“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 logical brain. Her animistic lifestyle emerged after an ‘awakening’ experience at seven that subsequently shaped her life and world belief systems.

Join us to gain an insight into the foundational nine elements based on ancient Indo-European societal wisdom (8,000 to 5,000 BCE), discover the ‘Medicine of the Four Directions’ a circular cosmology based on certain attributes and aligned with the natural annual rhythm derived from an early Medieval Irish folklore, learn about the consciousness of water and how to craft a deeper connection with our land, nature and ancestors.

This episode stretches beyond the coaching profession to give us an opportunity to glean new knowledge and wisdom on nature and land connections that can then be weaved back into our practice. Every series we search out guests who offer alternative perspectives and beliefs that hopefully sparks something different in your coaching practice. Ultimately change lies at the heart of coaching that can only be created through a level of challenge to your current constructed reality as a coach, and that of your clients within the wider system.

View podcasts and get in touch.

https://www.coaching-outdoors.com

Anna-Marie https://www.rfmcoaching.com

Alex https://www.alexburnconsulting.com

Paul https://pebbleassociates.co.uk/team-member/paul-jefferies/

#coachingoutdoors #outdoorcoaching #coaching #ecopsychology #ecocoaching #bluespace #greenspace #natureconnectedness #naturalenvironments #ecology #nature #environment #mentalhealth #wellbeing #coaches #coachees #movement #thinkingdifferently #beliefs

“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 session shaped his practice for the next twenty years.

Life-long learner and educator Marc connects different modalities from within the world of coaching; from leadership, mindfulness, physical intelligence and beyond in his conversations with individuals; teams and fellow coaches. His impressive qualification resume pays homage to his curiosity and thirst for knowledge over the last twenty years. He recently crafted a ground-breaking session on nature-inspired leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University based on his collective knowledge, skills and experience.

Marc inhabits an imaginative visual world full of metaphor inspired by childhood memories combined with an innate ability to be fully present moment. He divulges stories from his youth in British Columbia growing up surrounded by over 150 different varieties of rhododendrons in his back garden courtesy of his parents, alongside garden snakes and raccoons.

Join us to discover what propelled him into the teaching world working with Indigenous communities in his early career, the transformative power of metaphors from leaves, hills to rocks, his relationship with his bike otherwise fondly known as his therapist, the challenges he’s faced along the way – that includes the odd coyote and bear in the Canadian outback, then into the future to learn his hopes for the future…

View podcasts and get in touch.

https://www.coaching-outdoors.com

Anna-Marie https://www.rfmcoaching.com

Alex https://www.alexburnconsulting.com

Paul https://pebbleassociates.co.uk/team-member/paul-jefferies/

#coachingoutdoors #outdoorcoaching #coaching #ecopsychology #ecocoaching #bluespace #greenspace #natureconnectedness #naturalenvironments #ecology #nature #environment #mentalhealth #wellbeing #coaches #coachees #movement #thinkingdifferently

“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 and subsequent online conversations around outdoor coaching; the ‘Source to Sea Challenge - Exploring the Power of Blue-Green Psychology’ was born. Throughout 2025, a series of roughly 10-mile walks will trace the river Thames from its source in Swindon, through the picturesque countryside, into the vibrant city as the river swells, and finally to the vast sea at the estuary in Essex. This year-long challenge, led by Jonathan and Ellie is more than a walk - it’s an exploration of the transformative benefits of blue-green spaces on our mental and emotional wellbeing.

Ellie discovered the great outdoors in her mid-30s after a ‘bucket list’ hike up Snowden to celebrate her husband’s 40th birthday and firmly describes herself in the honeymoon phased bewitched by nature. Former leader within the corporate world her desire to support her people as opposed to business targets meant she’s been a coach at heart for years. In 2021, she took the plunge into self-employment and a chance conversation with a friend encouraged her to take her coaching practice outdoors. She founded Elevate netwalking events to offer other small business owners the opportunity to connect and collaborate where each event is specially curated based on her former insights and experiences.

View podcasts and get in touch.

https://www.coaching-outdoors.com

Anna-Marie https://www.rfmcoaching.com

Alex https://www.alexburnconsulting.com

Paul https://pebbleassociates.co.uk/team-member/paul-jefferies/

#coachingoutdoors #outdoorcoaching #coaching #ecopsychology #ecocoaching #bluespace #greenspace #natureconnectedness #naturalenvironments #ecology #nature #environment #mentalhealth #wellbeing #coaches #coachees #movement #thinkingdifferently

“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 Alps. Based in Chamonix for the past 14 years, Tom guides leaders through profound nature-based experiences, including Vision Quests where clients spend four days and nights in wild spaces. Drawing on both his deep ecological wisdom and background in psychology, he helps professionals rediscover their authentic path by tapping into nature's rhythms of constant change and renewal. Tom's approach reveals how our most powerful insights often emerge when we step out of our analytical minds and into meaningful connection with the natural world.

View podcasts and get in touch.

https://www.coaching-outdoors.com

Anna-Marie https://www.rfmcoaching.com

Alex https://www.alexburnconsulting.com

Paul https://pebbleassociates.co.uk/team-member/paul-jefferies/

#coachingoutdoors #outdoorcoaching #coaching #ecopsychology #ecocoaching #bluespace #greenspace #natureconnectedness #naturalenvironments #ecology #nature #environment #mentalhealth #wellbeing #coaches #coachees #movement #thinkingdifferently

"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 canvas.

