Anita arrived right on time from Lisbon.
Sergio had travelled almost the same distance from Barcelona.
Manuela was already there, hosting -after all, this part of the Italian Alps is where she lives and works. Sonia arrived in advance to plan together, with the quiet precision that also defines how she coordinates learning operations and finance at Forest Therapy Hub.
A few hours later, Sofia arrived from Barcelona. Erika had flown overnight from New York. Betty came from Singapore.
For a few days, in a small village surrounded by forests and mountains in the Dolomites, the core team of Forest Therapy Hub gathered for an in-person strategic meeting.
Around the table sat Alex Gesse, Executive Director; Manuela Renzi, Training and Capacity Building Director; Sonia Juárez, Learning and Finance Director; Sofia Aivalioti, International Projects Director; Anita Correia, Social Media Manager; Erika DiPasquale, Hub Seedlings Director; and Betty Fang, Capacity Building & Content Manager.
They were born and raised in cities spread across the planet: New York, Barcelona, Shanghai, Napoli, Thessaloniki, and Lisbon.
Different disciplines.
Different cultures.
Different life paths.
And yet they had come together for the same reason.
But the truth is that the meeting was not really about the eight people sitting around the table.
The Invisible People in the Room
In many ways, the room was far more crowded than it appeared.
Each person present carried with them the voices, ideas, and experiences of a much larger network.
Over the years, thousands of people from more than 80 nationalities have trained with Forest Therapy Hub, becoming forest bathing guides, forest therapy practitioners, or professionals integrating nature-based approaches into health, education, and community work.
Behind the conversations taking place in the Alps were many other cities, landscapes, and stories.
A practitioner guiding sessions in an urban park in Mexico City.
A therapist integrating forest therapy into clinical work in Poland.
An educator bringing nature-connection practices to schools in China.
A community health initiative emerging in Portugal.
These are just a few examples of a growing international network that continues to shape and expand the field.
Or, as FTHub describes its mission:
“As the nurturing tree hub, also known as the mother tree, we are committed to mindful green health education. We train Forest Bathing Guides and Forest Therapy Practitioners worldwide, connecting people, furnishing the guidance needed for fostering growth and shaping together a better society. Our commitment extends to the collective advancement of Planetary Health.”
A Network That Adapts to the World
One of the reasons this network has expanded so widely is its capacity to adapt.
Nature-based interventions are not applied as a rigid model. Instead, they evolve with the landscapes, cultures, and communities where they are practiced.
A forest in Japan.
A Mediterranean pine grove.
An Andean cloud forest.
An urban green corridor in Europe.
Each place invites different practices, rhythms, and relationships with nature.
This flexibility allows professionals to integrate forest therapy and nature-based health approaches within their own cultural and environmental contexts, while remaining connected through a shared professional ecosystem.
Today, FTHub training programs are delivered in six languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, Polish, and Portuguese.
Across languages and continents, this learning network continues to grow.
Guided by Science and Integrity
Another thread that quietly runs through conversations in meetings like this is the role of science.
From the beginning, Forest Therapy Hub has believed that the growing field of nature-based health must be supported by rigorous research and open dialogue with the scientific community.
Not as a marketing slogan.
Not as a convenient “sales pitch.”
But as a genuine effort to understand how and why nature supports human wellbeing.
At a time when interest in nature-based interventions is expanding rapidly worldwide, maintaining this integrity becomes increasingly important.
For FTHub, science is not something displayed on a slide to promote courses. It is a compass that helps guide the evolution of the field.
Through collaboration with researchers, universities, and health institutions, the aim is to contribute to a more evidence-informed practice of nature-based health — always with humility, honesty, and care.
Because credibility in this field cannot be built on enthusiasm alone.
It must also grow through knowledge, transparency, and responsibility.
Strategy Happens Between the Trees
Inside the meeting room, the team discussed future partnerships, research collaborations, and new frameworks for nature-based health interventions.
But some of the most meaningful conversations happened elsewhere.
Walking through the forests of Val di Sole, a valley where mountains open into wide alpine landscapes.
Talking during long meals.
Laughing at small moments that only colleagues who know each other well can appreciate.
Sometimes simply sitting quietly, letting ideas emerge slowly — the way they often do in nature.
Strategy, after all, does not always happen around a table.
Sometimes it happens on a trail.
Carrying the Vision Forward
The purpose of the meeting was simple to explain, but ambitious in scope:
How to carry forward the work of this global network and support its next stage of growth.
What began as a training initiative has gradually become something larger — a professional ecosystem exploring how human health, community wellbeing, and ecological regeneration are deeply interconnected.
At the heart of that vision lies one guiding principle: Planetary Health.
The understanding that the wellbeing of people cannot be separated from the wellbeing of the ecosystems that sustain life.
The meeting in the Alps, therefore, was not only about planning projects or coordinating teams.
It was also about recognizing and strengthening a growing movement of professionals who believe that reconnecting people with nature is not a luxury, but an essential step toward healthier societies and a healthier planet.
When the meeting ended, the mountains were quiet again.
But the conversations that began there continue to travel outward — carried by thousands of practitioners, collaborators, and learners across the world.
Act now, enrolling in our Forest Bathing Guide Training and Forest Therapy Practitioner Training. Grow together, equipping you with essential skills to lead transformative experiences in nature.
