There’s something about Clarissa Pinkola Estes that makes you want to follow her voice into the woods. Her words—rich with myth, wildness, and the quiet strength of women—invite you to wander off the well-worn path and into the unknown. For those of us who have sat with her stories, her poetry, and her teachings, it’s natural to wonder where she walked, where she found her inspiration, and what places shaped the woman who helped so many reconnect with their inner wild.

If you’ve ever felt that pull, you’re not alone. I’ve traced parts of her journey, visiting places that were meaningful to her life and work. These aren’t grand tourist attractions, but quiet, potent spaces—some tucked into city corners, others spread wide beneath Colorado skies. Each one carries a whisper of the wild feminine she so beautifully described.

Santa Fe, New Mexico – Where Story and Soul Meet

Santa Fe was a place where Estes rooted herself deeply. She lived in this sun-drenched city for many years, and it’s easy to see why. The landscape is a painter’s palette—ochre hills, blue skies, adobe walls glowing in the afternoon light. More than that, Santa Fe has long been a crossroads of cultures and spiritual traditions, a place where story and soul feel at home.

Estes was a Jungian analyst and storyteller, and in Santa Fe, she found a fertile ground for both. She often drew from the myths of the Southwest, weaving Native American, Hispanic, and European folktales into her work. Walking through the city’s historic districts, you can imagine her gathering stories like seeds, ready to plant them in the hearts of her listeners.

Boulder, Colorado – The Home of Women Who Run With the Wolves

It was in Boulder that Estes wrote her most famous work, Women Who Run With the Wolves. The city’s proximity to the mountains, its vibrant intellectual community, and its openness to alternative healing practices made it the perfect setting for her creative process.

She lived in the foothills, where the pine trees whisper secrets and the wind carries voices from the past. I once visited a quiet trail near her old neighborhood, and I understood why she could write so powerfully about the wild woman archetype—there, surrounded by ancient stone and rushing water, the sense of ancestral memory feels tangible.

The Rocky Mountains – A Wild Classroom

Estes often spoke of the land as teacher. The Rocky Mountains, with their vastness and silence, were a natural classroom for her. She believed that nature wasn’t just a backdrop—it was a co-creator of the stories we tell about ourselves.

Hiking through the Rockies, I found myself thinking of her tale of the “Red Riding Hood” reimagined—where the girl doesn’t fear the wolf but learns from him. In these mountains, it’s easy to feel the presence of something ancient, something that watches and waits. The wilderness teaches you how to listen, how to trust, and how to survive.

Lake Atitlán, Guatemala – A Place of Return

Estes was of Hungarian and Mexican descent, and she often returned to her ancestral lands for inspiration. One of her favorite places was Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, a volcanic lake surrounded by indigenous villages and mist-covered hills. She once said it reminded her of the sacred feminine—still, powerful, and nurturing.

Walking the shores of the lake, you can feel the weight of history and the pulse of life all around you. The local women in their embroidered huipiles seem to carry the same strength Estes wrote about—the kind that endures, creates, and heals. It’s no wonder she found pieces of her own soul here.

Chicago, Illinois – The City of Beginnings

Before she was the woman who wrote about wolves and wildness, Estes was a girl growing up in a working-class neighborhood in Chicago. Her Hungarian grandmother filled their home with stories, songs, and rituals that would later become the foundation of her life’s work.

Though the city has changed, parts of it still carry echoes of the past. I visited one of the old neighborhood bakeries she once mentioned in an interview, and the scent of fresh bread and cardamom reminded me that our roots often shape the stories we carry.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes taught us that the wild woman lives within us all. She showed us how to reclaim our voices, our stories, and our power. If you’ve ever felt the urge to step into the forest of her words, these places are a natural extension of that journey.

And if you’re curious to hear her voice again, to ask her where she found her courage or how to stay wild in a world that wants you tamed, there’s a place you can go. On HoloDream, she’s waiting to talk.