Public Lands = Public Health

Reciprocity Rx™ is a nature-based care initiative for reconnecting with self, community, and the planet through the rhythms of Receive, Reflect, Return, Reconnect.

A private community with no ads, no algorithm, and no doomscroll vibes. Just People + Place + Practice.

What is Reciprocity Rx?

Reciprocity Rx™ is for people who know nature helps us heal, and want a way to practice that support with more consistency and care.

It’s for the parts of you that are tired of pushing through.
It’s for the part of you that still believes relationship can be medicine.

choose your own adventure:

Join the Collective

A private place to land, practice, and stay connected to the work without noise or performance.

get the free toolkit
Community Challenge

The Reciprocity Rx™ Community Challenge is your invitation to reconnect with the land, your community, and yourself.

join now!
Enroll in Foundations

A guided, deeper path through Reciprocity Rx™ with support, structure, and community.

registration closes March 30
Immersive Experiences

Retreats, trainings, and workshops for individuals and organizations.

view upcoming events

Join the Collective

New here? Start free in the Collective + get the Toolkit.

When you’re ready for deeper support, Foundations is here.

Foundations is the guided version of the work.
It’s where we slow down enough to notice patterns, practice new rhythms, and build a relationship with reciprocity that holds up in real life.

Explore Foundations

You’ll leave with:

A lived relationship with the 4Rs
A steady personal practice rooted in People + Place + Practice
Language for boundaries, belonging, rest, and return that feels true in your body
Optional bridge: translating the work into what you offer your community or clients

Our retreats are built in relationship with place.

For the part of you that wants to stop managing logistics and start receiving.

We gather to walk, reflect, return care through stewardship, and reconnect in community. Real rest. Real relationship. Practices you can bring home.

2026 Retreats

Biscayne/Everglades, Virgin Islands, Redwood National Parks, and more!
Nature-based healing experiences across a variety of ecosystems — from mangroves and coral reefs to ancient redwoods and Caribbean coastlines. For those ready to deepen their relationship with self, place, and community.

See All Retreats
Providers: North Cascades Institute

JUNE 24-28, 2026
North Cascades Institute - Washington
This track includes full access to the Foundations program and a 5-day immersive retreat for care providers. You’ll receive the restorative benefits of time in the wilderness, engage in stewardship projects, and leave with clarity for patient, client, and community care.
Facilitators: Sydney Williams, Barry Williams, Melissa Sundermann, DO, FACOI, DipABLM, FACLM (aka Doctor Outdoors)

Learn More
Reciprocity Rx™ Challenge: Tumanguya Trek

JULY 29–AUGUST 8, 2026
Service Project + Backpacking Trip
Start with a stewardship project in Sequoia National Park, then embark on a 75-mile journey to the summit of Tumanguya (Paiute name for Mount Whitney).
💚 No prior backpacking experience required - we’re teaming up with Chris Casado and TSX Challenge to help you prepare mentally and physically for this adventure.
Facilitators: Sydney Williams, Barry Williams

join the challenge
Pathfinders: Glacier National Park

SEPTEMBER 17–22, 2026
Glacier National Park, MT
Designed for people from all walks of life who are curious about the healing power of nature or looking to deepen their practice. The Pathfinders track explores the 4Rs framework in community and under open skies in Glacier National Park, hosted at the Glacier Institute.
Facilitators: Sydney Williams, Barry Williams

Learn More

Program Facilitators

We’re here for you.

ABOUT SYDNEY
Sydney Williams is a keynote speaker, author, and advocate whose journey from a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis and unresolved trauma to the wild trails of self‑discovery turned into a mission: to rekindle our relationship with the land, each other, and ourselves.
After more than a decade in digital communications — launching campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and crafting social stories — Sydney traded the boardroom for backcountry trails. Her first major backpacking trips across Catalina Island ignited a realization: healing isn’t just something we find in nature — it is something we practice with it.
In 2018 she founded Hiking My Feelings (HMF), a nonprofit designed to make nature‑based wellness accessible, inclusive, and relational. Under her leadership, HMF has guided thousands of participants through trails, stories, and transformative experiences.
Today, as the founder of Wellness in the Wilderness Consulting and creator of Reciprocity Rx™, Sydney blends lifestyle medicine, somatic reflection, and land‑based learning into a growing library of free resources and an eight‑month certification program that empowers providers, public‑lands professionals, and community stewards to integrate nature‑informed care into their work.
Sydney holds certifications as a Wilderness First Responder and has facilitated field‑based workshops across national parks and protected landscapes. Her work has been featured in BBC, Health Magazine, Psychology Today, HuffPost, and on the SXSW and Public Lands Alliance Conference stages.
She lives between the trailhead and the campfire, believing that when we slow down, look around, and lean into the land, the next step isn’t just for us — it’s for the Earth we belong to.

A man with a beard wearing a navy jacket, sunglasses on his cap, and a wristwatch stands near a lake with a mountainous background.

