Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Harrison.
Hi Kelsey , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a yoga student/teacher, an international retreat leader, yoga studio owner, yoga educator, a mother, a partner, a breast cancer survivor and more. I began teaching yoga in 2018 and quickly devoted myself to this path career and lifestyle. My story has many parts to it, all of which have led me here. I am grateful to feel as though my path has always been my own, and I have always led with my heart. I am grateful for the parents who encouraged me to chase my wildest dreams. I began teaching yoga in 2018 and within 6 months I had sold out and hosted a yoga retreat with a good friend. This was the beginning of Get Wild Retreats, a yoga and adventure retreat company which has now led 25+ retreats domestically and internationally. 10 months into teaching I then find myself a studio manager of a thriving yoga studio with 25 teachers to manage. I was 24 and one of the youngest on the team age wise and youngest in terms of teaching experience, but I was always all in. As my experience grew I began running Get Wild Retreats full time and within less than a year I left the management position. During this time I had the opportunity to assist / lead 200hr yoga teacher trainings and spent a year+ as the Programming Director for 34+ 200HR teacher trainings across the country. After I left the management position and the Programming Director to go full time with my business, I quickly and unexpectedly got pregnant. This child was more than just an accident, he was a spiritual experience / awakening for me. He was a learning opportunity. To lean into trust. To see how this would only add to my life. I had to accept and have faith in something other than myself. This required surrender. This uprooted everything I thought I knew, and gave way for me to completely rebuild everything. I continued to run my business every step of the way. I led the hike to Angels Landing in Zion on retreat with my group at 5 months pregnant. I led a retreat 6 weeks postpartum in Sedona Arizona. I watched sunrises on Airport Mesa with my newborn baby strapped around me. I led another retreat at 10 weeks postpartum in Asheville NC with my son. I taught classes with him strapped on my body.
I continued to run my retreat business and to grow in my education. In 2022 I started another business, LiveWildFest, which is Charleston’s health and wellness festival. We spent 2+ years creating the brand, figuring out what it takes to run a festival, and bringing it to life. We had our first year in May of 2024 and it was a complete success. In 2023 I also launched my own yoga teacher training school, this was such an accomplishment and every year me and my team gets the privilege to guide others to be yoga teacher. In May of 2023 I became a breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed at the age of 27 as a Stage 3C. This is bad, its almost stage 4 (just for your perspective). No, I didn’t have the gene, I didn’t have any of it. I wept for 2 days, and then I decided to get started. I began reading and understanding the cancer and how I could fight it. I underwent 12 rounds of chemo, a double mastectomy, a lymph node dissection and removal, 25 rounds of radiation, and am still on continued daily meds and monthly injections to stay cancer free. Not ONLY did I do all of this, but I also sought out acupuncture and holistic healing. I changed my diet and my entire lifestyle to fight this. I still worked during all of this. In August of 2023 I got chemo on a Tuesday and flew out on a Wednesday to lead a retreat in Glacier, Montana. I finish all of my chemo Oct. 30 2023 and on Nov 1 flew to Nicaragua for a retreat. This is my purpose. Fast forward to 2025 and I am still fighting cancer, I ran 7 yoga retreats and a 200hour yoga teacher training in 2025. It was already my busiest work year to date. At the beginning of May in 2025, two friends send me an Instagram reel of a space nearby for a yoga studio. I wasn’t looking, I wasn’t planning. It just happened. By June 4th I signed the lease for the studio space. By June 6th I turned 30. By June 8th I got engaged. And August 1st we opened our doors at Be Wild Yoga in Hanahan. This life is a gift.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Breast cancer, uncertainty, friendship loss, financial burden/fear
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Get Wild Yoga Retreats & Be Wild Yoga Studio & LiveWildFest?
Be Wild Yoga Studio – We are a boutique and intimate studio experience. Our goal is to create a space for curiosity, for play, for joy, and for homecoming. We are not the fastest or the hottest studio in town, but we provide quality and a yoga home that feels like home.
LiveWildFest – We are Charleston’s Health and wellness festival! Our mission is to cultivate a joyful, exploratory, and all encompassing wellness experience with space for everyone. From the curious to the experienced, we invite you into a purposeful and passionate community focused on movement, discovery of one’s true self, and creating a healthier lifestyle that is unique to you. This is a one day event that has a variety of stages and experiences for guests to explore.
Get Wild Retreats – Adventure, play, joy, and depth. At our retreats you can expect authentic and immersive experiences, impactful yoga offerings, healing, community like no other, and an opportunity to be your most wild self.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.getwildretreats.com, www.bewildyogachs.com and www.livewildfest.com
- Instagram: @getwildretreats @getwildkelsey @bewildyogachs @livewildfest
