people, especially women of color, to jump into their own adventures in whatever way they define it!
Sharon Carpenter | Sharpsburg, GA
(she/her)
I'm Sharon and am absolutely blessed to be the WH2H Ambassador and Hike Leader. I have always loved being outdoors and doing the fun activities it can provide! Growing up as an US Air Force Brat with four other siblings, then later serving myself in the USAF for over nine years, I have had the amazing opportunity to explore all over the globe. Hiking Mount Fuji and throughout Towada National Park in Japan, snorkeling and diving the waters around the islands of Okinawa and the Caribbean, castle exploring throughout Germany, and urban hiking all over Vienna and Budapest. These opportunities were so memorable, but not always for good reasons. One of the many reasons I fell in love with ODJT & WH2H is Kenya and Michelles' mission to help women make the outdoors a safe space, and show them it is equitably available to them, despite its history of not being so, especially to women of color. This intention, as well as utilizing the natural healing powers of nature, community with other women, the introspective contemplation that comes with journaling, and mindfulness meditation practices, is honestly the "one stop healing workshop" I've been missing in my life. My journey, like every other woman's journey, has had its obstacles. Being led, and leading other women on #WeHikeToHeal hikes has been the medicine my soul needed to help me through my season's of personal and occupational transition, as well as on my journey of learning to live my best life with Fibromyalgia. No matter what your reason for joining my hikes, I can't wait to meet you and am looking forward to seeing you soon.
Vanessa Yvette | Miami, FL
(she/her)
My name is Vanessa Yvette and I am a gifted intuitive with a passion for healing through nature. I developed a deep connection with the outdoors from a young age, and this connection has been a guiding force in my life ever since. Over the years, I have honored my intuition through various practices, including meditation, energy work, and spiritual scripting. I believe Mother Nature is a powerful source of healing and I use this belief as the foundation of my practice. My work with nature involves a variety of practices that include nature walks and forest bathing. I believe that spending time in nature is essential for mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing and encourages my tribe to incorporate nature into their daily routines. Simply put, I am a compassionate and intuitive healer who is committed to helping others find balance and wellness through their connection to nature.
Whitney Wideman | Newark, DE
(she/her)
Whitney is a mother of 1, a traveler, a crystal collector, and an avid lover of the great outdoors, currently working as the Operations Manager for Social Contract LLC. A social impact consulting firm specializing in helping communities solve large complex social issues. Here she leads efforts to improve the employee experience and consults on change management projects focusing on DEIA and company culture change. Whitney graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. with a B.S. in Therapeutic Recreation and holds certifications in clinical trial management and Human resource management. Grounded in the deep understanding of the healing power of nature, Whitney leverages this knowledge to assist herself, colleagues, friends, and family in creating space to be, work and play outdoors. Whitney is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, where her passion for social impact continues to be practiced. You can find Whitney hiking on Sundays for her "Sunday Grounding" sessions and worldwide in her free time as she loves to travel. In addition to her love of the outdoors, Whitney has a 13-year-old son, Kyle, who she loves exploring the world with.