In Mann Woods in central Essex, therapist and outdoor leader Jo Roberts chats about the work of the Wilderness Foundation and the transformative power of being in nature. We sit around the fire as winter sun falls. She talks about the value of learning small competencies for young people, and how nature interferes to remind us of something greater. Just look up, count the stars. There’s a surprising finding about young people and social media too. She also talks about how discomfort takes us into deep places. Jo says, “the tears fall quickly when you’re in the wilderness.” But that, too, faces will be softer by morning. 

Jo’s heroine: Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya.

Her recommended books: Peter Wohlleben’s “The Hidden Life of Trees”; and Victor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning.” 

Jo recommended action: Be attentive, take time – see the world in a grain of sand. 

The Wilderness Foundation: https://wildernessfoundation.org.uk/ 

My new book will be supporting this podcast, and will be published in March 2027 by Unbreaking/5m. It’s called "Bamboo and Butterfly: Transformation and Story for Climate and Nature Recovery."