Foundations 4 Forum Cohort 19

[susanfronckowiak]

Leslie,
I hope you’re feeling better with each passing day.

I loved reading, “Diversity is something incredibly important to me.” I can absolutely relate. I often think about the opportunities people have to spend time outside. I know that many different populations have different wilderness access challenges and/or opportunities than others. I’d love to hear more about what working with diversity might look like for you. I’ve had a strong pull to work with low income youth-at-risk populations and also the LGBTQ+ community and families. No matter who you chose to work with, those who work with you will feel your strong and loving presence and also your genuine desire to help people transform their perspectives, develop their vision, and change their lives for the better! So blessed to know you Leslie.

[mariarosagalter]

Hi Friends and Fellow Nature Bakers…..

I am soooooooo sorry for being so late in posting for this discussion. I’ve been trying to BE present to many emotions–wanting to be present to the heaviness I’ve been feeling–wanting to be in the North and letting things rest for a little while. So—-I ask for grace!

For some time now, I’ve been imagining myself as a midwife, helping other women transition from one phase of life to another, supporting them through their own threshold by direct experience walking in nature. Part of this vision includes a rich spiritual component, leaning into various spiritual, Creation-based traditions, ritual, ceremony, and practices. And while I still feel strongly called to that, I am also intrigued by the idea of working with hispanic women, and immigrant/refugee young men. When we did our visualization with Ivy the other day, right when Ivy was inviting us to imagine who was arriving, one of my latina co-workers called. Immediately she entered my visualization. I’ve done quite a bit of work with Spanish speaking, low-income women, and immigrant/refugee women through Walk2Connect, as well as young men who are refugees or immigrants through Street Fraternity. I’m actually on their board and have volunteered for a number of years. I have such a soft spot for these young men! I see them as the MOST invisible in society today–the hardships they experience are monumental. It seems that these two populations–hispanic women and immigrant/refugee young men are entering my vision, uninvited….. Ha! What excites me about this newly forming vision is the gift of connecting them to Nature and their own inner wisdom through nature-connected practices. I’ve reached out to various friends/acquaintances who work with these populations to explore these ideas with them. I’m letting this vision sit for a while….. I just don’t know how I would be compensated.

Some organizations that work with some of these populations are:

Latino Outdoors–Mission Statement: We inspire, connect, and engage Latino communities in the outdoors and embrace cultura y familia as part of the outdoor narrative, ensuring our history, heritage, and leadership are valued and represented. (There is no coaching component or nature-connection practices)
Environmental Education for Kids–Environmental Learning for Kids cultivates a passion in science, leadership, and service in a diverse community of learners. (Mostly after school programs, more STEM focused)
CityWild–cityWILD cultivates deep connections between youth and the natural world, working with them to develop their full potential and achieve their wildest dreams (This one seems most interesting….)

I’ve enjoyed this module’s readings, especially about the birds. I’ve been paying attention to the birds at my sit spot and trying to identify their songs. I had a lovely encounter with a Mountain Chickadee who perched itself on the closest branch to where I was, intently looking at me with such curiosity. It was as if he/she was the coach and I was the client–just observing me without judgement. This reminds me of the section in the coaching skills handbook about how to approach a client–“intend to look-at everything: how clients greet you, how they come into the room, what they say in the first few moments, how they treat you, the language they use, the feelings they arouse in you throughout the session; recognize the data when you experience it and know the difference between how much of this data is generated by you and how much is being created by the client”. The little chickadee was certainly using all these skills when observing me enter into his “room”– I wonder what it might be like to bring the nature connected coaching experience to vulnerable populations who do not have the means to pay for this luxury and for both of us, myself and my client, to enter into the Chickadee’s room, with quiet reverence and awareness of our outer and inner experience.

[mariarosagalter]

@susanfronckowiak
Susan, I love your vision, friend! What a gift to offer. Now that I’m envisioning working with vulnerable populations, how are these populations supported in the rites of passage orgs you mentioned? Are the the orgs grant funded? Do they offer scholarships, etc? I guess I’m curious about how this kind of work can be made affordable for those who don’t have means….. I’d love to hear what you have experienced with this in the past.

