Felicia Snyder, Co-Founder, arcana

Felicia Snyder, Arcana

Tell us about your company and what inspired you to start it

arcana is the pursuit of returning to a wild state of being. We host people looking for new perspectives in beautifully natural settings. We combine self-guided wellness programming with the physical experience of architecturally striking, small footprint cabins embedded in nature.

We’re a large founding team - all of whom were able to connect over the idea that spending time in nature made us all feel some version of better - less stressed, more grounded - and gave us an important shift in perspective. We set out to build an experience that facilitates that shift, but doesn’t compromise on design.

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How specifically does it relate to sustainable design, production and/or consumption?

We’ve spent nearly two years refining how we build our cabins & what materials we use. Throughout this process we’ve partnered with the amazing team at Hummingbird Hill. They are PassiveHouse & WELL certified builders. This means design decisions are made not only to minimise our impact on the built environment, but also to improve quality of air, water & light in our structures to facilitate better sleep and support wellbeing.

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What community or customer behaviors are you hoping to create or reinforce?

Time in nature is a readily available tool for mental health. Benefits start with as little as twenty minutes a day spent walking in a city park. By letting our guests fully immerse & reconnect with nature, we hope they are reminded of the importance of dedicating time to reconnect with themselves. We hope they pick up small rituals from their time at arcana that they can integrate into their lives back home. On a macro level, we also know that the more time people spend in nature, the kinder they are to it.

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What is one of the most helpful or enlightening lessons you’ve learned along the way?

Pushing people outside their comfort zone and introducing intentional speed bumps is a risk, but ultimately necessary if you want to create memorable experiences and change behaviours.

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