Meet Glenda Hoon Russell | Forest Bathing Guide & Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Glenda Hoon Russell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Glenda, what inspires you?
Nature. Nature is such an incredible teacher and the more I listen the more I learn. She teaches beautiful life lessons in impermanence or the idea that nothing stays the same. I think as a culture we understand this but we are so programmed to hold on and grasp people, places, things as if they will last forever. But the truth is people come and go, careers shift, our bodies and health change etc, and this is all a normal part of life. Where we suffer or create mental/emotional discomfort is when we grasp on to the idea of what it should look like instead of looking at how it is. For example, we hold on to what our bodies should look or act like instead of embracing the aging process. We hold on to careers that no longer serve us and end up wasting years miserable in a cubicle. We end up staying in friendships that we no longer have anything in common with.

Nature shows us that change is a natural and beautiful part of how life flows. Take an oak tree for example, it’s leaves grow in the spring and gives shade for the forest floor beneath it. In autumn, acorns eventually fall along with the leaves and nurture the animals who eat them. We normally don’t look at a tree and think it’s odd for loosing it’s leaves or changing, that’s just the way it is. Seasons are a part of the cycle, and we humans have seasons too. Nature helps to mirror these beautiful lessons in our own life and this can help life feel a bit lighter in a world that can feel so heavy.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In a society that is constantly telling us we need to do more, achieve more, and consume more, it’s time to slow down.

Let me start with the fact that I am a recovering corporate executive, people pleaser, borderline alcoholic, escape artist, and overthinker. Although my life looked shiny from the outside, I was screaming internally. I needed something other than checking off the boxes society was telling me to check off. I wanted to remove the gloves, not even sure why I had put them on – I was exhausted from climbing ladders and fighting my way to the “top.”

In 2017, my partner Kris and I sold everything we owned to move into an RV and work/travel around the US. For the first time in my life, I visited natural areas since I grew up in the metropolis of Houston, Texas. I began to notice that when I was in a natural setting, say a hiking trail or by a body of water; I felt a sense of calm. For the last decade, my sense of taking the edge off was through alcohol or getting buzzed in front of the tv. I had no healthy ways to come down from a long workday. But when I started going into nature, I felt my cravings to escape lessened, which intrigued me to learn more. This was the beginning of my journey as a forest bathing guide.

You see, our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) is constantly activated in this go-go-go society. Our bodies are reacting as if we are running away from a bear when the reality is we are chasing emails, societal standards, social notifications, and so much more. This imbalance causes so much unnecessary strain on our minds and bodies, which is then creating more stress-related illnesses. In a world that glorifies instant gratification and more doing, I share the gift of forest bathing.

Forest bathing comes from the Japanese word “shinrin yoku’. This practice originated in Japan and still is a huge component of healing practices. Medical doctors even prescribe it. Forest bathing is a nature-based well-being practice that enhances nature connectedness and strengthens social relationships, all while boosting nature’s evidence-based therapeutic and restorative effects for mental and physical health. In forest bathing, we allow ourselves to slow down physically and mentally. This allows our bodies to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest), allowing our body to intuitively heal, rest, and be in its natural state of peace.

This work goes even deeper as more people connect with nature through practices like forest bathing; they begin to have a more meaningful sense of interconnection with the natural world around them. The disconnect between people and nature is that we have lost our sense of relationship with nature through our modern living. We are taught we are separate from nature when really we are part of it. This separation is causing all of us to make terrible decisions against nature. As more people go into nature in this mindful and intentional way, a remembering begins to happen. A remembering of a true connection with the natural world around us that is inherited in all of us. This sparks reflection and inquiry about our relationship with nature as individuals and as a collective. I truly believe this is much needed right now.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in the gorgeous Ridgway/Ouray, Colorado area. I step outside of my RV to see the glorious San Juan Mountain range, including our 14er Mount Sneffles. Many people travel here for the hiking and Jeep trails, and I will recommend a few local favorites off the beaten path. -Check out Ridgway’s Farmer’s Market on Fridays during the summer. There are tons of local vendors with delicious foods and treats for all kinds of preferences. I absolutely love supporting our small local farmers and vendors, and this is a great way to do so.
-We also have free summer concerts on Thursday nights in Ouray and Ridgway. The nights are cool and it seems like the whole town shows up with their families, pups, and dancing shoes. There is nothing like dancing your butt off surrounded by mountains!
-Just down the road in Montrose, CO, is the Ute Museum. It’s full of rich history about this incredible land and its natives. This museum is a must-see!
– Visit Top of the Pines for mountain biking, hiking, camping, or disc golf. You’ll get incredible, and I mean incredible, views of the San Juans!
-Even though this is a tourist favorite, you won’t be disappointed by a hike through our famous Blue Lakes Trail but be sure to start your hike early. The trail gets very crowded, but again it’s well worth the stunning blue alpine lakes at the end.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Goodness, there are so many books, people, and groups I could thank right now, however, I vividly remember back in 2017 I read a book called You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero. It was exactly what I needed at the time. After going through some major life events where both of my parents died close together, I needed a spark of something, anything, that would bring me hope. Jen’s blunt and sassy advice and humor inspired me to begin the journey of completely shifting from the inside out. I believe this was one of the first books I read on shifting my thinking patterns which has helped me tremulously on the path of where I am today.

Website: https://glendahoonrussell.com/

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Image Credits
Aubrey Beth Photography Glenda Hoon Russell