@deanna.falge
Deanna, Beautiful, friend. I just sent you info on Qoya.love, a feminine dance practice that connects to our identity as “wise, wild, and free”…. Check out http://www.qoya.love and some free videos: https://www.qoya.love/movement-videos

@david.fontaine2
David, Thanks for sharing your emerging vision. I totally connect with your idea of being a “mid-wife”. I believe these experiences open so many doors for people and can very likely lead to a lifestyle change toward a more nature centered life. I think of it as being a mid-wife. I invite them along and then I step out of the way and let nature and the individual do the rest. This really resonates with the role of coach we have been leaning into. I also agree with you that many of the programs you mentioned as well as the ones I researched stop short of the “nature-connection” component. They are more activity based. I’m curious if you have any thoughts on this? Why stop short?

@hardcorehuntley
James, You are sharing a beautiful vision! I love your thoughts around embracing the gifts of the shadow. Ahhhh…… beautiful, friend! Also, are the names of courses below ones you came up with? Where do I sign up? Love it. I’m curious also about the cost of the programs you mentioned. How do more vulnerable populations pay?

@lesliewier
Leslie,
I get where you are coming from…. I’ve also been sick these days and my basement flooded! It amazes me that you are usually the first to post on the discussion thread. I’ve also been intriegued about working with diverse populations. Resilience seems so relevant at this point and important for those in vulnerable situations. In your experience, where do you think our modern world is falling short in teaching resiliency?

[susanfronckowiak]

Maria,
When I read about your vision that involves working with Hispanic women I was reminded of the coaching session we shared in which you lead me through a nature-connected awareness walk in Spanish. No matter what language you are speaking, your authentic and loving desire to help people connect with nature and themselves in palpable.

To answer your question about my experience working with vulnerable population and grants and scholarships… Many of the organizations DO have scholarships they offer for rite of passage participants. I am not sure about grants, but I do know that year round fundraising occurs- and for one specific organization, no one is ever turned away for scholarships and/or financial assistance. I love the idea of working with organizations and individuals/families interested in supporting this line of work through grants and philanthropic trusts 🙂

[James Huntley]

Thanks for you question, Maria.
None of the names I mentioned are actual classes yet. So far, I am holding vision without a clear path to see it manifest. Thank you for your support!

David, You are definitely on the list head Chef, though I think you have many other talents that will be needed;)

Thank you Susan, for your support and reflection as well. I must admit I am quite intimidated by middle-school/high-school age youth (how ironic that I would be intimidated by them…), but I am being guided towards working with that population to some extent as well. Hearing your reflection helps me feel a little more confident in exploring this work.

Leslie, I hope you’re beginning to feel better. I always appreciate hearing your experienced and academic perspective on our topics.
I love you all!

[teddy]

What a great discussion to be joining! Thank you all for your considered shares. I absolutely love seeing everyone articulate their visions specifically around ‘the who’ and perhaps ‘the how.’

Replying in order:

@lesliewier
I definitely relate to your desire to focus on resilience coaching, and thank you for sharing about the Resilience Institute – I may well use their assessment with some of the families I work with as a means of measuring resilience before/after Rites of Passage. I’m stoked that you have honed in on this as an area of focus for your coaching, especially given how resilient you clearly are! I love thinking about resilience and how it’s cultivated – not to mention what it means. I used to think of resilience as the grit to survive, no matter what. Think extreme scenarios. But I’ve come around to realizing that true resilience transcends mere survival: a resilient person smiles through the storm, rather than merely tolerating it. A resilient person even dances through the storm, smiling as the elements swirl around her. I wonder, how does the following land for you: “resilience is movement.” As we move through a global pandemic, I find myself drawn to dance and activities which facilitate the movement of energy – so long as we don’t allow ourselves to get stuck – to literally keep moving, one foot in front of the other (literally when I think of armies marching, or Cheryl Strayed walked the PCT in Wild, or Stephen Hawking ‘moving’ thoughts and generating while unable to move physically) – we have the capacity for resilient moments of individual and collective joy.

[teddy]

@deanna.falge

Love the clarity of your vision, Deanna! It’s amazing to see all the different populations you are interested in working with, and I believe you can serve them all. What I’m hearing in your post is a lot of clarity and integrity in your commitment to authentically bring earth-based principles and lessons into your work with a variety of client segments. That foundation is so clearly a ‘keel’ on the ship you are building to deliver you and the lucky folks you work with to the promised land of nature connection and resilient growth.

