Soul Stroll coaching in nature in Berkshire Joanne Cook Coaching

The Soul Stroll experience, coaching outdoors in nature

by | Jul 11, 2022 | Free resources

‘Soul Stroll’ is a different type of coaching offer.  It’s a one-to-one coaching experience that takes place outdoors in Maidenhead, Berkshire. A stroll with ‘pause moments’, an exploration through the five senses, interacting with the environment, deepening and broadening perspectives, in turn creating a deeply personal immersive and reflective coaching experience. There is much to discover in nature. Taking time for a much-needed pause, a technology detox where you can engage and connect with natures wisdom at your own pace with calm, curiosity and wonderment. This led me to create ‘Soul Stroll’ professional one-to-one coaching, accompanied by the benefits that being outdoors in nature brings.

What are the benefits of coaching outdoors?

 

Studies have shown there are many restorative health benefits of spending time immersed in nature:

  • Stimulates the senses
  • Supports healthy cognitive functioning
  • Brightens mood so you feel happier
  • Reduces stress, (as long as you feel safe)
  • Head, heart, and gut harmonise
  • Strengthens Immune System

I invited my dear friend Stella Collinson out to explore, experience and test out one of many ‘Soul Stroll’ routes.

Stella and I first met in 2006. We worked together in a successful Retail Operational and HR partnership for several years and have stayed in touch ever since.

I have always admired Stella’s unique natural ability to put people at ease and inclusive style, her unwavering optimism, determination, sense of adventure, fun and her desire to always see and make the best of any given situation. The setting for our last in person catch-up some 4 years ago was the famous Paternoster Chop House, in London which is where Channel 4’s TV series First Dates is filmed.

General Benefits of a Soul Stroll

Each Soul stroll is different yet there are similar reflections and benefits reported, such as: – Expansive, open and freeing – Creating a sense of wellness and energy – Moderate physical movement exercise – Distracting from the self – limiting chatter – Reflective and exploratory – Developing new and different perspectives – Truly joyful and appreciative – Evokes your senses – Gives a much welcome pause

What did Stella and I talk about during our Soul Stroll?

  • Reminiscing funny moments, people, places, and situations
  • Remembering and honouring those who are no longer with us both family and work colleagues
  • Listening to each other’s perspective on our individual life stages and our unique transitions
  • Retirement, taking stock, doing less and being more comfortable with the emergent
  • Cultivating renewed purpose and evolving what success means now compared to our past definitions
  • Recognising how in modern life we can often disconnect from the body’s wisdom and insight. Living in our heads, caught up in ‘doing life’ ignoring vital signs that something might be off until it’s too late
  • Journeying through illness, recovery, taking greater care of health.
  • Underscoring that health is wealth
  • Redefining success, unhooking from systems and roles we may have once over identified with and defined ourselves by
  • Menopause
  • Presence in oneself to be able to connect more deeply
  • Giving time to ourselves and others is one of the greatest gifts that is undervalued (in modern life)
  • Gratitude for the simple things
  • Joy derived from the smallest acts
  • Reflecting on the progress in society on same sex relationships yet understanding there is still more to do and the continued hope that future generations will find it easier
  • Dogs are incredible companions!

We concluded our Soul Stroll with an ice-cream, feeding the ducks and enjoying the remainder of the glorious sunshine – a welcome dose of Vitamin D and all the benefits it brings.

Joanne Cook sitting by river soul stroll in maidenhead
Stella on a coaching in nature soul stroll Berkshire

Fancy a Soul Stroll? An outdoors one-to-one coaching experience in Berkshire