Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Adrian.
Hi Laura, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My business Whole Life Elevation has been an interesting journey! It has been been an eclectic and unexpected endeavor. I now offer rich experiences that open people to connection—connection to themselves, the natural world, and one another.
Nature has played an important role in my life since my childhood. I spent my summers playing in nature, making up stories, camping, and building forts. My interest in the healing arts began to unfold as a teen when I started practicing yoga. Since then I’ve been wildly curious about holistic healing modalities.
In college, I double-majored in chemistry and environmental science which was a path my parents were supportive of, very practical. I was a serious student with lots of undergraduate research under my belt, I was planning on going to graduate school to study how chemicals move and change as they move through water and soil. As I began working after college, however, I realized within a few years it was pulling me away from who I was and what I cared about most. I found it incredibly difficult to balance full-time work and my budding business, so I quit. With the help of often many part-time gigs, I began building a business around yoga, nature, and personal empowerment.
My offerings at Whole Life Elevation are informed by what I’m learning, what people need, and what I enjoy doing. Thus my work continues to unfold and flow like a river. There is a high demand for nature wilderness trips that integrate yoga and mindfulness. We navigate really beautiful places such as the Apostle Islands, Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and the Porcupine Mountains. As these trips have grown, I’ve recognized a larger need for people to develop a deeper connection to nature. Thus I’ve created online courses people can take anywhere and learn practices that cultivate a sense of rejuvenation through a direct connection to the natural world. I also started writing my first book that offers simple, everyday practices to bring people closer to nature. As my business has unfolded and people recognize the need for nature connection, I’ve had more and more opportunities to speak at schools, conferences, and events.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest challenges on my journey has been embracing who I am and my vision. Until very recently, I would see other people doing cool things, and think “I want to do that in my business.” And then I would try to make my version what they were doing and oftentimes it would fall flat. But what I should have done is more of what was working in my business—people loved the wilderness trips and they just about sold out every time. When I focussed on what I was best at and what made me unique, everything usually flowed really smoothly. When I would try to do something I felt like I should be doing, oftentimes the results were so-so.
The other main challenge I’ve faced is recognizing that to be an entrepreneur, you can still have multiple sources of income outside your business and that doesn’t make you “less than.” Early on in my business, I wanted to feel like I had a “real business,” so I went full-time into it. It was too fast and too unstable for where I was at. I began to feel very stressed out about income and my creativity was stifled because I felt like I didn’t have room for mistakes. I was able to find wonderful part-time jobs that work with my strengths and allow me a sense of security while I create offerings in my business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Whole Life Elevation?
Whole Life Elevation is all about cultivating a sense of connection to yourself, the natural world, and fellow human beings. We specialize in wilderness trips that weave together nature, mindfulness, and yoga. Participants learn about themselves and walk away from the trip seeing nature through a new lens. Other offerings include in-person and online classes where she teaches nature-based practices that rejuvenate, heal, and inspire. Whole Life Elevation offers opportunities to learn through the natural world and walk on this Earth with more wisdom, grace, and joy.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I grew up on 15 acres and many of my favorite memories from childhood involve playing in nature. In the springtime sometimes our backyard would flood with over a foot of water. My siblings and I would bring the canoe out and paddle around. It was quite the spectacle!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.wholelifeelevation.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholelifeelevation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WholeLifeElevation
