On the 18th of June 2025, I arrived at the Henley business School's Greenlands campus to begin my poetic residency of C.O.L.E. 2025 hosted by Annie-Marie Watson and Paul Jeffries.

The force of nature, aka Annie Lee, suggested Anna-Marie reach out to me to broach the possibility of me being poet in residence for the 2-day event.

As the Poet In Residence for the Nature's Blueprint community, Annie had experienced the power of poetry to connect people to the essence of a message in a way that was much deeper than was possible through mere intellectual persuasion.

"What exactly does a poet in residence do, I hear you ask?"

Here are some not-so-subtle clues…

I add a deeply creative and reflective dimension to the event experience, capturing the essence of the event journey in poetic form. I weave words into moments of transformation.

It involves:

1. Gathering Inspiration – taking in the sessions, nature, conversations with organisers/facilitators and participants

2. Creation – Create derivative pieces as inspired or repurposing existing pieces for the current context

3. Performance – Performing the outcome of the above to set the tone before or after sessions as a point of reflection

4. Facilitating An Integration Workshop – Guided creative reflective journey to integrate what the attendants got from the event and have them create their poetic memory piece

What Anna-Marie did not know was that I had been contemplating how to bring nature into my coaching practice, and C.O.L.E. 2025 was the answer to that prayer.

It felt so right to be part of it, that I moved a family holiday to make sure I was there.

In this series, I hope to share my experience, reflections and learnings.

Highlight the power of poetry to create transformation through insight and help activate your innate creativity.

Stay tuned…

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The journey

By Frank Bolaji Irawo

What is a journey

If not for the first step

Then the next one

Don't omit to pause

Take in the wonder

As long as you

Keep finding a reason

To take the next one

That's a journey you are on

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Share below if you have ever had a strong sense that you need to do something without fully understanding why upfront?

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"It was great to be part of the work you delivered as part of the session on Friday in the tent...The focus into poetry, both the words and how you delivered them, was inspiring. I look forward to reading, watching and learning more." - Tim Artus

Part one in this series gave context to how my COLE 2025 residency journey began (Click the link in the comments below to catch up).

Coaching outdoors is an opportunity to bring clients out into nature and point them to the wisdom that exists within it as a source of inspiration.

As I sat in a circle with all the other facilitators the night before COLE 2025 was due to kick off and everyone introduced themselves, I could not help but notice the diversity of personality, background and means of working with nature.

I was struck by how many collaborations had sprung out of the previous year's event.

Nature has a way of combining different shapes, sizes, colours and other features to create scenes of beauty.

That is the opportunity that lies in diversity.

Click the link below to watch my rendition of Diverse Beauty

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Diverse Beauty

By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Take a look around you

Do you see it?

Beautiful diversity

Variety of opportunities

Experiencing all that

Nature brings

Breath of scale

Catering to so

Many tastes

Room for it all

Arms open wide

Whispering welcome

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What can you learn from those who have a different view?

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"As our poet in residence, Frank Bolaji Irawo, thank you for sharing such heartfelt and inspiring poems. Your words truly touched us and captured the spirit of these days." - Özlem Degerli Wipperich

Diverse Beauty - Coaching Outdoor Live Event 2025 - Poetic Residency

Part two in this series explored the opportunities that existed in diversity as mirrored by nature. (Click the link in the comments below to catch up).

I started day one of the event by joining a mindful nature walk expertly led by Karen Liebenguth

The walk was an invitation to slow down and take in the wonder of nature with a posture of humility. As I took in the wonder of the landscape of trees, I was struck by how resilient they were.

Trees exist in their various states and forms,  weather the storms, navigate the seasons.  Looks can be deceiving, as many look forlorn while giving space for new life to emerge. Many have existed before we were bor,n and many of them will be here when we are long gone.

Nature has built in resilience that go deeper than their surface appearance.

We are part of nature and likewise have inbuilt resilience. All is rarely as bad as it feels. When feeling low, pop outdoors and draw inspiration from the trees.

Click the link below to watch my rendition of Mindful Tree and Natural Question

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Mindful tree

By Frank Bolaji Irawo

What an invitation on offer

Tread ever so lightly

Slow right down and notice

Nature that's all around you

Spot the array of trees

Sentries of many centuries

Weathering many a storm

The wind blows but the trees hold

Some standing upright and tall

Other leaning, their pragmatic option

Sporting barks hardened and wrinkled

Many looking left for dead

An illusion dispelled by green shoots

With spiders and birds for company

Consider the part of the tree rarely seen

Cojoined with the earth

Beneath a carpet of green

Where does the tree end

And the earth begin?

Natural question

By Frank Bolaji Irawo

To be in?

To be with?

To be for?

To be as?

Seems the natural question

We may mess her up

But She will outlast us

Nurtured through nature

Its source is the essence

Connecting all things

So no part of it is wasted

From one fallen tree

Breeds the many that appear

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What has nature taught you about your own resilience?

