About Us

In spring of 2020, Wilderness Awakening sprang as a response to the growing need for nature connection and community.

We believe that fostering relationships with the natural world is the most powerful healer and teacher. To cultivate familiarity and respect for our surrounding plants and animals brings about a sense of belonging and trust for the natural order of the world. Our work serves to empower individuals to tune in to their inner compass through mindfulness practices, to speak their truth, and stand for what is called upon in their lives, communities, and world. We draw inspiration from the elements to revitalize our bodies, minds and spirits. Wilderness Awakening offerings are spacious, allowing for spontaneity, co-creation, and magic.

Wilderness Awakening became a 501(c)3 Non-Profit in Spring of 2025. We offer experiences for children and adults alike, through retreats, classes, camps and workshops.

Meet the Team

Julia Beasley
Founder & Guide

Julia is Founder and Director of Wilderness Awakening. She is an educator and lover of all things natural and wild, children and women included! She is the descendant of a long lineage of teachers and artists. From Minneapolis, she had summers to run barefoot and live in her swim suit at her grandparent’s cabin in NW Wisconsin. As a teen with her primary school teacher mother and sister, they ran a summer camp, Wild Girls in the Woods for 5 years.

After many adventures, including motorcycling 3,000 miles to Alaska, crossing the Atlantic Ocean twice in small sailboats, and building and living in a Mongolian yurt on an organic farm in rural France for a year, she came back to her roots to share her teachings. For five years she co-directed a Keiki* Camp at Spirit Weaver’s Gathering, an international women gathering to share skills, knowledge and mentorship in the Pacific Northwest.

Julia was a founding guide and taught many years at Heartwood Montessori, a small community based school in NE Minneapolis, before stepping away from the classroom and into the heart of the woods. She offers a unique presence to women, families and children stemming from her background of many years of education, camp organizing and personal adventures trusting the wild. Outside of teaching, Julia has certifications within Reiki, Tantra Yoga, Forest Bathing and is a birth doula!

“A while back Evzen asked me if witches were good or bad. I talked about how witches are really good and they are usually people who just know how to heal with plants, energy and work with our Mother Nature. They have very strong intuition. They believe in their abilities. He paused and said ‘I think Miss Julia is a witch.’

-Danielle Tucker

Our Philosophy

Fostering relationships with the natural world is the most powerful healer & teacher. Connecting with each other in nature, & connecting with nature itself, fosters the important human traits of independence, confidence, emotional intelligence, and a sense of belonging.

Relations

Respect

Cultivating familiarity and respect of our surrounding plants and animals brings about a sense of belonging and trust for the natural order of our world. This helps us to be more harmonious and empathetic for all beings, as well as strong stewards of the land.


The natural world revitalizes our bodies, minds and spirits. Being in the woods benefits us by decreasing stress an anxiety, while increasing our attention capacity, critical thinking and resilience. We expand upon these gifts through invitations such as sit spots


Revitalization

Spontaneity, co-creation, and magic imbue our program design and offerings. Unstructured time encourages the absorption of learning, peer problem-solving, risk-taking, and natural learning. Discovering strengths and growth edges prepares us to move intrinsically within the world.

Magic

Students who experience natural risk-taking are more likely to challenge themselves later in life, with healthy boundaries & self-worth. Play helps students collaborate and problem-solve, allowing the brain to process information at a more natural pace. Emphasizing play at all ages supports mental rest and enhances learning.

Risk Taking

Our Locations

SAMSARA RIDGE

Samsara Ridge is our rural campus located just north of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. 44 acres of rolling hills, meadows, prairie, woods, a big pond and a rushing Wolf Creek.

This land hosts private personal retreats through our listings showcasing our Eco-Luxury Tiny Home and more rustic belle tent rental, as well as Sleep-Away Camps, weekend retreats and workshops.

To learn more about hosting your event please send us a message HERE.

Crosby Farm is a regional park in St. Paul we LOVE. Aside from being easily accessible within the Twin Cities, it is always much cooler on those hot sunny days, thanks to the incredible canopy of cottonwood trees. A true Never Never Land experience, with few people around, the endless beaches provide soaring opportunities to connect to magic! Home to Day Camps and Forest Bathing Sessions.

