The natural environment is one of the main classrooms when it comes to environmental education and conservation. It is no coincidence that the methodology of the Leave No Trace course has been spreading increasingly across different regions of Brazil.
But the lessons of this vast environment go beyond that. Outdoor expeditions invite professionals in leadership positions to broaden their perspective on themselves and on the collective, learning to adapt to change.
That is the proposal of Gaia Expedition, sponsor of the Programa CAPACITAR Gear Tips, which through experiential learning in nature brings a new perspective on leadership, enabling people to connect on a deeper dimension.
The company was founded in 2016, aligned with the Gaia Education curriculum, focused on design for sustainability and regeneration, in a large house in the Laranjeiras neighborhood, in Rio de Janeiro. Its methodology, based on autonomous expeditions, grew out of a social experiment focused on sustainability, self-knowledge, and human relationships.
Currently, the main program offered is “Leadership for Times of Change,” held at its own training center, near the Parque Estadual dos TrĂȘs Picos. During five days of immersion in nature, managers take part in a process that promotes self-knowledge, emotional education, and communication â essential skills not only for their careers, but for life.
The investigative methodology proposes a redirection of attention toward aspects that often go unnoticed.
The intentional shift in perspective
By bringing together leaders of different ages and sectors, the program invites participants to shed their social personas. One of the activities proposes a self-introduction without external anchors.
“Starting from the premise that one of the characteristics of a good leader is self-leadership â which involves self-knowledge, emotional control, and other skills â the activity challenges participants to answer who they are without resorting to labels or descriptions found on LinkedIn”, explains Tomas Nacht, one of the founders of Gaia Expedition.
According to him, it is not uncommon for many people to struggle to answer what their dreams and fears are. The proposal is precisely to provoke this redirection of perspective.
The humanity that connects us
In nature, everyone shares the same human condition. The rain falls equally on all, discomfort is collective, and the consequences of actions are immediate. There is no distinction of roles. Whoever sets up their tent poorly sleeps poorly; whoever does not cook properly goes hungry.
This context restores a sense of humanity and connection. Nature inspires, enchants, and at the same time brings us back to a more essential dimension.
“We live in times of change marked by hyper individual identification and by polarizations that run through everything from family dinners to geopolitical decision-making. We spend a great deal of time, as a society and as individuals, focused on finding what identifies us and what distinguishes us.”
During the immersion, themes such as self-sufficiency, interdependence, empathy, nonviolent communication, and horizontal management emerge organically, always connected to the experiences lived by the group.
The content also draws on studies about emotions developed by psychologist Paul Ekman. “We often do not know how to name what we feel, or how to recognize the emotions of others. Conflicts that seem rational are loaded with emotional components, triggers, and reactions, and we get lost. We work with close attention to these processes.”
Transformative experiences
Tomas recalls that, as early as the first Gaia Expedition training, held at a company in the oil and gas industry â predominantly male â in Piracicaba, he noticed the potential of the methodology.
“It was transformative, even for me, having worked in industries myself. People who had not spoken to each other for 15 years embraced on the second day of immersion. We left impressed.”
The experience also opened space for change in traditionally more rigid corporate environments, especially in male leadership. The project grew and began to be applied across different companies within the holding, integrating teams and connecting leaders at various levels.
Gaia Expedition & Programa CAPACITAR
Having been part of the first Leave No Trace Master cohort in Brazil in 2016, and currently a Level 2 Instructor, Tomas states that the meaning of his existence is to contribute to what he considers relevant.
“The Programa CAPACITAR’s proposal to direct energy and resources toward training nature agents â such as guides, park rangers, and conservation unit professionals â is a way to leverage the changes we want to promote in the world. It is completely aligned with what I do.”
Gaia Expedition also maintains other projects under development, including a second cohort of an exclusive program for women and the implementation of a social initiative aimed at schools surrounding the training center.
Quoting the Sufi poet Rumi: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there,” Tomas concludes: “Nature is there. That is the place.”
This post is also available in: PortuguĂȘs (Portuguese (Brazil)) Español (Spanish)
