In a world that often rushes past the whispers of nature and the silent wisdom it holds, there emerges a guiding light in the form of Deb Matlock, a Certified Wild Rhythms Practitioner. With a passion that transcends the ordinary, Deb embarks on a journey with a singular purpose – to walk, guide, and assist others on their own unique paths towards empowered spirituality and a profound connection with all life. Her mission goes beyond personal growth; Deb is especially driven to empower educators, coaches, healers, clergy, and holistic practitioners in integrating deeply personal and innovative nature connection work into their offerings. Hailing from the enchanting landscapes of Colorado, her work is infused with a deep love and passion for Earth and every living being that inhabits it. As she navigates the realms of nature and spirituality, Deb becomes a beacon for those seeking a transformative journey, inviting others to discover their own sacred connection with the world around them. Join Mystic Mag as we delve into the extraordinary world of Deb Matlock, where spirituality intertwines with the wild rhythms of life, beckoning us to explore the untamed depths within ourselves.
What inspired you to become a Certified Wild Rhythms Practitioner, and how has your personal connection with nature influenced your decision to guide others on their spiritual journeys?
My connection to nature is the foundation of my life and has definitely impacted the work I offer to others. I grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and my entire sense of self-developed in a deep relationship with wild nature, my animal companions, and this rugged landscape. Also, watching the growth of Colorado’s population and the resulting development of wildlands has impacted me significantly and inspired me to commit my life to work on behalf of Earth and all its inhabitants.
I created the Wild Rhythms Certified Practitioner training for educators, life coaches, counselors, health care/wellness providers, and other practitioners to support them in weaving their deep spiritual connection with wild nature into their lives and their work. The program’s focus is giving people the tools, inspiration, and coaching to develop their unique signature body of nature connection work. I was inspired to create this program by my journey of designing and offering unique nature connection work, requests from clients, and the need I saw in the field of nature connection to encourage innovative and unique bodies of work. People experience the wild, natural world in numerous ways. People come to know themselves as beings of nature through various means. The world needs as many creative, unique, and innovative nature connection programs as possible to serve the future of life as we know it.
As someone with a background in helping educators, coaches, healers, clergy, and holistic practitioners integrate nature connection into their work, can you share a specific success story where your guidance made a significant impact on a client or a community?
I have been humbled more times than I can count over the years by seeing my clients and program participants take their experiences, weave them together with my offerings, and move forward into their personal and professional lives with renewed and deepened commitment to working on behalf of wild nature, the world of spirit, the more-than-human world. Some of my clients have learned to trust their unique connection with the world of spirit through our work together….leaving behind beliefs telling them they could not truly connect. I have had clients create nature and spirit-based coaching programs, start educational businesses, and revise work they are currently offering. I have seen clients find strength, faith, and courage to walk their path in a strong and also surrendered way, responding to the guidance they receive from the world around them.
What type of services do you offer?
I offer professional training for educators, life coaches, counselors, and other holistic practitioners to nurture their eco-spiritual journeys and create innovative and creative nature connection work for their clients and communities. I also offer sacred nature connection retreats lasting from one day to several in various locations. Additionally, I support people one-to-one via my nature-based spiritual life coaching work. I also teach workshops on communication with the-more-than-human world, sacred nature journaling, wild art, and related topics.
Can you elaborate on the concept of “empowered spirituality” and how you believe it plays a crucial role in the personal and professional lives of educators, coaches, healers, clergy, and holistic practitioners?
Empowered spirituality means trusting your experiences, seeking your own answers, living in alignment with your highest values, and not deferring to other groups or gurus. Nobody can tell anyone what is true for them. Our spiritual paths are unique to each of us. As a coach and mentor, my job is to support someone on their own spiritual journey, NOT tell them how to do it or provide formulaic answers to life’s deepest questions.
As someone who communicates with the world of spirit and animals, how do you help individuals tap into their own intuitive abilities and deepen their connection with the unseen aspects of nature?
It is important that I help people understand that my way is not the only way. Each of us has our unique ways of communicating across species boundaries. We can each connect with the world of spirit. There are as many ways to do these things as there are people. When I work with clients, I seek to help them identify their patterns and contexts for tapping into their own abilities. I walk beside them, encouraging them, asking questions, helping them discern, and most of all helping them develop confidence in their abilities. Everyone has these abilities and when someone doesn’t believe this, it is easy for them to get disheartened by classes and programs sharing techniques as if those are the only ones available. I do not teach group classes on these topics for this very reason. Their journey to trusting our intuition and connecting with the unseen worlds is deeply personal and, as such, is best served in more personal settings like private work or private work within a group program like a retreat.
