Pick Your Own - with Sonya of Adore Your Outdoors

This week our theme is 100% outdoors.  And if we'd been geographically closer we absolutely would have recorded it outdoors too!

Our guest in this episode is Sonya Dibbin, who calls herself The Nature Lady on LinkedIn and Nature Nerd in other areas :-)

Like Raising the Baa, Sonya is passionate about bringing people into nature, hence her beautifully named business Adore Your Outdoors.

From an extensive career in IT, you will hear how and why Sonya developed into a trainer of forest bathing, ecoNIDRA (yoga fans will get this immediately), workplace resilience and wellbeing.

With her growing tribe of certified forest bathing guides across the country, we are really excited to have Adore Your Outdoors as one of our Pick Your Own partners.

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Whilst hundreds of companies have brought their teams to a farm to herd sheep with us at Raising the Baa, we know that the field-based exercises are not for everyone.

So we've raised our own 'baa' and created Pick Your Own. A bespoke collection of sustainable and meaningful activities to bring teams together in the countryside - just perfect for everyone's wellbeing.

Thank ewe for tuning in :-)

Pick Your Own brochure - download here

Click here to book in an Exploratory Call with Caroline

Connect with the speakers via LinkedIn:
Sonya Dibbin - Founder of Adore Your Outdoors
Caroline Palmer - Top Dog and co-founder, Raising the Baa

What are your main team challenges and desires? Maybe we can help?
Book in a 15-minute Exploratory Call now and let's see.

Transcript

Caroline: 0:27

Hi Sonya, how are you today?

Sonya: 0:30

I am good. Thank you very much. It's lovely to be here with you.

Caroline: 0:33

Oh, and likewise. I always love speaking with you not only because I just love speaking with you as Sonya, but I also love looking at your background. For the listeners to know, Sonya always has a beautiful, a very appropriate background, which as you will understand when we've heard a little bit more from her, it is a forest and this is a lot about what we're going to be talking about today, isn't it?

Sonya: 0:55

Yeah. It all started with the background when I left the corporate world and so I could spend more time outdoors. And not long after launching the business, COVID happened and I ended up back indoors on screens all the time. So I thought I will bring the forest through my virtual screen and, do you know what? I love it. So it stayed,

Caroline: 1:16

I actually love your background. It's very bright and Sonya's dressed in pink and sets it off really nicely. So tell us a little bit about Sonya and how you came to be where you are now.

Sonya: 1:24

so my name is Sonya Dibbin, my business is Adore Your Outdoors, So it was about 10 years ago and I found out very late in life and quite unexpectedly that I was going to be a mum. And so working in IT, in a global organization and jetting around all over the place for sometimes two weeks at a time, was not going to be an option anymore. then during maternity leave. I actually went outdoors every single day and took either bump with me or Leo with me, and we went for regular slow walks. And this was because I've grown up in a family that were pretty much Seasonal Affective Disorder sufferers. So if it wasn't sunny outside and warm, everybody was depressed. And that had been passed down through the generations. And the first thing I thought after, holy moly, when I saw the pregnancy test, the second thing was,"oh I need to make sure that this little one doesn't have that same issue of being depressed for six months of the year". And therefore, even though he was a winter baby out we went on walks every day and I started noticing that I was actually feeling amazing. And that was despite the new struggles. So I was doing it on my own. I didn't have a clue, I wasn't getting much sleep, but I was feeling amazing and I started looking up what is the healing power of nature?" I and I then came across the terms of nature connection and Shinrin Yoku, which is the Japanese term for forest bathing. We call it that. It's a terrible translation. It's nothing to do with swimming, And after nine months or so, I headed back into the workplace. But the ideas were percolating and a couple of years later I was made redundant, so I was able to p ull on the big girl pants, retrain., I was, 45, something like that, And I thought, if I don't do it now, I never will. So off I went. I retrained as a forest therapy guide with the Global Institute of Forest Therapy. And never looked back.

Caroline: 3:25

Where the inspiration for it come from? Like how did you come up with it?

Sonya: 3:28

As in my Adore Your Outdoors?. actually genuinely the answer to that is that I was sitting in my backyard and drinking a glass of Prosecco on the phone with my best friend, playing around with words, and it, it just popped and came to me. I wanted something that was broad enough. wasn't restricted just to forest bathing, and I wanted something that also wasn't my name. I've got a very unusual name. Everybody spells it wrong, so there was absolutely no point, both my first and second names. There was no point going with my name, so I thought, I'll go with Adore Your Outdoors, because it gives me that breadth of possibility and I can incorporate various different types of nature connection experiences, which is what I've gone on to do.

