Onward with nature!

We take you out into nature! We’ll open your senses, you’ll learn to listen, observe, and smell more attentively. You’ll learn about nature: its geology and biology. You’ll learn to find your place within it. Earth, plant, animal, and you. Everything is connected. With these new perspectives, you’ll get to work on your own learning question. And you’ll learn fróm nature: we’ll help you slow down, harnessing the power and wisdom of nature to move the system you work in toward making a positive impact.

Learning in, from, and about nature

You’ll learn about nature:

• The origin and rhythm of life
• More about plants, animals, and their interconnections
• The geo-, bio-, and technosphere — the “engineerability” of nature
• Facts that leave you hungry for more

You’ll learn from nature:

• You’ll develop sharper listening, observing, and feeling
• You’ll draw on the power of nature to deepen your self-awareness as a person within the ecosystem
• You’ll work on your own personal development question
• You’ll design experiments (Design Thinking) that you test in practice

You’ll learn in nature:

• You’ll learn by seeing, tasting, experiencing, reflecting, and experimenting (Kolb’s learning cycle)
• The days are highly interactive, spent outside as much as possible
• Choose 1 or 2 days: 3 June (sea) and/or 30 September (forest), each with practical assignments

Programme – By the sea

We’ll be by the sea, out on the beach, into the dunes. You’ll sharpen your listening, observing and feeling. You’ll learn about the tides, the force of water, how the seasons came to be and you’ll start seeing the rich ground beneath your feet in a new way. You’ll gain deeper knowledge of the different spheres we experience in our world: the geosphere, biosphere, technosphere and mindsphere. We’ll stretch your worldview and offer you a lens for change. Drawing on all these insights, you’ll begin shaping an initial direction in response to your learning question and will put your thought into practise in an experiment you’ll take back to your work.

In the morning we’ll spend as much time as possible on the beach, with a relaxed beachside café as our base for shelter, great coffee and lunch. In the afternoon we’ll take a brisk walk (whatever the weather) through the dunes and along the shore, before returning to our location to put our thoughts into action and close the day.

Programme – In the forest

It’s 7:00 and nearly light. We start outside in the forest, witnessing nature as it wakes. We’ll help you consciously slow down and find stillness. We’ll go tracking. You’ll learn about nature’s cycle, life and death. At 9:00 we head inside for a shared breakfast. We’ll dig deeper into your learning question (or any experiment you’ve been doing) and explore why change matters. How do we survive? We’ll reflect on the transition organisations must make to thrive (transition theory). What’s the role of stakeholder engagement, leadership, and a culture of innovation? What’s your next action and how can you influence the system around you? By the end of the day, you’ll feel more grounded and energised to nurture the initiatives that move you forward at work, and to let go of what no longer serves you. You’ll return to your work with a story for change to engage your stakeholders in your path forward.

Learning objectives

• Challenge perspectives on people and nature; develop an alternative reality and shared language around biodiversity and sustainability
• Build awareness of biases and develop a growth mindset through the power of questions
• Use Design Thinking as a methodology for innovation and learning
• Foster leadership to increase organisational impact
• Strengthen soft skills, such as empathy, creativity, critical thinking, questioning, and collaboration, to navigate the challenges of our world
• Actively apply what you’ve learned in your work environment

Theory and tools include:

• Growth mindset and active reflection
• Design Thinking and Theory U as foundational processes for transition
• Power of Questions
• The theory of evolution
• Introduction to Theory of Change (By the sea)
• Life Framework of Values (By the sea)
• Stakeholder mapping and circles of influence (In the forest)
• Power of storytelling (In the forest)
• Introduction to Transition Management and Social Innovation (In the forest)

Overview: choose 1 or 2 days!

• 1 day: By the sea (3 June, 9:30–17:00) or In the forest (30 September, 7:00–16:00)
• 2 days: Combine both: By the sea (3 June, 9:30–17:00) and In the forest (30 September, 7:00–16:00)
• Inspiring locations designed to get you outside as much as possible, with great coffee and a healthy lunch
• Easily accessible by car and public transport (though sometimes a short walk or cycle)
• Personal 30-minute Teams intake to identify your learning needs
• (Optional) Deepening and reflection assignments
• Online platform with nature micro-learnings: from podcast recommendations to a birdwatching course
• 1 online peer coaching group session
• 1 day: €600 excl. VAT
• 2 days: €1,095 excl. VAT (sign up before 20 May for €995 excl. VAT!)

Who is this for?

For people who want to get outside, grow their self-awareness, and feel more connected. Whether you want to feel more grounded in your current role, are on the verge of a new step in your career (or a move to something new entirely), as a professional or leader. Both early-career and experienced professionals are welcome: we learn best from each other.

Trainers

Matthijs Graner-Baars (biologist, science communicator & trainer) is passionate about making people fall in love with nature. He immerses you in the Earth as a system and helps you discover how everything is interconnected. He bridges science and experience, sparks curiosity, and creates space for reflection. With this programme, he aims to ignite that curiosity and give people the insights and tools they need to care for the natural world around them — something he has been doing for over 10 years at Naturalis.

Yvette Pasman (strategic facilitator, founder of On the Morro) helps people and organisations open up to new perspectives and meaningful change. With over 15 years of experience – from strategic boardroom sessions to intensive transformation programmes and trainings – she gives you the knowledge, tools, and confidence to lead positive change, and to learn and grow together along the way.