Five Things I Learned from the Nature-Based Coaching Skills Course
I’ve recently completed a deeply enriching Nature-Based Coaching Skills course with James Farrell at The Natural Coaching Company. It’s been a profound experience — not just professionally, but personally. Here are five key insights I’ve taken from this journey that I’d love to share.
- Disconnection is a Journey — So is Reconnection
One of the most powerful takeaways has been understanding the historical journey that’s led many of us away from nature. From the Enlightenment’s rationalism to the industrial revolution’s speed and efficiency — and now the constant pull of digital devices — we’ve slowly but surely grown apart from the living world around us.
This disconnection isn’t just philosophical. It underpins many of today’s most pressing challenges — burnout, mental health struggles, a sense of purposelessness. Contrast the sterile hum of an office with the scent of pine trees after rain. Or the light of a screen with the warmth of a fire. The body knows the difference — and it responds.
Nature invites slowness, presence, relationship. The more we prepare food over a fire, breathe deeply in a forest, or notice the textures of the land, the more we remember something essential about who we are.
- There’s Solid Science Behind All This
This isn’t just romanticism. The benefits of nature connection are well evidenced. Physiologically, being in nature lowers cortisol, reduces blood pressure, improves immunity, and supports emotional regulation. Psychologically, it enhances mood, supports resilience, and even boosts pro-environmental behaviour.
And connection matters more than contact. Being with nature — through senses, emotion, beauty, meaning, and compassion — creates deeper wellbeing than simply being in nature. These are known as the Five Pathways to Nature Connectedness and they provide a practical and inspiring structure for personal growth and coaching alike.
Even elements like fractals, phytoncides, and soil microbes (like the wonderfully named Mycobacterium vaccae) have measurable impacts on our physical and emotional health. It’s a reminder that our bodies evolved with — not apart from — the Earth.
- You Are What You Practice
This course reminded me of Aristotle’s wisdom: we are what we repeatedly do. I’ve found myself more and more drawn to simple outdoor rituals — a morning sit spot, breathing with the trees, gentle movement under the open sky. At first it took discipline. Now it feels like a return.
These small but consistent practices are changing how I show up — as a coach, a mentor, and a human being. They’re making me more grounded, more open, more attuned. And I notice that my clients benefit too. Whether I’m supporting leaders, teams, or other coaches, being rooted in nature changes the depth and presence I bring to the work.
- Nature Isn’t Just the Setting — It’s the Partner
One of the course’s more radical and beautiful ideas is this: nature isn’t just a backdrop for coaching. It’s a co-coach. A participant. A presence.
Trees, rivers, birdsong, and seasons all hold wisdom. In many cultures — and increasingly in coaching — there’s recognition that the more-than-human world has agency. This shift in perspective is subtle, but profound. It invites humility. It creates space for the unexpected. It changes the power dynamic.
And it asks a powerful question: What would it mean to coach for nature?
- Coaching for Nature — Not Just in It
The IPBES report that we explored early in the course makes it clear: reconnecting human beings with nature is essential if we’re to meet the climate and ecological challenges ahead. Not optional. Essential.
I believe coaching has a role to play. By helping people slow down, reflect, reconnect, and remember their place in the web of life, we contribute to a shift in values. And when people reconnect, they begin to care. They begin to act. Studies show that people with strong nature connectedness are significantly more likely to behave in pro-environmental way.
So whether I’m guiding someone through a transition, leading a retreat, or holding a space for a team to pause and breathe — I’m now also quietly working for nature. That feels like purpose.
Final Thought
If you’re a coach, I wholeheartedly recommend this course. It’s rigorous, beautifully held, and profoundly timely. And if you’re someone who simply feels a little disconnected right now — from purpose, from presence, or from the planet — perhaps nature-based coaching could help.
I’d be very happy to talk. Just reach out.
Let’s keep reconnecting — with ourselves, each other, and the living world that sustains us all.
🌱 Further Reading & Resources
If this post sparks something in you, here are five books that have either shaped my journey or are firmly rooted in the science and soul of this work:
- “Reconnecting with Nature” – Michael J. Cohen
A foundational text in ecopsychology, this book introduces the concept of our 54 natural senses and offers practical ways to restore our bond with the Earth. - “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” – Robin Wall Kimmerer
A lyrical and powerful weaving of indigenous ways of knowing, botany, and ecological reciprocity. This book is both science and story, reminding us how to live in right relationship with the natural world. - “The Biophilia Hypothesis” – E.O. Wilson & Stephen Kellert (Editors)
A scholarly but deeply poetic collection of essays arguing that humans have an innate love for life and the natural world — and why that matters. - “Losing Eden” – Lucy Jones
A moving blend of memoir and research, exploring how our separation from the natural world affects our mental and emotional wellbeing — and how reconnection can heal. - “Reconnection: Fixing Our Broken Relationship with Nature” – Miles Richardson (2023)
A vital, evidence-based guide from one of the leading researchers in the field. Richardson distills years of study into a hopeful and practical call to deepen our nature connectedness — with tools drawn from the Five Pathways model.
