Walking into the wild: Courage, connection, and encountering lions in the South African wilderness
About courage, connection, and lions.
Sitting in the city in front of my laptop, I often find it hard to listen in.
This is why I walked through the South African wilderness the last 5 days.
It was my birthday present to myself.
5 days of listening in. 5 days of listening to the bush.
Reflecting with wonderful people. Each on their own life’s journey. Different, yet similar.
Going to bed with the sun and waking up with the sun.
Digging for water. Making fire. Cooking food on a little gas cooker. Leaving nothing behind.
I prepped carefully for this as so far, I have not necessarily been an “outdoor person”.
I did not prepare, however, for running into a lioness and her cub on foot on day 1.
This wonderful close encounter put me well into my fear zone. I was about to quit.
But my curiosity and trust in the guides and the process made me stay.
Beautiful insights came out of reflections, mindfulness practices, emotional moments, small teachings around the plants and trees and the whole ecosystem of the bush.
Thank you to Lutz Otto and Itai Ivtzan for this truly transformational experience, thank you Lutz and Chris for keeping us safe and the whole wonderful group for making these 5 days unforgettable and for holding the space for me to connect more with myself, my essence and gain clarity on the next steps of my journey.
„Look deep, deep, deep into nature and you will understand everything better.“ (Albert Einstein – and thank you for continuing to share you immense wisdom with me Giles Hutchins).
I realised again how important it is to make space to listen and look deeper.
Space for mindfulness and heart-connection.
Space to feel what is going on in our bodies.
Space to spend more time in nature.
Space to reflect and let new insights emerge.
Insights that help us gain clarity and courage for our journey ahead, venture into the unknown, to become who we truly are.
Even though I returned with the exact same huge backpack, I felt so much lighter.
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is fear walking (Susan David).
There is so much fear and helplessness in this world. And there is so much potential.
We will cultivate what we focus on.
Which one are you going to choose?
—
📩 If this post resonated with you, consider joining my newsletter for thoughtful insights 💡 delivered to your inbox. When you’re ready to explore deeper, let's connect for a free discovery call!
Christina Peters, Founder and Executive Coach, The Art of Self
Christina supports leaders and innovators on their path to conscious and regenerative leadership. With over a decade in consulting at boutique firms and Accenture, she has developed digital transformation strategies and build new business models and innovation units for German DAX companies, working with c-level. Six years ago, she began exploring how truly “sustainable” business can work. This journey led her to focus on awareness and leadership development as being crucial to bridging the gap between people, nature & business. Achieving this requires a paradigm shift, learning organisations, and a systemic view of business & value streams.
Direct yet compassionate, and driven yet humble, she has navigated significant personal & professional change. Her holistic experience uniquely positions her to facilitate deep personal & leadership transformation. She is member of the European Association of Supervision & Coaching and has learned directly from various pioneers at the forefront of leadership, such as Gunther Schmidt at Milton-Erickson Institute Heidelberg, Carol Sanford, and Giles Hutchins. With roots in Hamburg and experience in South America, China, South Africa, and England, she is blending global thinking with local action.
