We had the good fortune of connecting with Bri Sullivan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bri, what principle do you value most?
I spend a lot of time outdoors, most days I am outside running or hiking with my dogs and am passionate about the trails and nature I get to spend all of this time in. The value that matters most to me is leaving things better than I found them. Heading the community at Keep Nature Wild allows me to live into this value and inspire others to turn their love for nature into action. When we spend time outside; whether it is gardening, dirt biking, hiking, running, kayaking, sitting in the park….we have a bond and attachment to these outdoor spaces that can turn into a desire to want to give back and preserve these spaces for generations to come!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have been an outdoor lover my whole life but grew up in a very small town in the Midwest. I moved to the Southwest after college and, roughly 4 years into my time in Phoenix, I fell in love with hiking. Hiking quickly turned to trail running and I have been advocating and appreciating nature in new ways ever since. I started attending Keep Nature Wild cleanups with the all-women’s trail running group I founded in 2018 and loved giving back to nature, but also the community aspect, connecting with other people who really appreciate getting outside and caring for it.

In 2020, during the pandemic, I was lucky enough to be brought on to the Keep Nature Wild team focusing on social media management, but they soon realized I was especially passionate about impact and our mission to remove one pound of litter from outdoor spaces. I began to host in-person cleanups in 2021, started a podcast for Keep Nature Wild called the Warm Up podcast in 2022, and manage the Wild Keeper volunteer program. I’m lucky enough to get to marry my love for nature and empower others to take action from their love too. I tend to do most of our PR coverage, blog writing, and content based around education for taking care of nature and building relationships with like-minded agencies, organizations, communities, and businesses.

Getting to this role wasn’t easy, I bounced around quite a bit when I was growing up trying to find what would make me happy in the long term. I didn’t really envision myself in an environmental role but am so grateful I was able to find this role and career – it is very fulfilling and rewarding. I’ve learned that if you are curious, driven, and take chances – there are opportunities that may arise that you could have never imagined being able to take (or create). I get to constantly learn, grow, and be challenged by those I surround myself with and interact with really passionate people. It gives me hope for our future, our society, and people who really want to show up and invest their energy into what they care about.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout is dedicated to the Wild Keeper program at Keep Nature Wild. This program of ambassadors inspires me constantly — it is a program that allows people who care about nature and the environment to come together and do something bigger than themselves. With over 2,000 active volunteers all over the nation, we have removed almost 1 million pounds of litter from outdoor spaces together. The issue of litter in outdoor spaces is an environmental issue that impacts us all — from litter on the sides of roads we drive on, in parking lots, in our waterways, breaking down into microplastics in our soil or food sources – it is a never-ending struggle. This community is passionate about caring for their local spaces and preserving them. I’d love to encourage everyone to look up Keep Nature Wild and consider the program!

    

Website: www.keepnaturewild.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/briwithaview + www.instagram.com/keepnaturewild

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bri-sullivan-31602224/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/headwildkeeper

Image Credits
Mike McMonagle – @shitinthewoods Jordan Griffith – @jordanexplores

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