Reconnecting with nature in Finnish Lapland - with Eveliina Tistelgren

From Finnish Lapland, a woman who left big city life to reconnect with her roots in nature, among lakes and forests. We’re excited to introduce Eveliina Tistelgren—an entrepreneur, wellness coach, yoga instructor, and mother. Continue reading to learn more about this inspiring woman, her journey, and how she found magic in her life.

Hi Eveliina! You are a wellness coach, yoga instructor, and mother, with several years of experience in coaching. Additionally, you have a strong background in the fitness industry. Is there anything else you would like us to know about you?

Hi everyone and thank you for having me here. <3
We live in Finnish Lapland with my family and soon the 5th winter here starts for us. I've been an entrepreneur already for 11 years and have been doing a lot of different things - mostly around sports, well-being, and now a lot around yoga too (and motherhood!). I've also done social media for over 13 years and started with a fitness/wellness blog back in 2011.

I love to challenge myself in different ways but at the same time I want to live in tune with nature and women's cycle. I have a strong connection to my intuition and heart - and I want to live by connecting those since it has always been the best way to live. I believe in magic in everyday life and within every one of us. I hope to bring a stronger connection to our nature, to ourselves, to love - with everything I do in my work. That's why I'm also committed to my own healing and growth. Everything starts from within.

And if someone is interested, I'm a projector in HD and my zodiac signs are Capricorn (sun & rising) and Pisces (moon).

Eveliina is wearing the green Emma Shell Jacket in size S.

Tell us a bit more about your life journey and what brought you to move to Lapland?

My roots are actually in Eastern Finland, in a very small village in the middle of lakes and forests. I grew up there and we moved to Southern Finland and bigger cities after I was 10 years old. When I was 22 I wanted to move to Helsinki to take bigger steps in my coaching and social media career. I loved it there and got a lot forward in my career but also suffered burnout and towards the end (6-7 years) I started to feel that I would love to live somewhere closer to nature. I wanted to start and end my days in my own backyard hearing the birds sing and the wind blowing.

But how did I end up in Lapland straight from the Helsinki center? Well, when I ended my sports career at the end of 2019 I decided to go to yoga teacher training and spend some time in Bali. That trip was very life-changing since I had time to really think about what I wanted now, after my sports career. I got back home and didn't feel good to live in Helsinki anymore. Everything was "good" and from the outside, you would say I was successful and happy. But I felt inside that a lot of things needed to change - including my current environment and relationship. I knew I needed to let go and see what would come out of that.

After I let go of "everything" - a lot started to happen in a very short timeline. I met my soulmate, we had some adventures in Lapland and then I just had a strong feeling I needed to move here. And after a few months, I bought a house and moved. First alone and soon my boyfriend moved too. Now 4 years later we still live here and have 2 year old daughter and a dog. There were so many coincidences in that time and also after that - that it really made me believe even more in magic - and love. I could talk about this all day but here's the story in a nutshell.

How has your view on nature and well-being evolved over the years, especially after you moved to Lapland?

As I said my roots are in the middle of the lakeland and forests so I feel I've always had a strong connection to nature. But I truly started to understand the value of it to my well-being after my burnout in 2014. Over the years I've started to understand more my impact and responsibility but actually I truly believe that if we are connected to our own nature - respect for nature comes naturally. After moving to Lapland the connection has of course gotten even stronger and we live even more with nature’s cycles. I also want to make more and more sustainable and conscious choices in my everyday life. That feels good and inspiring.

You have an impressive background in sports and fitness. What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your career, and how did you overcome them?

Yes, I've actually been competing in different sports in my whole life. First in artistic gymnastics and cross-country skiing - later in fitness sport for 8 years where I achieved the world champion title in 2019. Oh - I had a lot of challenges in my career. Burnout, injuries, and balancing with the sports career, entrepreneurship, studies, free time, and relationships. But all of those things very actually a blessing because I really had to face myself in a deeper level and that was the key to growth and achieving my goals.

How do you find adventuring with your child? Are there any specific experiences or insights you've gained from sharing adventures with your family?

We love to adventure with our child! I think that's the easiest way to parent, haha. We do have a van so vanlife has been a big part of our adventures and that has made our life easier since you always have a bed, kitchen, and toilet with you.
My best tips so far are to have more time for everything and "go with the flow" attitude. You can plan but you have to always be willing to give up those plans and make new ones. Also having patient and good snacks with you (for you all!) is essential. :)

What is your best Lapland tip?

Probably my best tip is to pack your backpack with your favorite beverage and snacks and have a day hike (or longer) in the fells. Have the whole day to enjoy the views, silence, and enjoying your snacks or meal up in the fell.
You can do that any time of the year - just with different equipment. It's hard to say a favorite season because I love all of them! Winter is special but so is the early & late summer and autumn time. You should try biking to the fells as well - that is a great way to see more in a shorter time! And remember to try sauna and dip in the cold clear lakes.

You have some Astrid pieces, what do you think of them? Have you found a favorite?

I love them! I really appreciate how much you have spent time making such beautiful, sustainable and functional pieces.
I love all the pieces I have - the jacket, the fleece jacket, pants, merino wool T-shirt. I could live in these every day and would love to have all the colours.
If I have to name my favorite I would say the shell jacket since it's soooo great and good looking! Thank you! <3

Thank you, Eveliina, for sharing your story and telling us more about your life. It’s truly inspiring to hear how you’ve found your way in life by listening to your intuition. To discover more about how Eveliina finds magic in her everyday life in Lapland, make sure to check out her Instagram account. Interested in reading about more wild women finding their way? Read about Frida Augustsson, who challenged her fears, stepped out of her comfort zone, and started living without restraint in this blog post.