Dana Rider

Growing up in upstate New York, Dana Rider has always had a love for the wilderness and helping others. He attended North Country Community College, located in the Adirondack Mountains, where he studied Wilderness Recreation Leadership. Dana struggled with heroin and alcohol addiction for many years and was in and out of rehab and jail.

Eventually, he graduated from The Ontario County Drug Court Program in Canandaguia, New York. After his graduation, he moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where he became a Wilderness Therapy Guide, helping young adults reconnect with themselves and build their abilities and confidence, despite past challenges. Dana then started his own aftercare recovery program, Real Recovery, in Asheville.

Dana, a certified substance abuse counselor, is extremely passionate about his calling and has worked for more than a decade with people in addiction recovery, those with mental illness and young adults who have struggled to live independently. The primary focus of his work over the past six years has been one-on-one life coaching and mentoring, where he guides clients from various backgrounds and age groups to successfully take control of their own lives. He also specializes in wilderness rites of passage, vision quest and solos. These journeys allow people to detach from everyday life with time of solitude in the wilderness to allow them to discover their purpose and passion in life.

Dana owns a small farm outside of Asheville, where he lives with his wife and two sons. His life experience, hard work and success allow him to get others on the path of success in their own lives.

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