Married to Paradise One Woman's Courageous Journey of Intuition, Passion, and Purpose to Build an Eco Lodge in the Rainforest

Thirty years ago, a young Colorado ski racer falls in love with the freedom and sensuality of a remote Costa Rican rainforest. However, unlike most of us who return home from our tropical vacations, she sets out to make this sensation her life, and to help others experience it. With her own hands, and the help of a Costa Rican boyfriend, she builds an ecolodge in the remote rainforest of Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula.

During her journey, a tractor trailer rolls over on her, breaking her leg in four places, her house burns to the ground, and she completely runs out of money. These calamities only strengthen her resolve. In the end, she succeeds in building a lodge praised by media ranging from Travel + Leisure to CNN, and in helping people from all over the world experience one of the most biologically diverse places on earth. She also creates the nonprofit Whitehawk Foundation to save the Osa rainforest.

Lana Wedmore has lived a life of unrelenting adventure, eschewing convention and embracing the unknown. She is a dynamic speaker and natural inspirer, who has worked in Costa Rica tourism for thirty years. She set up a program to save sea turtles and the Whitehawk foundation to preserve parcels of rainforest. Most recently, she was elected Vice President of the Wellness Association, which works hand-in-hand with the Costa Rica Institute of Tourism to help businesses provide wellness activities such as meditation and yoga to travelers. She also helped plan and build the first bamboo sustainable school in Costa Rica. Lana is a certified shaman, Reiki Master, and yoga instructor.