‘In Gaelic, it's called ‘duchas’. It's that connection to place and belonging and heritage and land. And I thought, wow, what a beautiful word, why have I not had that in my own language? There's this actual word to describe this sense of belonging to place’ - JK, Coach & Creator of The Burrow at Little Seed Farm

What does it mean to truly belong to a place, community and yourself? In our conversation, JK reflects on identity, heritage and the journey back to the wildness that lives within us all. From her Gaelic roots and the concept of dùthchas, a profound sense of place and belonging to her childhood spent feral, JK explores how our names, landscapes and life experiences shape who we become.

Together they discuss the pressures of high achievement, burnout amongst mental health leaders and the irony that those caring for others often neglect their own wellbeing and self-care. JK describes how rediscovering walking became a pathway back to joy, guiding her from a life driven by external validation to one rooted in curiosity, stewardship and trust in the more-than-human world.

The conversation explores coaching as an emergent practice, learning from landscapes rather than simply working inthem, and her creation of ‘The Burrow’ at Little Seed Field near Ripon which is a space for reflection, confidentiality and renewal. They also delve into grief, ritual, seasonality and our often-fractured Western relationship with endings, asking what nature can teach us about loss, regeneration and hope.

This episode is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply and remember that sometimes the simplest act of being present with the land is enough to begin coming home.

Bio:

Jennie-Kate (JK) McQuinn is the founder, coach and facilitator behind Where the Mind Grows, a nature-led coaching organisation helping individuals and teams reconnect with the wild and rediscover their true nature. She delivers trauma-informed, regenerative approaches from woodland in North Yorkshire and other wild spaces across the UK.

With a background in mental health and employability service leadership across the voluntary, private and public health sectors. JK found her own path back to nature, not simply by being in it, but by learning from it and designing life and work to belong as the natural world.

She launched her coaching venture in 2017, the same year she lost her father. Over time, she recognised that grief and loss were present in much of her work with people and teams.

Drawing on ecopsychology, nature reconnection and traditional coaching approaches, JK supports others to navigate life, work and adversity, including bereavement, change and the turbulence of life with compassion & courage. Just like the wild!

Website: www.wherethemindgrows.co.uk

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LinkedIn - Personal Profile

LinkedIn - Where the Mind Grows

To find out more:

www.rootedrisingpodcast.com

‘How can we overcome this polycrisis, if you like, the sort of disconnect with nature, the disconnect with each other, and the disconnect with self. How can coaching play a part in that?’ - Paul Rodwell, Regenerative Thinker & Coach

From the stunning Tramuntana Mountains of Mallorca, surrounded by Holm Oak and plum trees Paul Rodwell reflects on a life of service that has taken him from the luxury hotel industry in Chile’s Atacama Desert and Morocco’s Marrakech to the diplomatic world of the UK Civil Service and Foreign Office.

Throughout his life encounters with Indigenous communities, sacred rituals and powerful landscapes have sparked a profound shift in how he understands identity, place and our relationship with the natural world.

Together, Anna-Marie and Paul explore themes of colonialism, belonging, spirituality and regeneration, and discuss how awe, silence and connection to place have shaped Paul's coaching philosophy. They examine the discomfort and possibility of liminal spaces, the growing movement towards coaching for nature, and how regenerative thinking might transform the future of the profession.

The conversation also explores professional coaching standards, Paul's alignment with the International Coaching Federation, the evolving role of AI in coaching, and a provocative question for the profession:

Is coaching still fit for purpose in a world facing ecological, social and spiritual challenges?

Bio

Paul Rodwell is a coach, coaching mentor and outdoor facilitator exploring how deeper connection — with nature, with each other, and with ourselves — might help both people and planet heal and thrive. Born in Kent, England, and now also a Spanish national, his life has been shaped by deep roots, movement and a quiet spirit of exploration.

Over the last thirty years, he has lived and worked across Europe, North Africa and Latin America, first through hospitality and wilderness travel — including managing the explora lodge in Chile’s Atacama Desert and also Aman in Marrakech — and later through sixteen years as a diplomat with the UK Foreign Office. Encounters with remote landscapes, indigenous cultures and people from very different walks of life deepened his curiosity about simplicity, presence and what human beings need in order to feel connected and alive.

Now rooted in Mallorca’s Tramuntana mountains with his family, Paul’s work centres on nature-connected coaching, retreats, regenerative leadership and co-creating a foundation exploring how reconnecting people with place might help villages in Mallorca flourish once again.

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram @paul_rodwell_inspires

Resources

Laura Storm / Regenerators Academy - Regenerative Leadership Journey, a year-long journey

Presencing Institute / Otto Scharmer

u-school - courses such as Leading from the Emerging Future

Outdoor Facilitation course — Change in Nature

The Outdoor and Nature Coaches’ Handbook

Imagine If… by Sir Ken Robinson and Kate Robinson

Coaching Outdoors Podcast - Giles Hutchins

To find out more:

www.rootedrisingpodcast.com

‘I feel really touched. I feel really blessed. There's an element of sadness that season one is coming to a close. I set out on this journey and I didn't know where I was going at all. It was just such an unknown. Each conversation, has carved arc and now it's ending. How can I do the season justice and draw it to a close, have a pause, and then come back for series two. There is definitely going be a series two. That's not a spoiler alert’ - Anna-Marie Watson

From the autumn to spring equinox eleven guests have kindly shared insights and stories from their lives that trace their roots and what rises within them as coaches or psychotherapists and human beings in connection with our natural world.

In our thirteenth episode Anna-Marie and Rob who’s usually behind the scenes as podcast producer reflect on their journey over the last seven months and share their thoughts on the main themes that have emerged with transformation, change, purpose, play and notice the gaps that have also arisen. Anna-Marie offers her perspectives as podcast host and how each podcast guest has influenced her work and life. Season one draws to a close for Anna-Marie with a mixture of pride, joy, sadness and gratitude.

About

Change agent, connector, coach, collaborator and podcaster Anna-Marie combines her passion and curiosity for peak performance across her work and life. She brings a wealth of over twenty-five years’ international experience to craft a portfolio career.

She is a self-certified learning junkie with a Post Graduate Certificate in Applied Coaching from the University of Derby and Master’s in Teaching from the University of Sydney; amongst other psychological and psychometric based coaching tools. Happiest outdoors Anna-Marie loves to escape the confines of four walls and co-create coaching conversations with nature.

Anna-Marie is on a mission to encourage a different approach to work where our natural environment is valued within the business world. She facilitates outdoor coaching supervision circles; co-hosted the biweekly ‘Coaching Outdoors’ podcast for five years; co-wrote chapters in ‘The Coaches Handbook’ and ‘Succeeding as a Coach’ on eco-coaching and was a driving force behind the two successful Coaching Outdoors Podcast LIVE @ Henley Business School festivals. Former British Army Officer, she has worked in challenging environments from snowy Arctic tundra to hot and sandy deserts though currently resides within the rolling countryside of Somerset. Alongside her passion for performance and coaching Anna- Marie has a severe ultra-running habit and has raced competitively at an international level.

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To find out more:

www.rootedrisingpodcast.com