I didn’t really know this until I was 40 years old and broken down from toxic stress, unsure how to find myself again. I had two beautiful daughters that I would have done anything for, and did. I had lost my sense of Self in motherhood and my emotional, mental and physical health had suffered as a result. In the winter after I turned forty, I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico for a family trip. I was exhausted from isolation and overwhelm, the constant financial insecurity we’d experienced during Covid, and a family health crisis that had drained anything I had left to give. I didn’t expect anything from the trip, just a chance to celebrate the holidays with loved ones. But something in me shifted while in the high desert, and I’ve felt it every time I’ve gone back. I felt clarity. I felt joy. I felt in touch with my Self in a way I hadn’t felt in years. The desert is an incredible place, but I don’t think this means that the desert is everyone’s place. Some people find this clarity and joy out on the water, some in the mountains, others in the heart of a vibrant city. That trip to Santa Fe woke me up. It helped me see that something else was possible, and it taught me how to start listening.

I have spent the last years figuring out how to listen better. How to hear and understand what is my unique wellness. What speaks to me. I have worked for over a decade in the travel industry and knew that I wanted to help others find those places that spoke to them, that helped them hear themselves more clearly. Whether to places like Santa Fe, or a local wellness retreat, what were the experiences that created more spaciousness? I didn’t know how to answer that question then. I have better answers now, but I’m still and always on a quest to understand this better for myself and for my clients.

I love the desert.

Along the way I’ve experimented not only with travel, but with herbs, food and hands-on bodywork; I’ve tried somatic exercises and repairing emotional wounds. No one thing is the right thing. There isn’t a single pill, or diet, or therapy that heals it all. Finding balance and vitality is a journey, and the right thing changes at every turn.

So I’ve learned to keep listening.

And to Explore possibilities.

I believe we all need more space to find our voices, and to be really heard. I am working to create opportunities for women to find that space – through wellness events, therapeutic recommendations, and solo and group coaching opportunities. These offerings emphasize the need for us to gather in relationships of trust in order to heal. Whether in a community retreat, a coaching group, or in the relationship with a therapeutic practitioner, our nervous systems find the space of trust they need for all other healing to take place. Beyond that, the journey is wildly individual and unique.

After that first trip to the high desert, I started to explore more healing opportunities that the desert offered. I discovered Ocotillo, a plant which grows in the desert in Arizona, California and New Mexico. It works by ‘getting things flowing again’, energetically but also practically in the lymph system and in our root chakras—the prostate for men and the womb for women, those elemental places of ourselves. Ocotillo medicine was an inspiring metaphor for what I wanted to bring into my life — the ability to be in a state of vitality and flow. And so I’ve carried the name with me into this work as a reminder of where I was, and where I’m going, and how to hold sacred space for Self in the moments of growth in between.

I’m still in a place of learning how to ‘get things flowing’ – in truth, I always will be. That is the experience of being Alive. I have found so many tools that support me, but most importantly, I have learned to listen to my Self and know that I am not alone in finding my way. My continued experience planning women’s events and building coaching opportunities are huge parts of that work. Thank you for being here on this journey with me—the chance to be in community is the most profoundly healing part.

I invite you to reach out to me with questions on your own journey – what do you need to find your flow? To feel Alive? Sign up for the newsletter below to stay in touch.

Briana Thiodet - Professional Coach & Founder, Ocotillo Explorations

My TraINING AND EDUCATION

PROFESSIONAL COACHING

I have completed my training in Professional Coaching with InviteChange, who certifies to the standard required by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). ICF is the Internationally-recognized body for Professional Coaching. This certification requires adherence to ethical guidelines, ongoing mentor coaching and continuing education. I expect to earn my certification by spring, 2026.

SOMATIC TRAUMA THERAPY CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

I am currently underway with training to better understand how trauma and stress inhabit the body. I am learning techniques to support my clients in noticing and engaging with somatic patterns that can inform their growth. This training is with The Embody Lab.

MA, SOCIOLOGY & COMPARATIVE RELIGION

I hold a Masters degree in Sociology and Comparative Religion from the University of Washington. This degree informs my thinking about how humans form communities and meaning within their communities, and the power of social organizations on our individual and collective wellbeing. This degree continues to impact my coaching and wellness work as I consider how broader social forces shape the opportunities and constraints we encounter on a daily basis, and how to maximize our individual resources in the face of these. In short, our communities have deep impact on what we will experience, how can that understanding empower us?

NON-PROFIT DEVELOPMENT WORK

I spent much of my early career working with disadvantaged communities in Latin America. Those displaced by civil war, natural and political events, and those socially dislocated by similar events. I worked as a volunteer with at-risk youth in Chile and taught English, Math, writing workshops and creative arts workshops. Most importantly, I learned to stay present even in moments of hardship or discomfort, even when I cannot make a direct impact. Presence still has power.