Aram Mitchell
Coach. Minister. Wilderness guide.
Enroll in my online course | Spiritual Formation in the Wild
About Me
At the heart of all the rest, I am a wilderness guide. I take people to places where encounters with wildness and experiences of formation flow together.
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I have done this in the backcountry, in forests and canyons, along coasts and rivers.
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And I have guided people to the metaphorical confluence of wildness and formation in boardrooms, houses of worship, classrooms, and living rooms.
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I have worked as a nonprofit director, a minister, a teacher and facilitator. And in each manifestation of my vocation, I encourage people in their formation, rooting for them to become the fullest, truest versions of themselves.
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As your coach, I will encourage you like that. But what I want even more, is to help you clear the fog so that you can powerfully navigate your own path in the wilderness of life.
When you walk with someone in the wilderness—metaphorical or literal—you should know that they have what it takes to see you through. Here are some of my experiences and training that have prepared me, and continue to equip me, to be able to support you on your journey.
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I have been trained as a professional life coach through the Academy for Coaching Excellence (ACE), an accredited training program of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). As part of my ongoing training with ACE, I am committed to mentorship, peer support, and a rigorous schedule of skill building, practice, and continuing education.
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The ACE coaching model integrates ancient wisdom and neuroscience into an elegant, pragmatic, transformational framework. With my coaching practice, I am taking the tools of this model, along with my experience as a wilderness guide and a minister of spiritual formation, to support you in moving past whatever is getting in the way of your creative flow and full thriving.
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Along with twenty years and over 400 nights of backcountry wilderness guiding, I served for five years at the helm of Renewal in the Wilderness, a Maine-based nonprofit organization that was committed to helping caring professionals by guiding retreats of spiritual renewal in the outdoors. I have walked alongside hundreds of people, helping them to pause when life overwhelms them with hurry; teaching them to saunter in the woods, through canyons, in city parks and public preserves.​
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I have a Masters degree in Religious Studies from Chicago Theological Seminary, where I focused my learning on the ways that our embodied connection with the earth informs our spiritual growth and our vocational efforts. I am a certified Wilderness First Responder and Registered Maine Guide, equipped to manage the risks and amplify the joys of time spent among the elements of wild nature.