“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 symphony of sirens in Trafalgar Square, London and the rolling hills around Lake Garda, Russ transports us on a journey through time and space as he shares childhood influencers who’ve shaped his life’s work and insights into his coaching practice.

Transformational and performance coach, integral facilitator, adjunct professor at Georgetown University and Bocconi University, wilderness guide and practising Buddhist, Russ brings over thirty years of experience to help leaders and teams be nature bold and unlock their deepest potential through both structured coaching and immersive outdoor experiences.

Russ openly reveals his thoughts and stories about how the pain from breaking his back (not once, but twice…) and tackling crazy endurance events has shaped his identity and mindset to deepen his coaching relationships and practice; the concepts and connections of ‘I’, ‘we’ and ‘it’ within the wider ecosystem and coaching process; and the need for coaches to embrace the dark side of human nature.

From a plant to an insect, or a speck of dust that's swirling on a little thermal in his office, Russ challenges us to find the awe and joy in the moment. Plus, we touch on the three Bs of business, brand and balance, the benefit of collaborative partnerships with other outdoor and nature-connected coaches and the need to be truly authentic within ourselves and our coaching.

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

“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 living and working together. Will does this primarily through coaching, writing, research, speaking and consultancy and creative collaboration.

Will’s journey weaves together his passion for literature, nature, and community. Starting with a love for language and narrative inspired by early years of reading, Will pursued literature at university, where his interest in communication and metaphor flourished. After early career experiences in architectural heritage charities, he sought a deeper connection with the world, volunteering in regenerative projects across Europe.

During this transformative time, Will discovered gardening as both a personal practice and a powerful metaphor for collaboration and growth. With a master’s degree in Ecological Design Thinking from Schumacher College he developed Garden Thinking, a facilitation practice that uses gardens as both a space and a symbol to inspire reconnection with nature and community.

Will has also co-created Tending to Endings, a card deck that explores life transitions through garden metaphors, alongside collaborators Ali Kingston and Heather Knight. This project, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, exemplifies Will’s creative approach to making regenerative concepts accessible and engaging.

“Gardens are sensory spaces, their embodied spaces”

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

“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 Blueprint CIC.

Self-confessed maverick and disruptor we touch on her love of natural edges, her need to challenge the status quo and inside-out knowledge of the ICF Core Competencies. Her holistic and systemic approach stems from her former work within the equine industry and regenerative food systems.

From massive snowdrifts in the Peak District in the early 70s, and her formative career in the racing industry globe-trotting around the world, to how being emergent and opportunistic lies at the heart of her approach and work ethic. Her passion and anger at the climate crisis and desire to form a community for anyone who gives a s*** led to the creation of Nature’s Blueprint Community Interest Company. She talks openly about her relationship with social media and the need to regularly disconnect; plus how sea swimming and hugging her favourite tree helps her recharge.

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

“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