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The staff is an inspiring and spirited group of women!!! You will have the chance to play with women who are both phenomenal athletes and articulate teachers. You will receive cutting-edge instruction with heartfelt support and encouragement. The high staff-to-camper ratio allows opportunity for individual guidance, safe supervision of all activities, and personal attention to your feelings and needs. We organize the groups to accommodate all fitness levels and levels of experience. Don’t worry if this is your first time on a mountain bike, if you have not done much hiking, or your first experience with yoga-we LOVE to introduce the JOYS of these activities!
Colleen founded Women’s Quest after a highly successful career as a professional triathlete for 13 years. In her racing days, she was World Champion in 1984, and National Champion in 1988 and 1990. She also was a multiple U.S. National team member and ranked in the top 3 in the World for over 10 years.
Her passions, besides chocolate and being in nature, are liberating and empowering women through movement and balance, and targeting their true “hearts’ desire.” “Colleen continues to EVOLVE adventures for Women’s Quest, delighting in ways to ENCHANT women with the experiences that coax happiness grown from joyful physical experiences.”
Gretchen Spiro
Gretchen Spiro has delighted in movement since entering this world. Long distance running along the cliffs in Santa Cruz, swimming in the Pacific, bike touring, sailing, scuba diving, and backpacking were highlights of her childhood. In 1983 she met Nita Little, who became a mentor for another journey into movement. Nita taught a body of work called “Mind in Motion,” encompassing Contact Improvisation dance, trance states, and meditative awareness….practices which basically changed the course of her life. Intrigued with modern dance and video art, she received a BFA from California Institute of the Arts in 1986. Gretchen then discovered Iyengar Yoga, which transformed her perception of the body, invited more introspection, and further piqued her interest in teaching as an offering and invitation to others. Her practice of yoga is inspired by Iyengar Yoga, which she appreciates for it’s profound wisdom of alignment. Her teaching includes that precision and infuses flow, poetic images and creative explorations. Gretchen has practiced vipassana and insight meditation, and loves engaging with people holistically–body/mind/spirit. Gretchen received her Masters Degree in Somatic Psychology/ Dance Therapy in 2000 from Naropa University. She is fascinated with the process of living a creative life as an explorer of beauty.
Besides teaching yoga, Gretchen is a certified Gytotonic trainer, dance artist, and somatic psychotherapist. She founded a dance company, Tumblebones, which explores the physics of motion through improvisation and the process of physical storytelling. Gretchen lives with her husband and spunky 9 year old daughter in the Rocky Mountains outside Boulder, CO. Living close to nature, and the experience of being a mama, has made her heart wide and tender.
Kristen Wheeler
Kristen Wheeler teaches Native Genius worldwide at companies like HP, Airbnb, Figma, and eBay. The Native Genius Method helps individuals and teams identify and use their innate brilliance to get more success and happiness, without having to sacrifice one for the other.
The Native Genius® Method relies on conversations and practices, rather than personality tests. People help each other identify and use their Native Genius — a collection of innate talents they barely realize they’re doing, that are making a bigger impact than they realize.
The Native Genius® Method is the next evolution of strengths — focusing on belonging, vulnerability, and connection to remove hidden obstacles that strengths approaches typically don’t address. The Method is based on research, and has been developed and tested for fifteen years in Fortune 500 tech companies.
Kristen started her career as a certified public accountant and software developer for Accenture. Before developing the Method, she was a culture change consultant and executive coach for twenty years — regarding matters of IT, leadership, strategy, and strengths. Amidst that work, she earned MAs in Mythological Studies and Body Centered Psychology.