This is the question gifted to us all by Faith In Nature in 2022 when they became the first company to give Nature a seat on their board. It was the clarifying call we needed in business, a moment to revisit our purpose and reignite hope.
It also permitted us to openly discuss restoring Nature as part of our business strategies. Since then, the surge of conversations and proactive engagement around nature has been uplifting and inspiring.
As our passion for nature is ignited, it is important to remember the original voices of this message. Indigenous leaders globally have led this conversation about living in harmony with nature against all odds for centuries. Exemplied in quotes such as “The Land is our Mother” – a phrase I learned from Indigenous Australians. And the now famous quote from 2010, which says, “Mother Earth can live without us, but we can’t live without her.” is from the Indigenous Peoples’ Declaration adopted at the World Peoples’ Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia. This is the wisdom of nature from First Nations.
Nature traditions are woven into the rhythm of life in indigenous cultures, and this is now the idea that regenerative business owners are now working with. It reminds us of something we often forget in day-to-day business: we are not separate from nature but part of it. We are nature.
The second business in the world to put Nature on the Board was House of Hackney They appointed Mother Nature as a director and were the first to include the role of considering future generations in their impact. This requires the board to consider where they can actively restore ecosystems, not just protect nature.
The fourth business to take this step is also a UK business. The Better Business Network which has been pivotal in exposing nature strategy to hundreds of members and galvanised the conversation among purpose-led businesses and the B Corp Community. B Lab UK
Key pioneers in this space have been Lawyers for Nature and the Earth Law Center and Nature Governance Agency (NGA) who have produced a public guideline on how any business can embrace nature. The board director route is only one option and new ways are emerging, as exemplified by Tony’s Chocolonely You can download the onboarding nature toolkit to learn about all the options here.
Honouring Nature Across Cultures
Humans have long honoured nature, but somewhere along the way, it became a separate activity rather than integral to life. The Industrial Revolution is often cited as a time when this acceleration of separateness occurred.
In Judaism, trees are sacred symbols of life, honoured by Tu BiShvat, The New Year for Trees.
In Japan, the arrival of cherry blossoms is a time for pause and appreciation. Hanami is not just about beauty but about recognising the impermanence of all things and the gift of the present moment.
In Andean cultures, Inti Raymi is a festival honouring the Sun as the giver of life.
The Hindu tradition of Kumbh Mela brings millions of people together to bathe in sacred rivers, honouring the water that sustains all life.
These celebrations exist because, deep in our bones, we know we belong to nature. And yet, in the modern world, we have forgotten. Instead of seeing ourselves as part of nature, we act separate from it. Helping humans reconnect with this innate sense is a key purpose of Forest Bathing (Shinrin-yoku). In addition to health benefits, it ignites new ways of thinking and considering nature as part of life. It’s a way of bringing us back to our true selves. It’s often called Biophilia, a scientific hypothesis that explains our innate affinity for nature.
In Celtic traditions here in the UK, trees have always been revered as living entities imbued with wisdom. Beltane and Samhain marked sacred times to honour the changing seasons and the deep connection between people and the land. The Wheel of the Year is a recent way to reconnect with this ancient wisdom.
Indigenous Cultures: Living in Relationship with Nature
For many Indigenous communities, nature is honoured daily because it is a living, breathing force. It is family, woven in stories of connection that are shared from birth, to embed this sense of relationality.
For First Nations peoples of Australia, North America, and the Pacific, nature is not a resource. It is an ancestor. The rivers, the mountains, the forests, and the animals are all kin, and they must be treated with the same respect and care as we would offer our own family.
Ceremonies are held in alignment with the cycles of the land. Planting, hunting, migration, and rest are all guided by the wisdom of nature. The Lakota Sun Dance in the USA for example is a sacred renewal of the relationship between humans and the world around them.
For the Maasai of East Africa, rituals are guided by the movement of the stars, the arrival of the rains, and the earth’s cycles, reminding us that life is an exchange, and we must honour the balance of giving and receiving.
For Indigenous peoples, the idea that humans can own the earth is unthinkable. The earth owns us. We must give back everything we take. This is the true essence of regenerative thinking and informs the acceleration of Regenerative Business.
Returning to Reverence: Nature as a Guide in Business and Life
We know this truth deep inside us, and yet many business leaders find just enough separation to continue making decisions that destroy nature in the name of profit.
But imagine if we remembered. Imagine if we brought back that reverence, not as an idea, but as a way of living and working. What if businesses moved in rhythm with nature rather than against it? What if every decision we made considered profit and the health of the land, the waters, and future generations? I would argue that the choice has been removed and that the climate crisis now makes this imperative.
To celebrate nature is to celebrate ourselves. When we honour the earth, we honour our well-being, creativity, and future.
