Your investment £850
Regenerative organisations learn from the ways that nature achieves success. Based on the principles that have evolved to make living systems thrive over hundreds of millions of years, regenerative businesses recognise that everything is connected. They act like forests – an inter-connected ecosystem, with mutually-beneficial collaborations and effective mechanisms to ensure that the needs of all are met. They ensure that energy and materials are used effectively, cycling them to achieve healthy growth. They value people and ecosystems above monetary wealth. They are tried and tested, based on dynamic equilibrium, adaptable, innovative and flexible. Regenerative businesses create new life and create conditions conducive to life.
18 in-depth self-study modules
Explanations, activities, exercises for all the strands and systems dimensions…
…enabling you to put the learning into action in ways that is unique to you and your organisation
Get started on these as soon as you join.
6 x 2 hour group coaching sessions on zoom
Each session will include additional learning plus coaching around the unique issues that participants bring.
Allowing time for you to co-create the outcomes you need.
Dates below.
Weekly ‘Office Hours’ sessions
Weekly(ish) drop-in session on Zoom with Sarah to answer your questions about any aspect of the programme and your journey.
Facilitators are also on hand to answer your questions as they arise within the platform.
Online community platform
(Inspired by Nature Network, a Mighty Network)
and
Campfire (Peer support) Groups
Sharing and collaboration opportunities.
Think like a Forest’s unique 12 strands of ecosystem-inspired success model
Nature’s secrets to success for thriving organisations
6 systems dimensions
Work on six systems-dimensions to ensure your organisation is healthy and resilient to benefit people, planet, profit, productivity and purpose
Tools, activities, resources and plans for action
Practical, thoughtful, creative, our activities will guide you on an inner and outer journey, unleashing the potential within you and your team
Cherry Anderson
Freelance Graphic Designer
Oriele Frank
Founder, Chief Product and Sustainability Officer
Hannah Fields
Community Garden, Derby
Danielle Heward
Director
When you come on the programme you will explore 6 Systems Dimensions, so you will have beneficial outcomes for:
Your specific outcomes will depend on your unique circumstances and how you choose to engage with the frameworks and tools offered, however you can expect outcomes in a wide variety of different areas
Here are potential outcomes for your businesses or organisation:
And here are potential outcomes for leaders and changemakers yourselves:
Potential outcomes for your community and region:
Potential outcomes for our world
This is a minimum suggested, depending on where you choose to apply the learning, and how deep you choose to go with the reading and resources provided.
60 hours over 6 months (average around 5 hours per week):
1 hour per week modules
1 hour per week ‘Office Hours’ (optional)
2 hour every 2 weeks group coaching (during the 4 months of live sessions
1 hour every 2 weeks Campfire groups (optional)
2 ½ hours per week self-study applied to your organisation
£850
Strands are nature’s secrets of success.
Inside the FUNDAMENTALS programme you will dig deep into each strand.
In each of the 12 Strands Modules you will discover:
Included in your course price is access to a One Planet Action Plan for you to map your progress.
One Planet is an intuitive platform that allows you to map Outcomes, Actions, Indicators and Connections via its unique software.
You will use it to map your course progress using the Think like a Forest frameworks (The 12 Strands and 6 Systems Dimensions). You can also choose to view your progress through the lens of the SDGs, One Planet Principles, 4 Ps and B Corp categories.
At the touch of a button your progress will be outputted into report format to share with your team, stakeholders, funders and supporters.
You will also have the option to connect with other participants and One Planet subscribers to discover shared outcomes and actions.
You can find out more about One Planet here.
October 2024 to Jan 2025
Choice of Tuesday evenings 6 – 8pm or Wednesday mornings 10am -12 (UK time)
Tuesday 16 / Wednesday 17 October
Tuesday 30 / Wednesday 31 October
Tuesday 12 /Wednesday 13 November
Tuesday 26 / Wednesday 27 November
(no sessions in December)
Tuesday 7 / Wednesday 8 January
Tuesday 21 / Wednesday 22 January
Sessions will be recorded, although we do recommend that you attend live.
Campfire groups are in addition to this and will be self-organising to a time to suit participants.
Times are given in UK time (London) – please check your time zones carefully
Sarah’s experience in business, organisations, charities, social enterprises as an entrepreneur spans decades. The common thread is the purpose-led nature of her work, for people and planet.
Sarah started her career working as a legal representative and team leader for refugees and asylum-seekers. After the charity she worked for folded in 2010, Sarah turned to her passion for nature, studied permaculture (she holds a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design) and discovered a whole new world about how nature solves problems and approaches change and adaptability.
