Wilderlife Coach | Co-Active Life & Organizational Diversity Coach

Meet Dania Rivas, (pronouns: she, her, hers, ella). Dania is a professionally trained and certified Co-Active Life & Organizational Diversity Coach and founder at WilderLife Coach, LLC a professional coaching service that specializes in working with environmental and outdoor industry leaders that wish to cultivate diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) workplace culture. Dania coaches organizational teams and works one-on-one with executives, managers, and professionals to enact change and forge healthy relationships within their organization.

Dania received her rigorous, intensive training with Co-Active Training Institute—the gold standard of coach training and the largest in-person experiential coach training and leadership development organization in the world—earning the credential of a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC). Dania is also a Certified Professional Diversity Coach (CPDC), trained by the brilliant Dr. Towanna Burrous, president of CoachDiversity Institute the first coaching institute serving diverse communities and preparing individuals and institutions for rapid demographic change.

From Dania, "My connection with nature is what drives my passion for doing what I do—healing and empowering the individual to heal the environment. My journey began working as an educator for conservation-based nonprofits. I cultivated and nurtured a strong connection with nature, my community, and my work. However, over the years, I began to experience toxic, oppressive treatment that many like myself, a professional of color, experience in an industry dominated by the master narrative of mainstream outdoor culture. My story and relationship with nature were deemed different and therefore invalidated and undermined.

I began to doubt my abilities, knowledge, culture, and, most dangerously, my connection to nature. I questioned whether I was “outdoorsy” and qualified enough to work in the outdoor industry. I witnessed other professionals of color not only experience the same trauma but leave their positions and, eventually, the industry altogether. I began to feel hopeless, depressed and defeated.

When I was about to give up, fate intervened, and I found the transformational world of Life and Diversity Coaching. In my greatest struggle, I found my power and purpose in this world and pursued professional coaching wholeheartedly. I share my story with other professionals of color and industry leaders in hopes that they, too, can step into their power and realize their leadership potential so that in solidarity, we can enact organizational-systemic change for the betterment of ourselves and the environment.

Creating WilderLife Coach, LLC, is an integral part of my healing process and commitment to anti-racism in the outdoors and saving the environment, and I believe it can be for you as well.

I deeply value community, culture, and connection around nature, and firmly believe that diverse representation is vital to the health of our environment and communities. Join me."

We're honored to be working with Dania via her Diversity Coaching and Ally Coaching. Learn more about Dania and her accreditation at https://www.wilderlife.coach.