Meet Sonya and Sebastian Slovin of Nature Unplugged in Encinitas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonya and Sebastian Slovin.

Nature Unplugged started out by providing unique outdoor experiences around San Diego. The aim was to get people off of their devices and out into nature combining movement and mindfulness practices. A variety of outdoor experiences were offered – such as guided hikes, outdoor yoga, surfing, stand up paddling, and snorkeling – based on Sebastian’s expertise and background as a professional bodyboarder (boogieboarder) and yoga instructor. His time in the ocean and on the mat inspired the services/experiences Nature Unplugged provided.

A few years later, Sebastian teamed up with Sonya. While Sebastian grew up exploring the beaches and waves of Southern California, Sonya adventured in the great outdoors in the woods of Valley Forge National Park near her home outside of Philadelphia. The two have come together to bring their individual skills and passions to the world. Sebastian and Sonya have teamed up in a number of ways over the years. They are business partners at Nature Unplugged, and they are partners in life, married for three years.

Inspired by Sonya’s background in education, Nature Unplugged now offers unique outdoor experiences in combination with a curriculum specifically designed to help people cultivate wellness through healthy relationships with technology and a deeper connection to nature. They offer one-on-one coaching, workshops, and retreats. Their vision is to create conscious leaders and thriving communities through healthy relationships with nature and technology.

Has it been a smooth road?
We’ve had some wonderful successes over the years and built great connections with individuals and communities. We feel confident that we’re starting our business at the perfect time as challenges in maintaining healthy relationships with technology are increasing every day.

We’ve also had some challenges along the way. We work with people of all ages though primarily with adolescents ages 12-17. Often we connect with parents who are very eager and committed to helping their children become less attached to their smartphones, video games, or other devices. As you can imagine, that’s not the same mindset and eagerness the youngsters meet us with.

One of our challenges has been how to frame our work in a way that comes across as lecturing to our younger clients, or that all technology is bad. That can be difficult at times! One way we’ve minimize that is by switching to a narrative that focuses predominantly on the benefits of time in nature. Nudging folks down a path that includes more time outdoors prove to be more meaningful and impactful than pushing a total tech detox.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Nature Unplugged – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Nature Unplugged offers unique outdoor experiences in combination with a curriculum designed to help people cultivate wellness through healthy relationships with technology and a deeper connection to nature.

We deliver our curriculum in three ways. First, we offer an eight-session program that provides tailored one-on-one coaching. Second, we facilitate workshops on various aspects of our curriculum such as mindfulness, mindset, and movement (play). Third, we offer digital retreats that provide space for a digital detox and an intensive experience to dive deep into our curriculum.

Our vision is to create conscious leaders and thriving communities through healthy relationships with nature and technology.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We love that San Diego is a major city with access to so many wonderful cultures, foods, music venues, museums, etc. And at the same time, we are so close to some incredible and diverse natural resources and places to explore and adventure including some awesome local/county parks.

To the West, we have the wild waters of the Pacific Ocean. To the South, we have Baja California, Mexico. To the East, we have the mountains with great hiking and camping and little towns like Julian. Beyond the mountains, we have Anza Borrego Desert. To the North we have L.A.

We think that this is one of best places to access fabulous urban life and stunning wildlife and landscapes, with your next outdoor adventure just around the corner!

What we don’t like least about our city? That’s easy. Traffic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.natureunplugged.com
• Phone: (858) 775-6486
• Email: sebastian@natureunplugged.com     sonya@natureunplugged.com

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