coaching in nature on the oregon coast
For the past five years, I've been working with my clients entirely online, which frees me up to serve people all over the world. I've loved this way of working. Location freedom and the flexibility of remote work has supported my life in so many ways and helped many people, and I will keep doing it. Also, early this year I felt the call for something different. I listened and decided to start inviting clients to join me in the wild rugged seascapes and tranquil redwood groves of the southern Oregon coast. These are the sacred places I found sanctuary during the devastating loss of my dad to cancer in 2024, and I know the healing that is possible here for everyone. More on that in future posts - this one focuses on the expansion of my practice, the new ways I'm helping people, and what I'm seeing for the future.
Walk & Talk Sessions
The walking sessions are so fun! Moving our bodies while we talk can shake loose deeper truths and lend a broader perspective to life's puzzles. Different conversations happen outdoors in the fresh air surrounded by green or blue space (or both) and the distance from home and life responsibilities creates room for new thinking. Clients often find that by the end of a walk, the answer they came looking for has surfaced on its own. One person described a walk with me as a "wonderful opportunity for me to have specific reflective time with a thoughtful, caring and intentional woman whose ideas can meet me outside of my own’s family sphere or personal concerns" and said that the "natural setting of a walk & conversation when in motion allows some free flowing and connectivity between ideas that maybe a session without motion wouldn’t produce."
I'm looking forward to doing more walking sessions in the future and plan to add a walking meditation for clients who'd like this. The walks are gentle, easy and slow to be accessible to as many people as possible.
My first couples retreat
In July I welcomed my first couple for a weekend retreat. Before they arrived we met several times virtually, and their intentions were clear. They were carrying some heaviness that most long-term partners share - years of history, some old hurts, and a lot of love between them.
Much of our time together centered simply on active listening - a way to communicate that focuses on listening to understand, rather than to respond. When we have so much history with someone, our bodies are primed to defend, explain or justify before our partner is even finished speaking, and it takes discipline and practice to develop new habits. But it's worth it. Research shows that being deeply heard lowers our stress hormones and helps us feel safe. When your partner shows that they can deeply listen and hear you, you can start to build trust where it has been broken.
Before they left, they walked down to the river together. They found the right spot, held hands, and each threw a rock into the water. Each rock stood for a version of themselves that was ready to be released. "It was pretty exciting," one of them told me. "A little relief." And then, with a grin: "I know where the rock is. I'll come back and talk to it."
When we reconnected a couple of months later, they described a shift that had occurred. "It was like an energetic softening," one shared. "I think it's a step towards trusting." A friend visiting them had noticed it too, without being told. What moved me most was hearing them say they felt strong enough to keep going on their own, and that our work together created hope and trust in their future.
When I think about the possibility for these retreats, what I love most is that they are co-created and completely unique to each situation. Relationships, weather, human transformation and nature itself are all so wild and unpredictable, and it's an honor to facilitate these dynamic and unfolding conversations over the course of several days.
A second couple's retreat after Labor Day
As summer faded into autumn, I was delighted to host a long time client and her partner for the weekend for the first of two in-person nature immersions included in her year-long coaching program.
Over the weekend we watched the sun go down over the ocean, had a quiet wandering amongst the giant redwoods and had several focused coaching sessions and workshops. Hands-on healing work helped calm their nervous systems and gave them a felt experience of depth, spaciousness and settling in together.
Their coaching "work" was both playful and deep, consisting of visioning and creating, aligning around shared values, drafting personal and shared mission and vision statements and setting goals as a couple. They left feeling connected and like they had a stronger foundation for their self care commitments. They also went home with new communication tools and resources to practice, along with the opportunity to receive ongoing support in the future.
Future Visions
Integrating the elements of the natural world into my practice in such a real, visceral way is waking me up to a bigger vision, and I'm embracing these new developments whole heartedly. In addition to the benefits of a nature immersion, in-person work allows me to offer hands-on bodywork again, which was central to my client work for many years.
Now I'm calling in more people in to this beautiful, wild space that has so much to offer. Here there is an incredible opportunity for people to connect with nature and in turn to their own true nature, which I see as infinitely creative, resourceful, intelligent and capable of meeting any life challenge.
I'm now filling my Fall 2026 through Summer 2027 calendar with bespoke in-person retreats for individuals, small groups or families, and couples here on the southern Oregon coast. These carefully curated experiences require ample planning time so don't hesitate to reach out if you're wanting to get on the calendar within the year. I'm also open for a small handful of local clients to book weekly or bi-weekly walk and talk sessions. Just reach out if you're curious to see how any of this would work.
Possibilities & logistics
Every retreat is designed with you and your unique situation and goals. It will truly be a bespoke coaching experience in every way, with the added elements of mystery and surprise as we work with the dynamics of our coastal location and seasons. A day might begin with a walk-and-talk session along the beach and end with a sunset and toasted marshmallows around a fire. We might wander quietly through the redwoods, hold a focused coaching session overlooking the ocean, workshop on a business project or create a simple ritual at the river's edge. Depending on what you need, we can weave in guided meditation, hands-on healing work, visioning, values work, and communication practices for couples and families.
I can also invite trusted local healers and practitioners from our coastal community to add their gifts to your experience, including a local photographer to capture your time on the coast. It can be a single intensive day, a weekend, or a longer stay.
For writers, artists, and anyone craving deep solitude, I also offer longer creative retreats. Picture days of quiet with the ocean and forest as your companions, time to write, paint, photograph, or simply listen to what's stirring in you. We can meet for coaching sessions to set your intentions, work through creative blocks, and help you integrate what emerges back into your life at home.
On the romantic side of life, I'm also available to help couples who wish to confirm or renew their marriages. As an ordained minster with the Universal Life Church I can officiate an intimate elopement or vow renewal. Imagine exchanging vows on a windswept beach at sunset or a simple ritual beneath the ancient redwoods. This is something I'd love to help create.
If you're planning your visit, I'm happy to help you find just the right place to stay. Accommodations can range from rustic to luxury and everywhere in between. You might choose an oceanfront inn, one of our coveted campsites (Harris Beach, Loeb Park on the Chetco River or Jedediah State Park) or one of our many vacation rentals, available to suit a range of budgets.
An ideal and dreamy accomodation would be Adele's Nature Preserve. It's a luxururios creation blending art, beauty, and her expansive yet grounded vision of natural beauty. Adele and I share a deep belief in the healing power of the natural world. She has spent years shaping 1.6 acres of forest and garden into a sanctuary where guests can feel the awe of the wild Pacific and delight in small, beautiful details, from stones and driftwood placed with care along the trails to a secluded cove at the end of the path. It's a place that allows the imagination to soar while facilitating deep healing.
Thank you for reading this far. It's a joy to be writing again about things I care deeply about. Please feel free to reach out , even if in-person coaching on the Oregon coast is not in your immediate future. I'd love to hear from you!
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