I’d like to highlight your desire to work with movement/dance oriented communities as very unique and niche. I have a stockpile of resource connecting movement and dance to social cohesion, trust, and the sorts of bonds that allowed our ancestors to survive everything nature – not to mention competing tribes – threw at them. By far, the strongest communities I’ve been a part of or born witness to incorporated some sort of synchronized movement into their cultural rituals, be it through dance, rowing, or marching. There’s enough science coming our now around “muscular bonding” and dance as a “biotechnology” for bonding groups together that you will be able to take this work into more ‘right brained’ worlds such as corporate america and the like – not sure if you’re drawn to that, but thought I’d mention it.

@hardcorehuntley
So cool to see your vision articulated clearly and thoroughly fleshed out (no pun intended…fleshed out…like raw meat…get it?!). These skills you’re wanting to teach are more relevant than ever given the whole apocalyptic toilet paper hording flight response we’ve just witnessed – your marketing could center around resilience and preparedness for any circumstances (since who needs toilet paper when we know what plants to use for that, right?). And I see what you’re wanting to bring into the world as far more than being just about preparedness – it’s about health, vibrancy, resourcefulness, and nature connection; in short, it’s about what YOU are about. I would reflect also that one of your superpowers is to dive deep into the depths of darkness and emerge with a smile on your face and a spring in your step. Words that comes to mind when I think of you include: Adaptable. Functional. Mindful. Present. I wonder how these could play into what you’re creating so that the latter reflects your unique brand of resilience, playfulness, and purpose. So much of the survival oriented stuff gets bogged down with gravitas, when in fact the best survivors know how to tap into the incredible power of humor in order to heal, move through, and thrive. Saying all this, I’d definitely encourage you to explore at the nexus of play, movement, resilience, fun, humor, improv, primitive skills, and high performing teams…Thanks for reading!

@david.fontaine2
Hi David – I am so glad you’re wanting to focus on initiating newcomers to the outdoors. That’s probably most of the population these days, so your target market is substantial! I wonder how you might focus on a niche audience for starters – are you interesting in working with folks in urban areas? Rural? From what socioeconomic group? Age group? I definitely hope you choose to start a practice or some sort of nature-connection initiative after this course (or during!), because your spirit is so needed and your experience would likely speak to many who would otherwise not find their way into connection with nature. I look forward to following and supporting you however I can as you determine how you’d like to bring your gifts to the world!

[teddy]

I’ll keep this brief:

My ideal coaching clients are families of considerable financial resource for whom a Rite of Passage might generate a deep connection with and love for the land; my wager, supported by personal evidence and the experiences of others, is that a family transformed in nature will without coercion feel compelled to realign their investment portfolios and business enterprises to be in alignment with sustainable outcomes. As many of us know, resources are dramatically consolidated within the top .1-1%, and there will be a considerable wealth transfer to the tune of $31.5T USD (at least before COVID) within the next decade or so; my mission is to expose the rising generation who will inherit these resources and who are largely starved for natural consequences to the bounty or true wealth (different from money) that is to be found in the outdoors and through service to the planet.

Other target audiences I’m working with are high-performing entrepreneurs, spiritually curious millennials & gen z, veterans, and transitioning military personnel.

Other organizations that do Rites of Passage with ultra high networth families do not yet exist, hence the gamble and the opportunity (though there are plenty of orgs of course that claim to serve this target market when in fact they provide every service other than the one that’s needed most: transformational wilderness experiences). Companies doing ROPs generally include School of Lost Borders, Wilderness Reflections, Outward Bound, and NOLS.

[Leslie Wier]

Y’all, thanks so much for the well wishes! There are such incredibly thoughtful responses and questions throughout this thread.

@David there is a word you used that really stuck out to me – YET. It’s such an empowering word. I’m not sure if you’ve read Carol Dweck, but the idea of a growth mindset (and positive psychology in general) may be of interest to you as you pursue this path with people who have little to no experience in nature. You’ll be in a prime position to assess what a person’s dominant mindset is around nature connection, and to foster a growth mindset. It’s honestly one of my favorite things about being a coach!

@Deanna I wish I had something like what you want to offer when I was young. I didn’t even know it at the time, but looking back I so wish I had it. You asked, how would I teach resilience? There are specific skills and psychological resources that contribute to and reinforce resilience, and providing some psychoeducation is often the first step. A growth mindset is one of those skills/resources, and Carol Dweck’s research shows that by explicitly educating kids about how the brain actually works in relation to a growth vs. fixed mindset, just that has a significant impact on their ability to develop a growth mindset. @Maria asked where I think our modern world falls short with teaching resilience. Where we fall short is the fact that “resilience” isn’t a subject in school, and it should be!

