Earlier this year, I celebrated 15 years in my practice as an executive coach. During that time I've created different platforms for delivering coaching, designing "Trek Leadership Cafes" for young professionals, served as a Coach-in-Residence and Coach-on-Call.While coaching clients during the pandemic I made a life-changing pivot, offering outdoor coaching sessions at picnic tables and walking on nature trails in parks. The outcomes were profound, and it helped me and my clients with our well-being during a challenging time. While leadership skills will always be in demand, what I see my clients needing is a safe, quiet space to stop, be still and think without the distractions of electronic screens and the demands of work.In 2021 I started studying the research on the impact of spending time outdoors on our physical and mental health. Based on the scientific evidence I discovered, I decided to earn a certification in Forest Therapy from the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy (ANFT), based in Phoenix, AZ, and traveled to Japan in 2022 to study the practice with forest bathing guides and medical practitioners. Shinrin-Yoku or Forest Bathing, is an evidence-based practice that originated in Japan in the 1980s, and has been shown to calm both body and mind by reawakening the five senses.I've also trained with the New York Botanical Garden, and the London-based program Coaching Outdoors. The last three years have been a wonderful intersection of coaching and my love of the outdoors.I've been guiding groups and individuals on forest bathing walks - slow, meditative walks that help relax the nervous system. Recently, clients have been asking me to help them create meditative gardens at their homes to continue their experience on forest bathing walks.This fall I made the exciting decision to partner with Peter Wimberg and his team at Wimberg Landscaping to create custom gardens that offer peace, tranquility and rest. I'll be working alongside award-winning landscape designers from Wimberg, combining lush plantings, soothing water features, gentle chimes, and quiet spaces to create a sensory sanctuaries. They're a natural partner, given their expertise in pollinator and native plant gardens.I want people to be able to step outside their backdoor and into a personalized garden where they can enjoy quiet time— listening to the birds, unrolling their yoga mat, or sitting on a garden bench with their eyes closed, taking deep breaths. Whether or not you have a garden, I invite you to step outside for a restorative breath of fresh air.