Friend of Ned Kelsea Anderson

Meet Kelsea Anderson — nature therapy guide, yoga teacher, and friend of Ned. We bond over our shared love of nature and chat about the core values that guide her, a simple practice that’s changed her life, and her favorite daily ritual. Plus, we find out something astounding that not many people know about her . . . Read on!

Ned: What are the core values that guide your daily life?

Kelsea: I moved to Maine to live a “slow living” lifestyle. The way of life here allows me the time and space to go with my own natural rhythm. I am able to prioritize doing the things that light me up the most and then build the rest of modern life’s demands around that. Time outside, movement and good food always come first. Through trial and error, I’ve learned over time that these are the things that are most essential for my happiness. I know when I have those needs met I am then most available to myself, my life’s work and therefore most available to the world around me.

Ned: What is your idea of contentment?

Kelsea: My idea of contentment is sitting in my most “magnetic” spot in nature: on a ledge of granite rock where the pines meet the sea. It’s a spot I walk to at least a couple times a week. I love it because the combination of the elements in this particular spot (rock, forest, ocean) create an alchemy that literally lights up my entire body. It is the perfect trifecta: a protective feeling from the forest, a sense of expansiveness from the ocean, and grounding from the rocks. When I’m there, I naturally empty out any tension or stress and big “ah-ha” moments and creative ideas come rushing through. I always leave with a fresh sense of direction, renewal and clarity.

Ned: What is a super simple practice you do that’s improved your life?

Kelsea: Walking! I’m pretty much addicted to it in the best way! Walking is a simple practice that gets me outside, out of my “head” and into my “body” in a very short amount of time. Some days I walk for hours in deep nature and other days it’s a simple 20-minute walk on the street. My walking style is pretty much a “go with the flow” vibe, I let my body lead the way changing up the pace as I go. It feels so good to move my body in a gentle way, feel the earth beneath me, all while getting a dose of fresh oxygen.

Ned: What’s the small change you’ve made that’s had the biggest impact?

Kelsea: Having more compassion for myself. Man, we can be so tough on ourselves when facing challenges or fears! Including compassion for myself to my inner dialogue helps me to accept myself in my humanity and accept others in theirs. Overtime, I’ve become so much more gentle with myself and I’m moving through challenges with much more ease this way. Little doses of self-love and some sweet self-talk go a long way!

Ned: What is something you want to start doing?

Kelsea: Cold water plunging more! Winters in New England have always been my least favorite season. This year the Wim Hoff method hype has totally rubbed off on me and I am on the cold shower train and have plunged a few times. Where I live in Maine the lakes and even the harbors freeze over making for an ice bath playground! Plunging is exhilarating, renewing, and breathtaking. All I can say is: I need more of this!

Ned: What’s something not many people know about you?

Kelsea: I worked as a commercial fisherman for most of my life. My dad is an old salt and I worked on his fishing boat since I was a young girl. Gutting cod, shoveling up squid and shucking scallops. I love the ocean and all that it has provided for my family and me and after years of working at sea the forest called me home. Now my work is focused around nature therapy and helping people to reclaim their connection with nature.

Ned: What is your favorite daily ritual?

Kelsea: Making IG stories! I love sharing my daily nature walks and outdoor adventures. When I see something that I find interesting I take a short video or photo and string them together to share a little dose of Nature Rx with the virtual world. Every walk offers a unique mood and little unexpected surprises. For me, seeing nature through a lens magnifies its beauty and brings me into the present moment even more.

Ned: What is your favorite form of exercise?

Kelsea: Hot yoga. I knew I wanted yoga to be part of my life and had tried many forms of yoga in my early 20’s and nothing really stuck. I was living in Santiago, Chile at the time and didn’t have much access to nature. I was dealing with a lot of city and work stress and my roommate was a hot yoga teacher, she convinced me to come. I have been practicing for about 10 years now and it has completely transformed my life, mind and body. Now I am a yoga teacher at a heated studio and practice daily. I love the sweat factor with hot yoga. In addition to the significant benefits of yoga, I believe that water holds memory and by sweating and moving the body we release stored emotions. I am committed to it being a lifelong practice.

Ned: Who do you follow that inspires you most?

Kelsea: There are two women that have changed my life in a really big way. Lacy Phillips and Dara Dubinet. Lacy Phillips is a manifestation expert and founder of To Be Magnetic. She offers courses that help to reprogram the subconscious mind in order to raise self-worth and manifest the life you desire. I have done many of her courses and have seen huge shifts in my self-worth and manifestation abilities since doing so! Dara Dubinet is an intuitive healer and guide who focuses on life direction, astrology, intuition and so much more. I started following her about 10 years ago when I was really into a raw food diet and she was making YouTube videos about it. More recently, I have had the honor to work with her 1-on-1 which really catapulted me into the next phase of my life with so much more confidence. She has an incredible ability to see people and help them see themselves. Dara offers accessible yet life changing tools that she herself has developed from her own life’s experiences, all geared towards living a clean, clear and bright life.

Ned: What’s something you’re grateful for?

Kelsea: I am grateful to have the privilege to fully dedicate my time to working with Mother Nature. It is a dream to be able to spend my time in the outdoors doing the things I love and at the same time offer healing for others. When humans reclaim their nature connection, healing occurs not only for them, but for the natural world as well. It’s a reciprocal effect and a deep and much needed repair occurs.

Follow Kelsea on Instagram to get your daily dose of Nature Rx and learn more about connecting to nature and healing outside.