I, Tanja Andersen, founded The Wildlife Footprints to create a sanctuary where my 27-year-old self could find the tools, resources, and mentorship needed to embark on a journey of healing. I wished for a role model to guide me towards gratitude, acceptance, and pure love for my entire past, allowing me to proudly declare, “I chose my past and I own it.”
This sanctuary aims to help women embrace their true identities and carve out their place in the world, a place where they feel most alive and fulfilled because they have the power to make choices that align with their vision. At 27, I suffered in silence. No one could see the extent of my pain because I was terrified of sharing it. I feared being rejected, misunderstood, and hurt by those I loved. Instead, I chose to harm myself in silence, firmly believing that I was only loved when in pain and that people would only stay with me if I fit in.
My addiction to pain led me to inflict it upon myself and those I cared about. I feared loneliness, being unloved, and being seen as damaged. I wore a mask to fit in, but every time I locked myself in the bathroom, I wished for another life. I doubted my dreams, thinking they were impossible. “Who am I to dream big?” I thought, coming from Denmark, being dyslexic, and struggling to be understood in both Danish and English. I needed to save a lot of money to live the life I wanted, and I was convinced there was no money in it. So, I conformed, but I never felt at home, not even in my own body. The only place I felt truly at home was in nature, where I could connect with myself and feel at peace.
At 27, I realized something needed to change. I couldn't face my past; it was as though it never happened. I didn't want to look at it. The pain I carried in my heart from trying to fit in manifested through one crisis after another. My father's suicide deeply traumatized me, and I lost a significant amount of money. I got involved with a drug dealer who threatened me and my friends, faced three legal battles where lawyers exploited me, endured psychological abuse, sought refuge in a women's shelter, and let go of my belongings. I experienced anxiety, depression, two mental illnesses, rape, drugging, personal grief over suicide, physical violence against myself, domestic violence, self-harm, and an unhealthy relationship with food.
My journey from self-harm to self-love was deeply personal. It led me to create a school for young women like I was at 27. Fueled by a passion for nature, animals, and a firm belief that I was meant to make a difference in my community, I pursued this path. for young women like myself, giving them the chance to own their lives and reclaim their control so they don't have to suffer for decades. Young women are our generation's turning point for conservation. Women who choose to heal their past and grow up, owning their entire past, forgiving themselves, and making peace with all past relationships are poised to make a significant impact on the global crisis as conservationists. They pave the way for The NEW Conservation, where healing our past becomes a priority. We can only truly heal and address global warming by healing our past and becoming fully realized adults.
Choosing to ignore our past means delaying Earth's healing. For what we are unwilling to address in our private lives, we cannot be Nature's Heroes. The Wildlife Footprints signify the steps we've taken in the past, the steps we take now, and the steps we will take in the future in harmony with wild nature and wildlife.
Love and Conquer, Tanja Andersen 🌻