Chelsea wholeheartedly believes in taking the long way home! She grew up in Western, North Carolina where thick forests became her escape into a magical wonderland away from the harsh realities of Southern Appalachian poverty. Her first heroes were an elementary PE teacher and a state park ranger, the parents of her childhood best friend. During her teen years, Chelsea began working at South Mountains State Park where they had lived and first fostered her love for nature and education. Those early days of maintaining trails and educating park visitors, afforded her many opportunities as a US Forest Service Fire Team Intern, Wilderness Adventures Speciality Camp Counselor and Urban Nature Educator across the US and South Africa from 2003 to 2009, while completing her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and International Politics. Chelsea returned to Southern Appalachia in 2010 and dedicated her efforts to supporting grassroots nonprofits in their missions, to create a more sustainable livelihood for her fellow Western North Carolinians while attending certification and master’s programs in Nonprofit Management.

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In 2014 she and her husband decided to adventure together, (literally riding off into the sunset) to Texas on their wedding day. During their time in Texas, the two joined forces to learn more about grassroots co-op models and social enterprises as well as nonprofits. After giving birth to their first child, Chelsea decided her education and advocacy skills could best be grown and utilized to support families in pregnancy, birth and early childhood. And when her husband decided to pursue his lifelong calling of serving in the US Army, she became a certified doula, early childhood educator and pregnancy health coach, founding her own organization, Cultivate Family Support Services. Chelsea has served a diverse community of families in Texas and North Carolina as a doula, educator and Tinkergarten Nature-Play Leader since 2017. As her family has continued to grow, they have immersed themselves in community. Coming to Alaska in June of 2022 has been a dream come true and the discovery of a new, lifelong home. It is the one true place their sense of wonder is always quenched and their skills and legacy continues to grow with every walk into the wild!

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Chelsea is leading a Tinkergarten group this fall 2023 as well as teaching a parent/child class on Lucet weaving through The Folk School. Contact her at cultivate848@gmail.com.