The Daily - Day 1 - June 18, 2019 - 38

How I Got Here
D A N I

R E Y E S - A C O S T A

Reyes-Acosta gets a dose of
NatureRx on the North Chimney of Utah's Castleton Tower.

A life of adventure and moments of introspection atop a volcano laid the groundwork
for a new firm that fosters meaningful consumer connections. By Dani Reyes-Acosta
"¿SUBES EL VOLCÁN SOLA?!" ("YOU'RE CLIMBING THE VOLCANO ALONE?!"),

the Chilean Guardaparques asked me with incredulity as I registered for
the climb. "Yes," I chuckled to myself. "Correct."
I began the ascent on a perfect bluebird morning. But, by the time I
reached the summit, grey nimbus clouds swirled across a moody sky. A
storm was coming. I searched for a sheltered place to get ready for the
snowboard descent, red volcanic tuff crunching beneath my boots.
On this day, and on every summit since, I was overcome with a mezcla
of gratitude and accomplishment. As I usually do at the top of each peak, I
recorded a video for my mother, thanking her for teaching me tenacity and
joy in the face of challenge and dedicating my summit to her own struggles
and triumphs.
Reaching the top of this volcano represented a turning point for me. It
was the culmination of the past four months of adventure travel through
Chile-alone. It also began a new chapter in my life, one grounded in intention and self-determination. Three years prior, I'd relocated from San Diego

/ SUMMER MARKET 2019

Shortly after that climb, I took
an even bigger leap. I founded
my own brand strategy consulting firm, Nomad Creativa, to
help brands grow, connect, and
evolve with initiatives that make
a difference in the world. Since
graduating from corporate life,
I've poured my heart and soul into
advocating for a new generation of
consumers, centering my work on
the customer's perspective to help
teams challenge convention and
create connection. I've used my
skills as a strategist, marketer, and
connector to rally purpose-driven creatives around getting
more people outside for a dose of
NatureRx. Most importantly, I've
realized that my training, hustle,
and willingness to venture into the
unknown means as much in the
backcountry as it does in a brand
program's vision.
My relationship with the
outdoors spans continents and
mountain ranges, but one thing
will always ring true: Each day I'm
outside, my intersectional identity
as a multiracial, multilingual, college-educated adventure dirtbag
expands. If my role as a brand
strategist is to take concept into
reality-to create a path forward
building on existing content, ideas,
and perspectives to make the
future we envision concrete-then
let's envision a world in which we
want to live, together. Starting
here at the Show, let's figure out
how to make that happen.

"I'VE REALIZED THAT MY TRAINING,
HUSTLE, AND WILLINGNESS TO VENTURE
INTO THE UNKNOWN MEANS AS MUCH
IN THE BACKCOUNTRY AS IT DOES IN A
BRAND PROGRAM'S VISION."

KAYA L I N D SAY

Higher Power

to Portland for a Nike marketing
gig that would forever inform my
work. Ten years ago, in Spain, I
began a journey of ancestral travel
meant to understand my multiracial heritage. And 20 years back,
I moved from Playa del Rey to
Fresno, California, beginning the
uncomfortable journey of adolescence in a world that seemed to tell
me how I should be, what I should
do, and where I belonged.
I'd navigated myself to the top of
this big volcanic cono with chutzpah, my snowboard, and maps
from Chilean friends-but I'm not
sure I was truly "alone." My father's
spirit, my mother's wisdom, and
guidance from friends and mentors kept pushing me. The divine
hilarity of the araucaria (monkey
puzzle) trees teased me. What else
would I find if I kept going up?
On that summit in late 2014, I
uncovered aspects of my true self.
I realized that my values-family,
community, lifelong learning, the
preservation of outdoor places-
drove not just my approach to life,
but also work. Whether I was adventuring with my nomadic band
of climber and skier friends in the
Sierra or the Andes, studying sociopolitical movements in Colorado or
California, or rekindling the same
sense of exploration that spurred
my ancestors to travel from Mexico, Spain, and the Philippines to
the U.S., I found that community
always creates a container for belonging, purpose, and identity.

The Daily - Day 1 - June 18, 2019

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