She is a founder member of Melbourne Area Transition, seeking community-led solutions to the problems we face, She is a founder member, former chair and lead permaculture designer of Whistlewood Common, a community woodland social enterprise in south Derbyshire. As director and chair, Sarah guided the community-owned Community Benefit Society through startup, two share offers, business planning and new legal and regulatory processes.
She is a trained Forest School Leader and Mental Health First Aider. Sarah lives with a chronic illness that offers her valuable expertise in disability and diversity.
Sarah is a perennial student – devouring hundreds of books and courses on nature-inspired and regenerative solutions, constantly looking for the common strands and solutions to problems that are faced by individuals, businesses, societies and the planet.
She has undertaken regenerative leadership and design training.
She is the author of Think like a Tree: the natural principles guide to life. She lives in south Derbyshire with her family on their smallholding where they have planted woodlands, forest gardens, veg gardens, orchards, dug ponds and rewilded areas. Wildlife has rocketed in their 20 year guardianship of the land.
JK ( Jennie- Kate) McQuinn is the founder of Where the Mind Grows: Nature- Collaborative Coaching for individuals, teams and organisations.
JK helps people & teams adventure into nature to explore & nurture health & happiness. With Nature as a co-facilitator in all that we do at Where the Mind Grows.
With a background working in mental health, employability and leadership (in third, private & public health sectors) JK established her coaching businesses JKChangeWork & Where the Mind Grows ( 2017 +2019).
She helps people find the calm, clarity and confidence to celebrate themselves, enhance their communities and manage the eb and flow of ‘being human’ in a busy world.
Alongside being a Master Practitioner in Neurolinguistic Programming, Advanced IEMT, MBraining practitioner and with over 15 years coaching & personal development experience. JK went on to study ecopsychology and qualified as a Facilitator in the Think Like a Tree Programme. ( JK is Mental Health First Aid & ASIST & Trauma informed approaches trained ).
JK & Sarah have collaborated on the launch of Think Like A Forest a Regenerative Business programme for future-focused organisations.
Where the Mind Grows offer a range of 1:1 Life/Career well-being coaching services, retreats and self-leadership experiences in Nature; working with leaders, teams & organisations through team away days and workplace well-being consultancy/coaching programmes.
JK founded Wild Workspaces in 2023 – A co-working pop-up event in Nature helping business owners & leaders be better connected with Nature in their working day.
JK is at her happiest in nature, walking, camping, wild swimming or reading a good book to inspire personal growth & lifelong learning. Living in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
The living world as facilitator – nature will be your true guide. Our guided activities will help you tap into your abilities to learn from nature directly, benefitting you and your organisation.
You’ll discover how nature-connection benefits wellbeing, and how learning from nature can transform your organisational culture from scarcity to abundance-thinking.
This is an online course, but don’t be fooled – you will be encouraged to learn from nature directly.
The theory will be put firmly into practice. This is a course not just to learn systems-thinking, but to apply living-systems being and doing to your life, your leadership and your organisation.
Price is per person
£850
– immediate access to programme videos and materials, weekly(ish) ‘Office Hours’ and community platform
At the checkout you can pay by credit or debit card, bacs (our preferred method) or Paypal. You may have the option of Paypal Pay in 3.
Low-income/ low-financial capital? Get in touch to find out how to apply for a sponsored place.
Price is per person
£850
– immediate access to programme videos and materials, weekly(ish) ‘Office Hours’ and community platform
At the checkout you can pay by credit or debit card, bacs (our preferred method) or Paypal. You may have the option of Paypal Pay in 3.
Low-income/ low-financial capital? Get in touch to find out how to apply for a sponsored place.
£850
Join fellow leaders, coaches and changemakers on a unique journey to discover an exciting and rewarding, regenerative future – transforming you, your team, your organisation and the world.
We’ll bring the frameworks, tools and mentorship, you bring the passion, nature will bring the wisdom.
Oriele Frank
Founder, Chief Product and Sustainability Officer
Cherry Anderson
Graphic Designer
Vicky Heward
Director
Danielle Heward
Director
Angela
Director Lagom Derby CIC (Hannah Fields Community Garden)
There are various benefits to signing up immediately:
'Office Hours' are weekly at 10am UK time
(these run from signup until end of January, with the option to renew for a second year of live sessions if you wish)
Live Group Sessions on Zoom:
October 2024 to Jan 2025
Choice of Tuesday evenings 6 - 8pm or Wednesday mornings 10am -12 (UK time)
Tuesday 16 / Wednesday 17 October
Tuesday 30 / Wednesday 31 October
Tuesday 12 /Wednesday 13 November
Tuesday 26 / Wednesday 27 November
(no sessions in December)
Tuesday 7 / Wednesday 8 January
Tuesday 21 / Wednesday 22 January
Sessions will be recorded, although we do recommend that you attend live.