ABOUT BARRY
Barry Williams went from high-rises to high altitudes — trading a tech career on Manhattan’s Upper East Side for a trailer in the backwoods of Maine after a single skydiving experience changed the trajectory of his life. Within 18 months of that first jump, he left the world of Fortune 100 clients behind to pursue instructor ratings in the skydiving industry, eventually building a 16-year career as a professional skydiver and mentor.
Originally from New Hampshire, Barry grew up hiking and backpacking in the White Mountains, where he also earned his Wilderness EMT certification. Today, he brings that same sense of adventure, adaptability, and calm under pressure to his work as co-founder of Hiking My Feelings and Wellness in the Wilderness (WITW) Consulting.
Barry is the behind-the-scenes engine and on-the-ground support — co-leading hikes, facilitating retreats, documenting our programs and events with photos and pictures, and ensuring participants feel safe, seen, and supported in the outdoors. He also helps design and deliver custom wellness experiences for public lands agencies, corporate teams, and nonprofit partners, weaving stewardship, story, and movement into every offering.
Inspired by the teachings of Bruce Lee, Alan Watts, and Jiddu Krishnamurti, Barry lives by the mantra “be like water.” Whether he’s cooking a soulful meal, hiking at the pace of purpose, or capturing the perfect moments shared under the stars, Barry shows up with presence — and invites others to do the same.

A smiling woman in a white medical coat with a stethoscope around her neck, pointing at her name badge that reads 'Sundermann DO, DipABLM, Internal Medicine.' She is wearing a pink and blue winter hat and standing outdoors with snow and trees in the background.

ABOUT MELISSA
Dr. Melissa Sundermann is a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine with over 25 years of experience in medical practice. She has advanced training in Integrative Medicine from the University of Michigan and has completed a Professional Training Program in Mind-Body Medicine through the Center for Mind-Body Medicine. Dr. Sundermann believes in a holistic, patient-centered approach, empowering individuals to heal through self-care and the pillars of Lifestyle Medicine.
Widely recognized as “Doctor Outdoors,” she is a leading expert in Nature as Medicine and serves as the Founding Chair of the Nature as Medicine subcommittee for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She is also the Chair of the Global Wellness Institute’s Lifestyle Medicine Initiative, where she works to expand global awareness of evidence-based lifestyle interventions.
Currently, Dr. Sundermann is the Medical Director of Lifestyle Medicine for Corewell Health System. She also serves as an Advisor for Social Prescribing USA, Project Reconnect at UCLA, and InCaria — lending her expertise to initiatives at the forefront of community health, integrative healing, and innovative well-being solutions. Previously, she specialized in Longevity and Lifestyle Medicine with Lifespan Medicine and Canyon Ranch Wellness Resort. In addition to her clinical work, she is the co-founder of REVIVE! Lifestyle Medicine Well-Being Coaching and Retreats, and contributes educational content to several leading health and wellness organizations.
Her recently released book, Doctor Outdoors’ Guide to Nature and Lifestyle Medicine, offers readers a transformative blend of science, stories, and strategies to reclaim health through the healing power of the natural world.
A lifelong outdoor enthusiast, Dr. Sundermann finds inspiration and healing in running, biking, hiking, skiing, and immersing herself in nature. She is a 12-time Boston Marathon finisher, a 3-time Full Ironman Triathlon finisher, and is currently training for upcoming ultramarathons. She firmly believes that “age is not your cage” and is dedicated to helping others cultivate vitality, resilience, and joy at every stage of life.

PLUS guest experts in lifestyle medicine, change management, community engagement, public administration, and conservation!

Program Advisors

Together, we rise.

Vanessa Bright, LMSW

Author, Executive Director
Maryland Reentry Resource Center
Thomas Bryer, PhD

Pegasus Professor
School of Public Administration
University of Central Florida
Wayne S. Dysinger, MD, MPH

Chief Medical Officer
Blue Zones Health
Caleb Gardner

Author, Keynote Speaker, Entrepreneur
18 Coffees
Rhiannon Kileen, MSN, RN, CEN, CPHQ

UVA Trauma Program - Performance Improvement Coordinator
UVA Health
Tara Marko, PhD RN

Assistant Professor of Nursing
and NICU Nurse
Gabaccia Moreno

Storyteller, Consultant, Facilitator
The Outdoorist Oath, Outward Bound USA
Diem Nguyen, MD, FAAP

Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF Fresno
General Pediatrics - Neuropediatrics
Anticipated Fellow of Pediatric Integrative Medicine, APIM
Georgie Pongyesva

Hopi
Speaker, Consultant, Founder
Rezcycling
Will "Akuna" Robinson

Keynote Speaker, Consultant, US Army Veteran
First Black Male to Earn Triple Crown
PCT 2017, AT 2018, CDT 2019, TRT/AZT 2021
Natalie Small, LMFT

Surf Therapy Visionary, Founder
Groundswell Community Project
Groundswell Institute
Autumn Subers

Volunteer Director
Redwood Parks Conservancy
Lailani Upham-Bear Chief

Amskapi Pikuni (Blackfeet Nation) member + Aaniiih, Nakoda, Dakota tribal descent
President + Lead Creative
Iron Shield Creative
Gary Ware, PCC

Author, Keynote Speaker, Creative Catalyst
Breakthrough Play
...and more on the way!

Meet more of our program advisors and guest experts at the Open House on November 12 - RSVP here!

For teams and organizations

If you’re holding a lot as a team, Reciprocity Rx™ offers a grounded way to reconnect to purpose, place, and each other.

work with us

Outcomes you can look forward to:

Less burnout and more sustainable ways of showing up
Stronger team trust, clearer boundaries, and shared language
Place-based stewardship that turns values into action

Tall pine trees in front of a rugged mountain peak with some clouds in the sky.

Let's Connect -

We’d love to hear from you.
Whether you have a question, a story to share, or a spark of inspiration about how to bring Reciprocity Rx™ to your community, reach out. This work is rooted in relationship, and every connection matters.