Member Spotlight: Chaya Mistry

This month, we’re delighted to be featuring Nature’s Blueprint founder member Chaya Mistry.

Chaya is a communications consultant and coach with experience and deep expertise in human face to face communication, engagement, change and leadership coaching.

What inspired you to join Nature’s Blueprint?

I think I was inspired and in my moment of inspiration I joined.

In my business, Humanly, I work on leadership and communications consulting and coaching group that builds more human connections at work and in life, but many of my clients are the corporate multinationals, often from STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) backgrounds, so often they and I in turn do work far away from nature.

When I started I opened up an exploration of what it takes to be able to take care of life on earth and on a human, inner work level. This is built around my own purpose to help humans to be better to themselves, each other and the planet. The planet is the whole point for me.

Personally living in The Netherlands I feel at home but everyday I know this is not my land and I was born and lived in England until I was 26. The retreat was the thing that inspired me! A chance to reconnect with the land, the earth that I feel most connected to.

How do you integrate Nature into your everyday work or life?

I am a plant lover, I have balconies rather than a garden but I have plants growing everywhere. But I seek out nature to relax, it helps when you live a 10 minute walk from a beautiful beach, edged with dunes and forests to choose from. Our holidays will always have some strong elements of nature.

In my work, the word regeneration has opened up my mind and the work I do.

It is not enough for us to sustain the soil, sustain life, sustain wellbeing. We need to regenerate it. For me and my work, that means regenerating ourselves from the inside. Knowing and growing who we are so we can regenerate others.

What specific projects or initiatives are you currently working on that you are excited about?

I am really enjoying the soft skills training and coaching that I am doing at the moment. For example I am working with a team to improve the way they connect and communicate with each other, using emotional intelligence.  I trained everyone in non-violent communication and I support a team of coaches with 1-1 coaching, and work with them to tackle topics as they come up. What I enjoy is the evolution of this. It takes time and patience and mostly a willingness to go there! To the messy, complex, human stuff.

Can you share a memorable experience you’ve had in Nature that significantly influenced your career or personal life?

I grew up in the country and then in a town but with a big garden so I love the sounds and smells of nature.

I lived really close to a little woodland and if I was stressed, worried, or just needed to get away I would follow an old disused railway track with overgrown trees and bushes all the way to this woods and then go to the centre, where you can’t see or hear anything but nature and just look up and breathe, sometimes cry a bit! I love that it is still there, surrounded by new developments but I can take my children there.

My most recent experience however has been in the Rocky Mountains this summer, I am just in awe of the mountains and their beauty.

From your perspective, what is the most challenging aspect of your work? How do you overcome it?

The most challenging aspect is speaking to power. If we can do more of this kind of work with the people who need it most we will get there faster.

I work with the IDGs, Inner development goals which are creating a direct link from the SDGs to point to the inner work that we can do and I see so much potential in this.

Are there any specific skills or expertise you’re looking for that other Nature’s Blueprint members may be able to help with?

Nothing specific but I love the community for that check in and inspiration and boosts to get me back out there. Just keep being your awesome selves!

We believe that humans have an extraordinary capacity to problem solve & innovate. What gives you HOPE?

My children, they care. The are 16 and 14, they love nature and are in a position to do something about it. What we try and may fail to do, is possible, just not YET!

We hope you found this Member Spotlight interesting. Do connect with Chaya if anything she has shared resonates with you and you’d like to know more – you can find Chaya on LinkedIn here >