Mind Body Nature is about helping people experience the benefits of being in nature by breaking down the barriers that can make getting outdoors more difficult.
Sometimes those barriers are practical – finding somewhere accessable, getting there, having the right equipment or knowing where to go.
Sometimes they’re personal – lacking confidence, experience or someone to share the experience with.
We create individual, supported nature experiences that help people get outdoors, explore, connect and develop their own positive relationship with nature.
Because everyone should have the opportunity to experience what nature can offer.
Why Nature Matters
Humans have always been connected to the natural world. We are not separate from nature - we are part of it.
Across cultures and generations, people have understood the importance of spending time on Country and in the natural world. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hold the world's oldest continuing knowledge systems, with deep understandings of relationships between people, place, seasons, plants, animals and community.
Contemporary research is also building our understanding of what happens when we spend time in nature. It can influence our nervous system, attention, mood, movement, social connection and sense of place.
But perhaps we don't need to measure every benefit.
Sometimes it's enough to notice what happens when we slow down.
We might breathe a little differently.
We might notice things we hadn't seen before.
We might have a conversation that wouldn't have happened indoors.
We might feel more curious, more grounded or more connected.
We might move our bodies without thinking of it as exercise.
We might remember that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves
Nature doesn't need to be a treatment, an achievement or something to be conquered. I can simply be somewhere to be, explore, learn, connect and notice.
Time in Nature can give us opportunities to:
Slow down and pay attention
Nature invites us to notice what is around us – sounds, textures, movement, weather, light, plants, animals and the changing seasons.
Give our minds some space
Natural environments can provide a change from the constant stimulation and demands of everyday life, creating opportunities for reflection, curiosity and attention.
Build confidence in your body
Learn to connect with yourself and celebrate your body and all that it is capable of.
Build confidence through experience
Finding our way somewhere new, trying something unfamiliar or discovering that we can do more than we thought can gradually expand our sense of what is possible.
Connect with place
Getting to know a place – its landscape, stories, seasons, plants and wildlife – can deepen our sense of belonging and connection to the world around us.
Notice our relationship with the natural world
The more time we spend noticing and learning about nature, the more we can begin to see ourselves not as separate from it, but as part of a living, interconnected world
Our Services
Tea with Nature
1.5 hours
Slow down. Make a cup of tea. See what happens.
Sometimes you don’t need to go somewhere in particular. You just need somewhere lovely to be.
Tea with Nature is a gentle outdoor experience where we spend time together in a beautiful nature setting. We might wander a little, find somewhere to sit, make a cup of tea and notice what’s around us.
We might talk. We might be quiet. We might watch the birds, listen to the wind, explore what’s growing around us or simply enjoy being outside.
Tea with Nature is a chance to step away from the busyness of everyday life and spend some unhurried time outdoors – with good company, a warm cup of tea and space to see where the experience takes you.
Tea with Nature might suit you if you’d like:
- a gentle introduction to spending more time outdoors
- some company while you get outside
- time to talk, reflect or simply be
- an experience that doesn’t require you to be fit or experienced outdoors
- a chance to reconnect with yourself and the natural world
- Cost – $150
Walk with Me
2 -3 hours
A walk, a conversation and someone alongside you.
Maybe you enjoy walking but don’t like going alone.
Maybe you’d like to explore more of the places around you but aren’t quite sure where to start. Or perhaps you simply enjoy having someone to walk and talk with.
Walk with Me is a supported outdoor walking experience. We’ll choose a walk that suits you – your interests, confidence, mobility and what you’d like to experience – and head off together.
We can walk and talk, walk quietly, stop and look at things, take a break, have a cup of tea or change direction when something catches our attention.
You don’t need to be fit, fast or experienced.
I’ll take care of the planning, location information, risk assessment and safety considerations, so you can concentrate on being there.
Walk with Me might suit you is you’d like:
- company while you get outdoors
- space to talk while walking
- support to build confidence outdoors
- someone to explore a familiar or new place alongside you
- a walk chosen around your interests and abilities
- Cost – $200 – $280
Discover Something New
2-3 hours
Learn how to get out there with confidence.
Have you ever looked at a walking track and thought, I’d love to do that…….but I wouldn’t really know there to start?
Discover Something New is about learning the practical skills that can help you feel more confident exploring the outdoors.
Together, we’ll head out on a bush walk and learn along the way. Depending on your experience and what you’d like to learn, we might look at reading a map, understanding a trail, planning a route, working out what to take with you, checking weather and conditions, thinking through risks and knowing what to do if things don’t go to plan.
