About Thrive Young Leaders
We all have unique, important gifts to offer ourselves and the world.
At Thrive Young Leaders, we help teens and young adults transition into young adulthood with confidence, a sense of purpose, and an understanding of their gifts. By embodying confidence in their selves, gifts, and purpose, teens and young adults become empowered leaders of their own lives, and true leaders of our environment and community.
Our small group of mentors offer one-on-one Professional Nature-based Life Coaching, Mentoring, Academic Tutoring and Coaching, Rites of Passage Journeys, and Teen Group Programs. We are trained in a variety of philosophies and disciplines, including ecopsychology, biological psychology, professional life-coaching, wilderness first response, ecotherapy, mindfulness, non-violent communication, leadership, outdoor education, coyote mentoring, ancestral skills, wilderness survival skills, rites of passage, mathematics, physics, academic coaching, college counseling, writing, and more.
You can read more about us below!
Guides
Deanna Falge
Thrive Young Leaders Founder
Nature-based Life Coach, Mentor & Rites of Passage Guide
Tutor & Academic Coach
Deanna founded Thrive out of her love for connecting with youth in nature. Deanna’s purpose is to empower and guide teens and young adults into a deeper connection with the Earth, community, and self. She has formal education in Biological Psychology from UC Santa Barbara and is a certified Professional Nature-Connected Life Coach (NCC), Transformational Wilderness Guide (TWG), Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and Ecotherapist. She has years of training and experience in ecotherapy, somatic therapy, life coaching, mentoring, outdoor education, tutoring, academic coaching, ancestral skills, wilderness survival skills, leadership, mindfulness, nonviolent communication, rites of passage, community development, and embodiment facilitation. By combining her knowledge and experience with her deep love for serving youth, Deanna designs whole-hearted, transformational programs for every teen and young adult that she works with. Besides her work at Thrive, Deanna loves to dance, surf, play music, tend fires, be outside, climb trees, wander in the mountains, backpack, travel, and spend quality time with friends and family.
Current Partner Guides
Moriah Kofsky
College Counselor & Mentor
Moriah graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English and Women’s Studies. A love for personal narrative drew her to college counseling. She has edited hundreds of college application essays and is dedicated to helping her students craft a stand out personal statement from a place of purpose and self-assuredness. She also works as an Academic Mentor and founded a summer program, Writes of Passage, where she teaches college essay writing to high school students. Moriah has helped students get into Yale, Georgetown, Duke, Penn, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Swarthmore, UChicago, NYU, Stanford, and more.
Ariana Kaback
Rites of Passage Guide, Backpacking Guide & Mentor
Ariana is a certified Birth Doula, Postpartum Chef, Wilderness Guide, Body Worker, Rites of Passage Facilitator and Mentor. She has dedicated her life to supporting women’s transformations and initiations into motherhood, adulthood & womanhood.
Ariana is a Nature lover. She is here to empower women to connect to their own inner knowing, innate wisdom, and body intelligence to lead a life of love for themselves, the Earth, and their communities. Ariana bridges a connection between Earth, Body, and Spirit and uses nature as her guide to support others. She founded Hummingbirth Doula and has a blooming practice in Santa Cruz, Ca.
Ariana has a degree in Outdoor Education and Holistic Health from San Francisco State University. She is trained in nonviolent communication, is a Wilderness First Responder (WFR). For many years, Ariana has studied meditation, yoga, council facilitation, the art of play, dance, and feminine embodiment practices.
Ariana loves to hike, dance, sit in circle, commune with the Earth, swim in the ocean, travel, share songs, and be among community!