ORIGIN
Welcome.
(Danfredo Photos + Film)
My name is MJ Rondinella & I am the founder of Revive Wild.
I was born in Brooklyn, NY but I currently reside in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA. I live with our 5 incredible rescue pets, a wonderfully talented
wife, an absurd amount of coffee and a basement filled with every camping supply you could possibly think of.
The concept for Revive Wild was established in 2016 during a challenging time of
grief & loss. I was facing the unexpected and sudden passing of my rock, my father.
This was a very difficult and sorrowful time, but it eventually lead to deep
self-reflection and questioning of everything in my life.
For seven years, I was committed to a job that I personally got nothing out
of, except for a paycheck. I spent my days wasted on social media platforms,
had no passion or motivation and felt totally stagnant in my every day life.
At this point, I only lived for the weekends, which seems dismal when I think about it now.
Out of the seven days in a week, are we only potentially enjoying two of these days?
Was my calendar quickly filling up with obligations for others and less time for myself?
My answer was, "Yes".
This is when I started to realize, I was meant for more.
We are meant for more.
The Starhouse, Boulder, CO (photo by MJ Rondinella)
During my self reflection, I asked myself, "What are three things that bring meaning to my life?" My answers came quickly and clearly: nature, animals and helping people. After doing some research, I came across an incredible Nature Connected Coaching program based out of Boulder, CO. I finally felt like I had found the entrance to the path that I was always meant to follow. I wasn't sure where that path would lead me, and although I was absolutely terrified of the risk, I ventured onward with my certification.
This chance that I decided to take by dedicating myself to this program was one of the best decisions that I have ever made for myself. For over a year, I traveled back and forth from Philadelphia to Boulder, spending this time learning so many valuable components about human nature and how to collaborate with the environment that surrounds us. The educational approach that this program took was to focus on our own relationship with nature and ourselves, in order to be able to connect with people in a way that supports them. We gained in depth knowledge on how to offer our clients this essential foundation through transformational guide work and nature connection.
You know that feeling you have after you come home from vacation? Relaxed, calm and an overall feeling of revitalization? Research shows that spending 3 full days immersed in nature (The 3 Day Effect) can actually reset the mind. This time allows for the recalibration of your brain by giving your attention network (frontal cortex) a welcomed rest. This leads to other parts of your brain becoming more active (sensory, empathy, etc), since you aren't distracted by texts, emails, notifications, video scroll rabbit holes, chores, and other daily tasks. While I too, also tend to get lost into the void of crazy cat videos and recipes for quarantine bread, it is important that we take these retreats from the stresses of every day life, in order to live your authentic life.
My intention when forging Revive Wild was to create 3-day nature connection experiences. This program would not only guide people through mind reset, but also offer every day tools and resources to stay grounded, empowered, motivated, and goal-oriented. Due to the COVID Pandemic and wanting to keep my community and the communities around me protected, I have decided to continue down my path by creating an empowering, motivating podcast and offering virtual sessions. I look forward to the day when we can all safely embark on nature connection experiences together in the physical world. In the mean time, I am really excited for the launch of our new podcast, and cannot wait to journey forward with you.
“We depend on nature not only for our physical survival, we also need nature to show us the way home, the way out of the prison of our own minds.”
Eckhart Tolle
(Sunshine Canyon, CO - MJ Rondinella)