About Jemar Raheem
Naturalist. Wilderness Guide. Adventurer.
I am a Husband, Father, naturalist , short order cook, and gardener.
I am the son of a seaside city. Planes, trains and automobiles are as interwoven into my outside experience as mountains, tides, and seasons.
I am the hustle that dominates the cityscape. However the quiet woods, the forest, the earth always beckons.
I am an introvert. I have a naturalist intelligence; I find and create connections between people and the natural environment. I dig intentionally quiet times, moments when I get to realize how exponential my capacity is.
"I be affirmed by natural spaces. The forest always reflects my humanity."
As I have accumulated seasons intimately engaged with wild spaces I have come to realize the gift of this connection. I am the “outside kid”. As a youth more of my day was spent outside than inside. Since then my interest in all thing’s tech and hip-hop has been matched with equal enthusiasm for walking in the woods, city biking, fishing and the never-ending quest to watch every nature documentary.
Time, talent, circumstance, and my beloved ancestors conspired to grant me access to amazing learning environments. I was also introduced to the power of passionate educators to frame and facilitate and add value to an experience.
I recognized my ability to find solace in places lovingly referred to as backwoods, put in’s, wilderness areas, and base-camps wasn’t a coincidence. Within this awareness was a reflection of my life path.
Over my multi decades career working as an outdoor educator promoting the limitless benefits of intentional leadership development through the magical medium of nature and the outdoors. I am a Wilderness First Responder and CPR certified. I am an alumni of National Outdoor leadership school ( NOLS), Wilderness Medical Institute( WMI), Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO), and Outward Bound.
I engage community Leaders in transformative experiences that grow personal perspectives and amplify collective achievement.
In addition to being co-founder of Red Clay Wellness I have many pursuits . Natural spaces are pivotal to my personal and professional existence.
Intention and practice can rapidly evolve individuals, communities, and systems. I have worked with well over 15,000 students. I have learned that radical change is readily met when we make the intention to invest in new practices. From fifth graders to fortune five hundred executives. Growth can be inevitable. I have witnessed this time and again with the groups and individuals I have been privileged to share outdoor space and time with.
Restorative practices provide the necessary processing and reflective space enabling progressive intention to emerge.
My nature practice is a restorative practice. Despite sometimes being physically strenuous or emotionally challenging the restorative power the practice always prevails.
This actively results in the metabolizing of past experience and the regeneration of possibility.
A long strenuous excursion on Saturday makes Mondays work much lighter. I am always amazed. There is a special alchemy of rich fresh air, several thousand feet of elevation exchange, lots of water, and a quick lightning storm( did I mention water) to really re-tune my system. “Strong and delivered, I am ready for every day of the week.”
My work is dedicated to safe, restorative, outdoor experiences, for Black and Brown people. I embody the legacy of Black exploration, environmental stewardship, and wilderness recreation.
A 12 minute walk through a wooded area reduces cortisol levels up to 12 percent. This physical response will happen regardless of your knowing the previous statistic. You feel this in your body. This is a healing practice.
Within this experience you engage in the passive act of soft fascination. Cloud movements, leaf fluttering’s , undulations in the water. This immersive sensory engagement allows your executive function to relax and restore. The neo- neural demands of city / office / social/ life retreat. With the breath you inhale the deep earth smell, replacing pollutants with terpenes, You can achieve a slow flow state.
Supported Solo experiences provide the tools needed to incorporate a earth based restorative practice into you wellness routine.
We have inherited this amazing gift and we have the capacity to ensure its sustainability simply by engaging it. With each step there is something to be gained.