Leading in Nature

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Leading in Nature

Welcome & croeso! I'm Mia and I offer CPD training for outdoor leaders, nature connection workshops and mountain leading in North Wales

03/09/2025

I'm over the moon to see my first article for The Professional Mountaineer in print! It gives some insights into what nature connection is (and isn't), why it's important, and how we can help people connect. These are themes I cover in my CPD course, Bringing Nature Connection into Outdoor Leadership, and I hope that readers and fellow outdoor professionals will find it useful.

Huge thanks to Mike and Belinda on the editorial team for the guidance and encouragement - you're amazing to work with, diolch o galon 💖

If you're a member of Mountain Training Association, British Association of International Mountain Leaders and Association of Mountaineering Instructors look out for it on page 20 👍

02/09/2025

It's been a crazy couple of weeks with no time for socials posts... you know how it is 🤪
But I have lots of news!

First, there are spaces left on both of my CPD courses for outdoor leaders next week.
⭐ 10th September, Bringing Nature Connection into Outdoor Leadership, £50, full day
⭐ 11th September, Practical Mental Health Skills for Outdoor Leaders, £60, full day
Both confer 1 CPD point for MTA/BAIML/AMI members but everyone's welcome!

Second, the venue for Nature Connection on 10th September is now at Scout Adventures Yr Hafod. This is a stonking venue and we're incredibly lucky to be there next week. Piccies show how great it is!!

More news coming tomorrow 🤩

14/08/2025

New research from Prof Miles Richardson at University of Derby shows that nature connectedness has decreased by 60% since 1800, mirroring a similar decline in nature words like moss or river being used in books. Worryingly, computer modelling by Richardson and his team predicts that future generations will continue to lose an awareness of nature because people live in increasingly built-up neighbourhoods, while parents who missed out on being nature-connected pass their disconnection on to children - and other research has found that parents' nature connectedness is the strongest predictor of whether a child will feel close to nature.

To quote Richardson, “Nature connectedness is now accepted as a key root cause of the environmental crisis. It’s vitally important for our own mental health as well. It unites people and nature’s wellbeing. There’s a need for transformational change if we’re going to change society’s relationship with nature.”

I heartily second that. If we all felt that we are part of something greater, something that cares for us, then we will care for it more. It's the emotional connection with nature that counts, not an abstract, intellectual one.

Want to read more about this? ➡️ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/09/human-connection-to-nature-has-declined-60-in-200-years-study-finds

Want to bring nature connection into your work as an outdoor leader? I'll be running this course on 10th September in Betws-y-Coed, 5th December in Ambleside and 11th January in Lincolnshire. See all dates here: https://leadinginnature.co.uk/events/

13/08/2025

It was a pleasure and a privilege to lead a strong and mutually supportive group this weekend for Outdoor Adventure Girls. We may not have had the best weather on Yr Wyddfa, but everyone had a fabulous time 🤩

11/08/2025

More news!! Both CPD courses are coming to Lincolnshire in January, in partnership with Richard Fish Outdoor Adventures and Nature Lincolnshire!! Thanks, Richard 🤗

January 10th: Practical Mental Health Skills for Outdoor Leaders, £60
January 11th: Bringing Nature Connection into Outdoor Leadership, £60

As always, each course is worth 1 CPD point for members of Mountain Training Association, British Association of International Mountain Leaders and Association of Mountaineering Instructors.

Full details are in my Facebook event list - choose "Events" from the top tab.
For bookings, please email Richard at richard@richardfishoutdooradventures.co.uk

Please share if you know anyone up that way!! 🤩

08/08/2025

Looking forward to working as a freelance guide for Outdoor Adventure Girls tomorrow! We'll be doing one of my fav loops on Yr Wyddfa - Pyg Track and Miners 😊⛰️

Outdoor Adventure Girls' mission is "to give women the chance to step outside their comfort zones, discover new places, and connect with like-minded adventurers, all while challenging the lack of female representation in the outdoor industry" - I love that 😍

06/08/2025

Woohoo - I've passed my Foundation Level Welsh exam with flying colours!! I'm happy that all my hard work leading up to the exam in June has paid off. From September I'll officially be an "Intermediate" level learner. How about that?! 😍

Dw i wedi pasio fy arholiad Lefel Sylfaen efo marciau dda!! Dw i'n hapus iawn bod fy ngwaith caled trwy'r gwanwyn wedi bod yn werth chweil. Ym mis Medi, mi fydda i fod yn dysgwyr "Canolradd" 😍

My hope is to deliver bilingual nature connection courses and walks in the coming years - this is one more step in the right direction. Fy ngobaith yw cyflwyno cyrsiau a theithiau cerdded cysylltu byd natur dwyieithog yn y blynyddoedd i ddod - dyma un cam arall i'r cyfeiriad cywir.

Thank you - diolch o galon - to my wonderful tutors Aled and Ffion. Ydych chi'n anhygoel 💖

05/08/2025

Found a great podcast recently that demystifies brain science!
Did you know that only 10 minutes of exercise is enough to give your brain a "bubble bath" of happiness? Even a 10-minute walk releases neurochemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. And these instantly improve your mood and reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. Nice, eh?

Better yet, regular movement releases growth factors that strengthen two key brain areas, the hippocampus (critical for navigation and long-term memory) and the prefrontal cortex (important for focus and attention). This means regular, small bouts of exercise can have lasting benefits for brain health.

Listen here ➡️ https://bigthink.com/series/the-big-think-interview/brain-bubble-bath/

Come to my Practical Mental Health Skills for Outdoor Leaders to geek out some more on brain science, and how this knowledge helps you support participants when they're not doing so well. Next dates: 11th September in North Wales, 6th December in Ambleside. All my upcoming events are listed here ➡️ https://leadinginnature.co.uk/events/

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

04/08/2025

My first Eisteddfod!! I began learning Welsh in 2022 and this year I felt confident enough to speak with people at the various stalls, woohoo! Had to get the t-shirt, of course 😂😂

Dw i'n wrth fy modd efo'r Eisteddfod ac efo'r cerddoriaeth yno. Dw i'n edrych ymlaen at yr Eisteddfod nesaf!

30/07/2025

Delighted to have raised £311 for North Wales Wildlife Trust in the past financial year by running Community Events! Keep an eye out for the next ones, to be announced soon 🙂

23/07/2025

Want to make a small but genuine difference to wildlife and your own well-being? New research from Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen and The National Botanic Garden of Wales has identified specific flower mixes that are both highly attractive to pollinators and aesthetically pleasing for us. Even better, they've published the list of flowers for you to explore!

Planting these mixes is a great way for us to connect with nature! Appreciating its beauty is one of the Five Pathways to Nature Connection, a model developed by Prof Miles Richardson and his colleagues at University of Derby.

Join me to explore the Five Pathways model in my Tom Furey Memorial Trust Furey Fest workshop in October! (More details coming soon – watch this space 😊)

If you want to bring more nature connection into your professional life as an outdoor leader, check out my next Bringing Nature Connection into Outdoor Leadership CPD course on 10th September! See the pinned post for full details 👆

🌸

Photo by Paulina Herpel on Unsplash, thanks!

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Bangor

Website

https://leadinginnature.co.uk/, https://leadinginnature.co.uk/events/

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