@Teddy it’s so clear how excited you are about resilience! The idea that “resilience is movement” resontates strongly. Sometimes it’s about perseverence, as you said “one foot in front of the other”. Sometimes it’s about flexibility and agility, the ability to adapt. Always, resilience is about movement forward in our own growth, never returning to who we were after a stressful incident, but bounding forward towards who we are becoming.

@Susan I so appreciate the question you asked about what diversity looks like for me, it’s a question I think I’ve been needing to reflect on. Just some initial thoughts – I’m strongly pulled towards working cross-culturally with people from different places. Culture of course can mean so many different things, but if we’re being super specific, I really enjoy working with others who are of a different national culture than my own. I love bridging those gaps between people who are different, towards mutual understanding and peace. I’ve thought about using nature in this way to promote peace, for example bringing Americans to Hiroshima. The resilience of the Earth in Hiroshima is astounding. And this brings to light something @David mentioned about how my takeaway from EBI may not necessarily be pure coaching, but using what I’ve learned in a variety of different mentoring/coaching/consulting ways!

[Rollin]

When I think about guiding I think about nature. Who I think about is a developing exploration. The list of family, friends, co-workers, colleagues, acquaintances, people griefing, parents that are too busy, campers that haven’t been camping in a long time, trackers, bird watchers and so many more. My mind state has shifted from who should I leave out to who can I include!
From this list, the population I’m most excited to work with are parents that are too busy. I can picture talking, smiling and hiking with them. Slowing down and enjoying the little things with them. I see me playing in the wilderness with them by natures rules. The impact of our time together would be felt by their children.
I can see me building spontaneous relationships and guiding people in the Colorado outdoors through conversations, thresholds and integration. A couple of the common goals that I see my clients working toward would be a daily meditation practice, improved reading habits, vision board creation, scheduling time for nature connection, tracking, primitive skills improvement/practice and more. I plan to use the disconnect to connect approach with nature to amaze and point clients to the present moment. I plan to use and be used by nature to create and dance with wonderful ideas that lead to powerful questions for the client. Questions that have the client discovering for his/her self what is truly needed in that moment that would make a difference in their life.

Here are a few websites that offer something similar to what is in my mind:

– earthbasedinstitute.org
– trackerschool.com
– trackercertification.com/calendar
– naturecoaching.net/forest-coaching/

When I compare these different websites/schools/nature connection options I notice similarities and differences that stand out right away. All of these programs are connected to nature and use nature at it’s core to drive home to never ending and mysterious lessons of life. I notice that EBI offers training to coaches that will be coaching in nature. The Tracker School is a school where nature is the coach. Tracker certification provides coaching to clients using nature and offers certifications (like EBI). Also similar to EBI and Tracker school, tracker certification can also bridge nature with the professional world. I’m not as familiar with naturecoaching.net but it looks and feels how I vision my work. Me, amazing people…out in the wilderness…walking down a trail…pointing out this and that….yes!!! This site appears to offer nature coaching to those who want coaching (like EBI).
I’m enjoying the process of building myself and this coaching business from the ground up. My thoughts are summed up best in Jon Young’s, Coyote Guide, “To see the invisible. To inspire a mental state of extra-ordinary attentiveness and the practice of moving without creating a disturbance.” This is literally my goal as a nature connected coach.

[Rollin]

–

[Rollin]

@Susan – “The program’s goal would be to help empower young women and to teach them wilderness skills and to also have a travel portion of our studies built in (such as a three month wilderness adventure in the southwestern United States.)”

After speaking with you today I notice the “East” energy that you were talking about…in your post and quote (above). Don’t you just love this work? When work becomes love…is it really work? In your quote I hear you empowering young women while empowering yourself…and traveling and having fun while you do it. Is that right?

Thank you for bringing your consistent and connected energy to the group.

[Rollin]

@Deanna

I can totally see all of your ideal clients in my vision. They will be so lucky to have you as a guide. Also, I enjoyed all of the websites you referenced! Noted!

[Mandy Bishop]

Woooohoooo!!!!

All I have to say reading all of your visions and ways you are being called to bring your medicine into the world is HECK YES!!!!!!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank YOU for listening to hear your own callings and for courageously stepping up to meet who and what is calling to you.

