Fostering wholeness & leadership through natural kinship
Sage. Juniper. Piñon. A full breath. The ancientness of stone. The misty forests. Early morning tide pools. The pull of a mountain stream. The quiet wolf. The owl at dusk. Peeling birchbark.
How does exploring our natural kinship to the more-than-human world foster our wholeness and our ability to lead?
I have spent most of my life supporting activists and leaders in social and environmental justice movements and for the last five years I have worked with young queer people in camps and youth groups. I also have a Master's degree in Risk Analysis and am an ANFT-certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide.
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How do these things fit together?
Years of hands-on grassroots work, curiosity, and learning have shown that in order to build whole leaders we need to explore, study and act on our kinship with the more-than-human world.
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Working & volunteering in environmental justice, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ charities has profoundly influenced this practice of developing leadership. Other influences include Gary Snyder's bridges between East and West, Amy Ray's kindness and activism, Robin Wall Kimmerer's precision and poetry and the lyricism and passion of Buffy Sainte-Marie.
Every session is informed by evidence which shows that we are our best selves when we have harmony between the following three factors:
BELONGING
through Validation.
When we can see ourselves reflected in the world around us we find a sense of belonging.
PERSPECTIVE
through Awe.
When we witness the largeness & smallness of the world we are able to see how we fit in the place of things.
ACTION
through Agency.
When we feel we have personal agency to make change we become confident in taking action to make the world better.
Developing connections to deepen these factors is at the heart of Tender Pine.
See you outside.
Luke
Tender Pine's work includes
Guided Forest & Nature Therapy
Guided Natural Mindfulness
Bespoke nature connection groups for adults & youth
Guided LGBTQ+ group sessions
Collaborations & partnerships
A few nice testimonials...
“Luke delivered a session for my LGBTQ+ youth group over zoom during the pandemic. So many of the young people had been feeling stressed, isolated, and disconnected from nature. Whilst Portsmouth is a seaside city, the day-to-day life of these young people involves very little opportunity for nature and greenery. Luke's choice of poetry, writings and images was absolutely beautiful. Despite being sat at their screens, young people were transported to someplace more wild, more serene. All of them said they'd love to do this again.”
“The forest bathing walk was just what I needed! Luke's gentle invitations and guidance to really notice the world around us helped me feel deeply grounded in both the present moment, and the long history of the woods we were in. I went home feeling refreshed and exhilarated, and much more in tune with my real self.”​
Raven Nielsen, they/them, Corvus Coaching
Jake Kelly, he/him
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