Alex Simonian

Alex is the founder of Primal Awakening. Through her company, she leads and supports experiences designed to foster connection, often with deep focus on wilderness. Her work is whimsical and widespread- taking her on distant adventures and allowing her to bring pieces of herself into the experiences she creates. 

​

Alex is an artist, a chef, an environmental educator, and a yoga teacher, but she feels most aligned in the role of retreat lead. The journey to retreats began over a decade ago, but the long path didn’t always look so clear. Alex worked her way through many roles, soaking up as much knowledge as she could in the worlds of yoga and wilderness guiding. With a lot of bravery and a little reluctance, she led her first retreat in Moab, Utah in 2024. Nothing went as planned…and yet she never looked back since. 

As a leader and teacher, Alex is playful, dynamic, and authentic. She encourages students to be true to themselves and immerse themselves in practice.  Her bubbly personality brings inviting warmth to the space she holds, allowing those she leads to feel open and comfortable while exploring their edges. Alex craves connection, and has given herself the title of “connectress.” Through her offerings, she weaves tenants of earth, community, and self love into the gifts she creates for the world.

Hannah Joy Miller 

Born and raised in Detroit, Hannah Joy has been sharing her love of movement and life for as long as she can remember. In 2015, she moved to Colorado to weave her love of wellness, wilderness, and art to create a life that aligned with her passions.  In 2021, she started The Joy Movement. This creation was born from a dream of supporting people taking the rebellious step towards reconnecting to joy and living life while they’re alive! Her energetic and creative spirit strives to encourage those around her to be curious and adventurous on and off their mats. She is passionate about empowering others to deepen their understanding of self through functional movement, proper breathing, mindfulness, and of course, PLAY! 

Hannah has been curating and leading events for over 6 years. She has led multiple women’s boot camps, taught to large festival crowds, and assisted teacher trainings and retreats. Her experience in the event industry has inspired her to create her own retreats that align closely with her values. This retreat will be her first time curating an event start to finish, and she cannot wait to share her joy for backcountry creativity with you!  retreats and events.