Coaching Outdoors: A biophilic perspective of the coach experience of client learning in nature

Outdoor coaching is a practice growing in popularity among outdoor practitioners and professional coaches, yet research into these experiences in nature remains limited. This study explores how practitioners make sense of using outdoor environments as a space for client learning. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), 14 professionally credentialed coaches’ were interviewed to explore how nature shapes their relationships, processes and identities. Five Group Experiential Themes (GETs) emerged: (i) a felt sense of belonging in nature; (ii) movement and the side-by-side dynamic; (iii) use of natural metaphors; (iv) experiences of beauty and complexity; and (v) ethical considerations. The findings suggest that outdoor coaches experience nature not as a backdrop, but as a co-facilitator of insight, presence and transformation. The research also raises important questions about culture and ecological ethics.