Why Your Team Needs a Nature-Based Wellbeing Day

As someone who used to work in the  mission-driven world of non-profit and charity organisations, I understand how teams often operate under unique pressures: limited resources, emotional labour, and the weight of addressing society's most pressing challenges. 

As leaders in the third sector, or purpose led organisations, the drive to serve others can inadvertently push staff wellbeing to the background or limit - including your own as a leader— there is a lot of talk of burnout threatening the very mission you're working to achieve. Yet you are often amazed just how much and how long people seem to keep going for, just about holding things together. Wondering how far is too far and too much?

Of course, these sorts of culture challenges run deeper and need time and significant sector changes to really transform the whole approach. But so often that feeling leads to just accepting that it is how it is, to keep going and spend time worrying about the risk of it all. Instead of taking action to explore your own opportunities.

It might feel like a day alone wouldn’t be enough for your team to find strategies to help. 

And whilst I agree none of these challenges are quick fixes. I’ve also witnessed how a day in the wild of the woods can offer much more than people would expect including myself. 

The thing about the sector is staff are often very resilient and with this comes the opportunity for most, to re-balance and gain a sense of purpose again (and the energy that goes with it) from the time and space together even in a day.

Sometimes its actually the small simple opportunities that create big shifts. 

And yes well the very ‘getting over’ the fact of a day out of busy can feel a huge achievement itself I always support you and your team to co-create an experience that means a day out in the woods makes some sort of added value. (even often for the arm-folding resisters who didn’t want to be there and cringe at the mutter of an away day)

The Hidden Cost of Compassion Fatigue

Non-profit professionals face a distinct form of occupational stress. Research shows that those in helping professions experience higher rates of compassion fatigue and burnout, with studies indicating that up to 70% of of sector workers report significant symptoms that affect both their wellbeing and job performance. They lose the energy for their love for the job and with that comes grief, anger and a complexity of relational dynamics with their role and their workplace. Organisations loose great staff just because they've avoided a bold step to take a short pause. 

Why Nature Is the Antidote Your Team Needs

There are so many reasons, which I often share at team days so team members can explore Nature-connection and ecopsychology for themselves as a wider support.

A structured ( or semi-structured) facilitated well-being day in natural settings offers specific benefits that address the unique challenges of third sector/CVSE work: Gone are those board-room stuffy away days (or bored room as I call them) where imagination is stifled and the feelings of work heavily linked to the space. Nature has so many moments of opportunity and inspiration to aid your team. 

1. Resetting Overwhelmed Nervous Systems

Nature time reduces cortisol levels and activates the parasympathetic nervous system—particularly important for staff regularly exposed to high-risk or high-stress or high-responsibility work. Just 20 minutes in a natural setting significantly lowers stress responses. 

2. Creating Psychological Safety for Authentic Communication

Natural environments remove hierarchical office structures that can inhibit open dialogue. The benefit of a (very wild) facilitator also enhance this neutralised dynamic. I see so many organisations trying to cut costs by facilitating the session themselves, not thinking about the impact this has on power dynamics and psychological safety of the group. Research demonstrates that communications barriers dissolve more effectively outside traditional meeting spaces, allowing teams to address unspoken tensions and rebuild connections. Often due to the areas of the brain Nature helps activate (including problem solving) as one client said to me, on a day focused on conflict resolution ‘We couldn’t have had these conversations inside, the trees and air helped!

3. Restoring Your purpose, Values and mission Focus Through Distance

Cognitive restoration theory shows that nature provides the mental space needed to reconnect with core values and purpose. For mission-driven organisations, this renewal of purpose is essential for sustainable impact and lasting effectiveness. As well as support people to reconnect with their own values and purpose within the role - in our sessions we go beyond this to ensure your team identify and explore strategies and approaches to help stay well in challenging times. 

The Power of Nature-Based Coaching

Integrating professional coaching into your nature day transforms passive relaxation into active development. As an experienced coach - used to working with the complexity the sector experiences in team wellness and development - we'll use the natural setting as both metaphor and medium—guiding team exercises that translate environmental experiences into organisational insights, learning from nature as well as in it. Coaching in natural settings has been researched to support the increases psychological safety; allowing team members to voice concerns they might withhold indoors & enhance communication. I creates structured opportunities for authentic dialogue, helping teams develop new communication patterns that persist long after returning to the everyday of work. Unlike traditional team-building that can often feels forced, nature-based coaching harnesses the environment's inherent capacity to quiet defensive responses and open receptivity to change.

Beyond Self-Care: A Strategic Investment

A well-being day in nature combined with coaching isn't an organisational luxury—it's a strategic necessity for third sector organisations committed to long-term impact. When leaders model sustainable well-being practices,and enable their team to do the same,  they create cultures where staff resilience matches the organisation's ambitions. They seek a more authentic approach to deliver and minimise the negative impact on staff that can occur when your organisation message says one thing, but fails to deliver this compassion and care for your employees and yourself. 

By temporarily stepping away from screens and into green spaces, non-profit teams don't just recharge—you’ll recommit to both  individual wellbeing and collective mission with renewed clarity and connection. And energy too!

The communities you serve deserve the best version of your team. You’re teams hard work and commitment deserves it too.  Nature and the Where the Mind Grows Coaching approach offer a balance of personal growth, team connection and  the reset button you need to deliver impact. 

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