Coaching Outdoors

Laura Festa is a mindfulness coach and somatic practitioner whose journey bridges the serene forests of Northern Italy with the vibrant parks of Beijing. With over two decades of cross-cultural experience living and working in China, Laura brings a unique blend of Eastern philosophy, Western coaching frameworks, and deep presence to her clients around the world. Founder of BEING with-in NATURE, La...

“If you'd just seen my room where I work at that time there were hundreds of post-it notes everywhere. There was lots of paper on the floor, from transcripts that have been cut off, highlighted themes clumped together. It was a very dynamic, lengthy and in-depth process, but also really rewarding” – Annabelle Charman. Self-confessed Outdoor Coach Practitioner Annabelle stepped firmly into the...

"Poetry isn't about perfection, it's about presence, allowing words to flow from the heart without judgment or restriction." Frank Bolaji Irawo – The TransFLOWmation Coach, Poet, and Nature Connector Frank Bolaji Irawo is a transformational coach, poet, and advocate for reconnecting with nature. With a rich blend of Nigerian and British cultural influences, Frank’s journey has...

“The street becomes your coach…”  Outdoor arts fundraiser, wordsmith, and curious street wanderer Philip Cowell joins us from Berlin to share the joy of wiggling through life’s big (and small) questions—one walk at a time. You'll hear stories from his squiggly life and career path shaped by accidents and luck through the corporate, sustainability, and creative worlds – from playing on Folksto...

“One of the things that Nature has taught both of us, and I'd say many of my clients is to see and feel the seasons. This is a winter. This is tragic. This is end. This is death. Like the leaves have fallen. It's deep, dark winter, and you know what there's a glimmer of spring out there” - Russ Watts From a whistle and a whisper of wind in the south Sierra mountains in California, a...

“By being in a garden I think we perhaps feel more inspired, more at ease, more connected to each other and to our environment”  Will describes his practice, and his life's inquiry, as 'garden thinking'. His work explores how we can reimagine the Garden's role not only as a physical environment but also as a metaphysical space for cultivating more grounded, nature-based ways of...

“So much serendipity happens when you’re coaching outdoors. Your client  finds themselves in the right spot for that particular moment”  Annie Lee is a force of nature who spreads her boundless energy across a portfolio career as a coach, coach supervisor, International Coach Federation mentor coach, Barefoot Coaching tutor for postgrad in coaching and coaching supervision, and Founder of Nature’s...

“Cartesian philosophy killed our innate spirituality 300 years ago rendering any kind of animistic belief as a childish, laughable fallacy because spiritual experiences cannot be measured, therefore they don't exist.”   Academic at heart Sam has spent a lifetime on a quest to deepen her spiritual beliefs alongside an innate thirst for research-based evidence to satisfy her rational and logica...

“I found a place by a log, just by a creek, and at the time I didn't realise the impact it would have on my future outdoor coaching conversations" Sometimes an unexpected event can impact our future career trajectory. In 2004, Marc pulled over to the side of the road due to an accident and took his client call for his accreditation by a creek. This unplanned first remote outdoor coaching...

“It will all be different because there’ll be different people there. The weather will be different. It will be a different stretch of the walk. It will be from the source of just the spring all the way into the city when it gets busier and the landscape changes”  After a chance encounter with Jonathan Passmore at the inaugural Coaching Outdoors Podcast LIVE @ Henley Business School in July 2024 a...

“One of the important aspects of vision questing is that practical preparation for people and getting that right, depending on the individual and their experience” Born in the countryside of Norfolk, where endless days were spent exploring forests and coastlines, Tom Goldstein developed an innate connection with the natural world that now infuses his transformative coaching practice in the French...

"Eco-somatic painting is a way to create a dialogue between the body-nature outside and bringing everything on the canvas, and is really based on deep listening" Paola Fabbri, Eco-somatic Coach & Artist Coach, facilitator, artist and former humanitarian and development consultant Paola invites her clients to rediscover their inner creative flare and express their authentic selves on...

“We cannot rely just on scientists. We cannot rely on politicians to help with this climate crisis. The most valuable thing is spending time in nature, and finding a connection to mother nature, to the natural world, to the ecological and to the spiritual” Coach, coach supervisor, podcaster, writer, runner, swimmer, husband and father George places the climate at the heart of his work and life. He...

