We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tessa Magill. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tessa below.
Tessa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
I kinda love that my parents did not pay for my higher education and that made me work hard for and own my education fully.
In college, I remember feeling many times how unfair it was that my friends and housemates could focus exclusively on school and having fun while I had to work full time to make ends meet while also doing school and finding time for fun. My parents believed that my education was my responsibility and, as it turns out, that’s a pretty radical yet surprisingly empowering concept.
It shaped me to be hard working, efficient with my time and invested in my education.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a licensed marriage and family therapist and the director of a nonprofit called Thrive Wellness Workshop. At Thrive, we host therapeutic outdoor events that give people a place to gather outdoors, feel the magic of nature and talk together about life and their wellness.
I started this nonprofit almost 8 years ago out of my own passion for spending time in nature and using it as my own strongest coping tool. I realized in my late 20’s that nature was the place that helped me shift anything I needed to shift – away from stuckness, toward connection, toward my own knowings. For Thrive participants, our events give people a chance to experience this same healing realization, but in the company of other like-minded folks and with support of therapeutic facilitators.
There are not many programs like ours that weave together wellness conversations and hiking in a structured, accessible way – through one day gatherings, longer workshops or camping retreats. I’m incredibly proud to witness the connections that are made in our gatherings and the soothing people experience from our practices and time spent in nature together.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
The number one factor that has helped me successfully create and continue delivering our supportive offerings at Thrive Wellness Workshop, is my own deep love for nature and my own lived experience in how time outdoors has transformed, and continues to regularly transform, something in me.
I have a bone-deep knowing that nature is my answer for calm, for inspiration, for shift, for strength and for some of the best conversations and revelations I’ve ever had with friends. Nothing brings me more joy, giddiness, new perspectives and new insights than a night out backpacking with friends.
So, my experience with this shapes my unending desire to help others feel these same feelings, plus find a community of friendly, outdoorsy folks to connect with.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Work-of-mouth and Instagram have been our most effective tools for spreading the word about our events. With Ojai being a small town, plus being born and raised in Ojai, knowing people and sharing the passion for what we do goes a long way. And when we deliver inspiring experiences, people remember that and share that with their loved ones as well.
Instagram is also where many of us put our attentions, both passively and actively, and we find our messages are able to get through quite effectively on that platform. It’s a whole skillset to market on social media, but I’ve found a way to build a community and gain new followers through the content we put out on there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thrivewellnessworkshop.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrive_wellness_workshop/
Image Credits
Tessa Magill