about animate

Mentoring For All stages of Life

Our Story

 Animate Mentoring’s inception dates back to 1983 when Dan Davis first started working in professional camping.

The first decade of Dan’s work was all about the fun of learning and growing at summer camp and in the outdoors. 

The second decade was focused on the professional aspects of youth and parent development.  Dan learned the ins and outs of risk management, program and staff development, team building, and family enrichment. Some of Dan’s teachers were the exceptional staff and owners at Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain, NC, and the camp professionals at the American Camp Association.

The third decade was a blending of heart, mind, and body. After three decades of work in one field, Dan began to see deeper roots take hold, and that tends to lead to some new growth and callings. Dan built on the connection between leaving home and being welcomed into a safe place where something new can take hold. 

With these emerging insights, Dan added the Father/Son and Catalyst programs at Camp Rockmont. This “leaving home” is a pilgrimage of sorts. Many times we have to leave home from  “business as usual” to allow necessary growth to take place. There are things you cannot learn in your front yard, school, or sanctuary…

When you have the courage to launch out into a bigger story, new things start to happen.

Animate Mentoring was born during the early stages of COVID-19 when the ability to travel or be indoors with others was limited.

Today, Dan continues to work with Camp Rockmont's seasonal programs while leading Animate Mentoring, walking with individuals and families throughout the year to bring year-round encouragement, clarity, and direction.

Those who work with Animate Mentoring will have holistic, faith-centered mentorship as they encounter the challenges each transition brings.

They are encouraged and relieved to have a trusted guide as they navigate through the uncharted territory of a new life stage. This critical support allows them to live more fully awake, attentive to the work God is doing, leading to a healthy transition and a deeper understanding of who they are called to be.

Men's Mentoring Group In Asheville + Black Mountain

 The essence of Animate Mentoring’s work is captured in this poem by Dawna Markova – a foundational text of many of our programs… 

I will not die an unlived life.

I will not live in fear

of falling or catching fire.

I choose to inhabit my days,

to allow my living to open me,

to make me less afraid, 

more accessible;

to loosen my heart

until it becomes a wing,

a torch, a promise.

I choose to risk my significance,

to live so that which came to me as seed

goes to the next as blossom,

and that which came to me as blossom,

goes on as fruit.  

We guide others through our five core principles.

  • White Lantern With One Line of Light

    Clarity

    Know what you’re trying to accomplish.

  • White Lantern With One Line of Light

    Commitment

    Guiding values and principles.

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Our Team

Frequently Asked Questions

  • A trusted relationship between a seasoned, knowledgeable guide and someone needing support. The mentor understands the person’s hopes, challenges, and relationships, and shares insight to help the person reach their goals, cultivate healthy relationships, and thrive through life’s transitions.

  • An Animate mentor has a holistic approach to mentoring, not only focused on an individual’s personal fulfillment or goal achievement like a life coach does. Instead we seek to cultivate significant relationships in a person’s life, involving others in the mentorship journey as needed. The ultimate goal is to help a person contribute meaningfully to the world, not only achieve personal goals.

    Though Animate walks with people through difficult circumstances, an Animate mentor does not provide clinical counseling to its clients. We are trusted guides along life’s journey because of our experience and knowledge in mentorship; we are not licensed therapists.

  • Our faith in God is the foundation for our work. We believe every person is created in God’s image, and is fiercely loved by God. We recognize that when we understand our identity as God’s beloved, we are more “fully awake” as we live our lives, and can meaningfully contribute, making our world better. We believe God’s work is much broader than we can ever imagine, and we work with people of all faiths.

  • No, we mentor folks from all over the country in a variety of ways - over the phone, on Zoom calls, as well as in person.

 Let’s Walk Together

If you are in a season of transition and want to explore what having a mentor could look like for you, reach out to us! We would be honored to walk with you.