[Gina Lobito]

This post is a bit late, I realized I was not ready to post at the time:

When I consider the ideal client, at this point in my coaching, is to work with individual and groups who are willing to create change in their life and are open to being curious willing to approach the process with a beginners mindset. That they are open to being asked the deeper questions and willing to be open to their self- discovery and how they relate to the world.

There are two groups of clients that light me up the most, working with first responders and working with those who would like support going through the ascension process and transformation and self mastery, working with energy and frequency within the self and the plant/nature, moving from a state of duality to a state of unity with all living things and universe.

I was part of teachings that worked with Self Mastery, as we learned how to work with the chakra system and ascended masters, and worked with 7 main attributes of god, associated to the frequency/energy of each chakra, ultimately relating to the 4 lower bodies (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual). Ultimately this school was called the sacred seven mastery school, but ultimately closed. As I grew with the school I became a co-facilitator guiding new and current students on retreats to places such as Mt. Shasta and Sedona, it was calendared to go to Maui, HI, and Grand Tetons…etc. These power centers were associated to specific energies and frequencies associated to 7 Rays/Flames as well as the chakra system and ley lines of the planet. When on retreat I just would lite up and new this work had purpose in transformation of individuals, particularly when incorporating the Nature competent, and what messages and teachings one can receive from nature.

It’s in this discovery of my own transformation that allowed me to stay in the career of Law Enforcement and maintain compassion, healthy boundary between work, home, and personal life, and I began to no longer treat them as separate. I realized in an attempt to keep my worlds separate was an attempt to protect those in my life from the negative experiences that are innate in working in Law Enforcement or similar related fields. While, my intention was coming from a place of love and wanting to protect, I was ultimately causing disharmony in my life.

As I learned to relate to myself from a place of authenticity, I found my my voice, and true self. I began to lead my life from a place of truth, and openness. I began to understand the quote, along with many other references, “Be the Change You Wish to see in the World. That ripple of change began with me. As I began to take an active role in my life, my world began to change. The more momentum and I gained, and kept a daily spiritual or ritual practice, over a 2 year period, I became less impacted to the world around me, I had my feelings and emotions, but learned to come from a place of response, instead of reaction. This is still a daily practice, but comes with more ease and self correction, as my awareness continues to grow.

There are a couple places that come to mind when thinking about offerings:
1. http://www.mountshastaretreat.net
Andrew guides individuals, couples and groups around the sacred mountain of Mount Shasta. He connects with the land, and the energies of the Mountain. He introduces the mountains history and folklore which enhances the majestic experience of Mt. Shasta. While exploring the land he also leads groups in guided meditation. He uses the connection to the land and spirit to support the growth of those he guides. While Andarew is amazing at connecting with the land and spirit and heart and his guided meditations are powerful, EBI stands out, by bridging the gaps through the use of connecting with emotions, taking the deeper dive through powerful questioning guiding the client to an awareness and potentially the root of what is going on with in their physical body. EBI supports the client using the language of emotions as an ALLY for growth and awareness and transformation.

2. https://pspsa.org/conference/
Public Safety Peer Support Association began about 3 years ago and continues to grow. While it offers support through story and experience of traumatic events on a large (events like Las Vegas Concert Shooting) and cumulative scale (years in service). It offers a wide arrange of panelist/speakers throughout the week. It addresses counseling, and therapy, EMDR. All these things are supportive in toward the MIND-Body-Spirit Connection, but fails to bring in the relationship of the physical body and how it constantly is taking in the surrounding environment and the concept that our thoughts are energy and creates patterns. I find that this program struggles to bridge the gap and bring in the language that would reach 1st responders to maintain a mental and physical wellness that’s supportive throughout a first responder’s career. Bring in concepts and practices introduced by EBI program can enhance the message of Peer Support Conference and bringing harmony to Mind-Body-Spirit. Specifically, bringing awareness of emotions and recognizing them to support the process of wellness.

Ultimately, I would like to create a place similar to Kripalu Center in Massachusetts, their work with Four Winds (shamanic healing Practitioner program) and Neuroscience education and nature based offerings, has captivated my attention. I discovered the center in a dream. In the dream, clearly stated, ‘Take them to Kripalu”… I googled the name and discovered it is a real place. Though, I have yet to go there, I like aspects of the workshops and education Kripalu offers. I heart became more drawn to EBI ‘s program which offered me what I was looking for and has brought practical and tangible approaches to coaching that can be applied with any type of client that’s before me, First Responder or Ascension Process. To me they are both the same, just with different “costume”.