Caroline: 4:07

Yeah, and it's a beautiful logo. There'll be connections to Sonya's website in the show notes. So you'll see for yourself it's a really lovely logo. So congratulations on creating that. I don't know if it was you that created it or you got some lovely designers to do it, but it really works.

Sonya: 4:22

Yeah. Yeah, I love it. And I've got so many brand designer friends, and they all want to come and, Hey, let's do a rebrand. I'm like, I don't want a rebrand. I absolutely love my brand.

Caroline: 4:31

Yeah, we get that a lot too. I guess because it's a bit different, isn't it? People want to work with sheep or trees, nature, it is just a little bit different, Anyway, tell us what people get involved with. I know you do this with individuals but when a team of people get together and do your forest bathing, what is it they actually do? Because I'm sure there's a question that a lot of people would be wondering.

Sonya: 4:50

So it's forest bathing inspired, I call it nature immersion, actually. I'm not sure that's any better, but what I'm trying to get across is that you don't need a forest. So I've worked i n various different locations. I n beautiful gardens, it works just as well. In hotel grounds, it works just as well. So you don't need the forest,even in wildlife meadows for example. So I was trying to get over that with calling it the nature immersion, but it is absolutely forest bathing inspired. Typically in experience is three hours. And during that time we would be in smallish groups of around 10 per guide. And I have now the training arm of my business. So I have 30 different guides now nationwide that can help if we've got, work in different places. And so one guide for around 10 people. And we would typically move between whole group, let's say 60 of us. So sometimes we'd all be together, then we'd sometimes be in our tens, and then we'd sometimes be in maybe twos, threes or solo. So there's this mix of, I call it connected solitude. So you do get a little bit of downtime to yourself but you also get this lovely feeling of being, in a team with your colleagues. And we typically start with some mindful walking. So what I'm really trying to do first of all, is get people to notice nature. The best way to connect to nature is to notice it. Time outdoors d oesn't mean that you are really noticing the natural world. Often we are outdoors, but we're not noticing. We're chatting or we've got a podcast in our ear, whatever it is. So this is about fully focusing, so some mindful walking to try and heighten our senses. Tune in. Then we might start with a sensory awakening, which is something like a guided meditation, but it's not a meditation. So your guide will prompt you through awakening your senses and connecting with all the elements and the other nature beings that are in this place. Sometimes that's done standing up. Sometimes it's done lying down. We will then go on a motion hunt and we'll be tuning in our senses to movement in the space that we're in. And so by the time we've done this, and this has taken around an hour, you have found that the kind of the monkey mind has quietened. People are getting into it, The nervous anxiety has gone and they're just really enjoying this experience, and now they're primed ready for some of the more connection activities with each other. So typically on team building or, team togetherness days, we do mindful photography competitions. And these can be, random prompts depending on what the weather's like. Shadows, light and dark is a really beautiful one, quite often do red and round, what could that be? so you can get really abstract with it. So I like to do that. And then I like to give a set of my Shirin Yoku cards as the prize for that. So there is an element of competition, but it's very gentle. We will also get creative with some land art, so using natural materials that we forage up and collect from the place that we're in. You can get into either whole group or small group, and.....???? beautiful mandalas. I've had chickens, I've had faces, I've had bird scenes. All sorts of wonderful things have been created, so that works particularly well on a calm day. When it's very gusty, then that doesn't work quite so well. But we always enjoy some creative land art.

Caroline: 8:29

Sorry to interrupt. What is Mandala? Mandala is usually a creation that's done with leaves, twigs, flowers, petals, seed pods, etc, on the ground and typically in a circle. So you sometimes do it with the directions north, south, east, west, and then you might decorate it like that. Otherwise, it's just mirror. It's completely symmetrical. And you can co-create it with your group. So that's something that people quite enjoy doing. And then we do an invitation called the camera, and you put people, or people get into pairs. One is the photographer and one is the camera. And with eyes closed the photographer will guide the camera to a site of special interest that they have found. And this needs to be something that is close by. So not the clouds in the sky, but perhaps some beautiful moss on the side of a tree. Or a particularly beautiful flower growing, nearby. And so with eyes closed, you have this building trust. So one person is helping them move, stepping over the logs or whatever it is that's on the ground and helping them. So you have to discuss, how would you like me to touch you? Is hand on shoulder, okay? Or shall I hold your hand or would you prefer my hands on your back? So you have that discussion. You go through the closed eye and then they take the photograph by opening their eyes very briefly and closing them again, and then describing what it is that they've seen, and then open eyes and just have a little chat about it, and then return to the circle. Swap roles. Off we go again. That one works really beautifully and it's all centered around fun and meaningful connection. Something that's a little bit different Then we'll usually finish with some foraged tea, so we'll go and I'll. do a little bit of an education piece on what you can forage in the area. And here are some leaves that I've brewed and here's a beautiful cup of tea that we can enjoy and, take some of this nature experience home within our bodies. That's a rough example. I've got about 50 different invitations to choose from. Some are more suitable for teams and group connection. And some are more around really solo exploration. And it depends what the teams want. So typically I will speak with whoever's leading and we will choose the ones that work best for them. Yeah, that sounds nice and flexible. I hadn't heard you describe the photographer and camera invitation before, but, Chris, my partner and myself, we went on a holiday, which is for visually impaired travellers. It's an amazing company called TravelEyes, clever name. So they always need the same number of sighted travellers as VI travellers and, exactly that, you are paired up with somebody different each day, which I think is also a good idea because of course everybody describes things, sees things, literally, and therefore describes them differently. And again, it goes right from the start of how would you like to be guided? s you well know when you shut down one sense, of course it increases all the others, doesn't it? Which is so powerful,

