Member Spotlight: Dr Miriam Ricci
This month, we’re excited to introduce Nature’s Blueprint member, Dr Miriam Ricci
Miriam is a coach working with purpose-led organisations who are looking to provide transformative wellbeing and development experiences for their employees, service users and communities.
What inspired you to join Nature’s Blueprint?
I’d been following Annie on LinkedIn and became really curious about the work being done by members of the network. What really drew me in was how inclusive and diverse it is. Every experience in the nature-connection, sustainability and regeneration space matters, and everyone is welcome, from researchers to practitioners to advocates. I love learning from others who are working at this intersection of human and planetary wellbeing in their own unique ways. When I attended the Bristol event in March this year, I met people doing such meaningful work and felt that sense of genuine mutual support. That sealed the deal for me!
How do you integrate Nature into your everyday work or life?
Nature has always been central to my life, though now I engage with it much more consciously. As a child growing up in a big city in Italy, I developed a very close relationship with the sea and the coast during the summer holidays – that’s where I felt most in my element, and literally miles away from the urban environment of my daily life. Now I find that sense of natural home in multiple places and even in the city, walking in my local park. In my work as a coach and facilitator, nature isn’t just our backdrop. It becomes a participant, almost a co-facilitator. I often work with individuals and groups outdoors, where the natural world helps create space for reflection and insight. This connects back to my years as an academic researcher in sustainable transport and social inclusion, where I studied the wellbeing benefits of walking as one of the most sustainable and accessible ways of getting around, and connecting with nature. Now, everything I do centres on supporting people’s wellbeing and personal development through coaching, nature connection and mindful movement – it’s all woven together.
What specific projects or initiatives are you currently working on that you are excited about?
I’m currently delivering a wellbeing project called Railways of Care for caregivers and unpaid carers – people caring for a loved one who is unable, due to illness, age or other conditions, to looks after themselves. I take them on day trips by train to local destinations where they can have respite, social connection, and a mindful walk in nature. In 2024, I co-founded Railwalks, a volunteer-led initiative that promotes walks accessible by rail, making it easier for people to access nature without needing a car. This brings together my passion for sustainable mobility and nature connection in a really practical way. I’m also running nature connection and mindful walking events, which have been wonderfully received – my last event sold out! It’s energising to see how interested people are for these experiences of slowing down and reconnecting with the natural world.
Can you share a memorable experience you’ve had in Nature that significantly influenced your career or personal life?
During the Covid pandemic, I used to visit a local nature reserve where there are several beautiful mature trees, including giant redwoods and oaks. When everything around me felt uncertain and unstable, those trees gave me a profound sense of stability and certainty. They’d been standing there for so long, weathering everything. They became like anchors for me. I was already a passionate walker, but this experience deepened that connection so profoundly that I decided to change career entirely. I wanted to make nature and walking central to what I do, rather than something I fit in around work. Those trees quite literally helped me root into a new sense of purpose and direction.
From your perspective, what is the most challenging aspect of your work? How do you overcome it?
As a small business owner in a relatively niche sector, and at the start of my business journey, it can feel daunting. Self-doubt creeps in and I sometimes find myself wondering whether what I do is seen as genuinely useful or dismissed as “woo woo” or just another wellness fad. What helps me overcome this is staying grounded in my evidence-based background from academia and in the tangible impact I see with the people I support. I also know that the more connected people are with our natural world, the more they care for it. I lean on the Nature’s Blueprint community and other supportive networks where people understand this work. And honestly, when someone tells me how much one of my sessions or activities helped them gain clarity or feel more grounded, that reminds me why I’m doing this.
Are there any specific skills or expertise you’re looking for that other Nature’s Blueprint members may be able to help with?
As a naturally curious person, I genuinely love learning anything from other members, discovering perspectives I haven’t encountered yet and having my own assumptions challenged. I’m particularly interested in how others navigate the intersection of environmental challenges, wellbeing and social justice, and practical ways to make nature-based work more accessible and inclusive. But what I treasure most about this network is the genuine, generous support people show each other. It’s a real community.
We believe that humans have an extraordinary capacity to problem solve & innovate. What gives you HOPE?
The small and big stories of positive action and change that exist everywhere but often don’t make national news or trend on social media, because unfortunately what sells is negativity and things going wrong. What gives me hope is seeing, speaking to, and hearing from real people who are making meaningful and positive changes in their communities.
