Member Spotlight: Audrey

Hi there! I’m Audrey Costa, a health and wellness professional, nature therapist, and licensed associate counselor, driven by a deep passion for integrative healing. My career path has been anything but linear—in the best way. I began in education, spending over 14 years in public schools teaching physical education and health, before shifting into corporate wellness and eventually building my own coaching and retreat business, Deeply Rooted Coaching.

What’s guided me through every chapter is a commitment to supporting whole-person wellness—body, mind, and spirit. I’ve always believed that healing is not one-size-fits-all, and that nature, movement, creativity, and connection are all powerful tools for transformation. That belief became personal as I navigated my own recovery from an abusive marriage and substance use. That journey reshaped everything—from how I show up in the world to how I hold space for others as a “wounded healer.”

Today, I hold a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, a National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential and a NJ LAC, and a range of certifications in yoga, personal training, health coaching, mindfulness, and nature-informed therapy. I’m also a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist. Through my retreats and coaching, I help women reconnect to themselves and their strength through intentional time in nature. I also lead monthly therapeutic hikes and immersive backpacking retreats, because sometimes, the trail offers the best kind of therapy.

Personally, I’m a mom, a lover of the outdoors, and someone who truly believes in the power of community, story-sharing, and walking beside others as they find their way back to themselves. Oh—and I’m a dog person. 

I am seeing more and more people making the mind-body connection. People are seeing the benefits of moving their bodies and fueling the appropriate way. I have always learned by doing, and seeing the shift in supporting organizations is also exciting. 

My boys and the clients I work with inspire me to be better and do more. They have negotiated a tremendous amount of pain in their lives, and I am in awe as I watch them grow and fly. The women that come to me to find healing leave me wanting more, they show so much courage and strength showing up for themselves. Every event leaves me jazzed for the next.

In the woods, or on a mountain with my dog.

I have been involved with AEE for quite a few years, off and on. When I was a PE and Health teacher, it was when adventure education was brand new, and this organization made me feel at home. Now I am back, more on the clinical side, and am happy to see it has grown and expanded to include so much more than education.

The connection and resources.

AEE has made me feel a sense of community, which is important. It hasn't been one specific thing, but lots of things, I love the podcast as well.