Sonya: 11:54

Yes. That's one of the things I love about this. So often people think of these types of exercises"Oh, you need a certain level of mobility, you need to be able to get into the woods. Therefore, I can't do it." Actually, no, I'm really keen to break down those barriers and remove the obstacles. it's really important to me that the simplicity of these activities make them super accessible and available to absolutely everyone because It brings long lasting benefits. Once you've tuned your senses in, as you say, sight is our dominant sense for most of us, And once you've removed that by closing your eyes, so quite a lot of this we'll do with eyes closed as well. those early parts of the experience, we invite people to close their eyes Once those senses are heightened the other ones they, you are always aware that's there now, and it's almost like you've opened the door and then you've walked through that door and you take it with you We always give out the activities for you to take away so that you can keep on doing more of this when you get home, because it's there for everyone.

Caroline: 12:56

And that's a perfectly sustainable part of it, isn't it? Something we're really passionate about is sustainability in all its meanings. And I think that aspect, taking something home with you, is lovely because it is truly sustainable. Are there other aspects of your business, apart from the obvious, you're in nature, that you're particularly proud of or you'd like to highlight, which are sustainable within Adore Your Outdoors?

Sonya: 13:19

So in terms of sustainability, we try to do absolutely everything with as small a footprint as we possibly can. Being service-based business where you are hanging out in nature makes that much easier than for most. But any of my materials are always done either on. FSC paper or recycled. Also we are going digital. My box of forest bathing cards, for example, are now available as a digital download so people can take it with them on the phone. I encourage them not to print off that kind of thing. This is about, getting people out into nature, whether that's their front garden, their window box, or their local woodland. It's all good for me.

Caroline: 14:01

As I say, I mean your business, the whole ethos of it really is about embracing nature anyway, isn't it? So it's an easily sustainable activity, people can easily grab that We encourage people to leave their screens behind, when they're in the field doing the sheep herding activity. And I guess in a way you are doing the same, but what you're saying is when they take something away, it's actually something that they could access on a screen, isn't it?

Sonya: 14:23

Yeah. So that's a little bit like having a trained forest bathing guide in your pocket Refer to your screens. Remind yourself of what activity, what the prompts are, and then go out and enjoy it in your own time. And actually evidence does show that the more connected to nature you are, so the more you feel in kinship with nature rather than separate from it or. The more that you feel you are an equal rather than the natural world is something for you to control or deplete the more you take a stand for it as well. You may have seen or heard, giving rights to rivers, for example, and actually having the natural world represented on boards, that kind of thing. All of that comes from this understanding that we are part of the natural world and if the natural world isn't okay, we can't be okay. And as a result people that come on these experiences like,"Oh, I've never really experienced that before, but I do feel differently" and I think, if that happens after just one experience Then yeah, I'm spreading the nature nerd word as I say, and creating more nature nerds. The world would be a happier place.

Caroline: 15:32

I was going to ask you that question about, having nature on your board of directors. W hat's your thoughts on that? Have you met any company that is, that's got that position?

Sonya: 15:42

I haven't personally, but for me, it's a no brainer. That's where we need to be getting to. And I think giving rivers, seas, areas, trees in particular, so I know the Woodland Trust, I'm a member of them and I support their work. They are, designating certain ancient trees as having human rights, the equivalent of, why should a human have that, but not an ancient tree? It doesn't make any sense to me We are not different, we are the same. So that is something that I am quite passionate about and we're, I'm really enjoying seeing it coming through. I live in Hampshire. The UK has something like 80% of the world's chalk streams. Most of them are in two or three areas of England, and those chalk streams are being given rights as well. Now it's really sad because in the droughts, like we've had in this summer and, all due to less rain, climate change, etc, they then have to top up from these rare chalk stream rivers. And, what's the alternative? I don't know what the answer is to it, but the fact that we are giving the River Test, for example, my local and the River Itchen, they are getting their own rights. That can only be a move in the right direction as far as I'm concerned.