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"I loved hearing your poems at the end of day one- your delivery was heartfelt and moving! I’m hoping you have the same brief today!" -  Dr Claire Hunter

#poetricity Presents - Reflections Of Coaching Outdoor Live Event (C.O.L.E.) Virgin - (Part 4) - Simply Powerful Presence

Part three in this series highlighted the resilience of nature as modelled by trees(Click the link in the comments below to catch up).

I had the privilege of presenting an Expert talk on using creative writing to turn intentions into actions, but before my session, I sat in on one presented by Clive Leach and Miss May. The latter is the four-legged beauty in the image below.

Clive and Miss May have a beautiful partnership, and we were treated to stories of how they supported others by helping them connect to themselves and nature.

I was struck by how Miss May moved amongst the audience without fuss and the ease with which she connected with everyone who came across her path.

I am not much of a dog person, but that didn't seem to matter as she won me over.

She was receptive to touch and was never in a rush to get away from anyone.

I was clear we were all in the presence of one with the power to connect deeply with those she crossed paths with and invite them into that grounding and calm energy she radiated.

The key to having such an impact was not rooted in any special training, intelligence or attempt to manipulate, but rather in the absence of all the human conditioning that creates our often judgmental and frantic lifestyles.

I believe Miss May was there to remind us of our natural state when we drop all the stories and simply be present.

Click the link below to watch my ode to Miss May

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Miss May

By Frank Bolaji Irawo

OH, what a day it was when I first met Miss May

Thankfully, she was primed for wonderful play

Moving like social glue, not too posh for hay

Modelling for us, there are reasons to be gay

As we experience awe, touched by the sun's rays

Ravaged by the beauty of nature on display

Held in the embrace of gaseous exchange

Breathing in, breathing out in life's gorgeous interplay

Clive Leach, thanks so much for the presence of Miss May

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What reminds you to be simply present?

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"It was great to meet you, Frank and hold the space with you and Miss May! Your poem captures many of my insights from our short time at the event so thank you for that and your connection with us 🙏🏼🐾" - Clive Leach

Part five in this series highlighted the futility of comparison and the importance of collaboration (Click the link in the comments below to catch up).

One of the things that made COLE 2025 so special were the showcase of many ways to reconnect with nature.

The event was a wonderful opportunity to meet many practitioners who had been early adopters, paving the way for others to follow.

Our minds assume there is safety on the path most followed, widened by the footprints of those who have gone before.

In contrast, it associates danger with the path less trodden. It is the harder path.

I am grateful that these pathfinders have responded to that inner call to put out into the universe things that were not yet commonplace. I salute them for making it easier for us to follow.

There were many such pathfinders at the event but I dedicate this post to:

@leslie - Connect with her and check out her book - Coaching Outdoors (Essential guide to partnering with nature in your coaching conversations)

@lizzi - Connect with her and check out her book - Blue (Compilation of poems that celebrate our 'Blue' planet)

Click the link below to watch a reading of the poems that honour our pathfinders and remind us of the significance of looking after our waterways.

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Path finders

By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Salutations to the pathfinders

Maybe better known as path makers

Early adopters of the ways of nature

Pointing to the array of what it offers

Benefits we need but not wanted

Relax, Reconnect and be restored

Nature the path to it all

Like match makers

Firing natures Cupid arrow

When you fall in love

You'll protect it all

Benevolent water

By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Water here, there

Everywhere

Water in everything

Adorned in all manner

Of disguises

It stands, it flows and

It rises

Satisfying all that thirst

Laden with gifts

Of whatever

We have infused it with

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Which path to nature are you feeling called to walk?

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"Your poems will stay with me for a long time ☺️" - Ellie Lloyd-Jones

Part six in this series celebrated some early adopters of coaching outdoors (Click the link in the comments below to catch up).

There is a temptation to attempt to assess our impact on nature as an abstract construct. We use formulas and play with numbers, claiming net zero impact.

Looking at the map is not the same experience as inhabiting the territory to which the map refers.

Stepping into nature and connecting with it viscerally will generate the level of connection that can motivate us to make the simple choices that result in us becoming better stewards of it.

It would break down the mental separation that inoculates us from recognising the correlation of our choices and the impact they have.

Click the link below to watch a reading of the poems that invite us to reflect on how connected we are to the footprint of nature surrounding us.

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Nature Capture

By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Who would take on such a task?

Capture nature on a  chart

Reflecting particles and waves

Morphing an evolving before your eyes

What you get is anyone's guess

Depending on who's looking on

Consider the looker and nature are One

Connected Health

By Frank Bolaji Irawo

I the master, 'It' the servant

Separate and above

I use and abuse

Whatever pleases me

Why else is it here?

Then came global warming

A myth to some

Nothing to see here

Moving right along

Such a mystery to me

How a myth changes everything?

Wonder what an impact

To expect?

If it turned out to be real!

Can I afford to be wrong?

Primetime

Flip the script

Or the generations to come

Pay the price

Being all connected

Changes everything

What is now seen

Can no longer

Be unseen

Then the health of

All things

Becomes Healthy

For all things

We all work together

To regenerate

What we are in process

To obliterate

Going beyond survival

To Thrive and celebrate life

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What can you do in the next few days to interact physically with the aspects of nature that surround you?