We’ll talk about things like:
Map reading and navigation – understanding maps, tracks and where you are
Planning a day hike – choosing a route and working out how long it might take
What to take – thinking about food, water, clothing, equipment and other resources
Weather and conditions – knowing what to check before you head out
Risk and safety – identifying potential hazards and thinking about what you would do if something changed
Building your confidence – becoming more comfortable making decisions outdoors
The aim isn’t to turn you into an expert overnight.
It’s about learning by doing, asking questions, making decisions and gradually becoming more comfortable in the outdoors.
We can start with the basics or build on what you already know. And we’ll do it somewhere beautiful, because learning about hiking is much more interesting when you’re actually out there doing it.
Discover Something New might suit you if you’d like to:
- Learn how to plan and prepare for a day hike
- feel more confident exploring the outdoors independently
- develop practical navigation and outdoor skills
- understand what you need to consider before heading out
- build your confidence making decisions in the bush
- turn “I’d love to do that” into “I reckon I could”
- Cost – $220 – $280
Your experience, planned around you
Every Mind Body Nature experience is planned with you in mind.
I currently operate in the You Yangs, Brisbane Ranges, Werribee Gorge, Lerderderg and Serendip. If you need a more accessible setting, I can also arrange an experience in a suitable local park.
Your experience can be adapted to suit different levels of mobility and confidence. I’ve worked with people in their 80’s, and we’ll choose a location and experience that works for you. Sometimes that means a shorter or flatter walk, more opportunities to stop and rest, or choosing a different kind of outdoor experience altogether.
Getting there
You can meet me at the location, or I can pick you up from the northern or western suburbs of Melbourne.
Transport is available as an additional cost.
What’s included
Your experience includes:
- Planning and tailoring the experience around you
- location selection and information
- logistics planning
- safety planning and risk assessment
- first aid
- public liability insurance
- tea, where appropriate to the experience
- My time and support throughout the experience
Who are the experiences for?
Mind Body Nature experiences are currently for adults.
Young people can participate when accompanied by a responsible adult.
Experiences are available as private bookings or may be NDIS-funded, depending on your plan and circumstances.
Not sure which experience is right for you?
That’s okay.
The three experiences aren’t rigid packages. A Walk with Me might include stopping for tea beside a creek. Discover something new might involve slowing down and noticing. Tea with Nature might turn into a little wander.
The important thing is finding an experience that feels right for you.
We can work that out together.
Have something else in mind.......
Mind Body Nature can work with you to create something truly special, whether its to achieve a personal goal, plan a staff wellbeing day or to support your group to experience some intentional time in nature, from camps to day adventures. Give us a call so we can help you make it happen.
Ready to spend some time in the trees?
Contact us by emailing Olivia@mindbodynature.com.au or calling Olivia on 0448 877 194
About Us
Olivia (Liv) Carter
Hi, I’m Olivia
I’m the person behind Mind Body Nature.
I’m a social worker, an outdoor practitioner and, above all, someone who really believes that being in nature can change the way we experience ourselves and the world around us.
I’ve spent the past decade working alongside woman, children, young people and families. I’ve supported people through difficult moments, big emotions, uncertainty and change, and I’ve learned that sometimes the most helpful thing isn’t another conversation about what is going wrong.
Sometimes it’s getting outside.
My own journey into nature – based work grew from this realisation. After years of working within more traditional support settings, I began taking people outdoors and saw something different happen. There was space to move, to breathe, to notice, to laugh, to be quiet, to try something new – and sometimes have the conversations that mattered, without sitting across from each other in a room.
Over the past six years I’ve immersed myself in learning about nature-based practice and outdoor recreation, while spending a lot of time exploring, learning and having my own adventures in the Australian bush. I’ve also developed and delivered an NDIS – funded Bush Adventure Therapy program.
Along the way, I’ve seen the power of nature in all sorts of ways. I’ve watched people discover that they can do things they didn’t think they could do. I’ve seen confidence grow through small adventures. I’ve seen people become curious again. And I’ve been there when nature has provided enough space for big feelings to emerge – and for them to be held safely.
My professional background means I’m comfortable when things don’t go to plan. I know how to respond when someone becomes overwhelmed, emotional or unsure, and I take safety seriously – both physical and psychological. You don’t need to arrive feeling confident, capable or even particularly comfortable outdoors. That’s part of what I am here for.
Nature has it’s own wisdom, rhythm and capacity to invite us into a different way of being. I see my role as creating the conditions for people to experience that for themselves.
That’s what Mind Body Nature is about.
Making it easier for people to get outside, explore, connect and develop their own relationship with the natural world.
Sometimes we’ll walk and talk. Sometimes we’ll explore somewhere new. Sometimes we’ll sit quietly, make something, have a cup of tea or simply notice what’s around us.
There doesn’t always need to be a goal.
Sometimes the experience itself is enough.
