Growing together – a module on nature based coaching skills training, working with the pathways of beauty and meaning.
Module 4 – Growing together
4.1 Growing together
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10 responses to “4.1 Growing together”
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This module stirred a deep sense of beauty and alignment for me — especially the idea that nature can help people discover their inner beauty. That felt both moving and true. The emphasis on appreciative inquiry really resonated as well. I’ve always been drawn to approaches that focus on what’s working — that build from strengths — rather than just fixing what’s wrong. This felt aligned with my own coaching values.
The concept of unconditional positive regard stood out as a beautiful and powerful way to create a more spacious, trusting, and ultimately hopeful environment — not just for clients, but for a better future and a better world.
The exploration of meaning particularly caught my attention. I feel called to support clients in moving beyond their habitual thought patterns into something larger — and nature, with its vast metaphors and silent wisdom, is a perfect co-facilitator in that. I already work with metaphor quite a bit, but I’m now inspired to be more intentional in spotting metaphors in everyday life and noting them down. That feels like a helpful action step.
The idea of attachment to place is very present for me at the moment. I feel a strong connection to my own village and am becoming more curious about its history and stories — what came before me, and how that shapes the land I live on. My sit spot continues to be a vital anchor, and I’m proud to notice how I’m gradually bringing more ceremony and ritual into both my personal and professional life. Just yesterday, my family shared a simple ritual of burning things we wanted to let go of — a shared moment of release. And in a recent session, supporting a client in the forest and then closing with an act of gratitude felt especially meaningful.
Overall, this module affirmed my belief in the power of nature to help create new meaning and new spaces for transformation — not only for clients, but for myself as a coach. That feels heartening, hopeful, and deeply aligned with the path I’m walking.
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Thank you for these reflections Paul. How interesting you are exploring history as a means of connection to place!
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Mod 4 really resonated with me, and I found the link between beauty and meaning interesting.
The question on beauty in the coaching relationship is a learning edge for me – while I feel it very strongly, it is not necessarily something that I discuss openly with my coaching clients, particularly those I coach for very short periods of time. I am wondering how to bring this more in my practice.
Similarly, I am not bringing a lot of ceremony and rituals in my coaching conversations. I am very found of coaching with the seasons when I can, but coaching internationally can be a limiting factor as people’s relations to seasons, weather and soltices are different across cultures and geographies. I’ve launched a series of self-coaching ‘seasonal walk’ since the autumn, and I’m looking forward to improving on that first pass, and maybe link it with the physical Soulwalks I want to do more of.
Ritual wise, I would also like to start all my coaching sessions with centering/presencing. While I do it more often, it is not yet a ritual. Giving 2 minutes to the client at the end of a session to journal key ideas is also something I like the idea of but have not yet managed to do systematically.Cohen’s flip question a la Katie Byron that you shared with us in a previous module is a great starter for clients to unveil their own beauty. I am also curious about learning more of the research around the link between recognising/experiencing beauty and pro-environmental behaviours.
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Thanks for sharing Laetitia. I think certainly worth reading Diessner eg https://liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/eco.2022.0047
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The module provided a clear connection between the value of using the 5 Pathways as well as examples of how each might be integrated into coaching. I feel like the connection to such basic aspects of life, “nature in the raw”, can only create appreciation when presented. This provides a great way to incorporate the topic of nature into coaching that is comfortable, in my opinion. How can anyone possibly be negative about the beauty of nature?
Some examples that came to mind for me for possible coaching conversations after this session are listed below.
– Where in nature do you find the most peace or calm in your life? Describe it for me using visually descriptive words.
– How might you bring aspects of this nature setting into your room or living space?
– What is something specific in nature that you really find curious? What are some examples of your curiosity?
– How might you use that curiosity to view your next challenge? -
Lovely questions Ellen. I guess the point about ‘who can anyone be negative’ is whether they share your view on what is ‘beautiful’! Rhett Diessner talks about ‘unity-in-diversity’ however, we find different things beautiful but can both agree that in general nature is beautiful!
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I really liked the section on beauty as it is what distracts me most in nature – being in a state of awe. I struggle with metaphors, but as James knows use them a lot. I would really like to make more progress with metaphors and also rituals (focusing on gratitude).
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Glad you liked it. Worth checking out Dacher Keltner’s book on awe, he’s the main academic but has a lovely way of writing accessible and interesting stuff. There may even be some metaphors in there!
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I really enjoyed reading the article “Finding metaphors for
Life in Nature.”In Indonesian culture, many traditional sayings use nature as a metaphor to describe human behavior or life situations. This shows that nature is not just seen as the environment around us, but also as a way to make sense of how people act and interact.
Here are some examples:
1. Like water on a taro leaf — describes someone who has no firm stance, easily changing their mind or position.
2. Like fire under the husk — refers to hidden danger or conflict that can surface at any time.
3. Like a peanut forgetting its shell — about people who forget their origins or the people who supported them.
4. Like rice: the fuller it gets, the more it bows — a reminder that those who know more or achieve more should be humble.
5. Like an egg on the tip of a horn — a metaphor for being in a very fragile or risky situation.These sayings help explain how cultural perspectives on nature are not always about ecosystems or species, but about human character and life challenges, seen through elements of the natural world.
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These are beautiful metaphors and similes Amanda – thank you for sharing them. I remember ‘manis’ meaning sweet from Bahasa Malayu as a metaphor for people.
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