Paola shares her own artistic re-connection story after a gap since primary school, when in 2007 she awoke with a visceral urge to draw blue lines whilst working in Uganda. The impulse purchase of ‘Watercolours for Dummies’ whilst on holiday grew into a daily physical and embodied practice that brings freedom into her life. Fast forward to 2025 Paola brings an artistic flare to her 1-to-1 and group coaching that integrates eco-somatic and nature-based practices.

Our conversation flows from childhood memories in Italy with her grandmother; her creative gap from primary school to 2007 with rediscovery that grew into a physical and embodied connection with the canvas. She studied eco-somatic coaching through The Nature Academy under our former podcast guest Diana Tedoldi (check out episode 9). Her work illustrates the diversity and creative possibilities within the outdoor and nature-connected coaching world and how it’s possible to align your authentic self and interests.

Listen in to this episode to banish your childhood ‘art scars’; discover the freedom art can bring into your life and the power of metaphor with a butterfly, cow and Cedar tree. Paola shares the powerful balance between the process and product of art as her clients connect and create a meaningful anchor to take away; plus we touch on the practicalities of painting outdoors and professional influencers who’ve shaped her practice from beyond the coaching world.

View podcasts and get in touch.

https://www.coaching-outdoors.com

Anna-Marie https://www.rfmcoaching.com

Alex https://www.alexburnconsulting.com

Paul https://pebbleassociates.co.uk/team-member/paul-jefferies/

#coachingoutdoors #outdoorcoaching #coaching #ecopsychology #ecocoaching #bluespace #greenspace #natureconnectedness #naturalenvironments #ecology #nature #environment #mentalhealth #wellbeing #coaches #coachees #movement #thinkingdifferently

“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 places the climate crisis at the centre of his coaching, influenced by ‘dark nights of the soul’, based on the future trajectory that when his daughter reaches her eighties large swathes of humanity won’t exist. His coaching practice strays beyond neat process models to work with the unconscious and explore shadow emotions in depth. He invites his clients within the NGO, charity and scientific sectors to think BIG about their future with a pragmatic twist.

He shares insights on the emotional and evocative nature of ‘climate change’, touches on eco-anxiety where our relationship to climate change manifests within ourselves & the importance of reflective practice to seek answers within. George’s urgent call to action invites you to see through the pervasive socially constructed silence around climate change where it is a taboo to discuss openly; to express any grief, over-whelm, or anger that emerges and educate yourself.

This episode is resource-rich and signposts a plethora of ideas to satisfy your brain. Feel free to reach out to George to continue the conversation, follow his musings or learn about future learning opportunities…

View podcasts and get in touch.

https://www.coaching-outdoors.com

Anna-Marie https://www.rfmcoaching.com

Alex https://www.alexburnconsulting.com

Paul https://pebbleassociates.co.uk/team-member/paul-jefferies/

#coachingoutdoors #outdoorcoaching #coaching #ecopsychology #ecocoaching #bluespace #greenspace #natureconnectedness #naturalenvironments #ecology #nature #environment #mentalhealth #wellbeing #coaches #coachees #movement #thinkingdifferently

“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 steps back in time to share stories from his childhood in south-east London suburbia, his life-changing trip to Zimbabwe as a geology student, and early career in FMCG organisations.

From the summit of Snowdon and North Downs, Phil Banfield tells tales from the trails of his outdoor coaching work through the experiential programmes; ‘always outside’ coaching, ‘the journey’, ‘the mountain’ and ‘my mountain’ each with an unique approach.

Listen in to discover his life-long deep affinity for trees, the essential skill of navigation to locate oneself in the landscape and foster neurological connections, and gain an insight into his clients experiences – plus a library of useful resources!

View podcasts and get in touch.

https://www.coaching-outdoors.com

Anna-Marie https://www.rfmcoaching.com

Alex https://www.alexburnconsulting.com

Paul https://pebbleassociates.co.uk/team-member/paul-jefferies/

#coachingoutdoors #outdoorcoaching #coaching #ecopsychology #ecocoaching #bluespace #greenspace #natureconnectedness #naturalenvironments #ecology #nature #environment #mentalhealth #wellbeing #coaches #coachees #movement #thinkingdifferently

“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 a coach, supervisor, prolific writer, inter-faith minister and podcaster.

Jackee shares insights into her outdoor coaching practice and finding nature in amongst the urban spaces of London. As well as her love for trees and how this profound connection has shaped her journey.

She has created a “Green Prescriptions Manifesto”, inviting people to think about where are the places in nature that energise them. Then take what they're noticing and what they're observing into journal writing, to explore their inner world, thoughts and feelings.

She has also created a number of very useful tools for outdoor coaching and shares her inspiration for designing these tools.

For example, “The inner and outer self-discovery card deck” with 49 questions, and around 8 different themes from seed to wisdom, to root, to growth, to nature, to bloom, which offer a different entry point into looking at a question or challenge.

And the “Writing with Fabulous Trees: Writing Map for Parks, Gardens and Green Spaces” which provides creative writing prompts to help deepen our connection with trees.

View podcasts and get in touch.

https://www.coaching-outdoors.com

Anna-Marie https://www.rfmcoaching.com

Alex https://www.alexburnconsulting.com

Paul https://pebbleassociates.co.uk/team-member/paul-jefferies/

#coachingoutdoors #outdoorcoaching #coaching #ecopsychology #ecocoaching #bluespace #greenspace #natureconnectedness #naturalenvironments #ecology #nature #environment #mentalhealth #wellbeing #coaches #coachees #movement #thinkingdifferently