The Time for NATUREConnected Business is Now
“Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Beginning with a purpose in mind
When I first discovered coaching back in 2009 and made the decision to become a coach, I knew I wanted to find a way to take coaching and nature and bring it into the world of business.
I had no idea how to do it so I started studying coaching and applied ecopsychology (the practical application of the human/nature relationship). Integrating everything I learned into how I worked as quickly as I could. Applying it to my work with coaching clients.
As I did this, I realised that I would have to train coaches in the way I worked as there was nothing like what I wanted to do already on the market. When the first of my clients asked to be trained to coach like how I worked, I knew it was time.
I also wanted to build a business that functions as if it were a part of the Earth’s ecosystem. Shutting down my first company, I consciously chose the name Earthself. When we consciously connect to nature, we connect to something far greater; the Earth itself.
A big vision that I had no idea how to make a reality. There is so much thought leadership on what is needed to create a world that works for everyone. Yet the action leadership lags far behind. I could find examples of some of what I wanted to do but a tangible model of something already working was lacking.
Getting on with it
Rolling up my sleeves, I simply started to get on with it. Doing a second masters to ensure that I had a credible evidence-base on what worked, I also learned everything I could about a number of emerging major movements in the realm of sustainability.
My head down, I focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Testing all my assumptions about the services I offered in the market. Letting it give me the feedback I needed as I continued to integrate coaching and nature into something tangible that would get results.
Back when Covid-19 hit in early March, I was finishing training the last beta group of coaches in Earthself’s multi-systemic approach to coaching with nature. The feedback was amazing. I started training the next group of coaches as I watched the chaos and craziness that still exists in the world today emerge.
Overnight, companies moved to remote working. The realisation that I had a solution that supported remote working hit me. The majority of my coaching and coach training was delivered in a virtual context. Integrating wellbeing, resilience and sustainability through coaching with nature for improved people performance and enhance creativity, innovation and decision making.
Timing is everything
I knew it was time. Ten years ago, when I started out on this journey people looked at me as if I were mad. Slowly, the trailblazers found me. People who were ready to experience a new way of coaching and a new way of being in the world.
Today, Earthself has a growing community of coaches trained in our pioneering approach to transformational change with nature coaching.
After four years of testing and developing our coach training, we have a rigorous and highly experiential program that’s aligned with the International Coach Federation (ICF) core competencies. Its modular approach means that there are 4 courses in 1 within it.
This enables us to embed a coaching with nature culture within an organisation at scale. Earthself has capacity to offer individual and team coaching as part of organisational transformation through collaborating with the coaches it has trained and our other service providers.
Changing the way we think and act
The challenge our world faces now is to create systems and structures that support the evolution of humanity into a species that lives in harmony within the Earth’s ecosystem.
If we keep on relying on the old way of thinking and being, we’re not going to achieve this. It’s great that we’re having more and more conversations about how to put people and planet at the heart of business and our economy.
What’s missing from that conversation is that if the people who are creating the new systems and structures aren’t connected to nature and the Earth, then it’s more of the same no matter how well-intentioned.
It’s not enough to create greenspaces in cities and gardens in workplaces if the people who live/work there aren’t supported to spend time in nature.
Our affinity and love of nature is bio-cultural. We have to normalise spending time in nature daily as an essential part of our collective way of life.
Waiting until you’re close to burnout and experiencing large amounts of stress is counter-productive. Especially if you’re one of the many people passionate about making a difference in this world.
Spending time in nature is only the start
The challenge is that spending time in nature is only the start. It’s great to see many people start to bring their coaching and leadership development outside.
But if you’re not actively encouraging people to engage with the beauty, meaning, connection and way to live in harmony with nature, then you’re just encouraging more disconnected thinking that keeps us separate from the natural intelligence that exists around us.
Time in nature that is solely linked to using nature’s resources, learning about the natural world, mastering the natural world or being afraid of it only creates more separation. And I can show you the research that supports that should you wish to challenge this!
Back in 2009 I knew this intuitively and didn’t know how to communicate it. Twelve years later, as Earthself turns five this month I have the masters, the products and services, the business model and the experience to back all this up.
Covid-19 has provided me a valuable opportunity to slow down even more and make sure I practice what I preach. It has allowed me to get rid of the dead wood that no longer serves Earthself’s evolutionary purpose.
Becoming an ‘Action Leader’
Today in Earthself’s call with its coaching community partners, I was reminded that what I’ve created is beyond a lot of what’s emerging as awareness of the ‘climate emergency’ filters into mainstream consciousness.
My problem is I don’t want to be thought of as a ‘Thought Leader’. That’s 20th Century crap. The 21st Century is the era of the ‘Action Leader’
And here’s the thing: If you are an Action Leader that is running a business and/or interested in transforming one to truly fulfill its purpose as an evolutionary part of the Earth’s ecosystem then Earthself can help.
Blazing the trail together
We might not know the path that you need to take but we sure as heaven know how to ensure you are supported by the Earth’s wisdom as you blaze your own trail.
And that is what’s desperately needed in business today. We can’t build back better or even build back green until we have the Earth as the biggest partner (stakeholder is such a shit word) in our business and we know how to work in harmony with it.
Coming full circle back to the thought to bring coaching and nature into business, it’s humbling to see where I am now. And what’s possible when we transform businesses and communities at scale with the people in them connected to and supported by the Earth.
That’s a world that works for everyone.
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Earthself is a leading global nature coaching and coach training organisation. We help leaders and organisations improve performance with people, planet and profit in mind.
Get in touch if you want to know more