Caroline: 16:55

Yeah, totally. I was listening to a podcast yesterday which was a ll about AI He was a professor. A very eminent professor who'd been investigating AI and AI safety in particular for literally 15 years or so. So he is way ahead of most of us. some of his predictions were so scary. the way he talked about it, I just thought, there's some things that AI will never replace, and one of them is nature. It just can't, can it? we could be reinvented doing what we are doing sitting here talking. We don't have to be us doing this in 10 years time. But a tree, for example, I don't know if you've got any views

Sonya: 17:29

As a small business owner I do use AI to help me with some of my copy and some of my ideas generation, but I don't use it e very day because I understand the impact it's having on the environment. how much water it uses and how much carbon it produces. So there's that and that is a worry in itself. But the fact that yes, it's probably going, to take over the world in the next 10 to 15 years is horrific thought that I just try to avoid because honestly, my brain can't cope with anything more sad with all the other stuff going on in the world. So that's one of the ones that you have to park, isn't it? But yeah I am worried.

Caroline: 18:09

Anyway, as I say, that was a slight digression anyway, coming back to your team togetherness, I think you like to call it, what have you had any particular feedback from, what are typical things that some of the participants are saying to you, having experienced one of your workshops?

Sonya: 18:23

we did one for Langston House, which is a beautiful hotel in my area. And the GM of the hotel, he said he said, oh, Sonya, we can't thank you enough. The delegates who did the nature immersion we're all raving about the experience over dinner. A sure sign of success. And I just loved that because I thought, I had a group of 30 people lying around on the ground, getting creative with bits of trees and all of that. They were giggling throughout because it is a fun experience and I loved the fact that, they went then into dinner...because they all split off. They had a choice of different experiences. So the fact that They were all in there chatting about it over dinner was well, it put a smile on my face. And generally people talk about the fact that it gives them a break from the other stuff that they're doing around it. So on these sort of team retreats or away days, they really appreciate that this gives them a total break and enhances their creativity. That's what people get from it. They leave with clarity. As time in nature is going to clear the mind, but also it has boosted creativity. And so people really welcome the fact that they can sidestep reality for a few hours and then go back feeling refreshed. People talk of this feeling of being personally both energized and deeply relaxed, but also now seeing their colleagues in a totally different light because they've got to know them on a completely different level that, that you would normally do. Absolutely. Yeah.

Caroline: 19:53

So alongside a lot of the other collaborators in Pick Your Own, yours is slightly different in that most of the others, are involving crafts of one sort or another. So very much using hands, and I know there's an element of what you do that is creative and craft-based, but theirs' are generally indoors, which is a nice balance between what we do with herding sheep and with what you do. At the end of the day, it's down to the team leader, to decide what they want to do alongside sheep herding. But I do think our two activities in particular, is a total immersion in nature, isn't it? Obviously with your, absolute immersion in nature and ours is, just being outdoors, doing something as well. But yeah, it's all the words you use. It's really interesting. And because we get words fed back from clients such as clarity, creativity and also the memory and bringing a smile to people's faces, one of the things that gives me greatest pleasure is, and it happened literally this week. Somebody got in touch And then when I spoke to her, I said, how did you come across us? And she said,"Oh actually I did experience it. I was employed by somebody else", And it was 2018, so here we are, 2025. and she remembered it. She just said, I just remember the feeling I had, and I just want to bring my current team to it." And that I'm sure you'd be the same. That just is so lovely. Makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it?

Sonya: 21:03

It does. It does. we get that as well. And it is that"I've never done anything like this before and it's going to stay with me" It actually can fundamentally change people. So quite a lot of people come to me years later, similarly, and say,"Ever since I did that with you, I've been a different person effectively. It's quite transformative and we can't underestimate the impact of a full day outside Caroline because that, sadly, we spend 95% of our time indoors now in the uk. And when you spend a whole day outdoors, you feel amazing. People aren't used to it. to be able to do that whether it's raining or not, it doesn't matter. You're still breathing in all the amazing organic compounds and everything in the rain and listening to the sounds. It's quite a gift. We know this stuff from lives past and our ancestors, this isn't anything new. We're just returning to older ways, Our body knows it. And when people get over the obstacles and actually give it their all. it can be quite transformative.

Caroline: 22:06

I could talk about this for ages, and I'm sure there's a lot more people listening to this could actually be asking you because every time you say something it brings up another question in my mind, but I'm going to cut it here now and say thank you so much for your time, Sonya. We really look forward to collaborating more with you and having you as part of our Pick Your Own collection and getting more of our mutual clients into the fresh

Sonya: 22:29

That sounds like a good plan to me. Okay have a lovely day and we'll speak soon. Take care. Thank you. Bye bye.