icf converge 2021: Coaching with nature

icf converge 2021. Coaching with nature: co-creating change with the natural world

For the past three days, James Farrell (The Natural Coaching Company) and I have been attending the ICF Converge event held every October. This year the event was held online because of the pandemic.

We all need nourishment for our psyche.
It is impossible to find such nourishment in urban tenements without a patch of green or a blossoming tree.

CARL JUNG

Just as Jung said, it is important for all of us to relate and connect with nature in our daily lives, and to feel the oneness with the natural world.

For this reason, James and I coined the acronym C.A.R.E. in which we incorporated the importance of connecting with nature.

CREATIVE

• Just 25 minutes in nature can activate the default mode network
• Improves working memory, cognitive flexibility and attention
• Plays particular role in the Preparation and Incubation phases of the creative process.

ACTIVE

• Lower morbidity amongst people living within 1km of green space
• 10% reduction in local green space is equivalent to 5 years of life expectancy
• 2 hours+ a week to unlock health benefits

RELATED

• Awe: “vulnerability, fragility, and respect for nature, which is perceived as vast, powerful, and mysterious”
• Increased ethical decision making, generosity, helping
• Improvements in personal

EUDAEMONIA

• Nature connection increases life satisfaction up to 1.7x
• Nature connected people 63% more likely to have higher self esteem
• Route to basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness

In the end we will conserve only what we love…

BABA DIOUM, IUCN 1968

This leads us to ask what is our relationship with Nature, how we see Nature impacts the way we’ll relating with it.

You cannot lead a nature-connected session if you don’t lead a nature-connected life.

Who we are is how we coach and we are what we practice, therefore we can’t facilitate a nature-connected coaching if you don’t practice nature connection.

So what we can do in order to improve our coachins session? The answer is growing your nature-connectedness and exploring the coaching partnership with nature.

The side effect of coaching with nature is called BIOPHILIA, which is a deep sentiment of love, affiliation and belonging to the natural world.