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"Having a poet in residence like Frank was so beautiful!" - Diana Tedoldi

Part seven in this series highlighted the benefits of physically connecting with nature to foster a deeper connection with it (Click the link in the comments below to catch up).

One of the joys of being a poet in residence is getting to be a fly on the wall in conversations where unsuspecting participants start sharing their stories, oblivious to my fully extended poetic radar.

The coaching outdoor live event was no different as we gathered around for dinner. Such fun and wisdom flowed into my poetic funnel, and what is to follow in this series are the results of that.

I, of course, have the good sense to preserve their identity as I regurgitate in poetry, words spoken around the metaphoric campfire.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did writing them.

Click the link below to watch a reading of the poems that reflect on something that plagues us in sleep.

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Rising symphony

By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Cue the end of a day full of activity

Herded together in such proximity

Drained of all remnant energy

All that's left is the foregone eventuality

The moment that signals the day's finality

Then arises this crescendo of a symphony

One devoid of recognisable harmonies

For the listening pleasure of unsuspecting humanity

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To what does this refer, and when last did you encounter it?

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"Frank Bolaji Irawo thank you 🙏 and what a gift your beautiful poetry is 😍" - Miriam Ricci, Ph.D.

Part eight in this series featured a fireside chat poem about something done while sleeping, to which we are mostly oblivious (Click the link in the comments below to catch up).

Some holes are more useful when open, allowing access to what they reveal, while others are best sealed to prevent the distasteful contents they expose from polluting the environment.

The wisdom lies in knowing when the right time is for either of those responses.

A useful question would be 'what serves you best in the long term?'

Click the link below to watch a reading of the poems about one such hole.

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The biggest hole
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Are you familiar with that hole
The biggest one in the world
Not to be confused for the one at the other end
You will be forgiven for assuming a leak
As all it emits, puts me at dis-ease
Took all of my will, not to plug it with a fist
Such an act would be so premature
Missing the hidden gift it bore
Prodding at all the wounds still sore
Shedding light through the darkest hole

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Where are the holes in your world that you would rather plug, and what wisdom may they hold?

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" Poetry as a way to integrate experiences, inspiration and learning, evoking deeper dialogues within ourselves, with each other and with Nature, thanks to Frank Bolaji Irawo - poet in residence for the whole event!" - Diana Tedoldi

Part nine in this series featured a fireside chat poem about how to maximise the opportunities created by those that trigger us (Click the link in the comments below to catch up).

The mind is not the best at predicting the limits of our abilities to achieve certain outcomes. In some contexts, it underestimates and in others it overestimates.

There is only one sure way to find out, and that is to keep going. Very often, you will surprise yourself, especially when you are present in the moment and not in your head.

Click the link below to watch a reading of the poem about how to turn a wall into a door.

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Doorway

By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Here is your chance at the inconceivable

Attempting to achieve the impossible

At least that how it seems

Going beyond where you've ever been

Pretty much guaranteed, you'll hit that wall

The key is to keep pressing through

Till it gives up that 'You' shaped door

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What happened the last time you pushed beyond your perceived boundaries?

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" Hi Frank, it was lovely to meet you and hear your poetry at Coaching Outdoors. Including your poetry within the celebrations was transformative for me. And by the end of the two days I’d managed to write a poem. I think it’s the first in 30 years! So thank you for being such an integral part of my festival experience…" - Jen Gleadow

Part 10 in this series featured a fireside chat poem about how to turn a wall into a door. (Click the link in the comments below to catch up.)

This marks the end of this series. I hope that you have enjoyed the journey. For those who attended, I hope that it has afforded you the odd reminisce of what you experienced.

If you happened to miss it, then I trust that you got a sense of what it was like to be part of such a gathering celebrating people and nature as one.

Little did we who were present realise that we were witnessing the closing of a chapter.

Coaching Outdoor Live Event has since been rebranded to Nature Connected Coaching Live.

For all purposes and intents, the mission and format of the event remain the same, so follow the LinkedIn group page to get the latest information about Nature Connected Coaching Live 2026. (I will leave a link in the comments below)

It is befitting that, as the universe will have it, the final poem is about One Planet, fully connected for us all to enjoy and cherish. It has been my pleasure to serve COLE 2025 as Poet In Residence, and I look forward to what the future holds for this community.

Click the link below to watch a reading of the poem about the connected Planet.

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One planet
By Frank Bolaji Irawo

Green planet or Blue planet?
Which do you care for most?
I've settled on the human planet
Where I can be the most use
Sometimes it looks green
Other times it turns out blue

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If you attended, please share your fondest memories of the event in the comments below
If you did not attend, please share any part of this series that resonated with you

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"It was an absolute honour that Frank Bolaji Irawo injected a dose of creativity into our 2 x day outdoor & nature connected coaching festival. His words melt like pure honey!!" - Nature Connected Coaching Live