CROSBY FARM

Theo Wirth Park is a jewel of variable habitats in Golden Valley, MN. Between the Quaking Bog, Eloise Butler’s Wildflower Garden, a secret pond and incredible hills to run, each day is a new discovery. And then there’s the beach with a boardwalk over the water to see the giant catfish and ancient turtles!

THEODORE WIRTH PARK

HENDON HOME SANCTUARY

Events and Women’s circles are run out of our Hendon Home Sanctuary in St. Anthony Park, St. Paul, MN.

Heated slate floors, a wall of green cedar trees bring a wilderness immersion feel to an indoor space.

*Also available for personal retreats through Airbnb.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We offer programs supporting deep nature connection and nature-based programming.
We acknowledge that we live and work on unceded Dakota Territories.
We also recognize that the sites used by Wilderness Awakening are the ancestral and contemporary homeland of the Dakhóta and Ojibwe Native Nations.
We acknowledge that this land was obtained through violent acts of
genocide, displacement, forced removal, and broken treaties.
We aim to use our diverse privilege to provide experiences of humbly rediscovering nature as their first home and foundation, and believe this will ultimately lead to deeper personal and cultural healing for all.

Website resources :

  • NATIVE LAND - an interactive map will show you what Native peoples originally owned the land you live and work on.

  • STOP LINE 3 - Information about Line 3, a pipeline set to carry tar sands through northern Minnesota, crossing the Leech Lake and Fond du Lac reservations and the 1855, 1854, and 1842 treaty areas.

Book Resources :

Testimonials

“Devon loved her week of sleep-away camp! It was a special and magical experience in an amazing setting and she wants to go back every summer. She loved the campfire stories, hiking and learning about edible plants, and sewing. The girls in the group really connected which made it even more special. Julia and the other camp counselors were very kind and attentive. Devon would recommend the camp to anyone who loves nature and she's excited to camp again this summer! Thank you for the wonderful experience and memories!” - Regan

“Family Camp is a tradition we look forward to returning to each year. It gives our family a protected pocket of togetherness, grounding, and nature in an eased setting. The land is ideal and inspiring - perfect environment for decompressing adults and curious little ones. This intentional weekend allows our family to unwind and come back to ourselves… with others!” - Ashley

“Our son participated in Julia’s camp last summer and it was a very memorable experience for him. He loved the freedom and exploratory nature of the week spent outside building forts, climbing and playing. Highly recommend Wilderness Awakening camps!” - Liz

“It’s incredible to see her explore and the influence being with you has had—she tells me the things she knows now because of you and I want her to keep learning this love of our earth and the nature surrounding us.” - Maari

“The New Moon Alchemy program is pure magic ! Not one did it feel divinely timed, Julia guides a profound and sacred journey to embrace the inner voice. Having this sacred space for being seen and heard on such a deep level feels like an enormous blessing in life. Julia is a beautiful spirit to guide this journey and create the nurturing space for transformations to emerge!!“ - Kyra

“Forest School has been such a gift for our family-- especially our adventurous 3 year old! We were looking for an easy to integrate preschool program into our lives and we were over the moon with this offering! Julia provides the space for children to explore, enjoy nature and one another, and simply be! Our daughter talks about her school and her friends all the time and wakes up ready to adventure together!“ - Lydia

“Family camp at Samsara Ridge is our daughter's favorite summer ritual, hands-down, and one that our entire family has looked forward to each of the past three years. The chance to witness our child's joy in "going wild" for the weekend comes hand in hand with the chance to witness the beauty and transformation of the place itself. It is our annual opportunity to be nourished by nature, community, and the incredible loving care that Julia has put into every aspect of the experience.“ - Anne

“Mal loved the camp and it was so good for him last summer. It was wonderful to see him become independent and enjoy the outdoors and overcome anxiety. I grew up playing in the woods, enjoying nature, and catching toads— I want that for him. He needs something different from school that still enables him to grow.“ - Cindy