How do you celebrate nature in your daily life and your business? Because if we are to thrive, we must do more than acknowledge nature. We must listen, learn, and design businesses with nature restoration in our strategies.
Jannine Barron
As a business mentor, I help leaders foster this meaningful connection through Nature’s Boardroom, a new tradition that integrates all the insights mentioned here. While agreeing is easy, turning intention into reality requires self-awareness, moments of clarity, and strategic action.
Nature’s Boardroom: A New Way to Lead and Grow Your Business
I first walked in Nature’s Boardroom with a single business owner in the small crack of light in July 2020 when we were ‘allowed’ to do business. It was 2021 before I could do them more often and 2022 before we got into a routine and flow for these wisdom walks.
Since then, I have developed a strong relationship with land in Glastonbury, Avebury and London. I’ve also developed strong ties with the West Coast of Scotland and mid-Cornwall.
One participant, Claire Scobie described her experience as ” a lived, embodied experience, left and right brain, with symbolism and sensory meaning at every beat, it has stuck like no other strategy”
The Depth of Transformation in Nature’s Boardroom
The impact of Nature’s Boardroom is profound. I am often told that the experience stays with people for years. It is the medicine for personal transformation, blending deep reflection in nature with focused integration in one-on-one mentoring.
The depth of insight gained in nature is often far more significant in just two hours than in a conventional coaching session held indoors. Something about being immersed in the elements, breathing fresh air, walking among trees, or feeling the earth beneath your feet allows for a different awareness.
In these times when we crave deeper connection, clarity, and space to reflect, these experiences are not just a luxury; they are essential. When we strip away distractions and open ourselves to nature, we find the wisdom we need to move forward in business and life.
What could nature teach you about your leadership, vision, and next steps?
The Nature’s Boardroom Experience is a unique, facilitated experience in partnership with nature, you and your business. You’re invited to bring a business or personal challenge you’re facing and explore it through our structured frameworks with nature as your partner. You’ll learn a guided approach to engaging with nature, posing meaningful questions, listening deeply, and interpreting the insights you receive. By the end of the day, you’ll have a personal practice you can continue using whenever you seek clarity and direction. Rooted in the principles of biophilia and biomimicry, this immersive day is designed to help you think in new ways, gain clarity, and align your business with nature’s intelligence, whether you seek fresh perspectives, creative solutions, or guidance on your direction.
The Experience includes:
🌳 Forest Bathing
🌳 Gentle self-paced walking
🌳 Group Coaching and Learning
🌳 Journalling and Self-Care
🌳 Cultivating our Intuition
🌳 Nourishing Lunch and Drinks (for full-day events)
But this isn’t just time spent in nature; it’s a chance to step beyond conventional thinking, listen deeply, and uncover what the natural world can teach you about leadership, resilience, and innovation.
Each pre-planned group gathering is intentionally aligned with the rhythms of the Wheel of the Year and the natural flow of the Moon Cycles. We come together during the Equinox in March and September, moments of perfect balance when light and dark are in harmony. The eclipse is a time of profound transformation and renewal. The Equinox reminds us of equilibrium, while eclipses invite us into profound shifts, guiding us through cycles of growth and change.
When it comes to private boardrooms, I like to select a date around the new moon or full moon with individual clients, depending on whether letting go or intentions are more relevant to them. Working with nature cycles to plan our dates is powerful and a symbol for everyone who joins me.
We hold Nature’s Boardrooms in stunning locations across the UK, which I facilitate in relationship with the land and non-human beings we will encounter. These places are rich in Celtic lore and tradition to honour the UK’s land, creating an immersive and sacred space for reflection, insight, and transformation. Many participants describe the experience as profoundly moving, with its impact continuing to unfold long after the day has ended. Learn how to listen to nature and what that even means.
🌿 What insights might emerge, and what problems might dissolve or resolve if you take this time for yourself? As your facilitator, I have been running these experiences for five years in the UK and many years prior in Australia.
Are you ready to step into this space?
𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 – I hope you can join me at one of these locations this year. consider who else you would like to share this with.
You can read some past testimonials here while learning more about this day here.
With a background in pioneering socially responsible companies, Jannine Barron now offers Regenerative Business Mentoring and Regenerative Business Design for Founders seeking to incorporate Conscious Marketing, Business Strategy, Intuitive Guidance, Leadership Coaching and Nature Immersion Days for radical transformation. Her conviction is informed by what she calls The 13 Wisdoms essential for the contemporary paradigm shift needed in these times.
You can subscribe to Jannine’s inspiring short newsletters, event invitations, and business mentoring tips here. You can read more articles written by Jannine on Medium, or LinkedIn.
