Into the Wilderness: How Alice TJ Built a Values-Based Life and Business from the Ground Up
“I wanted to build a life around what made me feel most alive—not what made the most sense on paper.”
Alice Turpin-Johnson didn’t become a relationship coach because it was the obvious next step. She left a stable teaching job with no clear plan, moved into a Mazda with her partner, and spent the next two years climbing, camping, and living as close to nature as possible. Her path into coaching, like much of her life, wasn’t linear. But it was deeply intentional.
Now, Alice helps people through one of the most emotionally charged decisions in their lives: whether to stay in or leave a relationship. Her coaching isn’t about giving advice—it’s about creating space for clarity. Space that so few people feel permitted to take.
She’s Always Had a Wilderness Inside Her
From childhood, Alice felt most at home in “bigger nature”—wild forests, beaches, redwoods. Her parents encouraged her love of the outdoors, but it was more than a hobby. It became the north star of her life. She didn’t choose a college based on rankings—she chose it based on its proximity to wild landscapes. And when adult life started to feel too confined, she followed that same compass to locate herself again.
The word wilderness means more to Alice than nature. It’s how she describes the complexity of our inner world—the parts of ourselves that aren’t polished or logical, but deeply true. It’s also how she views relationships: as living, wild spaces that deserve curiosity rather than control. That value is at the heart of everything she does.
From Classroom to Clarity
Alice’s previous career as a classroom teacher left little room for that kind of spaciousness. While she loved her students and the act of teaching itself, the relentless structure and long hours left her burned out. “It just didn’t work for me,” she says. “That rhythm of life wasn’t sustainable.”
So she walked into the unknown. She and her partner packed up and hit the road, spending months living simply and sleeping under the stars. That season of freedom wasn’t just healing, it was formative. It gave her the time and clarity to build a business that supported the life she actually wanted, instead of squeezing her life around a job.
I wanted to interview Alice because so many people claim to want a job that fuels their life, but they are still working 40 hours, the grand majority of their waking hours. I have been so impressed by how Alice truly gets rigorous in the amount of time she lets her work take up (and she loves her work!).
Structure That Makes Space
Today, Alice works one-on-one with clients who are navigating relationship transitions. She only takes client calls three days a week, leaving the rest of her time open to be shaped by her energy, the seasons, and—often—her surf schedule.
It wasn’t easy to set those boundaries from the start. “I was scared people wouldn’t work with me,” she admits. But she also knew that if she didn’t build her business around her values, she’d end up back in the same cycle she left. And so she did the brave thing—while still being scared.
For anyone dreaming of a slower, more intentional life, Alice’s story offers living proof that you don’t have to become someone else to build something new. You just have to trust yourself enough to listen.
She’s Not Just Coaching Clients—She’s Modeling What’s Possible
At the heart of Alice’s story is a reminder that living a values-based life is possible—but it often requires trade-offs. It might mean redefining success. Saying no to more income in exchange for more time. Letting go of societal expectations in favor of inner alignment.
If her journey is any indication, the rewards are worth it.
When you know what truly matters to you—and you build from that place—you create a business that beautifully symbiotically supports the life you want to live.