“I would like everybody in their lives if they can, to enter the venture field. And the venture field is positive. It's expansive. It's very green. It's nature. It's probably where your potential can be unleashed, where it can be elevated”   Meet Phil Banfield; who founded VentureField® in 2008. Self-described worldwide roamer, thinker, reflector and deliverer of wisdom Phil st...

“I think it is that thing for me about being in nature is. It's often where I feel I get really present with myself. It's where I can hear myself, where I can listen to myself, where I feel like I I put bits of myself back together again” Jackee Holder joins us from the outskirts of London to share her passion for trees, tree mythology, nature, outdoor coaching and journalling. Jackee is...

“Being outdoors, simply allows me to be myself” Clemens shares his early years of nature connection right through to memories of family connection to brothers, father, and of course the mountains and the small farms, sometimes drinking cow’s milk and playing in the hay. Clemens shares his thoughts that while in the outdoors, either on his own or with others, somehow our normal set of rules are cha...

“I actually help them gain an experience of the interconnectedness of how nature works by working with trees and living systems around, explaining how electromagnetism, how forest bathing, aromatic compounds, how connection through sound, how the wood wide web works with Mycelia! All of that, it just opens them up” ~ Giles Hutchins, Coach & Author  Pioneering practitioner, executive coach, tho...

“I was going to these networking events…I was turning up in rooms and it was all very structured, and I just hated it. I was getting really tired of it” Lisa Partridge, founder of SIXCOMMS, joins us from the sunny island of Singapore where she has lived and worked for the last 15 years. Lisa runs a regular walk and talk networking group, encouraging people to get outside, take a walk, have a chat...

“What is your own nature practice? Because if you don't have your own relationship with nature and earth - how on earth are you even going to think about integrating into any aspects of your life?” ~ Tabi Jayne, Nature Trainer and Coach Founding Director of Earthself, a community interest company Tabi Jayne joins Alex and Anna-Marie from her shed office on her allotment in Scotland for the fi...

“I do feel this is the start of a new movement” – James Farrell Following the huge success of the inaugural Coaching Outdoors Live event on the beautiful grounds of Henley Business School, three of the workshop facilitators joined Anna-Marie the following morning to reflect on the event. Diana Tedoldi posed some great questions to Toby Cowern, James Farrell, Anna-Marie and herself. They reflected...

“When you go up on a peak you have a great perspective. When you stand on top of that… it’s just the serenity, it’s like wow. And you can look so far. It gives you a very different perspective on life.” Dr Oliver Wirths, based in Zurich, Switzerland, may have the most unique outdoor coaching technique we have discovered yet! Oliver puts his qualifications as an alpinist to great use, taking his cl...

“We were sitting in one of those fishbowl offices and it was a beautiful summer day, and I could see the sun was shining outside, and my client was stuck. And I was probably stuck too.” Grattan and Dr Suess his four-legged companion join Alex and Anna-Marie from their local coaching territory on Killiney Hill overlooking Dublin Bay and Dalkey Island. Self-described as endlessly curious Grattan’s f...

“Nature is so beautiful, it takes my breath away, it’s all about giving joy.” Meet and listen to Hazel Farrer who is the founder of Hazel Tree Coaching, based in the Algarve Portugal. Hazel is a professional nature and wellbeing coach and trainer who offers retreats in the Algarve, Portugal. Hazel’s practice is a nature based holistic approach, offering training & health development practices...

“I describe nature as my co-host, it’s a facilitator in itself… I feel like there’s some sort of ease when I take people outdoors, that I’m not doing it on my own, that I’m in partnership with nature” Leah Davies, a Somatic Life Coach, joins us from Cardiff, Wales, to share her experiences of working with people who have experienced loss.  Somatic Coaching focuses on being embodied, in the moment...

“The four element; in a simplified medicine wheel, earth, air, fire and water, are also part of our bodies. We are nature” ~ Raynelle Rino Nature connection lies at the heart of Raynelle Rino’s work from her early career as an ecology field researcher; then grassroots environmental educator and social justice organiser and now nature-based consultant and coach. She joins us from her home in Oaklan...