Campfire groups are in addition to this and will be self-organising to a time to suit participants.
Times are given in UK time (London) - please check your time zones carefully
We would prefer that you choose one or other of the sessions and try to attend all of the sessions. That way you will build up a group culture with your fellow attendees.
But if you can’t attend one session, then please feel free to attend the other session that week.
Yes, replays will be available. We aim to have them live within 3 days of the session.
However, the group sessions will involve group activities (some of which will be in breakout rooms which won’t be recorded), so you’ll gain maximum benefit if you attend live.
Yes, not a problem. You can learn the fundamentals and take them back to your team.
And if you would like some support sharing the learning with your team, once you’ve completed the course, you can then book a whole-team Adventure, where your team will all gain access to the course materials and group coaching as a whole team. More about the whole-team Adventure is here.
After you sign up you’ll be given login details for Inspired by Nature Network, which is our network and course platform (on Mighty Networks).
Everything will be explained inside the platform.
It’s easy to use and you’ll find the Zoom links and other useful information inside.
Yes! Regenerative leadership calls for us all to step into the role of ‘leader’.
You’ll discover what that means through the course, but rest assured, it’s not something you’re born with, and it’s different from being a ‘manager’.
Our definition of a leader is someone who wants to affect positive change in their workplace, business, organisation or community (and the world).
Yes! This course is important for coaches who are working with leaders, team-members, businesses and organisations. We all need to transition to regenerative ways of working as a matter of urgency. Think like a Forest seeks to act as a catalyst for others to do so. Regenerative practices call for us to act with integrity and to act within the ethical frameworks of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Shares.,
When using materials with your clients we ask that you credit the original source.
The 12 Strands and 6 Systems dimensions (and other original resources) should be credited Sarah Spencer, Think like a Tree/Think like a Forest.
You’ll need to commit an average of 5 hours per week for the duration of the course, (although much of that will also be progressing your business).
The purpose of the programme is for you to discover a more natural way of leadership/business and that means learning to leave behind many of the stresses of modern work, sharing the burden and empowering your team/co-workers.
Overall this is a much more rewarding way to do business.
Our core ‘systems dimension’ is ‘self’, ie you!- so you will discover what works for you, including self-care and releasing your potential.
Yes this is a common worry when so many workplaces are not regenerative right now.
We are here to help you explore what the issues are, and our tools and resources are here to support you.
Whatever your circumstances there will be changes you can make – remember nature mostly makes change via evolution which can seem slow.
However, big changes can happen when there are tipping points in the right direction.
By being part of the solution, gaining knowledge and experience you will be ready to make the right changes at the right time.
The course includes many activities to get you and your team out in nature, so you can benefit from nature-connection and learning from living systems too.
Check out our Think like a Forest Regenerative Organisation Adventure.
Your whole team will gain access to the online platform and course materials. Your group sessions will be with your whole team at times to suit you, and your facilitators will bespoke the materials to your specific needs.
Adventure can be online-only, or a hybrid (online plus 1 day in-person day) – it’s your choice.
If just 2 or 3 of your team members would like to attend, then we advise you attend Fundamentals and then report back to your team.
Think like a Forest Regenerative Organisation Fundamentals was created following our extensive research and studies of regenerative practices.
Until about 500 years ago this is the way that everyone was living – it’s deep inside of us already, waiting to get out.
The modern world loves to label people as tree-huggers, hippies or woo woo when they are simply connecting with and learning from the living systems that are everywhere.
Living-systems approaches are being used everywhere – from business, to economics, to land design, health, agriculture, engineering, product-design and academia.
The course offers a new way of seeing the world, not blinkered by the consumerist, industrial, machine mindset that dominates our world.
(p.s if you want to hug trees then that’s all right with us!)
Everything you learn and discover is designed to be implemented in your life and work in a real and practical way.
For each of the 12 Strands you will discover activities and tools to put regenerative practices into action.
This practical approach covers all of our 6 systems dimensions, so you'll be discover changes for:
Yes!
Fundamentals is for people in organisations of all size and type.
The frameworks and tools are the same and are adapted for whatever your circumstances.
If you’ve read all the way down here and not yet signed up, it may be that you have some niggling questions that we can help you with.
If that’s the case, then don’t keep them to yourself, we’re here to help.
Here’s how you can contact us:
