We know that there are lots of us who are deeply concerned about climate change and the destruction of the natural environment and recent years feel like a wake-up call.
For some this is a new perspective, for many it has rekindled a long-held desire for our professional lives to be a force for good in the world. A desire that got overtaken by the demands of a career, a mortgage, a family, building a business or other day-to-day responsibilities.
Whatever your profession or your sector, over your career you’ve developed a wealth of experience, skills and connections that could be applied for good in the world.
But we often find ourselves unclear on what is possible and worthwhile to do. Confused by simplistic messaging about ‘doing our bit’ in the face of huge, complex issues. Often feeling powerless and inadequate in the face of such enormous problems, doubting whether any action we take will really make a meaningful difference.
We know what it’s like….we’ve been there
We know what it’s like to be deeply concerned about the state of the world, working to make a difference, but sure you could do so much more.
But when we search for ways in which we can do more, sustainability often seems to be all about scientific facts. It can feel that to make a difference we need to put being an expert and making a difference in our own field on hold until we have become sustainability expects, able to overwhelm others with an avalanche of facts.
All of us at Realise Earth have fallen into this trap in the past, thinking ever more facts and data would help. But over the 20 years we have been working on sustainability we’ve discovered that what sets successful sustainability leaders apart is their mindset – the internal stories they hold about themselves, why they care about climate and nature, and why they are taking action.
The mindset of sustainability leaders – people who are able to champion sustainability in the long-term – is fundamentally different. It’s rooted in the belief that nature – the living world – matters deeply. Not just because it is our home, but also because it has value, beauty and meaning in and of itself, regardless of our dependence on healthy ecosystems.
This mind-set can be developed, nurtured and sustained through building three fundamental strengths:
- The confidence to hold true to the fact we are part of nature – in a society that would have us believe and behave as if humans are somehow separate from the rest of the living world.
- The capacity to engage not just our heads but also our hearts – to combine intellect with emotional intelligence, instinct, and imagination.
- The support of trusted companions – like-minded peers who help us when the going is tough and the way forward is unclear.
Each of us in Realise Earth has built these three strengths and cultivated this mind-set in different ways but a common thread has been the transformative power of spending extended periods of time in wild places.
Over a decade of expertise distilled into one extraordinary week
Our 6-Day Sustainability Leadership Programme has been refined over more than ten years. It grew out of the Natural Change Project – an incredibly successful sustainability leadership programme commissioned by WWF in 2010 and project managed by Morag in her role as a Senior Policy Officer for WWF. Over the subsequent decade the programme has been carefully evolved to create a deeply powerful but still accessible experience.
Join nine of your peers and Realise Earth’s three sustainability experts for six days in the Scottish Highlands. Based in a comfortable, remote, off-grid lodge, we will spend most of our time outside, where our facilitators will guide you through a unique programme of personal, paired and group practices. They include wild mindfulness, guided meditation, wilderness solos, structured dialogue and reflection. Inspired by ancient cultural and spiritual traditions, these practices have been adapted for our modern society.
Our next Sustainability Leadership Programme runs from Saturday 13th May through to Friday 19th May 2023 in the Highlands of Scotland.
It was such a positive experience, it was wonderful. It gave me this feeling of life and empowerment, and direction. It helped me clarify my strength and how I can bring sustainability into biomedical research through the European biomedical research networks I’m involved with.
Prof Marieke van Ham, Head Department of Immunopathology, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation and University of Amsterdam
Time and space to develop fundamental strengths for sustainability leadership
A week talking and reflecting in the Scottish hills sounds amazing doesn’t it? But you, or your colleagues, may be asking: what’s it got to do with sustainability leadership?
Sustainability management systems, science based targets and net-zero initiatives all have their place. But they can only be as good as the mind-set (and values, vision and commitment that underpin it) with which they are applied.
The fundamental strengths at the heart of our sustainability leadership programme provide the values, vision and commitment to support you to embrace the mind-set the world needs. Read on to discover why these strengths are so fundamental, and why a week with us in the Scottish hills is such an effective way to develop them…
The confidence to hold true to the fact we are part of nature
The root cause of the climate and nature crises is that we are part of nature, but our culture would have us believe, and behave as if, humans are somehow separate from the rest of the living world. Although we may know this separation is an illusion, we live in a culture that constantly tells us otherwise. Whether or not we are conscious of it, our lived experience of this illusion seeps into our minds and shapes our thoughts and our actions – regardless of how much we don’t want it to.
That’s why the retreats at the heart of our programme are in wild places, off-grid and internet free; as far from the thinking of our culture as we can get. Escaping from the demands of the day-to-day isn’t a luxury, it’s essential if we are to find the freedom to think differently.
The capacity to engage not just our heads but also our hearts
We can only make real progress if we can draw on our full human capacity, combining conventional intelligence with our abilities to connect deeply with others, to listen to our heart as well using our head, to be open to instinct and imagination. Today’s education system privileges logic and rational analysis above all else. Most sustainability leadership programmes do the same, leaving participants to solve the most complex problems humanity has ever faced without using all the tools available to them.
That’s why on our retreats we work outdoors, using practices in wild, awe-inspiring places that are proven to deepen our compassion, sharpen our instincts, stimulate our creativity and increase our problem solving abilities.
Trusted companions who can support you when the way forward is unclear
Sustainability leadership is much more than applying a particular framework or methodology. It’s about finding your own path, a path that’s right for you, your particular circumstances, interests and passions. And as you work together with your peers on the retreat you will also develop bonds of trust, the seeds of future mutual support as you each progress on your paths.
That’s why your facilitators guide you carefully through a powerful yet gentle process where you work with your peers and the living world around you, to find clarity of purpose and to determine the next steps on your sustainability leadership journey.
The experience helped me feel less overwhelmed by the change that I and others need to make. The combination of practical exercises and incredibly open discussions about the nature of sustainability was often challenging, but the safe space allowed me to develop my thinking, which has had a hugely positive impact on how I incorporate sustainability in all my work. I would recommend the programme to anyone that is serious about making a difference.
Benjamin Carey, Sustainable tourism consultant, international marketing and crisis recovery expert
Our 6-Day Sustainability Leadership Programm
Hi. We’ll be your team for the May 2023 sustainability leadership programme.
We are: Richard Profit, corporate sustainability strategy expert and bushcaft practitioner; Morag Watson, climate change and sustainability policy expert and former UNESCO adviser; Osbert Lancaster, organisational and local sustainability strategy expert and professional facilitator.
Between the three of us we have worked on sustainability and climate policy, strategy and implementation for organisations as diverse as PepsiCo, the Scottish Government, the University of Edinburgh, Scottish Renewables as well as small but groundbreaking third sector groups.
We have all undertaken the two year specialist Natural Change facilitator training and each hold a Hill and Moorland Leader qualification from the UK national awarding body.
We look forward to working with you and guiding you through this extraordinary week. One of us will meet you around midday on Saturday and we’ll travel the final miles into the hills by 4×4. The retreat ends the following Friday afternoon. Here’s what we’ll be doing together:
Saturday – Gather in the afternoon for a welcome to the venue, introductions and an overview of the retreat. Discover the local area on informal walks with fellow participants. Continue getting to know participants and facilitators over dinner.
Sunday – Begin to break free of the thoughts of our culture and start learning to engage your intuition and imagination. Gentle walks, nature-based mindfulness and meditation prepare you to focus fully on the week ahead.
Like most of the coming week, the day will be spent mainly outside. Evenings all include time for private reflection, informal discussions with your peers and one-to-one conversations with facilitators – as well as sharing good food together around the dining table.
Monday – Explore your motivation and future direction as you break free of the thoughts of our culture and start to engage deeply with the immediacy of living world in which you are immersed. Become open to powerful new metaphors of change and progress rooted in natural systems to inform your leadership.
These individual, small and whole group reflective practices not only ‘reconnect’ you with nature, but also grow mutual understanding and trust with each other.
Tuesday – Building on your experiences so far this week, draw on your imagination and intuition to reflect profoundly on what truly matters to you, how you will make meaningful change for sustainability and what support you may need.
You will spend from dawn until dusk alone in a place you’ve chosen in the surrounding land. Part of many traditions since the dawn of humanity, but lost from our own culture, this “solo” is a rare opportunity to open up to the transformative power of nature.
Wednesday – Start the day with time alone to begin processing the insights and ideas that emerged yesterday. Then come together with your peers to recognise your strengths and opportunities, accept your limitations and constraints, and acknowledge the support you may need.
This is a beautiful and profoundly powerful experience, following a practice inspired by the Lakota Sioux.
Thursday – Reflect on your insights and how they will inspire and motivate you. Identify your next steps and what you need to sustain and support you when you leave the retreat and lead change for a better world in your organisation, sector or wider society.
Working outside in pairs and in the group, today you will again engage deeply with the living land around us, allowing it to stimulate your imagination and creativity.
Friday – Prepare to return to the world beyond these hills and this week together. Take with you:
- your new insights into the living world and your place within it;
- your new-found ability to draw on all your capacities;
- strong connections with others in the group, so you can support each other as you put your intentions into practice.
You will also be able to use many of the practices you have experienced in future to maintain and strengthen your sense of being part of nature.
Post-retreat – Three two-hour online group mentoring sessions over two months complete our sustainability leadership programme:
- Week 2: Reviewing your actions and insights since your return.
- Week 5: Developing and refining your plans.
- Week 8: Maintaining resolve, seeking and offering support.
The confidence, capacity and support to make a meaningful difference in the world
On our sustainability leadership programme, working with us and your peers, you will:
- Develop your own approach to sustainability leadership, that builds on your particular background and expertise, and reflects your personal commitment and professional context.
- Gain deep insight into the root causes of the climate and nature crises, and the emotional and psychological dimensions of the changes that are needed.
- Decide how to apply your new and existing skills and insights most effectively to catalyse and support change for sustainability.
- Learn powerful techniques to support your sustainability leadership journey: to find clarity and inspiration; to overcome blockages and difficulties; and to maintain focus and energy.
- Build strong relationships with you peers, and the opportunity to continue supporting each other on your sustainability leadership journeys.
Your retreat experience is only the start…what really matters is that you will then step into the next stage of your sustainability leadership journey with the confidence, capacity and on-going support to make a meaningful difference in the world.
It was a valuable experience, a real opportunity for me to completely unplug. The people and the depth of genuine conversations were amazing.
Ruchir Shah, Director of External Affairs, Scottish Wildlife Trust
A specialist programme for small groups with an exceptional facilitator ratio in an amazing location
Given the specialist nature of our sustainability leadership programme – the retreat, just ten participants, the exceptional facilitator to participant ratio and three post-retreat mentoring sessions – based on the fees of typical leadership programmes you might expect ours to cost upwards of £5000.
We are deeply committed to working with others to help bring about the changes that are so essential for people and the rest of the living world to truly flourish. One of the most effective, and enjoyable, ways that we can do this is to lead this transformative week with a small group of committed people who then go on to influence change in their organisations and beyond.
We love doing this, and because we don’t carry the overheads of conventional management training centres, we are delighted that we can offer the programme at a cost that means a diversity of people can join us.
Most importantly, this experience will profoundly influence your ability to lead change for sustainability for years to come. All this for just £2700 per person.
It’s not just about the programme. It’s also about you.
Our sustainability leadership programme is for people who want to champion sustainability in their professional lives. We will help you catalyse and support meaningful change for sustainability – in your organisation, profession, sector or wider society.
Your opportunities are likely to be influenced by your professional knowledge, expertise and networks, and by your freedom of action within your team, organisation or sector to convene meetings and influence agendas, work plans, budgets and policies.
To make the most of the programme you are therefore likely to be an experienced leader, professional or business owner.
In our experience truly effective sustainability leadership is not a career choice, it’s part of an eternal human drive to make a meaningful and worthwhile difference in the world and the lives of others.
If you are an experienced leader, entrepreneur or professional with a deep personal concern about sustainability, regardless of whether it is part of your ‘day job’, we’d love to work with you.
Our next sustainability leadership programme begins with a retreat from Saturday 13th May through to Friday 19th May 2023 at Alladale Wilderness Reserve, north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The fee of £2700 includes:
- Three sustainability experts, just ten participants and an unrivalled programme;
- Six nights accommodation, fully catered with excellent meals in one awe-inspiring place;
- Three two-hour online group mentoring sessions after the retreat.
- Twelve months membership of the Sustainability Leadership Network (£360 bought separately).
Over your career you’ve gained valuable skills, experience and connections. Now is the time to transform your ability to apply them.
Be part of the change the world needs, now and for years to come.
(Already a member of the Sustainability Leadership Network? Attend for a reduced fee – Contact us)
You might also like to know…
You don’t need to be especially fit or ‘outdoorsy’
Much of the time on the retreat at the start of your sustainability leadership programme is spent outdoors, but we don’t walk far or fast. It includes gentle walks in the hills, sometimes leaving the path and going cross-country, but it’s not a test of physical endurance and doesn’t require a high degree of physical fitness. As a guideline – you will need to be able to carry a day pack containing your personal equipment (waterproofs, spare jacket/jumper, lunch, flask, etc.) for periods of up to four hours. This four hour period will be a combination of walking at a gentle pace and sitting to talk, reflect, meditate and undertake mindfulness practices.
We can adapt the programme to meet the needs of participants
We are committed to making our sustainability leadership programme retreats an experience accessible to a wide range of abilities. Our pace is set to that which can be comfortably managed by all group members and we design the programme to meet the needs of everyone in the group. However, for participants who would find this difficult for any reason, we will do what we can to adapt routes, terrain and activities. If this is the case, please contact us as soon as possible before booking to discuss your needs.
We will advise you what outdoor clothing you should bring
As well as your own clothes to be worn while travelling and in the lodge, you will need clothing and equipment that will keep you warm and dry in the outdoors. Download our Participant Kit List.
Relax in warm, comfortable accommodation
Deanich Lodge is remote but comfortable and warm with relaxing sofas, wood stove and hot showers. Bedrooms are shared with others of the same gender – 2 to 4 per room.
Enjoy good food
Each day one of the facilitation team will prepare you freshly cooked meals using local, seasonal produce whenever possible. Expect home baking, bowls of warming soup, delicious evening meals and indulgent puddings. Between meals, freshly brewed coffee, a variety of teas, biscuits and fruit are always available. We do not allow the consumption of alcohol during retreats. We will make every effort to accommodate dietary requirements which must be advised well in advance – we can’t pop out to the shops as that’s a four hour round trip.
Embrace being seriously off-grid!
Deanich Lodge on the Alladale Wilderness Reserve is one of the remotest houses on the UK mainland. There is no mobile phone signal in the glen where the lodge is located and there is no wifi at the lodge. We encourage all participants to embrace the opportunity their sustainability leadership programme retreat offers to spend a week away from digital technology and grasp the liberating experience that is a ‘digital detox’.
We’ve got you covered in an emergency
There is a private telephone landline at Deanich Lodge in case someone needs to contact you in an emergency. We also carry a satellite phone when we’re out on the hills.
COVID-19
If we need to cancel any of our sustainability leadership programme retreats as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, you will be offered the choice of a full refund of your payment or re-booking onto a future programme. This also applies if you need to cancel your booking as a result of contracting COVID-19 or because COVID-19 restrictions in the place where you live prevent you from joining us.
Still have questions?
Email us to arrange a time to talk.