Who we are

Founder

Natalya Garden (she/her) is an Australian born woman of Scottish, Irish and New Zealand heritage. Born on the lands of the Turrabal and Jagerra people, raised on Kabi Kabi country in South East Queensland, she has been living on Dja Dja Wurrung country in Central Victoria for 11 years. She is a parent with lived experience of disability, natural disaster recovery and trauma.

She has qualifications in both therapeutic practice and mountain biking instruction/guiding. The motivation to offer Mountain Bike Therapy developed from her firsthand experience of the benefits of bike riding for wellbeing. While learning MTB Skills as a student she found that mountain biking could foster confidence and courage in other areas of life, as well as building resilience and empowerment. She has been riding a bike since she was three years old and MTBing for twenty years.

Natalya is also the co-founder of the bike shop Rad Cycles and Gear. Her experience includes the following roles: MTB Coach and Castlemaine Program Manager for Trailhead Coaching; President and Women’s Social Ride Coordinator for Castlemaine Rocky Riders MTB club; MTB Coach for the Bendigo Mountain Bike Club’s 2Wheel Academy, a junior development program; Family Violence Counsellor and a Therapeutic Practitioner in a Family Services program; Community Arts Facilitator for Arts Access Australia and Wild @ HeART Community Arts; Arts Therapist in Supported Residential Services for EACH.

When not riding, she makes art about riding and can be see making art on bike rides and also wearing her art when riding.